During this festival of Sukkot, may the fragile sukkah, which recalls our ancestors’ forty-year sojourn in the barren wilderness, remind us of our obligation to assist the poor, the homeless and the persecuted, and to remember those peoples across the globe, experiencing anguish, grief, loss, hardship and humiliation at this time.

This Sukkot we think, in particular, of the people of Syria – of the more than six million people in need of assistance, and the two million who have sought refuge from the conflict in neighbouring countries, aware that half of all Syrian refugees are children.

Let us pause now in the midst of our sacred celebrations to think of the people of Syria and all the suffering peoples throughout the world.

SILENCE

Just as we wave the lulav in all the directions and so acknowledge the earth around us and Eternity beyond us, may we also to reach out to other peoples in distress, wherever they live, contribute to the alleviation of their suffering, and commit ourselves to the sacred task of tikkun olam, repair of the world.

And let us say: Amen.

Rabbi Elizabeth Tikvah Sarah