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Decorate your Sukkot table with Ethiopian, North African, and Sephardi breads full of fall colors and tantalizing spice mixes while broadening your palate with the customs of worldwide Jewish communities. Laden with seasonal honey, pumpkin, or orange, they don’t need braiding and make perfect gifts.  

Sukkot is known in Hebrew as Z’man Simchateinu – the time of our joy. It’s the happiest festival on the Jewish calendar, labeled as such because it represents a time for coming together to enjoy family, nature, and a bountiful harvest.

When I lived in South Korea, my Korean family celebrated and taught me about Chuseok, the Korean fall festival holiday. During Chuseok, many Koreans travel back to their hometowns, spend time with their families, and cook and eat a lot of traditional foods. Chuseok is often referred to as "Korean Thanksgiving," but I think Chuseok more strongly resembles Sukkot.

We sat down with Rabbi Joseph Meszler, author of "The Sukkah in the Storm: A Sukkot Story," to discuss the ways this story teaches children about strength, resilience, community, and asking for help.

The Jewish holiday of Sukkot is one where we are called upon to rejoice; in fact, it is the only festival where we receive this direct commandment. The holiday is a time to dwell in temporary huts, or sukkot, with open walls and doors, as we invite our communities and loved ones inside to rejoice with us.

Ten years ago, Ron Schulhof and Michelle Sterling, two congregants who were serving as volunteers on our village's sustainability board, approached me with an intriguing proposal: make WRT the first local house of worship to go zero-waste.