Fallen Tabernacle

In 1944 the Nazis killed the 300 Jews of Crete and put an end to a continuity of 2300 years of Jewish life on this Island. The Etz Hayyim Synagogue in Hania was deserted until 1999 when it was restored. Now the synagogue is a resource center for tracing family trees; it has a library for studying Judaism, Christianity and Islam and it hosts exhibits. Most of the time there are not enough people for minyan (prayer quorum of 10) since there are only 7 Jews living today in Hania.

This story reminded me of the verse "In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen" (Amos 9:11), even though the verse is about the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. It seems that the first half of the prophecy about the fallen tabernacle of David was never so accurately realized in history as after the Nazi period, and each little restoration as the one in Hania is a step in the fulfillment of the second half…

Sukkah is called so because of its cover (scach in Hebrew). This cover is all about protection (from sun and heat) the same as the Shield of David is all about protection. David is the seventh Ushpizin (visitor) to the Sukkah, and I feel that decorating the Sukkah with our 3D Star of David Sukkah lampshades will convey this idea of redemption…