SHALOOOOOOOOOOOOOM PINWHEEL!

 

Besides Yom Kippur, we are coming up on our first holiday of the new year!!!!!! Even though Sukkot is technically 8 days long, the first two days and the last two days are considered Chagim.  That means...

In honor of this holiday (sukkot), I will only be using harvest colors in this e-mail.  Why you ask.....

 

The Festival of Sukkot begins on the 15th of Tishrei, the fifth day following Yom Kippur.

 It is quite a drastic transition, from one of the most solemn holidays in our year to one of the most joyous. Sukkot is so joyful that it is commonly referred to as Z'man Simchateinu , the Season of our Rejoicing.

Sukkot is the last of the Shalosh R'galim (three pilgrimage festivals).

Like Pesach and Shavuot, Sukkot has a dual significance: historical and agricultural.

 Historically, Sukkot commemorates the forty-year period during which the children of Israel were wandering in the desert, living in temporary shelters.

Agriculturally, Sukkot is a harvest festival and is sometimes referred to as Chag Ha-Asif , the Festival of Ingathering.

 

The word "Sukkot" means "booths," and refers to the temporary dwellings that we are commanded to live in during this holiday in memory of the period of wandering. 

The Hebrew word "sukkah" (plural: "sukkot") refers to the temporary booths that people lived in.

Sukkot lasts for seven days. The two days following the festival, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, are separate holidays but are related to Sukkot and are commonly thought of as part of Sukkot. 

As said earlier, No work is permitted on the first and second days of the holiday.  Work is permitted on the remaining days. These intermediate days on which work is permitted are referred to as Chol Ha-Mo'ed, as are the intermediate days of Pesach.

  We are commanded to dwell in temporary shelters, as our ancestors did in the wilderness. 

The commandment to "dwell" in a sukkah can be fulfilled by simply eating all of one's meals there; however, if the weather, climate, and one's health permit, one should spend as much time in the sukkah as possible, including sleeping in it.

A sukkah must have at least two and a half walls covered with a material that will not blow away in the wind.

Why two and a half walls? Look at the letters in the word "sukkah"   one letter has four sides, one has three sides and one has two and a half sides.

A sukkah may be any size, so long as it is large enough for you to fulfill the commandment of dwelling in it.
The roof of the sukkah must be made of material referred to as sekhakh (literally, covering).

To fulfill the commandment, sekhakh must be something that grew from the ground and was cut off, such as tree branches, corn stalks, bamboo reeds, sticks, or two-by-fours.

  It is common practice, and highly commendable, to decorate the sukkah. Many families hang artwork drawn by the children on the walls. And hanging fruits and vegetables is a common practice, as well!

  Another observance during Sukkot involves what are known as the Four Species (arba minim- ) or the lulav and etrog.

We are commanded to take these four plants and use them to rejoice before God. 

The four species in question are an

etrog (a citrus fruit similar to a lemon native to Israel; in English it is called a citron),

a palm branch (in Hebrew, lulav),

two willow branches (aravot) and

three myrtle branches (hadassim).

The six branches are bound together and referred to collectively as the lulav, because the palm branch is by far the largest part.

The etrog is held separately.

With these four species in hand, we recite a blessing and wave the species in all six directions (east, south, west, north, up and down), symbolizing the fact that God is everywhere. 

  Why are these four plants used instead of other plants? There are two primary explanations of the symbolic significance of these plants:

that they represent different parts of the body, or

that they represent different kinds of Jews.

According to the first interpretation, the long straight palm branch represents the spine. The myrtle leaf, which is a small oval, represents the eye. The willow leaf, a long oval, represents the mouth, and the etrog fruit represents the heart.

All of these parts have the potential to be used for sin, but should join together in the performance of the mitzvot.

According to the second interpretation,

The etrog, which has both a pleasing taste and a pleasing scent, represents Jews who have achieved both knowledge of Torah and performance of mitzvot.

The palm branch, which produces tasty fruit, but has no scent, represents Jews who have knowledge of Torah but are lacking in mitzvot.

The myrtle leaf, which has a strong scent but no taste, represents Jews who perform mitzvot but have little knowledge of Torah.

The willow, which has neither taste nor scent, represents Jews who have now knowledge of Torah and do not perform the mitvot.

We bring all four of these species together on Sukkot to remind us that every one of these four kinds of Jews is important, and that we must all be united.

Hope you learned something new!!!!!!! And Chag Sameach!

Love,