The sukkah of my childhood stood on a busy Boston street, minutes away from Fenway Park. The holiday meals, discussions and tunes were punctuated by car horns, pedestrians’ footsteps, and the occasional home-run cheer.

Shadows often fell on the thin canvas walls as people walked by. When we noticed someone hesitating, whoever was nearest the door would rush to welcome the passing friend or curious stranger.

I remember my little brother—all of five or six years old at the time—perched on the stoop outside the sukkah, inviting everyone he saw to join us inside. One busy man responded with a curt “no thanks” and hurried on his way. An hour later he returned, drawn by the sincerity of a young child and the warmth of the sukkah.

The little sukkah overflowed with infants, college students, grandparents, rabbis with beards and people who had never seen a sukkah before. We couldn’t have been more different, but the light-filled sukkah united us, as we sang and celebrated together.

This year, embrace the beauty and unity of Sukkot. If you can, build a sukkah of your own. Invite a guest or two into your sukkah, or find a sukkah nearby. And if you’re in Boston, the sukkah in Kenmore Square still stands—stop by.

Rochel Chein,
Responder for the Ask the Rabbi team @ Chabad.org