God,
we thank You for the Jewish festival of Sukkot,
which begins today,
and for Your commandment
to build temporary structures,
to eat and sleep in them
under the stars,
and to welcome in guests––
honored guests,
guests in need.
You teach us that these are one and the same.

Your festival teaches us
to come to terms with impermanence––
of these temporary structures,
our actual homes,
our wealth,
our social standing,
and even our lives.
When we remember,
as Ecclesiastes teaches,
that we came from dust
and will return to it,^[1] Cf. Ecclesiastes 3:20 
we can’t possibly feel justified
in holding onto our resources
with a clenched fist.
You move us
to open our hands
and homes
in generosity,
inclusion,
and justice.

May the Sukkot season
and the beauty of changing autumn leaves
inspire each one of us
to welcome,
to serve, and,
for this brief time we are allotted,
to generously live.