“Oh let me behold your presence!”
Exodus 33:18
Maybe when you sit in the sukkah,
And you look around at the flimsy walls
That maybe you built yourself,
Maybe you can imagine
That they are there to remind you
Of the need for humans to construct descriptions
and meaning,
Golden calves and theologies,
To help them make it through their lives,
Which is okay, maybe.
Maybe, as you sit in the sukkah
Within these tangible constructs,
You look up
And you can see through to the stars
And you can’t help but be reminded
Of how vast and incomprehensible this universe is
And how amusing are our explanations.
And maybe this will scare you
Because it cannot be grasped.
But maybe it doesn’t need to be understood
Especially because it never will be
Or because the answer is obvious
Like death and creation.
And maybe that’s what all the atonement
And redemption was about last week.
So maybe if you sit for a while
Surrounded by immense mystery
It gets easier to forgive the forgivable
And enjoy your day.
Maybe,
When you sit in this hut,
Contemplating the universe
Whilst eating a snack,
Safe within the see-through sukkah walls yet
Under the stars of the awesome whatever,
You will let yourself imagine that
God is never begun, never over, always now.
And may it be that God’s goodness passes over you.
Amen
