SAMECH

Dear Family

Hope everyone is enjoying the joyous holiday of Sukkos

The highlight of this week on Sukkos has undoubtably been the joyous celebration and coming together of most of our Family this evening celebrating the 60th birthday of MOMMY.

This is not her Hebrew birthday, but close to her English birthday where most the Family were here together on Sukkos.

We missed Baty and Family, and Mariasha and Daniel, but were so happy to see you all, and further extended Family on Batsheva’s video!

Similarly we also wish Avi Mazal Tov on his English Birthday a few days before this, which we also celebrated here in London. Mazal Tov Avi!

And thanks Hirshy for the huge surprise visit!

I can quite honestly say that the celebration tonight of Mommy’s 60th birthday, is probably the most memorable event I have experienced.

The Chasanas of the Family have of course been huge events, but tonight just seemed to me to be so together , central and absolute.

I hope this email is going to be coherent, because there has also been a lot of alcohol, but it is all connected to MOMMY, and SIXTY and the letter SAMECH – ס

Samech is the Hebrew letter representing 60

The first letter of a word is the most important.

And if we look carefully we will see this running through all the way through the month of Tishrei

On Rosh Hashana we blow the Shofar 100 notes.

This is in the form of 60 – 20 – 20 (tekia, trua, shevarim) representing the letters סכך

סכך sechach is obviously what is on top of the sukkah and related to sukkos

Sukkos is related to the cloud of Glory in the midbar and in relation to Yom Kippur, this is related to the cloud of Ketores (incence) which the Kohen Gadol experienced in the kodesh hakadashim on Yom Kippur

So this links Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and Sukkos,

And as we can see the samech – 60 - is closely linked throughout these events of Tishrei ie Shofar of Rosh Hashana (סכך), the סכך of Sukkoos, and the Cloud of ketores of Yom kippur,and the ס of Sukkah and Sukkos.

The word samech also means ‘to support’ and to be ‘close to’ as in somech noflim (support for the needy)

And so in short, MOMMY, in the same way as the letter samech is so central to the month of Tishrei, you are so central to our Family, as represented by the number 60.

This was obviously seen by the tremendous beauty and effort of the whole Family tonight BH BH

We love you and wish you long life, in good health and togetherness, with much nachas, and advancement for the whole Family.

Much thanks for all the efforts of whole Family

Gut Shabbos, Gut Yom Tov with much joy