A whole group of Levi’s friends came to join us for Sukkos and bring even more Sukkos joy into our gigantic sukkah! And there is room for you too!
The Midrash teaches that the four species represent four kinds of Jews. The esrog, which has both taste and fragrance, represents the Jew who has both Torah and mitzvos. The lulav, hadassim and aravos represent Jews whose Torah learning or mitzvah observance may be stronger in one area than another, or may still be developing.
Yet on Sukkos, we bring everyone together.
The esrog, lulav, hadassim and aravos all become part of one mitzvah. And then we enter the sukkah, a mitzvah that surrounds every one of us completely. We walk in with our whole selves, even with our dirty shoes. Inside the sukkah, every Jew is equally surrounded by the mitzvah.
But there is something fascinating.
If the message is to bring all four kinds of Jews together, why is the esrog not actually tied together with the lulav, hadassim and aravos?
Chassidic thought explains that the esrog, representing the Jew who possesses both Torah and mitzvos, remains separate from the bundle. Yet it cannot remain distant. It must be held right alongside the other three species. It is close to them, connected to them, and through that closeness it helps elevate them.
Perhaps there is a powerful lesson here.
The Jew who is strong in Torah and mitzvos is not meant to withdraw from other Jews. Quite the opposite.
Be close to everyone. Love everyone. Bring everyone together. Connect, engage and influence.
But even while coming close, the esrog remains an esrog.
Never forget who you are, what you stand for and the Torah and mitzvos that define your life. When you find yourself in environments or activities that do not strengthen Torah and mitzvos, make sure that you are there to influence, not to be influenced, while remaining firmly connected to who you really are.
That is true Jewish unity. Not becoming identical, but standing close enough to strengthen one another while each remains rooted in who they are.
This year, because the first day of Sukkos is Shabbos, we begin shaking the lulav and esrog on Sunday, the second day of Sukkos.
Stop by, come into the sukkah, shake the lulav and esrog, and add your own Sukkos joy. The complete schedule is below and on www.chabaduptown.org/sukkotschedule
There is always room for one more Jew in the sukkah!
Rabbi Chaim and Chanie
THE COHEN CORNER
A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.
Most people think that getting out into nature means going backward. We leave behind our homes, our technology and the complexity of modern life, and return to something simpler and more primitive. At first glance, Sukkos seems to do exactly that. The Torah tells us that the sukkah reminds us of the Jewish people traveling through the desert, protected from the elements by Hashem’s miraculous Clouds of Glory. Thousands of years later, we leave our permanent homes, sit beneath branches and recreate that ancient experience. It seems like Sukkos is asking us to step out of the present and return, for a week, to our past. But there is a deeper message hidden in that return.
The sukkah is pushing us forward. Our permanent homes represent stability, security and routine, all of which are valuable, but they can also convince us that where we are is where we need to remain. The sukkah removes that illusion. We step outside the walls that make life feel settled and remember that we are still on a journey. There is still somewhere to go, something to become, and a world still waiting to be made more G-dly through one more intentional action.
Have a joyous Sukkos!
Rabbi Yosef, Chanale, Mushka & Mendel Cohen
HIGH HOLIDAY SERVICES & EVENTS:
www.chabaduptown.org/celebrate
- Fri. & Sat. Sept. 25 & 26, 7 pm - Community Sukkot Dinners Under the Stars
- Tues. Sept. 29, 12 pm - Sukkot Lunch & Learn - Enjoy an upscale lunch in the Sukkah with like-minded friends for a spirited Torah class and meaningful discussion.
- Tues. Sept. 29, 7 pm - Sukkot Men's Social: Sushi & Scotch in the Sukkah - Join us in the Sukkah for a relaxed guys’ night with fresh sushi, a great selection of Scotch, and plenty of good company. Enjoy a l’chaim, catch up with friends, meet some new faces, and spend a great Sukkos evening together under the schach.. chabaduptown.org/guys
- Wed. Sept. 30. 8 pm - YJP Dinner, Class & Social - In the Sukkah! www.yjphouston.org/wednesdays
- Thursday, October 1, 6:30 pm - Smoke, Mirrors & Sukkot w/ YJP, YAD & Olami - Join young professionals in their twenties and thirties for an evening of magic, dinner, drinks and joy in the Sukkah under the Stars! www.yjphouston.org
- Friday, Oct. 2 6:45 pm - YJP October First Fridays Shemini Atzeres Edition - Simchas Torah warm-up brief dancing and dinner in the sukkah www.yjphouston.org/pinkatzeres
- Shabbos. Oct. 3 12:15 pm - Shemini Atzeret Yizkor with special Service to Honor the Memory of the Oct. 7 massacre
- Shabbos, Oct. 3, 6:45 pm - Saturday Night ALIVE! Simchat Torah Uptown - Dance like a Star!
