Growing up I didn't know about the holiday of Sukkot.

Published: Tuesday, September 29, 2009

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Visitor Comments: 6

  • (6) suzanne , October 8, 2009

    Very moved

    Lori, that was beautiful. Thank you for sharing!

  • (5) Shirah , October 5, 2009

    Yes, just do it

    I make an effort to make a sukkah and to buy the 4 species every year. Doing things is what makes Judaism come alive for my kids and grandkids, so having this hut in the backyard and waving the etrog and lulav are memories my kids will have to pass onto their kids. It's a challenge to get the sukkah built, but once it's done, it's great! It makes a statement about where you stand in the importance of being a Jew.

  • (4) Devora , October 3, 2009

    You described my childhood exactly. With Hashem's help, one day I will build a sukkah for my future children and they will have memories of Sukkot.

  • (3) judy , October 1, 2009

    I can relate to this. it was the same, but I was lucky my youth advisor would invite all his members to his parents house for Sucouth. Since then it is my favorite holiday. Chag Simacha

  • (2) Anonymous , October 1, 2009

    Sukkah in the parking lot

    wow. I am also reliving that experience. I thought it was just me. Going to synagogue twice a year, and the Sukkah in the parking lot behind the synagogue. Remember even driving in the back seat of my parent's car and seeing those strange blue and yellow canvas tents on porches. When we got a little older and were allowed to walk to shul on our own (if Yom Tov happened to fall on Shabbat, because weekdays we were in public school) we went inside the Sukkah in the parking lot and were invited to share in the festivities of cake and grape juice. Memories that I'll never forget. Thank G-d we also have a Sukkah now and we are blessed to be hosting my mother in our Sukkah and in our married children's Sukkot where she gets to experience Sukkot with her great grandchildren, and instinctively knows just what dishes to cook and helps us to prepare ours.

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About the Author

Lori Palatnik

Lori Palatnik is an author and Jewish educator who has appeared on television and radio and has lectured on five continents, illuminating traditional practices and life-styles for our contemporary world. She and her husband, Rabbi Yaakov Palatnik, live in Washington, DC, where she is the Executive Director of The Jewish Women's Renaissance Project of Aish DC.

Lori is the author of "Friday Night and Beyond—The Shabbat Experience Step-by-Step"; "Remember My Soul", which explains the Jewish concepts of soul and the afterlife and a guide to anyone who has ever lost a loved one; and "Gossip—Ten Pathways to Eliminate It From Your Life and Transform Your Soul", featured on "Dr. Laura" and FoxNews.com.

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