I love Sukkos so much!! It’s such a special time of disconnecting from the outside world and tuning into things that matter more – for an entire week.

We were building our sukka until the last minute this year!  First of all we had a delay since the owner of an expensive sports car parked in our parking space.

Dh didn’t want to take a chance of scratching it by building in the space next to it, and unsuccessfully went around to lots of neighbors to find out who it belonged to.  In the end the driver responded with a text message to the note dh left on his windshield and moved his car into the space opposite the sukka.

That meant we couldn’t start building the sukka until the day before Sukkos, and then ds15 spent hours getting the wiring for lights in the sukka taken care of.

After working it all out, the person who had agreed to let us hook up to their home electricity wasn’t home before the holiday began so after all of his work, we weren’t able to have electric lights for the sukka.

Finally we thought everything was finally finished and ready (other than the neighbor putting the plug in their socket), and there was a thunderstorm that began 90 minutes before Sukkos that almost blew our sukka away!

As the rain poured down and it seemed obvious we wouldn’t be able to eat in the sukka that evening, one of the older kids told me with dismay, “Oh, no, Hashem doesn’t want our mitzvos!”  With the sky heavily overcast and the rain pouring down, there didn’t seem to be much room for optimism.  Ds15 moved schach from the big sukka to our porch so we’d be able to make kiddush there instead.  Even as we were preparing for a change in plans, I told the kids, let’s not be so sure that we won’t be able to sit in the sukka – let’s assume it’s going to be good.

And it was. The thunderstorm ended about thirty minutes before Sukkos began, and when it was over, it was so beautiful outside, so clean and fresh – there was a tangible feeling that the thunderstorm had been a gift to prepare the city for Sukkos! Dh, ds21 and ds15 worked hard in the pouring rain to reinforce the sukka so it was extra sturdy and stable; when strong gusting winds blew on the first night of Sukkos, we were so happy that our sukka had been reinforced before the holiday began!

On Friday night heavy black clouds gathered, there was intense lighting and thunder, and the rain began to patter down.  Our Shabbos candles blew out, and as we prepared mentally to make a sudden run for the house when the expected torrents came down, we continued to sit there together.  There was a such a relaxed feeling of being all snug together, secure and protected.  Before long the inky black storm clouds blew away and not only were we able to finish our meal without making a mad dash for cover, but dh and all the boys (and our guest) were able to sleep in the sukka as planned.

About sleeping in the sukka – on the actual holiday or Shabbos night, all of the boys except Yirmiyahu (age 2) sleep in the sukka.  During chol hamoed, the younger boys sleep inside, either in their own beds or on the porch sukka.  During the days of the holiday and Shabbos, almost all of us rest in the sukka – most of us spend the entire day there just hanging out.  We have a bunch of thin foam mattesses we use on Sukkos that we pile up in a corner until they’re needed, then we spread them out.  We have room for about eight people to stretch out at the same time, along with a loveseat so those who want to read while others are resting can do so.

I hope those of you celebrating are also enjoying your holiday!

Avivah