Sukkot

We are cresting the arc of our seder, but we’re not done yet. We still have more Torah, more singing, more dancing, more joy before we close out this beautiful morning!

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְ‑יָ אֱ‑לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם שֶׁהַכֹּל נִהְיָה בִּדְבָרוֹ

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha'Olam, borei shehakol nihyeh bidvaro.

Blessed are You, Adonai Our God, Ruler of the Universe, who creates by speaking.

We honor the fourth book of the Torah - Numbers or Bamidbar, with a Bilaam’s Mule, with or without the vodka. Thank you, God, for keeping account of our people through the wilderness, for setting right our paths when we go astray.

We are ready for another beverage. Again we recite the blessing, reminding ourselves that everything we enjoy was set in motion by the Divine Creation. 

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְ‑יָ אֱ‑לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם שֶׁהַכֹּל נִהְיָה בִּדְבָרוֹ

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha'Olam, borei shehakol nihyeh bidvaro.

Blessed are You, Adonai Our God, Ruler of the Universe, who creates by speaking.

We honor the second book of the Torah - Exodus or Shemot, with a Pharaoh’s Frogs, with or without the alcohol of your choice. Thank you, God, for freeing our people from the slavery of Egypt, for leading them out of the narrow places into the wide expanse.

Why is this morning different from all other mornings?

On most mornings, we do not drink booze at Ner Shalom, but this morning celebratory brunch cocktails are encouraged.

On most Shabbat mornings, we learn the Parashat HaShavua - the Torah portion of the week, but this Shabbat morning we are recalling the whole Torah.

On most mornings, we might eat treyf at home, but this morning, we celebrate with bagels - symbolizing the eternal cycle of Torah reading, and our strong Jewish diaspora.

On most Shabbat mornings, we pray in the sanctuary, but this morning we pray outside under our sukkah.

Simchat Torah - literally the Joy of Torah - reminds us that each morsel of Jewish teaching is worth revisiting and savoring every year, every chance. Some parts of the Torah are more narrative and feel more exciting than others, and some parts contain laws or stories that may be difficult for us to understand now, but all of it has worth and meaning for us at each stage of our lives.

Unlike at other seders, where we drink four glasses of wine, this morning we will drink five glasses of mixed beverages that remind us of each of the Five Books of Moses. The blessing for each of these concoctions is:

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְ‑יָ אֱ‑לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם שֶׁהַכֹּל נִהְיָה בִּדְבָרוֹ

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha'Olam, borei shehakol nihyeh bidvaro.

Blessed are You, Adonai Our God, Ruler of the Universe, who creates by speaking.

We honor the first book of the Torah - Genesis or Bereshit, with a Let There Be Light Sunrise, with or without the Tequlia. Thank you, God, for the creation of the Earth, and for blessing our earliest ancestors.