This week, as mentioned last week, we don’t technically read a specific Parsha. We read a special reading from the Torah associated with Sukkot; on Wednesday, Simchat Torah, we will actually read the final portion (V’zot habracha). So I’m going to share a brief thought on Sukkot in that spirit. Sukkot is seriously a joyful holiday. It’s a day on which we are actually commanded to be joyful. A strange command to be sure – how can one be commanded to be joyful? Either I’m happy or I’m not, but you can’t tell me to be happy! Therein lies the beauty of Sukkot. We are told that the High Holidays prepare us for the year ahead; we ask that it should be filled with health and happiness. But we do so by means of fasting, prayer and an overall somber and humble attitude. And then we celebrate Sukkot. G-d actually commands us to celebrate this holiday with joy because we will in fact have that wonderful year to come. Sure, we can sit here and second guess it; we can feel doubts that things will or will not work out. But G-d wants us to trust Him, to head into the year in a truly joyful way, as if we “know” it’s already a good year. (This complete trust, known as bitachon, is a spiritual axiom that can secure a positive outcome in any situation.) So let us celebrate the holiday with the knowledge and hope that the year to come will truly be an epic one that will bring only health, happiness, and peace for us and the whole world. Good Shabbos and Happy Sukkot!