Sukkot Shmini Atzeret Simchat Torah YOUR FAMILY'S GUIDE TO THE HIGH HOLIDAYS PART II Five days after Yom Kippur we go from a solemn season of repentance to a season of rejoicing and renewal with the celebration of Sukkot, Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. On Sukkot we rejoice in God s protection of the Jewish people during our 40 years of wandering through the desert. For families, Sukkot is rich in practices and traditions. Building, decorating, or spending time in a sukkah for meals and with family and friends is exciting for adults and children alike, and helps create the kinds of memories that keep Jewish tradition alive. On Simchat Torah we rejoice in the ending and beginning of the reading of the Torah. We dance and sing and, as a community, revel in the excitement of completing and beginning the reading of the Torah. We hope you will take the opportunity to spend time rejoicing with family and friends during this festive season. Chag Sameach! Your friends at at JFamily J.E.F.F. Jewish Experiences for Families To help you celebrate Sukkot, you will need to gather together the following: Candlesticks with at least 2 candles Kiddush cup Wine or grape juice Round challah with challah cover Lulav - Consists of a palm branch, willow branch and myrtle branch* Etrog - Looks like a lemon, but has a tip called the Pitom* Sukkah - Build your own, visit a friend s sukkah, or visit your synagogue s sukkah * You can get information on purchasing your own lulav and etrog from your synagogue, a local Jewish bookstore, or online. 1
As Jews, we celebrate the seven-day holday of Sukkot, during the Hebrew month of Tishrei. Sukkot is one of the Shalosh Regalim, the three pilgrimage holidays observed by Jewish people (Sukkot, Passover, Shavuot). The chag (holiday, festival) starts five days after Yom Kippur and marks the beginning of a period of rejoicing. Sukkot literally means "booths" and is often called the Festival of Booths. Booths refer to the portable huts the Israelites lived in during their forty-year trek through the desert. Today we remember the makeshift huts we called our homes by building Sukkot on our decks or in our yards. The festival of Sukkot also has three other less known names: Chag Ha-asif, which means The Festival of Ingathering because of Sukkot s roots as an agricultural holiday; Ha Chag, The Festival, because it remembers the end of the Israelites wandering and their entry into the Promised Land; and Z'man Simchateinu, The Season of our Rejoicing, a reminder to end the somber feelings from Yom Kippur and to rejoice, enjoy our harvest, and remember the end of the Israelites wandering. BUILD YOUR OWN SUKKAH: Bring the holiday and its traditions home by building your own. It s a fun family project! Use the following guidelines: Your sukkah must be less than 30 feet high. The walls must be strong enough to withstand ordinary gusts of winds. The s chach (overhead covering) must be made of any natural materials that are no longer part of the live plant (Use evergreen branches, dried corn stalks, bamboo, or other native species). The s chach must provide for more shade than sun, but the stars must still be able to be seen at night. There must be at least 2 ½ makeshift walls, from wood or plastic (put holes in the plastic so the wind can blow through without knocking down your sukkah!). You can use one side of your house but the rest must be part of the sukkah structure. You can create your own pattern or purchase a sukkah from a sukkah manufacturer (They come in all different sizes and materials, ranging from wood to plastic. Most are relatively easy to put together, but it is likely you will have to provide your own s chach.) Hang decorations from the ceiling. Fruits, gourds and Indian corn are often used to remember the fall harvest. Decorate the walls with old Rosh Hashana cards, pictures of Israel, paper chains, children s artwork, etc. be creative! Don t forget that you can always visit a friend s sukkah or the one at your congregation as a start to your holiday traditions! 12
MITZVOT (COMMANDMENTS) There are two Mitzvot linked to the Festival of Sukkot in the Torah that Jews everywhere strive to fulfill. They are: Live in the Sukkah Many people not only eat in their sukkah to observe this Mitzvah, but they also study Torah and sleep in their sukkah! We say the Kiddush, the blessing over the wine, and Hamotzi, the blessing over the bread, on the first two nights of Sukkot in the sukkah. But don t worry you do not have to sleep or even eat in the sukkah if the weather is bad! Gather the Arba Minim (Four Species) The Arba Minim are four species mentioned in the Torah: lulav (palm), hadasim (myrtle), aravot (willow), and etrog (citron). The lulav is created out of the three branches. The etrog (citron) looks like an oblong lemon with a little tip which is called the pitom. Be careful not to break it off, or the etrog is no longer able to be used for the blessings! We shake the lulav every day of Sukkot to remind us that all of nature can praise God and is a part of God s