From Rabbi Craig Mayers
October / November 2024
From the Rabbi Fall 5785
As I write this, we are on the cusp of the High Holidays. Coming quickly on the heels of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we will celebrate Sukkot in a few weeks. During this time, we construct temporary shelters and “dwell” in them. Many will eat meals and even sleep inside their sukkot - but only if it’s pleasant. The rabbis decreed that if it’s raining or too cold, one should not dwell in their sukkah. When it rains or gets really cold here (not all that often, but it does happen), I wonder about those who have no choice but to sleep and eat outside, in flimsy tents or shelters, or just at the mercy of the elements.
Sukkot has been connected to a dual message – one of G-d’s protection and provenance, by showing how even in flimsy ramshackle huts we need have no fear because Hashem is looking out for us. Also to reflect (according to one Mishnaic position) the Clouds of Glory that covered the Israelites on their journeys. But at the same time these flimsy ramshackle huts are a reminder of our need for secure shelter, and our humble origins as a semi-nomadic people, wandering the desert without a permanent home. In our time, Sukkot is solidly connected to the issue of homelessness and housing insecurity with articles like one in The Forward proclaiming, “For the Homeless, Sukkot is Year-round”. Another piece from the late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks called it “The Festival of Insecurity”. Sukkot, therefore, is a natural time for us to discuss the issue of homelessness and housing insecurity.
About 10 years ago in Los Angeles, “The Homeless Sukkah Project” sought to raise awareness of L.A’s homeless situation by constructing a sukkah entirely of carboard signs used by struggling people in the area. The Facebook page for the project said its goal was to “serve as a standing, visible reminder of a terrible problem that our elected leaders, together with us, must solve.” Locally there is also a homelessness crisis, and it doesn’t always take the form of scraggly-looking people huddled under an overpass, or even someone holding a cardboard sign at an intersection. Families in our towns are fighting off homelessness, and sometimes losing the battle. They may look “normal” to us - going to work, sending the kids to school, etc. But at the end of the day, they may be sleeping in their car or on a friend’s couch or in a hotel if they can afford it.
We are fortunate to have a local organization focused on the specific issue of family homelessness, called Family Promise of Brevard. Their goal is not only to help families prevent homelessness but provide secure temporary shelter for those who have had a temporary setback. This happens primarily in places of worship, mostly churches. For one week at a time, up to 4 families are kept together and given a place to sleep and eat in houses of worship in our area. In 2020, your synagogue was about to become the first non-church house of worship in our community to become a host institution. However, the Covid pandemic brought the program to a screeching halt. Now that things are back and functioning again, sadly only one church in our area is still hosting – Suntree United Methodist. It is my goal to eventually take our place as a host facility in our community – but until that happens I have committed to helping our neighbors at SUMC when they next serve as a host. This is happening November 10-17, and I invite you to participate with me. This can involve spending time at SUMC preparing meals, donating or purchasing bedding materials, serving as greeters, and even staying the night one or more nights during the week that SUMC will be hosting.
Sukkot teaches us that G-d took care of us when we were at our most vulnerable, and we are supposed to emulate G-dly behavior in our own lives. That means we have an obligation to take care of the most vulnerable in our community. This sukkot, when you dwell in a sukkah whether at your home or at TBS, remember that if it gets nasty out – you can go inside. For many in our area, that just isn’t an option. We can show our appreciation for our own housing security, granted to us by G-d, by extending ourselves into the community and helping others who do not enjoy such security. Let sukkot serve as a call to action this year. Reach out if you are interested in serving at Suntree United Methodist as a volunteer when they host families again this November 10-17. I’ll be there - will you join me?
Chag Sameach to all,
Rabbi Craig Mayers
As I write this, we are on the cusp of the High Holidays. Coming quickly on the heels of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we will celebrate Sukkot in a few weeks. During this time, we construct temporary shelters and “dwell” in them. Many will eat meals and even sleep inside their sukkot - but only if it’s pleasant. The rabbis decreed that if it’s raining or too cold, one should not dwell in their sukkah. When it rains or gets really cold here (not all that often, but it does happen), I wonder about those who have no choice but to sleep and eat outside, in flimsy tents or shelters, or just at the mercy of the elements.
Sukkot has been connected to a dual message – one of G-d’s protection and provenance, by showing how even in flimsy ramshackle huts we need have no fear because Hashem is looking out for us. Also to reflect (according to one Mishnaic position) the Clouds of Glory that covered the Israelites on their journeys. But at the same time these flimsy ramshackle huts are a reminder of our need for secure shelter, and our humble origins as a semi-nomadic people, wandering the desert without a permanent home. In our time, Sukkot is solidly connected to the issue of homelessness and housing insecurity with articles like one in The Forward proclaiming, “For the Homeless, Sukkot is Year-round”. Another piece from the late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks called it “The Festival of Insecurity”. Sukkot, therefore, is a natural time for us to discuss the issue of homelessness and housing insecurity.
About 10 years ago in Los Angeles, “The Homeless Sukkah Project” sought to raise awareness of L.A’s homeless situation by constructing a sukkah entirely of carboard signs used by struggling people in the area. The Facebook page for the project said its goal was to “serve as a standing, visible reminder of a terrible problem that our elected leaders, together with us, must solve.” Locally there is also a homelessness crisis, and it doesn’t always take the form of scraggly-looking people huddled under an overpass, or even someone holding a cardboard sign at an intersection. Families in our towns are fighting off homelessness, and sometimes losing the battle. They may look “normal” to us - going to work, sending the kids to school, etc. But at the end of the day, they may be sleeping in their car or on a friend’s couch or in a hotel if they can afford it.
We are fortunate to have a local organization focused on the specific issue of family homelessness, called Family Promise of Brevard. Their goal is not only to help families prevent homelessness but provide secure temporary shelter for those who have had a temporary setback. This happens primarily in places of worship, mostly churches. For one week at a time, up to 4 families are kept together and given a place to sleep and eat in houses of worship in our area. In 2020, your synagogue was about to become the first non-church house of worship in our community to become a host institution. However, the Covid pandemic brought the program to a screeching halt. Now that things are back and functioning again, sadly only one church in our area is still hosting – Suntree United Methodist. It is my goal to eventually take our place as a host facility in our community – but until that happens I have committed to helping our neighbors at SUMC when they next serve as a host. This is happening November 10-17, and I invite you to participate with me. This can involve spending time at SUMC preparing meals, donating or purchasing bedding materials, serving as greeters, and even staying the night one or more nights during the week that SUMC will be hosting.
Sukkot teaches us that G-d took care of us when we were at our most vulnerable, and we are supposed to emulate G-dly behavior in our own lives. That means we have an obligation to take care of the most vulnerable in our community. This sukkot, when you dwell in a sukkah whether at your home or at TBS, remember that if it gets nasty out – you can go inside. For many in our area, that just isn’t an option. We can show our appreciation for our own housing security, granted to us by G-d, by extending ourselves into the community and helping others who do not enjoy such security. Let sukkot serve as a call to action this year. Reach out if you are interested in serving at Suntree United Methodist as a volunteer when they host families again this November 10-17. I’ll be there - will you join me?
Chag Sameach to all,
Rabbi Craig Mayers