Sukkot 5787: Zemer of The Week
Sukkot:
Zemer: “Harachaman Hu Yakim”
On Sukkot, we add a striking line to Birkat HaMazon from Amos (9:11):
הָרַחֲמָן הוּא יָקִים לָנוּ אֶת סֻכַּת דָּוִד הַנּוֹפֶלֶת
“May the Merciful One raise up for us the fallen sukkah of David.”
This describes Sukkat David – the kingdom of David – as a fallen sukkah that God will one day restore.
Why describe it as a sukkah rather than a fortress or palace? Perhaps precisely because a sukkah can fall. However, what is temporary can still matter deeply; what falls can be rebuilt.
Sukkot's message is that we cannot make everything permanent. But impermanence need not lead to despair. We treasure what we have while it is here – and when something precious falls, we can hope, rebuild, and begin anew.