Sukkot
The Sukkah Journey
As a symbol, the sukkah recalling the ancient journey of our forefathers on their way to the Promised Land is timeless. From the days of Abraham and Sarah, the story of our people has been told in the form of a series of journeys; first exiled to Egypt, later to Babylon, and eventually across the entire world. read more »
Teshuva of Love
The Torah directs us to “Take...on the first day, the fruit of a beautiful tree (Esrog), branches of a date palm (Lulav), etc.” The Midrash Tanchuma is bothered by the reference of a “first day,” when in fact Sukkos occurs on the fifteenth of the month. His answer, quite cryptic, notes that this particular day can be called the ‘first,’ because it is the first day for the counting of sins. read more »
The Art of Celebration
The festival of Sukkot is generally described as “the season of our rejoicing.” Within the holiday itself, a peculiar ceremony occurs that expresses our joy to the greatest intensity. Its name is Simchat Beit Hashoeiva and it reflects the ultimate celebration. read more »
Sukkahs for Cattle
The three festivals which were celebrated as a pilgrimage to Jerusalem correspond to our three forefathers, with Sukkot correlating specifically to Jacob. That Abraham is connected to Pesach is understood from the visit of the three angels which occurred on that holiday. Similarly, the bond between Isaac and Shavuos, joined by the ram’s horn that was blown at Sinai, is also readily apparent. We are however left trying to figure out the connection between Sukkot and Jacob. read more »
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