Sermons & Stories

Our Sukkot story tonight speaks to the magic of this moment. For there is a legend that one night during the Festival of Sukkot, when the moon shines brightly and it’s very late, that the sky will open and just for a minute, wishes will come true. And for those curious enough and adventurous enough to spend the night in their sukkah, it’s a magical experience.

One year, three children who had heard about this legend wanted to see the magic of Sukkot. After getting permission from their parents, these three friends settled in for a long night and each talked about their wishes. Devorah wanted to be a problem solver like Rebecca. Mordechai wanted to be a scholar like Maimonides. Frieda wanted to be brave like Queen Esther.

At first they were nervous to be outside so late – every noise made them jump. They tried to focus on the beauty of the moon and the stars they could see through the skach – through the roof of the sukkah. They tried to keep each other’s spirits up by imagining what would happen when their wishes came true. But as it got later and later, they just got tired and hungry and a little irritable.

It was very late at night and no one was in a great mood, when there was a flash of lightening that seemed to split the sky. At the same time Mordechai, just happened to be complaining – “Are you hungry? I am so hungry, I wish I had a blintz to eat.”

And all of the sudden, a beautiful, warm, blinz appeared in his hands. It filled the whole sukkah with the most amazing smells. When Devorah saw it, she got upset. “Mordechai! How could you waste your wish like that! Oy, and you want to be a scholar? I wish that your head was a blintz.”

There wasn’t even a “poof.” As soon as the words were out of Devorah’s mouth, Mordechai’s head simply became a blintz – with eyes, nose, and a mouth. Mordechai cried out as Devorah could not believe what she had done.

Frieda didn’t even think about it. She knew she couldn’t leave Mordechai like this. “I wish that Mordechai was back to normal.” And then he was.

The sky closed back up. The time for wishes had ended. It took a while for everyone to calm down. And then Mordechai split the blintz that was still in his hands three ways so everyone could share. They talked about their magical experience and gained wisdom that would last a lifetime, until they finally fell asleep.

This story reminds us that when anyone is hungry or tired – they are not at their best. So once again, I want to encourage you to continue to give what you can because there are too many people who are struggling right now.

This story reminds us that even when we’re living through challenging times, our head isn’t a blintz, and that’s something to be grateful for.

And this story reminds us that while things don’t always work out as planned, Sukkot can be magical, we can learn from our mistakes, we can gain wisdom in the process, and we can get through difficult moments with support and friendship.

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sukkot Sameach!