There's a story told about Franz Rosenswieg, the founder of the famous Lehrhaus, where Jews engaged in serious study of Jewish culture. When asked if he laid tefillin, Rosenswieg replied, "Not yet." This is kind of how I feel about a lot of Jewish observance - there are obligations that I've committed to observe, and others, well, my answer is not "no," but "not yet."

So why bring this up now? I have sukkah envy. I've always wanted to have a sukkah, but never really worked up the energy necessary to go to the hardware store and pick up the materials, or even to call the Sukkah Guys to come and help me build one. In addition, although my husband cherished his days at Camp Oquago, if you asked him to describe his picture of hell, it would look a lot like camping, and eating outside in a sukkah would probably look like camping without the sleeping bags. (Of course there are those outdoors-y types who DO sleep in the sukkah, but that's another story!) So between my inaction and my husband's preference for eating indoors in the fall, we are not any closer to building a sukkah, but I always admire my friends and family who do make the effort. As I said, it's not "never," but "not yet."

I really do believe in the ability to undertake new Jewish mitzvot as a way of growing as a person. In fact, the idea that there is always room for personal growth in our commitment to the Jewish world is the inspiration behind our very special Women's Campaign Day, The Next Step: One Day. One Community. One Gift. There really is always a next step we can take. Join the women of MetroWest on October 23 at Temple B'nai Shalom and learn about all of the next steps you can take to make a difference for the Jewish world and for yourself. Register today at www.ujcnj.org/thenextstep - I look forward to seeing you there. And who knows - maybe next year we will have a sukkah party for everyone at my house!

Hag Sukkot Sameach!

Leslie