Sukkot Shalom Year 8 Excursion
Sukkat Shalom excursion – Year 8
Overall, our Tiyul Sukkat Shalom (the “Sukkah of Peace” excursion) was extremely educational. Not only did we learn a lot, but that learning was incorporated in a fun way which we found really enjoyable.
The first part of the day, with group learning in the Angles Leadership and Learning Centre at school, was a fun way to get us moving, thinking and ready for the day ahead of us. We felt that we learnt a lot about sukkot (plural of “sukkah”), what the purposes of making them are, and how they are to be made. We received new information about the philosophies and rules. One of the things that stood out to us in this section was how Sukkot (the festival) and being in a sukkah is not only a time of being together with family, rather more about inviting new guests into your sukkah and experiencing new connections. We also learnt that the Jewish People built sukkot to go in during harvest season to be near their fields because Sukkot is the festival of harvesting.
The next part of the day was “Succah by the Sea” www.succahbythesea.com.au which was also very educational. We were presented with many beautiful, abstract and unusual sukkot. These special sukkot were different to the old, original sukkah. They presented us with different sukkot which had further meaning to them. We learnt that sukkot can come in many different types, shapes and forms and, on the tour, Rabbi Alon Meltzer from Shalom explained to us what each of those types meant and how they were all different in their own ways. He told us about the different ways in which a sukkah can be kosher, things like the slanted roof and how the sandstone Sukkah was still kosher even though it was an unmovable structure. It was cool to hear that as most of the architects that designed and made the sukkot were not Jewish, meaning they learned about our culture in the process.
Giving back with Kid’s Giving Back at Our Big Kitchen was definitely our favourite part of the day as it was a more practical way of learning. We cut and peeled ingredients for a soup and then packed them to be sent off to less fortunate people in need of meals. Then we made biscuits for children in hospitals and for their families. In between these activities, we acquired vital though saddening information about homeless people. We learnt that giving back is extremely important considering the harsh circumstances that many people are in compared to our luxurious lives. Our time and help means way more than just giving money and it really gave us a rewarding sense as we know it was for an amazing cause. We also had a deep talk about homelessness and some of the statistics that were discussed were quite outrageous. We learnt a deeper meaning about Sukkot from the time at Our Big Kitchen, about how the festival is not only about harvesting but welcoming others into our sukkot as well.
I will definitely try and volunteer for more giving back opportunities and I am so glad that I now know the real meaning of Sukkot and how sukkot are made which I will keep with me forever.
Main text Coby New, with additional thoughts from Jamie Schneider, Tali Yedid, Oriel Levy, Ella Kirschner and Maayan Granot
