{"id":665,"date":"2013-06-23T16:08:10","date_gmt":"2013-06-23T20:08:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bethadonai3.web802.discountasp.net\/wordpress\/?page_id=665"},"modified":"2013-06-23T16:17:42","modified_gmt":"2013-06-23T20:17:42","slug":"sukkot","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/bethadonai.com\/?page_id=665","title":{"rendered":"Sukkot"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hashanah and Yom Kippur but is associated more with Passover and Shavuot. (<\/span>Leviticus 23:33-41<\/span><\/b>)<\/span><\/p>\n

Sukkot is the last of the seven feasts. \u00a0It falls on the last seven days of the seventh month and we are commanded to observe it seven times. \u00a0Seven is the number of completion as seen in Genesis 2:2<\/span><\/b> when God\u2019s work was completed in seven days. The number seven plays special significance in this, the final fall feast.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0What is Sukkot?<\/b><\/p>\n

Sukkot is first mentioned in the Bible as the name of the first stopping place of the Israelites on their journey out of Egypt in Exodus.<\/span><\/p>\n

Genesis 33:17
\n<\/span><\/b>\u201cYa\u2019acov went on to Sukkot, where he built himself a house and put up shelters for his cattle. \u00a0This is why the place is called Sukkot [shelters].\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The word “sukkot” actually means “woven”. \u00a0These shelters (booths) were woven together from branches and leaves to protect the animals from the sun, so sukkot later came to mean the hut or booth with the “woven” roof. \u00a0\u00a0Since we are commanded to build a hut or booth on this holiday as a reminder of G-d’s sheltering care for us, this feast is called “Sukkot”. (One booth is a “sukkah”, and being a feminine noun, in Hebrew the plural becomes “sukkot”.)<\/p>\n

Leviticus 23:42-43
\n<\/span><\/b>\u201cYou are to live in sukkot for seven days; every citizen of Israel is to live in sukkah, so that generation after generation of you will know that I made the people of Israel live in sukkot when I brought them out of the land of Egypt; I am Adonai your God.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

We physically reenact the building of these flimsy shelters to remind us of the time spent in the wilderness when we were totally dependent on God for everything. \u00a0According to the law of nature, the nation should have perished due to their lack of food, water, no road map, no mall to buy new clothes and shoes when they wore out in forty years. \u00a0The Lord met each need in abundance, so we celebrate this holiday to remember His faithfulness and our dependence on Him. \u00a0The sukkah was purposely made flimsy and constructed outside. \u00a0It should be made so that the stars can be seen through the roof and rain can fall in. \u00a0This is to show our dependence on G-d as our protector and provider, and not some wood or brick building.\u00a0 When we are outside, we are closer to nature and it is easier to physically see how G-d is so obviously in charge of things.\u00a0 It also makes us aware of how fragile human life is. We get another lesson in trusting G-d as our protector and provider.\u00a0 Most Jews today just visit a sukkah, or at best, eat a meal in one. \u00a0Remember that G-d has commanded us to actually dwell in a sukkah for seven days! \u00a0Try it – it can be like camping out in your own backyard!<\/p>\n

Although the sukkah is to be primitive and flimsy, it may also be a thing of beauty. \u00a0We are commanded to do three things for the sukkah – live in it, gather lulav and etrog, and enjoy the feast! \u00a0Part of the enjoyment is to engage the whole family in building and decorating the sukkah. \u00a0Children can participate so that they too may know of God\u2019s provision. \u00a0If they are too young to actually put the sukkah together they can make decorations sukkah paper chains or drawings to put up once it is constructed. \u00a0If there is no space to make one outside, the family can make a miniature sukkah out of twigs and leaves on a tabletop.<\/p>\n

Sukkot is celebrated at this time of year because it is associated with the ancient Israeli cycle of agriculture. \u00a0Fall was the time of the final harvest when the abundance of the fields was gathered in thankfulness. \u00a0A reference to this is mentioned in Isaiah 1:8<\/span><\/b> where there were temporary huts, or “sukkot”, \u00a0for the harvesters in the vineyard. \u00a0\u00a0They were occupied by the watchmen in the fields who protected the ripe harvest before it could be gathered.<\/span><\/p>\n

