I hope you are enjoying the season and these beautiful days of Sukkoth. Sukkoth is a time to take rest in the frail shelter, a poignant symbol for life itself. We read the book of Kohelet during Sukkoth. This profoundly wise book of the Torah struck me a particularly relevant this year. As the author, Kohelet, “King in Jerusalem” muses on values and folly, what is important and what is good. And his opening words are “Utter Futility, saith Kohelet, Utter futility. All is futile.” He carefully examines all the distractions and whims with which we amuse ourselves and analyses one after the other. He concludes that wisdom, wealth, and revelry matter little in the end, as we all return to dust, like the beasts. His simple recommendation for a good life is this: Be happy and enjoy that which the God has blessed you with. Live within your means and practice appreciation. Please give yourself the great gift of reading it yourself. There are important messages for our times.I want to thank again everyone who supported our services over Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. Please see our calendar for the many and various gatherings we are hosting in the sukkah this week, including a gathering of Jews of Color on Thursday and a gathering of young adults on Wednesday. You are welcome to drop in at all times. We have left a lulav and etrog in the sukkah, so you can observe that mitzvah.Also, please note that there is a bin outside the office entrance for non-perishable food donations. We are gathering food for a local pantry until the end of Sukkoth.Blessings~Rabbi Andrea