Sukkot, the festival of precariousness and hospitality

Sukkot (the Festival of Booths) is the holiday where, by recalling the time the Jewish people dwelt in booths in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt, we acknowledge our own fragility and our dependence on divine protection. At the same time, it is a festival of hospitality—a time when, in the days of the Sanctuary, sacrifices were offered on behalf of all the peoples of the earth. Today, we celebrate hospitality through our open *sukkot* and, even more so, through the shared communal *sukkah* (booth) that is open to everyone and serves as the hub for all activities throughout the week. It is no coincidence that hospitality is the theme chosen this year by the Jewish school for the decorations adorning the *sukkah*.