42 | OCTOBER 17 • 2019
Spirit
torah portion
B
elongingness is a noun
meaning the state or
feeling of belonging to
a group.
There is an inherent
human emotional need to
be an accepted member of
a group. In general, there
is a push to move
away from the term
of inclusion and
toward the term
belonging. Verna
Myers, noted online
trainer, famously
said, “Diversity is
being invited to
the party. Inclusion
is being asked to
dance.” Would that
make belonging
being empowered to
ask someone else to
dance?
“All the homeborn
in Israel shall reside
in sukkot” (Leviticus
23:42). This teaches that all
the Jewish people are fit to
reside in one sukkah.
There are different ways of
including others in our suk-
kah. The first level is that of
diversity, where we open our
sukkah to those who would
not normally be invited. The
second level is where we
make them a part of our suk-
kah experience. Then there
is a level where we empower
them to feel like it is their
sukkah experience. By doing
this, we create a sukkah and
a nation fit to reside in one
sukkah.
I think this goes one step
further. Not only when oth-
ers step into our sukkah,
but when we enter others’
sukkahs, what mindset and
approach do we enter with?
Do we enter in with a feeling
of separation, recognizing
ourselves as diverse from
those around us? Do we
embrace this diversity that
makes us uniquely our-
selves and strive to include
that within the setting we
entered? Or do we come
in with a mindset of unity
that only our diversity
can complete, which
by doing so, allows for
this person’
s sukkah to
become fit for all our
nation to reside in?
As we think outside
the box to apply this
theme to our day-to-day
life, what is the sukkah
in your life that you are
creating for others? Is it
a physical space, such as
a community center of
sorts? Is it an event or
group? Is it an intangi-
ble, like a feeling or an
idea?
Just as a sukkah
represents one person step-
ping out of the confines of
his home to experience a
new way of living daily life,
I believe we need to step
out of our perspectives and
viewpoints. If we are to cre-
ate a world of belongingness,
I believe that it starts with
us stepping out of our social
definitions that make up the
homes of our mojo and value
measuring systems, even if
just for a week, and redefine
a space that can be fit for
all of our nation to reside
in. I believe we need to step
away from our material value
assessments and step into a
hut of inherent value, which,
to me, is equality.
Rabbi Yarden Blumstein is the teen
director at Friendship Circle of
Michigan in West Bloomfield.
Parshat Choel
Hamoed
Sukkot:
Exodus 33:12-
16-34:18-26;
Numbers
29:26-31;
Ezekiel 38:18-
39:16.
Rabbi Yarden
Blumstein
Welcoming Diversity
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