22 | SEPTEMBER 16 • 2021
Y
ou don’t need a sukkah
to celebrate the festival
of Sukkot this year, just
ask The Well.
Sukkot Sounds (powered by
The Well) is a grassroots initia-
tive to pair local musical artists
and educators with hosts to
co-create gatherings that enrich,
diversify and revitalize the
ancient Jewish cultural celebra-
tion of Sukkot.
There are many ways to par-
ticipate in Sukkot Sounds.
People can host or attend a
backyard concert featuring one
of Sukkot Sounds’` registered
musical artists, a backyard or
in-home gathering with Sukkot-
inspired content, a Sukkot-
themed meditation or guided
discussion, drum circle, folk
dancing lesson, Lulav-making,
or any Sukkot-inspired experi-
ence one can think of.
People can also host or attend
a virtual gathering and celebrate
Sukkot with friends near and far.
Marisa Meyerson, director
of operations at The Well, says
Sukkot Sounds is an idea The
Well’s Executive Director Rabbi
Jeff Stombaugh has had for a
while.
“The Well has always been
about coming up with ways to
bring mainstream, fun things
that are happening right now
and finding a way to make them
Jewish,
” Meyerson said. “Sukkot
is about high-energy community
gatherings, and another place
we see that same sort of vibe is
at a music festival. Something
we’ve missed especially during
COVID is live music, so it sort
of seems like a natural progres-
sion of how we can reinvent
Sukkot.
”
Sukkot Sounds is developing
a directory of registered artists
and educators that will continue
to grow on the website leading
up to the holiday.
Individuals and organizations
looking to host gatherings for
Sukkot can reach out to regis-
tered Sukkot Sounds artists and
educators directly and inquire
about them being a part of their
gathering once they are book-
able on the website.
To Meyerson, missions of
The Well, Sukkot Sounds and
the holiday it celebrates align
perfectly.
“One of the taglines of Sukkot
is actually about reinventing
ritual and inspiring authentic
connection, and that’s really
what The Well is all about,
”
Meyerson said. “We want to
offer something fresh, exciting
and relevant that gives young
adults an opportunity to connect
with a holiday they may not
have connected with before or
can connect with in a new and
different way.
”
Submissions to host an event or to join
the team of registered artists are now
available at sukkotsounds.com, along
with further details. For further questions,
reach out to hello@sukkotsounds.com.
Y
om Kippur has height-
ened meaning for
those in recovery from
alcoholism and drug addiction.
For many people, the parallel
between the pre-holiday tradition
of asking those we
have wronged for
forgiveness and the
amends process
outlined in the 12
Steps is especially
significant.
In the days
before Yom Kippur, also known
as the Day of Atonement, Jews
are encouraged to review their
conduct of the past year and
acknowledge any wrongdoings.
Similarly, Step 4 calls for “a
searching and fearless moral
inventory,
” which includes taking
responsibility for actions that
caused others to be hurt.
And, because both Judaism
and recovery are programs of
action, it is not enough to ask
God for forgiveness if another
person was harmed. Before we
say the final prayers on Yom
Kippur, we must apologize to
those whom our behavior affect-
ed. Likewise, Step 9 requires
recovering addicts to make
“direct amends” to people they
harmed, knowingly or not.
However, the 12-Step pro-
gram makes a clear distinction
between extending an apology
and making amends. More
important than apologizing is
taking the necessary actions to
set things right.
“We are taught that the ninth
step is not just about saying, “I’m
sorry,
” says Frank, a longtime
member of AA. “It’s about show-
ing them how sorry I am by how
differently I act.
“On Yom Kippur, we aren’t
saying sorry to God; we’re say-
ing we will do our best to act
differently. The Hebrew word
for repentance is teshuvah, which
means return. In the 12 steps,
this means returning to aligning
our behavior with God’s will.
”
In “
Atonement or
Forgiveness?” at Chabad.org,
Rabbi Ben A. explains the
Hebrew word for atonement is
kaparah, meaning “wiping up.
”
“If I spill my grape juice on
your carpet, I can say sorry and
be forgiven,
” he writes. “But the
stain is still there. Atonement
comes when I get the carpet
cleaners to clean your carpet.
”
Rabbi Benny Greenwald,
director of Daniel B. Sobel
Friendship House, explains how
the holiday of Sukkot provides a
joyful transition from the solem-
nity of Yom Kippur.
“On Yom Kippur, we acknowl-
edge our wrongdoings, and
that is the first step of making
amends,
” he explains. “But we
don’t get stuck on that because
following is Sukkot, the holiday
of joy. It’s the joy that comes from
learning from our mistakes when
we reexamine what we did and
learn how that can make us a
better person.
“
After we acknowledge our
defects and make amends to
those we hurt, then we can move
forward and experience the joy
of transformation, the holiday of
Sukkot.
”
For information, visit friendshipcircle.org/
friendshiphouse.
OUR COMMUNITY
Yom Kippur aligns with 12-step programs.
Making Amends
RONELLE GRIER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Rabbi Benny
Greenwald
The Well’s Sukkot Sounds allows for
in-person or virtual gatherings.
An Interactive
Sukkot Experience
DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER