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Sukkot, From A Jewish Perspective
The Holiday of Succoth falls on the fifteenth of the month of Tishrei, and lasts for seven days. Together with Pesach and Shavuoth, it is one of the three holidays when Jews made a pilgrimage to the Beth HaMikdash in the past. For the holiday of Sukkot people build a Sukkah and live in it. The sitting in the sukkah is in commemoration of Yetzias Mitzrayim and Succoth in which Bnei Yisroel lived in the desert.
THE HOLIDAY IN OUR SOURCES
“םֶכְפְסָאְּב ,יִעיִבְשַה שֶדֹחַל םוי רָשָע הָשִמֲחַּב תַעְבִש ,׳ה-גַח-תֶא וגֹחָת ,ץֶרָאָה תַאובְת-תֶא יִניִמְשַה םויַבו ,ןותָּבַש ןושאִרָה םויַּב ;םיִמָי ץֵע יִרְפ ,ןושאִרָה םויַּב םֶכָל םֶתְחַקְלו .ןותָּבַש -יֵבְרַעְו ,תֹבָע-ץֵע ףַנֲעַו ,םיִרָמְת תֹפַּכ רָדָה תַעְבִש--םֶכיֵהֹלֱא ׳ה יֵנְפִל ,םֶתְחַמְשו ;לַחָנ ,חָרְזֶאָה-לָּכ ;םיִמָי תַעְבִש ,ובְשֵת תֹּכֻסַּב .םיִמָי ,םֶכיֵתֹרֹד ועְדֵי ,ןַעַמְל .תֹּכֻסַּב ,ובְשֵי ,לֵאָרְשִיְּב יִאיִצוהְּב ,לֵאָרְשִי יֵנְּב-תֶא יִתְבַשוה תוּכֻסַב יִּכ . “םֶכיֵהֹלֱא ׳ה ,יִנֲא :םִיָרְצִמ ץֶרֶאֵמ םָתוא ג”כ קרפ ארקיו(( “ -ךְפְסָאְּב :םיִמָי תַעְבִש ,ךְל הֶשֲעַת תֹּכֻסַה גַח ךְנִבו הָתַא :ךֶגַחְּב ,ָתְחַמָשְו .ךֶבְקִיִמו ,ךְנְרָגִמםותָיַהְו רֵגַהְו יִוֵלַהְו ,ךֶתָמֲאַו ךְדְבַעְו ,ךֶתִבו גֹחָת ,םיִמָי תַעְבִש .ךיֶרָעְשִּב רֶשֲא ,הָנָמְלַאָהְו ךְכֶרָבְי יִּכ :׳ה רַחְבִי-רֶשֲא ,םוקָּמַּב ,ךיֶהֹלֱא ׳הל ,ךיֶדָי הֵשֲעַמ לֹכְבו ךְתָאובְת לֹכְּב ,ךיֶהֹלֱא ׳ה ז”ט קרפ םירבד( .“ַחֵמָש ךַא ,ָתיִיָהְו(
In addition to the above two sources, the holiday of Sukkot is brought in the Mishna in the Tractate of Sukkah, and gets extensive coverage in the Gemara, in Chazal’s literature, and in Kabbala books.
ADDITIONAL NAMES OF THE HOLIDAY OF SUKKOT
THE HARVEST FESTIVAL
The Holiday of Sukkot, which is celebrated in the fall, has an agricultural aspect, and there is a reference to the seasonal change, and the prayer for the coming rain. The prayers of the holiday include thanksgiving for the produce of the previous year as well, and prayers for rain in the coming fall and winter. The seasonal change is felt when sitting in the sukkah outside the house, feeling the cool weather – the connection to nature and the four season is also emphasized by the four minim.
THE TIME OF OUR JOY
The holiday of Sukkot is a time of happiness and rejoice, and rejoicing is an important asset of the holiday. According to Chazal, the reason of the joy is also due to the changing of the season, and the hope they are bringing, as well as the holiday follows immediately after Yom Kippur – a time when people are purified from the sins.
SUKKOT CUSTOMS
THE BUILDING OF THE SUKKAH
The building of the Sukkah and dwelling in it are the main symbols of the holiday. We build Sukkot in commemoration of Yetzias Mitzrayim, as Bnei Yisroel lived in temporary Sukkot in the desert. The dwelling in the Sukkah connects people to Hashem, to nature, and to the produce. In the tractate of Sukkah in the Mishna one can learn how to build a Sukkah. The Mishna sets some principles which must be followed in order for the Sukkah to qualify halachically: • The Sukkah must be under the sky, and not under a tree or a roof • The walls of the Sukkah must be made of temporary stuff, such as material or wood, but not of stone • It is advisable that one side of the
Sukkah should be open. • The roof of the Sukkah is called schach, which has a dominant status in building the Sukkah, as it symbolizes the connection to the sky, and hence to Hashem. It must be from tree branches or plants which are detached from the ground, and the sky must be discerned through the schach.
