THE ART OF RENEWAL

Levi was helping his father take down the Sukkah. The holiday had ended, and Levi now felt that now the year had really begun. It was the real thing. He pulled out the last bar from the Sukkah frame, and leaned it against the wall with the other bars and poles. It felt like taking apart the Mishkan - the Sanctuary for G-d. It was very sad.

"Are you finished?" Levi's dad called, loading the rest of the schach - branches of evergreen that went on top of the Sukkah - into the garden waste bin and the extra bags they had from the council.

"Yes," Levi said. "It feels so sad now," he said thoughtfully, "as if all the High Holidays and Sukkot were all part of some heavenly experience, and that the real year has only really started now. After all this, I'll hate going back to school and just continuing with real life when that was much better."

Levi's father laughed. "I think you just don't like the fact that you're going to have to go away again for school." Levi lived outside the city where his school was, about two hours away. His parents ran a Chabad House for the small Jewish community in their town. So Levi had to live with some friends of his parents during the week and would come home for weekends. Even though he did see his parents every weekend, Levi still didn't like being away for so long.

"But I think all this is about renewal, starting the year afresh. I think the reason you feel like the year's only now starting is because during the Festivals we get officially signed for a good year. But that's only in potential. Now we have to get it going in actual fact. So we've got a new, fresh year ahead of us, filled with positive potential. Now we have to make it happen!"

Levi's father worked for a few moments tying up the wooden bars, poles and slats of the Sukkah frame, ready for storage. Then he said "And come to think of it, this week's Sedra Bereishit is also about renewal, you know."

Levi grinned. "Yeah, about the world being created and G-d creating man."

"Yes, that's right. It's all about newness and having a fresh pure world, waiting for good things to happen."

"But Adam and Eve sinned, on the very day they were created!"

"Well, so it's teaching us to be careful. We should try not to sin, and only do good things. We should try to look at the year ahead and say, 'this year I'm going to get things done and do good things and be the best I can be', and if you keep up that positive attitude, you're very likely to achieve you want..."

"Hopefully. I'll try to work hard in school and not keep pining for home."

"You're allowed to pine. We pine for you, here at home."

"I know.... But you know what it's like? Like being driven out of the Garden of Eden."

"Yes, Levi, but you didn't do anything wrong. It's just that Mummy and I have an important job to do here, and we all worked out that this would be the best school for you..."

"Where I can gain from the Tree of Knowledge..." said Levi, laughing. "Don't worry dad, I guess we all have to leave the Garden of Eden and make the whole world into a Garden, with the coming of Moshiach. And that will be a real renewal..."