gift to the Jewish people. SYMBOLISM OF THE NUMBER 4 ON SUKKOT The Talmudic Rabbis taught us that the four species (the lulav and etrog) are symbolic of our body parts, so that when we re shaking the lulav and etrog we are praying with our whole self. The lulav is compared to a person s spine, the willow to their lips, the myrtle to their eyes and the etrog to their heart. Other Rabbis taught that the four species represent four types of people in the world: People who are like the etrog which has taste and fragrance, who possess learning and do good deeds. People who are like the palm tree which has taste and no fragrance, who possess learning and do not do good deeds. People who are like the myrtle which has no taste and has fragrance, who do not possess learning and do good deeds. People who are like the willow which has no taste and has no fragrance, who do not possess either learning or good deeds. By tying the four species together, we symbolically pray that God will redeem all human beings. 13
SPECIAL SUKKOT BLESSINGS Besides the traditional blessings over the candles, wine, and challah, there are specific blessings we say for Sukkot. Sitting in the Sukkah: Have a seat anywhere in the sukkah and say the following first blessing; add the Shehechianu blessing the first night only. Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha olam Asher Kidshanu Be mitzvotav Ve tzivanu Ley shev Ba Sukkah. Blessed are You, O Lord our God, Ruler of the Cosmos, Who has sanctified us by Your commandments and has commanded us to sit in the sukkah. Shaking the Lulav: Hold the lulav (right hand with the willow to your right) and the etrog (left hand) together. With the pitom facing down, say the blessing. Now turn the etrog around with the pitom facing up and shake the lulav to the east to the west to the south to the north and then finally up and then down! Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha olam Asher Kidshanu Be mitzvotav Ve tzivanu Al Netilat Lulav. Blessed are You, O Lord our God, Ruler of the Cosmos, who has sanctified us by Your commandments, and has commanded us to take the lulav. We add the following blessing on the first night of Sukkot: Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha olam Shehechiyanu Ve kiymanu Ve higianu La z man Ha Zeh. Blessed are You, our God, Ruler of the Cosmos, who has kept us in life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season. 14
SHMINI ATZERET Now it is time to take an imaginary journey back in time: Take a moment to breathe in deeply and close your eyes. Imagine yourself living in the times of the Temple. You ve traveled a few days on foot or on your camel to make your pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem to offer your first fruits (the bounty of your harvest) for Sukkot. The holiday is coming to a close after seven days of celebration and it s almost time for you to begin your trek back home. Then you remember that God decided that the celebration should continue for the Israelites for one more day. This day is called Shmini Atzeret (the Eighth Day of Assembly) in the Torah because God asked us to stay and be close to Him. Atzeret in Hebrew means to tarry or holdback. So, we hold back for one more day. Since in Judaism everything has more than one meaning or purpose, take another moment to close your eyes you are back in the Negev (the desert in Southern Israel) tending to your family and your crops. Where do you get drinking water? How do you water your crops if you are in the middle of the desert? What if there were no rain? What would you do? Our ancestors didn t survive on bottled water and modern irrigation systems. What did they do instead? They turned their prayers over to God, asking for blessings of rain during the rainy season (our winter). Today we continue this ritual by reciting the prayer for rain (Tefillat Geshem) during services in the synagogue. We do this because holiday rituals are tied to Israel s seasons and not the weather outside of Israel. SIMCHAT TORAH Eitz Chayim He L machazikimbah, V tomcheha Me ooshar It is a tree of life to those who cling fast to it and all who support it are happy. This tree of life is the Torah, the five books of Moses, which we read from every week in the synagogue. The Torah is so important that we as Jews read it over and over again from year to year. We finish reading and start re-reading the Torah on the same day Simchat Torah to show that our learning of the Torah never ends. Until the early middle ages, it took congregations three years to read through the Torah, but once it was switched to the annual cycle people began celebrating the accomplishment of completing the reading of the end of Devarim (Deuteronomy), the last book, and the beginning of Bereishit (Genesis), the first book. Jews sing and dance with the Torah while circling the synagogue seven times (called hakafot). A modern custom is to wave special flags honoring the Torah as we sing and dance. It is a common misconception that Simchat Torah is a children s holiday. The truth is that Simchat Torah is a holiday for everyone! The morning of Simchat Torah everyone in the synagogue is expected to receive an Aliyah (the Honor of being called up to the Torah) from the oldest adult to the youngest child in the congregation. Traditionally, the last Aliyah is saved for the children. All those under the age of Bar or Bat Mitzvah go up to the Bima and say the Brachot (blessings) over the Torah while adults hold Tallisim (Prayer shawls) over their heads. Traditionally, this is the only time of the year that children are called up to the Torah. 15
