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		                                    Thinking Torah Blog		                                </span>

10/13/2022 05:00:00 PM

Oct13

Rabbi Josh Whinston

Sukkot may not be our only festival connected to the cycles of our planet; all 3 of the harvest festivals rely on these cycles. Still, Sukkot certainly feels like the most planetary-related of our festivals. Between dwelling in the sukkah for seven days, shaking the lulav, and generally being outside to celebrate the holiday, Sukkot places our planet and its climate centrally in its celebration. As we end the festival, we even begin praying for rain as the rainy season starts in the land of Israel. Living in the sukkah for a week reminds us of our vulnerability to the weather and our reliance on the climate to help us produce the food we need to survive. After spending ten days during the High Holy Days thinking about our spiritual lives, Sukkot moves us to our need for physical, not only spiritual, sustenance. To that end, I was delighted to see that our Dayenu Circle has decided to endorse the Ann Arbor Climate Action Milage. Dayenu writes, “The funding will lead to substantially expanded services to address the climate crisis, including recycling and reuse programs, advancing the use of renewable energy with solar and geothermal systems, expanding EV charging stations, especially for renters and multi-family developments, improving emergency preparedness, and increasing energy efficiency programs for low-income housing, seniors, residents, and businesses. This millage will also help repair systemic harm to historically marginalized communities—the people impacted the most by the climate crisis.” The future of our ability to thrive on this planet hangs in the balance during our lifetimes. Dwelling in our sukkot during this week is a good reminder of just how vulnerable we are.

Fri, March 29 2024 19 Adar II 5784