Building Joy in a Shaky World | Sukkot 2025

When Rabbi Yisroel Bernath spotted a superyacht with an infinity pool merging into the sky, it sparked a journey through one of the most powerful Talmudic stories, Rabbi Akiva’s “sukkah on a ship.” From that image of faith floating on waves, this class dives into the timeless tension between fragility and faith, exploring what it means to build Jewish life and joy even when the ground beneath us feels unstable.

Through stories that span from ancient Rome to post-Holocaust Budapest, Rabbi Bernath reveals the unbreakable resilience of Jewish spirit and the eternal power of ideas that can’t be burned, silenced, or washed away.

Takeaways:

1. Faith in Motion: Even when life feels unstable, your sukkah, your faith, your values, your light, can stand strong.
2. Resilience Is Our Heritage: From Rabbi Akiva’s ship to a siddur saved from the ashes, Jewish history proves that our strength comes from rebuilding, not retreating.
3. Ideas Outlive Empires: The Romans burned scrolls, but not the words. Power fades; purpose endures.
4. Your Sukkah Is a Statement: Every mitzvah you do in today’s world is an act of defiance against despair and a declaration of hope.
5. We Are the Calm in the Storm: Our task is to build joy, faith, and community even when the waves rise because that’s where holiness truly lives.

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