We Won’t Let the Sukkah Fall Again
Last Sukkos, Raizel, you wrote in your journal:
“2 hrs before sukkos, I heard a big bang from outside, it was the sukkah, all the Schach that was on the sukkah fell to the ground. It was pretty crazy, the boys used an old piece of wood that wasn't good or something. They had to quickly get it back together. Tatty finally came back, he helped with the Schach. 10 mins before Yom Tov, they were putting in the lights. I helped get an extension cord for it. I ran back to get ready. It felt like a pretty stressful Erev Yom Tov, it was pretty chaotic.”
Raizel, this year, we built a sukkah that won't fall.
We invested in it.
We hired a team to excavate, take down trees and weeds, and pour a concrete floor. We built a 900-square-foot permanent pergola sukkah.
I ordered customized vinyl walls with windows so we can look out at the beautiful pond.
Tatty ordered 18 bamboo mats, and the boys worked hard to place them across the top, along with evergreen they cut from our trees.
And now, when I stand inside it, I think about you in Gan Eden.
We created a taste of Gan Eden below, a place that connects us to you.
The sukkah is standing stronger than ever.
And yet, our sukkah has fallen this year because you are not here below.
We miss you so much.
I keep thinking about how you responded when you saw our sukkah fall.
You didn't turn away and say, “I'll stay out of this chaos. It's not my problem.”
You gave up your own time, when you were getting yourself ready for Yom Tov, and you helped rebuild the Sukkah. You found the extension cord for the lights.
You wrote that it was a stressful and chaotic Erev Yom Tov, but you didn't take your stress out on anyone.
You were part of the solution.
You were adding light.
You were always asking:
How can I help?
Where am I needed?
Even after a long day working in the kitchen, you were there.
You helped rebuild what had fallen.
That was YOU!
You did this for people too.
You helped them rebuild with your love, with a hug, with a warm meal, with your presence.
You were the Sukkah, embracing so many souls who came through our JGR GROW campus.
Our lives are temporary and fragile, like a sukkah.
And the sukkah reminds us that ultimately, Hashem is our security.
But we still ask:
How do we rebuild our lives without you below?
It will never be the same.
Our joy will never be complete in the same way.
This is also the story of our people.
We fall.
We rebuild.
We don't give up.
For more than 2,000 years, our people have experienced destruction, loss and falling, and somehow, our sukkah still stands.
I imagine you smiling now.
It’s Erev Sukkos morning and our sukkah is ready.
We didn't just rebuild the fallen sukkah.
We built one that is bigger and stronger than before, with room to embrace many more people.
A sukkah is Hashem's hug.
Hashem says,
“I embrace every part of you. Even your back. Even the parts you may want to hide.”
Raizel, this Sukkos, we will sit in our beautiful Sukkah and think about you.
Your warmth.
Your joy.
Your generosity.
Your beautiful way of making people feel seen, loved and embraced without judgment.
Our Sukkah is a space to feel Hashem's hug year-round, and to feel your love too.
A space where women and girls come when they need warmth, connection and belonging.
A space where people are nourished, welcomed and reminded that they are never alone.
A space where your love continues to touch lives.
Raizel, you taught us that falling is not the end of the story.
We get back up.
We don't give up.
We take what has fallen and, with love and patience, we build again.
The words we say in Birkat Hamazon on Sukkos take on new meaning:
“May the Merciful One raise up for us the fallen sukkah of David.”
Our joy will be complete again when Hashem rebuilds the sukkah of Dovid. (You share David Hamelech’s Yartzeit on Shavuos)
“May the Merciful One raise up for us the fallen sukkah of David.”
May Hashem rebuild the Beis Hamikdash and restore the Kingdom of David with the coming of Moshiach.
May we merit to see the day when everything that has fallen is restored.
This Sukkos will be our first Sukkos without you here physically.
We miss you, Raizel more than words can express.
We miss your smile.
We miss your hugs.
We miss the way you simply saw what needed to be done and stepped in.
You taught us how to respond when something falls.
We don't turn away.
We don't say, “It's not my problem.”
We ask:
How can I help?
Where am I needed?
And then we rebuild.
So within our new sukkah,
we will feel your love.
We will carry your light.
And we will continue to open our hearts and embrace Hashem's children, as you did.
Raizel, with your love, we will expand our JGR GROW campus and build more space where many more souls will feel your embrace.
A place of connection.
A place of healing.
A place of growth.
A place where people can come as they are, feel loved, feel nourished, and feel at home.
With your love, we build!
Chag Sameach dear friends,
Love Nechama Dina Laber
Raizel’s Mother
