The Social Media Sukkah

After the intensity of the High Holy Days, Sukkot – to me, at least – is a welcome shift. I’ve always felt that Sukkot was a bizarre and wonderful holiday that really captures the essence of autumn; like beginning the day at night, there’s something kind of magical about beginning the year when the world seems to be going to sleep. It’s a beautiful stretch of days that are hard to let go of.

Luckily for us, social media help us bring the feeling of Sukkot into our lives and work year-round. Social media, in many ways, are like a sukkah!

 

  • Both are open by design. A sukkah forces you to let go of just one wall, to bring down traditional barriers. It forces you to experience the elements with a roof that both allows the stars to shine through and the rain to fall into your kiddush cup. So too with social media. Without a certain level of openness, of transparency, efforts in social media tend to fall flat or feel inauthentic. That openness exposes you to the occasional cold wind or nasty comment, but the value it brings in sunshine and deepened relationships is worth the risk.

    • How are you opening yourself up through social media?

  • Both are meant to be built together. Sukkot both recalls the years the Israelites wandered through the wilderness, dwelling in impermanent structures, and the harvest-time. Both of these events require an entire community – we can’t get through the desert alone, we’re dependent on one another for sustenance. And there’s nothing like a good sukkah-raising to bring a community together! Likewise, social media is exactly that: social. It’s about the people and the connections among them. A sukkah, a social network…both are scaffolding for bringing people together to make meaning.  

    • Who helps you build your sukkah, and who is generous and supporting to you through social media?

  • Both are all about hospitality. On Sukkot, we welcome everyone, including the mystical ushpizin, holy guests like Abraham and Sarah who join us from across time and space. We can’t necessarily see these visitors, but we connect with them and we feel their presence. That is often the case online. While we may not always see our guests, but we sense them, we welcome them, and we help them feel at home.  

    • How do you welcome people into your sukkah, and into your social media spaces?

  • They’re both supposed to be fun! I once heard an adorable 3 year-old give the following d’var Torah, “On Sukkot…you should be happy…and dance.” Not only was he cute, he was right! V’samachta b’chagecha, the Torah teaches – be joyous in your holiday. Have fun with it. Why not do the same in social media? Facebook and Twitter shouldn’t be an onerous burden. They are an opportunity to share, to connect, to bring a little something special into the world. Make it yours, and make it fun!  

 

The holidays are a time to think about our practice and start doing better. This year I challenge each of us to make our social media spaces more like a sukkah – open, collaborative, welcoming, and joyful. Shanah tovah, a happy and successful new year to us all!

 

 

 

 

Announcing the Winners of the Sukkah Contest in Second Life

Did you know there is a vibrant Jewish life in Second Life? (Pause: What is Second Life you might ask?)

Second Life is and internet-based 3D virtual world available by downloading an application by its developer, Linden Labs. Anyone can participate (they have a teen world that is protected for the younger set). “Residents” create an avatar, and can explore, meet other residents, socialize, participate in individual and group activities, and create and trade items and services with one another. Those who wish to participate in the commerce can pay a monthly fee for an “allowance” of Linden Dollars, and/or cash in real dollars for the Second Life currency.

View of the sukkah contest
View of the sukkah contest

Now, on to the Jewish life in Second Life. There is a synagogue, a yeshiva, a museum, Hebrew classes, Torah study, a mikvah, a Second Life Kotel, and much more. There is even a magazine about Jewish life in Second Life, cleverly named 2LifeMagazine (get it — Second Life / L’chaim?).

Beth Odets (that’s her avatar name – in real life, Beth Brown) created the synagogue in 2006 and convenes many holiday celebrations, candle lightings, sing alongs and other events in the Jewish neighborhood. Once again, she held a sukkah building contest in the courtyard outside the synagogue this year. Over the past few weeks participants have designed and built their sukkot, decorated them, added signs, and notecards you can take and “keep”, glasses of wine and slices of cake you can enjoy while visiting. You can stroll down “sukkah alley”, admiring the “handiwork” of the contestants, taking a seat in this one, viewing photos of families and ushpizin on the walls of another.

Here I am (my avatar) visiting a traditional sukkah in Second Life
Here I am (my avatar) visiting a traditional sukkah in Second Life

I toured 16 of them today, as the contest closed and the winners were announced. There were many stylish entries – some very traditional, some quite modern and unique. Many had music playing inside, birds chirping, and the fabric “swaying in the wind”.

Interested? Go to http://secondlife.com to download the application. A good internet connection and a decent video card are recommended. Even better, find friend who is experienced in Second Life to give you a tutorial. Or start by reading a bit about the Jewish community there in 2LifeMagazine.