The Sukkah Protecting our Journey to Israel 

10/6/2025

Tonight, we begin the holiday of Sukkot—the seven-day celebration when we remember the tumultuous journey the Jews took to the promised land, the land of Israel.

Then, as today, the journey to the holy land was fraught with danger. Three thousand years ago, it was the wind, the heat, and the desert’s snakes that sought to disrupt the journey.

Today, it is world opinion, anti-Jewish propaganda, Hamas terrorism, the suicidal sympathy of the world’s governments, and even our own Jewish self-doubt that threaten to accomplish the same.

It was at the Emmys this year when Hannah Einbinder, a young Jewish actress, took the mic and announced, “Free Palestine.”

Whatever her—or anyone’s—views on the war in Gaza, it was appalling that a Jewish woman would use her stage to call for a free Palestine and not even mention the simple, undeniably human, and most important Jewish cause of “free the hostages.”

It is sad if she thought that proclamation would make her more welcomed in society, more beloved by her peers, than had she stood up for—or at least mentioned—her Jewish family still languishing in captivity.

In the past, it was okay to be Jewish so long as you disavowed your faith. At other times, it was okay to be Jewish so long as you disavowed your culture. Today, it seems in some circles it is okay to be Jewish so long as you renounce your people—or at least the seven million who live in Israel.

In the two years since October 7th, many Jews have expressed similar thoughts. They claim that Jewish history is long and treasured, dating thousands of years of learning, faith, and culture, and should not be reduced to the support of a nation-state founded only 77 years ago.

But this logic is fatally flawed.

Because, yes, Jewish history is ancient and rich, but it is completely intertwined with our connection to Israel. Anyone living a Jewish life in its full richness of learning, culture, and faith would be thinking and praying about Israel far more than someone whose connection begins with the modern state (which is why, by the way, Orthodox Jews are among the most ardent supporters of Israel).

They would learn that the story of the Jews began with Abraham's journey to Israel.

They would read that G-d promised this land to his descendants as an eternal inheritance.

They would study the Torah, discovering this promise on almost every page.

They would celebrate Chanukah, commemorating the Jews’ victory in Judea.

They would learn that it is a great Mitzvah to live in Israel.

They would discover that the West Bank is home to the cities and towns that formed the Jewish people.

They would shatter the glass at the Chuppah, mourning the destruction of the Temple.

They would conclude the Seder and Yom Kippur proclaiming, “Next Year in Jerusalem.”

And they would pray three times a day, longing for our return.

So I think this renewed focus on Jewish identity in its full richness is wonderful. But it will not result in less commitment to Israel. On the contrary—unless it is an act, a cop-out—it will forge a stronger, unapologetic, unyielding connection to our G-d-given and ancestral homeland.

Tomorrow, as we mark two years since the horrible day of October 7th, we will sit in the Sukkah and remind ourselves that the Jewish connection to Israel is thousands of years old.

We will remember that our initial journey to Israel was fraught with difficulty. Three thousand years ago, it was the Amalekites, Edomites, Moabites, and the desert’s snakes and scorpions who sought to prevent the Jews from claiming Israel as theirs.

Two years ago, on that horrific and unforgettable day, the desert’s snakes and scorpions invaded our camp, wreaking havoc, spreading fear, murdering 1200, and kidnapping hundreds more.

But this year, as we gather in the Sukkah, we are reminded that G-d protected our ancestors on their initial journey to Israel. The snakes and scorpions that sought to attack them were defeated by the heavenly clouds surrounding their camps.

And this year, as we sit in the Sukkah, surrounded by its four walls and schach that symbolize G-d's warm embrace and protection, we are reminded that G-d’s shelter endures, our current journey will be protected, the hostages will be returned, and that Israel will forever remain the eternal homeland of the Jewish people.

Rabbi Tzvi Alperowitz