Sukkot in Bellaire has been one incredible marathon of feasting and rejoicing with hundreds of you in the Sukkah and around town in the mobile Sukkah, and we are just getting started.
We have finally received the long-awaited news, two years in the making: the imminent return of the 48 remaining hostages. (Yes, it is complicated and bittersweet, coming alongside Israel’s painful agreement to release convicted terrorists. May G‑d protect us.)
As Simchat Torah approaches, the knowledge that so many families will soon be reunited with their loved ones, and that others will finally have the dignity to lay their dear ones to rest, brings immense relief and hope.
This year, please G‑d, Simchat Torah will be unlike any other. In every Synagogue around the world, the dancing will reach new heights of joy. Knowing that our fellow Jews, the hostage families, have received the greatest gift imaginable, we will celebrate with the Torah and with them as if they were our own family.
One of the central Mitzvot of this season is taking the Four Kinds: the Lulav, Etrog, Hadas, and Aravah (palm branch, citron, myrtle, and willow). Each represents a different type of Jew, yet all must be bound together to fulfill the Mitzvah, a powerful symbol of our unity. Each kind also carries its own message of togetherness. The Lulav’s leaves are tightly bound. The Etrog reflects the fullness of all four seasons. The myrtle’s three leaves rise from a single stem. The willow goes even further, growing naturally in clusters and intertwining with its neighbors, a living expression of communal connection.
For two years, we gathered with one prayer constantly on our minds, the safe return of the hostages. We were bound together with them throughout this grueling process. And now, with their impending return, our hearts overflow with joy for these families and for Klal Yisrael as a whole.
Let us make a special effort to be present in Shul this Tuesday for Simchat Torah, to celebrate together with our brothers and sisters everywhere. Though separated by miles, the entire Jewish world will dance as one great circle, linking hearts, souls and spirits.
May this renewed joy restore the pep in our collective step that was taken from us two years ago, and bring us ever closer to the ultimate redemption, speedily in our days, Amen.