We praised. We prayed. We dined. We hugged. Feel better? I do. That was Sukkot (aka Feast of Tabernacles).
Did I mention the 2025 (5786 Hebrew calendar year) Sukkot miracle? Yes. The remaining Israeli hostages captured in Gaza October 7, 2023 were released two years later October 13, 2025. That's no coincidence.
We learned a lot about the ways of the LORD. People repented on behalf of those who violated the Sabbath Day which made them vulnerable to attack. Prayer and praise went up to the LORD for their release.
People finally remembered that the LORD had more power than government and terrorists. GOD can use anyone and any system to facilitate the works of heaven.
There was so much prepping from Rosh Hashana to Yom Kippur to Sukkot. Should I buy a lulav? Should I not?
Should I just buy a lemon and improvise? I always get the lulav bundle. I am always so grateful I did. This year was no different.
While the etrog (lemon citron) looks similar to a lemon, it is not. Cousins? Maybe. It comes from Italy and has a distinct look like a brain. That is ironic since the lemon represents the human heart in the lulav package. So it's the perfect union of the heart and brain. It just works.
I don't worry about whether or not my name is written in the Book of Life. I always assume it is even though I don't necessarily deserve it. I always pray and am constantly repenting. It's not that I necessarily got it wrong. But for sure I did not get it 100% right.
Who is like GOD? Who is perfect?
I see Rosh Hashana - Yom Kipurr and Sukkot as an opportunity to confess to what GOD already knows. After all, God was there when I said it - did it or thought it. God is omnipotent. God is everywhere.
I'd rather clean the slate now than wait to the end of my life when I've forgotten all the little nuances that God may remind me of in my "exit interview". Why wait?
My dad passed away in August 2025. Don't cry for me Argentina. He lived over 20 years beyond his initial "expiration date" as announced by his doctors.
Who is GOD? Certainly not the doctors though they can be very helpful.
I saw him on his last day. I knew he had some unfinished business.
It wasn't just that it was too late. It was.
It was watching him realize that he was leaving and he ran out of time to fix the things that really matter. I saw it in his eyes. There was nothing he could do about it. He couldn't speak.
He wasn't sick anymore. He was just leaving the world that he knew and simultaneously coming into consciousness. Who knows. It's between he and GOD. It always was. Now he knows it.
Someone came to me a few days later to let me know he believed me now. That offered me no conciliation.
Many think Sukkot is just about the Hebrews' tent dwellings during the exodus from Egypt. That's Pesach (Passover). Pesach is a season of freedom and new beginnings. Remember Passover. It occurs during the in the Spring equinox.
March was (and really is) the when the NEW YEAR begins. Sukkot is connected to that.
But the official holiday of Sukkot occurs during the Autumn equinox. It's six months after Moses teaches the Laws and Commandments to the people. There should be some maturity. Sukkot is an opportunity for humanity to see the relationship from God’s point of view.
The temporary flimsy covering with a thatched roof whereby the sukkah dweller can view the stars above 
offers little protection from the outside elements. It looks more like a wedding chuppah/a.k.a. a bridal canopy. It's fragile.
But once again, one should remember that the "wedding garments" of the soul are attained in the spring between Passover and Shavuot to commemorate the receiving of the Torah. The original 13 month calendar was spiritual aligned with the cosmos.
Sukkot offers a second opportunity. This reflects the mercy and grace of God. One day when the curtain comes down, your soul will be clothed for the eternal. See Ezekiel 37.
All of that Torah study, acts of kindness, charitable giving, repentance and praise will have been worth it. It will out live your best investments in any market. It's accessible to all who choose to partake.
Yet their Voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. Psalm 19:4
It also represents the little space most people provide for GOD to dwell in their hearts. In a sense, we are also a sukkah.
Is it safe for GOD to dwell there (in your heart)? Can GOD use your lips? See through your eyes? Listen to others through your ears? Stand with you? Sit with you? Watch tv with you? Dine with you?
It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. Psalm 19:5
Do you thank GOD at every meal? For providing the food for which you didn't have to hunt? Just pick and pay at the grocery store?
You do know GOD helps the animals find the prey for food. Right? GOD cares about all living and inanimate 
creatures. It never stops.
God wants you to improve with the least amount of pain necessary. Although God allows us to eat meat, He also wants the animals to experience the least amount of suffering. Please consider kosher or halal options if you do eat meat.
Can GOD trust you? Join in your conversations and feel at home? Does gossip make you uncomfortable?
Do you consider all people God's children? Do you like fresh air? Clean home? Clean planet?
Do you pray for your children? Are you your children's god?
Does GOD reign in your home? Does GOD still reign in your home even when you have guests?
Do we really love GOD with ALL our heart, mind, soul and being? Maybe. We do the best we can.
Do we love others (i.e. neighbors/family) as we love ourselves? Probably not. We can all do better.
Let's face it. Most people are selfish. Few are altruistic. Most humans are fickle. They act according to their feelings instead of asking GOD what is the right thing to do. That's very different. We should all ask. Daily.
People keep the owner's manual to their car in the glove compartment. They don't read it when they buy the car. They read it when something in the car breaks down. And let's face it, most just skim the manual to find the one thing they need.
We are fortunate to have been given an owner's manual (The Tanak a.k.a Old Testament Bible) on how we as spiritual beings in a human body can live a good life. Few read it.
Those who do tend to live better quality lives. They have more peace. They achieve success and prosperity to some degree regardless of their education level. Their needs are met. However, I find most people carry the Bible to the place of worship but few read it cover to cover.
Reading the Hebrew Bible is like getting your fluids checked in your car. That is more literal than you may think. The more you read it, the better your life functions. Consistency is what matters most.
It builds character. It's a very useful reference guide to raise children to be good human beings.
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. Psalm 1:1-3
Most people confuse kindness for weakness until GOD shows up to defend them which is the case more and more as we draw closer and closer to the Messianic era. In fact, we're in it. It's already started.
There's still some time to get it right. But there's not as much time as you think. There never is.
Most people don’t think about GOD 24 hours a day and consider Him with everything they do, say, and think. But we all NEED God 24 hours a day. Many are beginning to realize that.
Some are returning to nature to get more in tune with their hearts. Many have learned to prioritize their children, family, and personal well-being post COVID. That's wise. We all should.
Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck. Proverbs 1:8-9
Remember that feeling when you first fell in love? You can’t imagine your life without that person. Right? Remember? Yes? No? Maybe? Never?
Whoa for you if you've never experienced love. I hope you do. Love is life. You have to be brave to love. You have to allow yourself to be vulnerable. That takes courage.
You're trusting someone with your heart. You need GOD's help.
You first have to love your self. Forgive yourself. Forgive others. Keep asking for true guidance. Keep learning.
Love requires giving of your self. It doesn't have to be major. I can just be a smile. Encouragement.
Do justice. Be fair. Do ethical business. Be honorable. Be charitable. Be kind.
Ironically, GOD does think about us 24 hours a day 365 days a year. Is that a balanced relationship? Can it ever be?
Sukkot is just seven days. It’s eight days if you live in the USA (a.k.a. Simchat Torah).
Sukkot is an unusual delightfully cozy hug from the Creator. It's much like the Hebrew letter samech. Like Hanukkah, it's a season of real miracles.Try it next year if you haven't done so already. It's worth it. (See Zechariah 14:16-17)
Is humanity ready to live with God on earth as King of their hearts? I don’t know. You tell me.
Shalom. Shalom with Love,
LeTicia
For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His sukkah, conceal me in the shelter of His tent, and set me high upon a rock. Psalm 27:5
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