SUKKOS, CHOL HAMOED & SIMCHAS TORAH SCHEDULE
14-23 TISHREI 5787 | SEPTEMBER 25-OCTOBER 4, 2026
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 14 TISHREI
EREV SUKKOT
6:56 pm: Light Shabbat & Holiday Candles
7:00 pm: Mincha & Evening Services
Community Sukkot Dinner Under the Stars
RSVP: ChabadUptown.org/sukkotdinner
SHABBOS, SEPTEMBER 26, 15 TISHREI
SUKKOT DAY 1
Lulav & Etrog are not used on Shabbos
9:00 am: Chassidus Torah Study
10:00 am: Morning Services
Kiddush Lunch in the Sukkah
7:00 pm: Mincha & Evening Services
After 7:49 pm: Light Holiday Candles
Community Sukkot Dinner Under the Stars
RSVP: ChabadUptown.org/sukkotdinner
Yaknehaz: Special Kiddush / Shabbos Havdalla Combination
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 16 TISHREI
SUKKOT DAY 2
7:13 am: Sunrise & Earliest Time for Lulav & Etrog
9:00 am: Chassidus Torah Study
10:00 am: Morning Services
Kiddush Lunch in the Sukkah
A Lulav & Etrog will be available for public use
7:00 pm: Mincha & Evening Services
7:47 pm: Maariv, Havdallah & Holiday Ends
Living Torah
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 17 TISHREI
CHOL HAMOED SUKKOT DAY 1
7:00 am: Shacharis
7:14 am: Sunrise & Earliest Time for Lulav & Etrog
A Lulav & Etrog will be available for public use
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 18 TISHREI
CHOL HAMOED SUKKOT DAY 2
7:00 am: Shacharis
7:14 am: Sunrise & Earliest Time for Lulav & Etrog
A Lulav & Etrog will be available for public use
12:00 pm: Sukkot Lunch & Learn RSVP: ChabadUptown.org/lunch
6:45 pm: Guys Sushi & Scotch in the Sukkah RSVP: ChabadUptown.org/guys
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 19 TISHREI
CHOL HAMOED SUKKOT DAY 3
7:00 am: Shacharis
7:15 am: Sunrise & Earliest Time for Lulav & Etrog
A Lulav & Etrog will be available for public use
8:00 pm: YJP Dinner, Class & Social in the Sukkah YJPHouston.org/wednesdays
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 20 TISHREI
CHOL HAMOED SUKKOT DAY 4
7:00 am: Shacharis
7:15 am: Sunrise & Earliest Time for Lulav & Etrog
A Lulav & Etrog will be available for public use
6:30 pm: Smoke, Mirrors & Sukkot with YJP, YAD & Olami RSVP: YJPHouston.org/SukkotSmoke
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 21 TISHREI
HOSHANA RABBAH
7:00 am: Shacharis Hoshana Rabba Special Service
7:16 am: Sunrise & Earliest Time for Lulav & Etrog
Final day of the mitzvah. A Lulav & Etrog will be available for public use.
SHEMINI ATZERES & SIMCHAS TORAH
FRIDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 2
SHEMINI ATZERES
6:45 pm: Mincha & Evening Services
6:48 pm: Light Shabbos & Holiday Candles
YJP October First Fridays: Shemini Atzeres Pink Edition
Simchas Torah Warm Up, Brief Dancing & Dinner in the Sukkah
RSVP for First Fridays: YJPHouston.org/PinkAtzeres
SHABBOS, OCTOBER 3, 22 TISHREI
SHEMINI ATZERES
10:00 am: Morning Services
12:15 pm: Yizkor Memorial Service
Including a special service honoring the memory of those murdered in the October 7 massacre
Tefillas Geshem
Final opportunity to eat in the Sukkah
6:45 pm: SIMCHAS TORAH SATURDAY NIGHT ALIVE!
Grand Hakafot & Family Celebration
Celebratory dancing, refreshments & tremendous Simchas Torah joy
Details: ChabadUptown.org/Joy
After 7:40 pm: Light Holiday Candles
Yaknehaz: Special Kiddush / Shabbos Havdalla Combination
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4, 23 TISHREI
SIMCHAS TORAH
10:00 am: Morning Services
Hakafot & Celebratory Dancing
Mincha after Musaf
7:00 pm: Seder Niggunim
7:39 pm: Maariv, Havdallah & Holiday Ends
Living Torah