A House

My wife and I are close to closing on our house. Since we have been married, we have been living in an apartment complex. I am thrilled to be moving out and think it will be good all around, for a number of reasons. Sometimes I can even surprise myself as to my thoughts.

When we started looking at houses, one thing I told my wife was, I was thrilled we would be able to build a sukkah this year, or at least put one up. It is not so easy in an apartment complex. My wife can tell you thousands of things that need to happen first, other priorities, etc., etc., etc.

For me, however, having a house signifies the ability to perform various mitzvot. I truly am looking forward to having a sukkah. We easily outgrew our apartment and thus had no room for guests. Now, with a house, shabbat guests, as well as large Passover seders are a very real possibility.

For the past few years I have thought how nice it would be to go to the Rabbi of my shul and let him know that if he was aware of a person who wanted to be somewhere for a Passover Seder, but had no where to go, my wife and I would be glad to take them in. This could be an elderly couple, a college student who had no place to go, any one of a number of different situations. Now, I am looking forward to having the opportunity to practice what I have been preaching.