I went for a run today.  It was my third run this week, which makes me happy.  I also did a 15 minute yoga practice, and I’ve managed to practice yoga most of the days this week (not all, but we’ll get there).

On my run today, I initially headed along the southern border of the inner harbor, where I live, but I remembered that I had passed, a few days ago, a structure that was clearly a Sukkah, but the walls had been tacked down, because of the windy day, and I had determined that I would run by there today, so I headed back, and directed my steps to the place where I had seen the shell of the Sukkah.

This is my running route:

And at the 2 mile mark, I took a photo of the Sukkah:

I stopped in, in my running attire (which did cover me from wrists to ankles, so I didn’t feel too badly about entering the Sukkah with these two Chabad guys).  One of them was very welcoming, Rabbi Levi Druk, who invited me to say the B’rachah/blessing for the lulav.  He was impressed that I knew to hold the Etrog pointed down before shaking the lulav in the 6 directions.  He corrected me when I left out the word “al” from the blessing.  I apologized for not having a head-covering, and he said, “I didn’t even notice” (which, of course, he did).  He offered me to have a snack in the sukkah, to observe the mitzvah of dwelling in the Sukkah, and I deferred, since I planned to run some more.

This was my second encounter with Chabad, and they are really welcoming.  I appreciate their mission, and their attitude of welcome.

It was a lovely interlude in my day today.  Thank you, Rabbi Druk!  It felt so great to be welcomed on this lovely day.