THE SOURCE FOR DECORATING THE SUKKAH
This obligation was added by Chazal – and is a beautifying of the Mitzvah. The Sukkah is decorated with beautiful decorations and utensils, which make it colorful and enjoyable.
We sit, eat, host and sleep in the Sukkah. It should serve the same uses as the permanent home.
HOSPITALITY IN THE SUKKAH – USHPIZIN AND GUESTS
Ushpizin are the Aramaic word for guests. This custom has its sources in Kabbalah, and it was started in the Middle Ages. The Ushpizin are spiritual guests – the ancestors of our nation: Abraham, Isaac, Yaakov, Moshe, Aharon, Yoseph, and David. According to our sources, our ancestors come to visit us in the Sukkah, each one at his
turn, and each one represents a spiritual trait according to Kabbalah.
Besides the Ushpizin, other honored guests are invited to the Sukkah, as well as the poorest people in the community – this is the hospitality of this holiday.
SIMCHAS BETH HASHOEVA
During the holiday, there are customs of pouring water. At the end of the holiday there are prayers for water.The source of Simchas Beth HaShoeva is from the days of the Holy Temple.
During the year they used to spill wine on the altar, while in Sukkot they spilt water and prayed for rain.
Although we don’t have the Holy Temple, we celebrate the Simchas Beth Hashoeva in synagogues and in the streets, not by spilling water, as we no longer have it, but by reciting Tehillim, like the well-known psalm “ושאבתם The four Minim are the Esrog, the Lulav, the Haddassim, and the Aravos, and together they symbolize the diversity of the nature in Eretz Yisroel, with its different regions. Each one of them represents a different climate and different sorts of agriculture. The Esrog and the Aravos need a lot of water. The date grows in the desert, while the Haddas grows on the mountains. They need cool mountains air.
The Medrash explains each of the four Minim:
Each one represents a part of the Jewish nation, and all of the together symbolize the unity of the nation before Hashem: • The Esrog – has a good taste and smell, symbolizes righteous Torah scholars • The Lulav doesn’t have a smell: it has good fruits although it has no smell, symbolizes people who are
Torah scholars but are not righteous • The Haddas – has good smell but no fruits: symbolizes righteous people who are not Torah scholars • The Arava – has no smell and no fruit, symbolizes people who are not
Torah scholars and righteous either
Another explanation likens the four Minim to the parts of the body:
מים בששון ממעייני הישועה”.
THE FOUR MINIM AND THE COMMANDMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH THEM
The four Minim are mentioned in the Torah:
רָדָה ץֵע יִרְפ ,ןושאִרָה םויַּב םֶכָל םֶתְחַקְלו )לַחָנ-יֵבְרַעְו ,תֹבָע-ץֵע ףַנֲעַו ,םיִרָמְת תֹפַּכ מ קוספ ,’גכ ארקיו( • The Esrog looks like the heart: the heart which serves Hashem • The Lulav looks like the spine: expressing the purification of the body to the service of Hashem • The Haddas looks like eyes: one has to protect his eyes from deflecting him from the service of Hashem, even on a happy holiday like Sukkot • The Arava looks like lips: one has to which his lips in order to use them in praying during the holiday of Sukkot
The four Minim are brought to the Sukkah, and there is a blessing on them.
THE MITZVAH OF HOLDING THE LULAV
The mitzvah of holding the Lulav (in the Sukkah) is named after the Lulav, as it is the tallest and most important from the four Minim. The mitzvah of the blessing on the Lulav is being recited on all the days of the holidays, except for Shabbos. In order to beautify the mitzvah of Lulav, people are stringent in choosing especially nice four Minim, but especially a beautiful Esrog. By uniting the four Minim, we signify the unity of the Jewish nation.
HOSHANA RABBAH – A UNIQUE POEM FOR THE HOLIDAY OF SUKKOT
On Sukkot Jews recite the poem of “Hoshana”, which is name after the recurring chorus of “Hosha Na”. While reciting the poem, the Chazan descends from the Bimah, holding the four Minim, and the congregation follows him while circling the Bimah of the synagogue and singing the poem. Each day of Sukkot has its own poem, but the common denominator is prayers for the health and peace of the Jewish nation. Hoshana Rabbah is the last day of Sukkot. It is considered as a day of Judgment, in which Hashem seals the verdict of the world, which was issued on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.
WISHING YOU A חמש גח THANK YOU TO ALL THAT WERE PART OF OUR SUCCESSFUL YEAR
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