USHPIZIN AND USHPIZOT (Aramaic for guests:) As Jews, we cannot imagine a celebration without lots of guests to share it with us! The origin of the custom of welcoming ushpizin is the example Abraham set by inviting others, including strangers, into his tent. The Kabbalists (Jewish Mystics) of the 16th century took the idea of inviting guests a step further based on a line from the Zohar (The primary source on Jewish Mysticism) which reads: When a person sits in his sukkah the Shechina (God s Divine presence) spreads its wings over it from above and then Avraham together with the other five Tzadikim (Righteous Men- in this case: Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses and Aaron) and King David dwell together with Him. These seven biblical characters came to be known as Ushpizin (Aramaic for guests), and every year we invite one of them each night to join us as we dwell in the sukkah. Special words of welcome are recited to honor their presence. Many people have also added the tradition of inviting the ushpizot (female counterparts: Sara, Rebecca, Rachel, Leah, and others such as Miriam, Devorah, Hannah, Hulda, Avigail and Esther). Try it in your home or Sukkah!!! CREATIVE CUSTOMS FOR INVITING USHPIZIN Designate and decorate a special chair, left unused, for the honored Ushpizin of the evening (a Sephardic tradition). Set a plate filled with food for the Ushpizin and then donate the food to someone in need. Invite seven guests who are hungry to join your Sukkot dinner, whether or not you have a sukkah. Along with the seven Ushpizin, spiritually invite seven members of your family who are no longer living, and read or tell something about their lives and personalities. Try to imagine the honored guest for the evening as having a live presence at your table. What do you think he or she would contribute to your conversations? What type of hospitality would you extend to the Ushpizin if they were alive? 16
IDEAS FOR FAMILY FUN SUKKOT DECORATIONS WITH A TWIST! Many people hang paper chains, drawings, old cards, and fruit from the ceiling of their sukkah. Try some of these ideas to put a new twist on your traditions: Pest proof your sukkah by hanging plastic fruits and vegetables. Or create your own with paper mache. Dye pasta with food color mixed with a little vinegar (to make it permanent). Let it dry overnight. Have family members or guests string them and hang them from the ceiling. Fill small zipper bags with Jewish confetti, small beads, or other items of your choosing. Zip closed and hang. Go on a nature hunt and go natural! Decorate pinecones as birds, create nature mobiles. Laminate posters or pictures that family members have created before hanging them. Frame them with sticks tied together into a frame. Paint holiday themes around the edges of old window shades. Have guests sign your"guestbook with permanent markers. Roll them up to store them for next year. Create a sunshine hanger: Lay a piece of waxed paper on your ironing board. Cover the center of it with tiny chips of crayons, small pieces of tissue paper, and/or pieces of yarn or colored string. Place another piece of waxed paper over the top of your creations. Cover the sandwich with a cloth and press it with a warm iron until the crayonchips are melted. How We ve Grown! Each year, make a collage of family pictures beginning from the past year. Laminate them and hang them in your sukkah. From year to year, you ll see how much everyone has grown and changed! TASTY SUKKOT TREATS! Try making these in your sukkah: Create a Graham Cracker Sukkah. "Glue" together 3 graham crackers with frosting to create the walls. Use thin pretzel sticks to make the roof. And decorate with your favorite candies or cereal. Celebrate the Harvest: Have guests each bring their favorite fruit in a bag so it cannot be seen. Everyone takes turns guessing what s in the bags. Cut up the fruit into your Harvest Salad. Make a Stuffed Pumpkin Centerpiece. Cut off the top of a pumpkin and clean out the insides. Clean, salt, and roast the seeds in a 350. oven until they are toasted. Let cool. Line the inside of your pumpkin with aluminum foil. Fill it with a mixture of the cooked seeds, nuts, raisins, and chocolate chips. Email us at jeff@jfmd.org or contact us by phone at 248-642-4260, ext. 377 Email us at jeff@jfmd.org or siegmann@jfmd.org or by phone at 248-642-4260, ext. 377 jewishdetroit.org/jfamily 7 Your Family s Guide to the High Holidays - Part II 2009 Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit..