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Nov 9 2009, 08:00 AM
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Tiberias, Israel
RABBI’S FOCUS ON OBSERVANCES: Rabbi Eckstein told his audience - all participants in the "Journey to Zion" extended study portion of the Fellowship’s 2009 Journey Home Tour - the significance of the eight-day Festival of Succot in the Fall and the Festival of Purim in the Spring.
BUILDING THE SUCCOT HUT: Rabbi Eckstein explained why Jews still build a three-or four-sided hut to celebrate Succot, also known as a harvest festival and assumed to be the model for what has become Thanksgiving. Jews carried temporary housing - huts - from Egypt through the desert for 40 years, learning they had to trust God. "One of the greatest gifts I have is knowing my limitations. I'm one of those people who can barely put in a light bulb. I couldn't put together my children’s bikes. The Bible tells us to build a Succot hut - it's a temporary hut, but in my case it’s very temporary. It’s a good year for me when the hut lasts eight days," admitted Rabbi Eckstein.
LESSON OF SUCCOT: "Though the Succot hut should have four walls, it's okay if it has only three," explained the rabbi. "It’s okay if we operate on three cylinders rather than four. Succot is trying to teach us that we’re human and that we’re to feel vulnerable to the elements. Our lives are fragile... in one second, our whole Succot hut can fall down. Remember that life is fragile, and life with three walls is still okay."
GOOD VS. EVIL: The message of Purim is that God has an ongoing battle with evil, Rabbi Eckstein told his attentive audience. "There are Hitlers, Stalins... in every generation who seek to destroy the people of Israel. Remember that evil exists even today and should be fought," he stated, adding that, in the Jewish view, every remembering is a call to action. "One of the ways to remember evil is to light a candle, replacing evil with good," stated the rabbi.
PROPER RESPONSE TO DESPAIR: "Never despair," emphasized Rabbi Eckstein. "We should pray that our response is, 'Here I am, Lord, ready to serve you.'"
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