A table, some chairs, a folding cot — our succahs pass the minimalist test with flying colors. And for good reason: one of the themes of the Yom Tov is redefining our relationship with the physical. And the lessons we learn need not vanish once we take down our succahs; downsizing can enrich our life both physically and emotionally.
On January 12 2005 Raizy Censor’s* bedroom fixture exploded. Though firefighters fought hard to contain the flames she watched from the street corner as an electric fire ravaged the entire second floor of her home.
Traumatized — yet deeply grateful the loss was only material — Raizy numbly set out to build a wardrobe and furniture set from scratch. Once the dust settled and the shock subsided she made an astonishing discovery: apart from two sheitels and a cherished set of her children’s baby pictures she wasn’t missing much.
“Virtually nothing destroyed was really valuable to me” she relates. “Most of what was burned I never used.”
Surprising? Not for someone like ardent minimalist Everett Bogue.
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