My Conversion Story Journal

August 24, 2023

Sukkah is the wooden structure that I didn't remember the name of before. I learned that it is a hut type structure to remind the Jews of the structures they sat in during their traveling in the desert. It is celebrated during the week of Sukkot, one of the high holidays. The Chabad website (https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/609535/jewish/What-Is-a-Sukkah.ht...) says that the reason they sit in the Sukkah is because, "it demonstrates our faith in G-d and his benevolence." I like the way my Rabbi explained it. He said it was about choosing joy. That even though we may not have the best things and may go through difficult times and struggles, we still have the option to choose to be joyful, because joy is a choice.

So many times in life we feel like we don't have a choice. I like that no matter the circumstances that we always have a choice to choose joy, to choose happiness. Though we may not be able to control the things that happen to us or around us, we get to choose how we react to those events. We get to choose who we want to be.

I'm thankful to be able to make this choice.