When I first learned of the festival of Sukkot and the practice of building a sukkah – a temporary shelter that protects one from the elements – in one’s own backyard, I thought of how wonderful a teaching tool it must be. Taking their meals in this little hut for week, a family will have meaningful conversations about the fragility of life, how they’re grateful to have a house with plumbing and heating and, most important, about the hardships their ancestors endured while wandering the desert.