This Sukkot, the festival in which we are commanded to construct and “live” in impermanent dwellings, I’m particularly mindful of the fragile shelter that protects humanity’s collective dwelling place.
The pic above shows a great view of the breathtakingly thin membrane that we call the earth’s atmosphere, photographed from the space shuttle Atlantis in 1992. Could it be this is what we mean when we pray in the evening the Hashkiveinu prayer, “Spread over us your sukkat shalom (Sukkah of Peace)?”
May you and those you love find shelter and peace this Sukkot…
Shalom Rav 
This Sukkot, I’m reminded of my auto trip through Jordan in 1999, when we saw many little huts in the brownish fields. They made me think of Succahs. They were small, looked hastily put together out of random boards, and seemed not to be in use. Couldn’t figure out their purpose. Maybe they were the ancient prototype for the shelters we build today.