– \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Tishrei 15: 1st day, Sabbath rest
\n– \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Tishrei 16: 2nd day, enjoy the festival
\n– \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Tishrei 17: 3rd day, Chol HaMoed (1st intermediate day)
\n– \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Tishrei 18: 4th day, Chol HaMoed (2nd intermediate day)
\n– \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Tishrei 19: 5th day, Chol HaMoed (3rd intermediate day)
\n– \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Tishrei 20: 6th day, Chol HaMoed (4th intermediate day)
\n– \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Tishrei 21: 7th day, Hoshana Rabbah (“the great praise”)
\n– \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Tishrei 22: 8th day, Shimini Atzaret (“solemn assembly”, a Sabbath rest)
\n– \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Tishrei 23: 9th day, Simchat Torah (“rejoicing in the Law”)<\/p>\n

Building a sukkah can also has spiritual meaning for believers: \u00a0The world and its material things are a spiritual desert or even a wilderness. \u00a0We would wither without Messiah\u2019s intervention on our behalf. \u00a0Without His presence, power, and provision, we would be left naked, destitute, and in darkness.<\/p>\n

I Chronicles 29:15
\n<\/span><\/b>\u201cFor in your presence we are <\/span>temporary<\/span><\/i> residents, just passing through, as all our ancestors were our \u00a0days on earth are like a shadow, without hope.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This verse should cause us to reflect on how much we rely on flimsy things, the temporary trappings of the world that have no eternal value. \u00a0Spending time out in the sukkah and remembering what God did for the nation of Israel as He led them to a better place reinforces our faith that God will keep His promise to us. \u00a0This promise is that He will guide us to our permanent home promised in heaven.<\/p>\n

II Corinthians 5:1
\n<\/span><\/b>\u201cWe know that when the tent which houses us here on earth is torn down, we have a <\/span>permanent<\/span><\/i> building from God, a building not made by human hands, to house us in heaven.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While only temporary, the sukkah experience is to be enjoyable. \u00a0Rabbis have said that you are not to eat your meal in the sukkah if it is raining. \u00a0This would take away some of the joy of this feast, one we are actually commanded<\/span><\/i> to enjoy:<\/span><\/p>\n

Deuteronomy 16:15
\n<\/span><\/b>\u201cSeven days you are to keep the festival for Adonai your God in the place Adonai your God will choose, because Adonai your God will bless you in all your crops and in all your work, so <\/span>you are to be full of joy<\/span><\/span><\/i>!<\/span><\/i>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The rabbis have given another name to this feast which is \u201cZeman Simchateinu\u201d or \u201cseason of our joy.\u201d The rejoicing should not just be for God\u2019s provision of our daily bread, but also for our spiritual food. \u00a0This is why Sukkot is so closely tied with the High Holidays.<\/p>\n

The theme from Rosh Hashanah is repentance and a turning to God<\/span><\/i>. \u00a0Then we are to examine our relationship with Him in the ten Days of Awe. \u00a0This leads us to experience His redemption on Yom Kippur, realizing that we have our atonement through Yeshua. \u00a0It naturally follows that we can now rejoice in God\u2019s forgiveness during Sukkot.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now we can see how we get the different names associated with Sukkot:<\/p>\n

– \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 “Chag HaSukkot”: Festival of Booths (Leviticus 23:24<\/span><\/b>)
\n– \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0“Chag Ha\u2019Asif”: Festval of Ingathering (<\/span>Exodus 23:16<\/span><\/b>)
\n– \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0“Zeman Simchateinu”: Season of Our Rejoicing (<\/span>Deuteronomy 16:14<\/span><\/b>)
\n– \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0“Chag”: The Feast (<\/span>Leviticus 23:39-41<\/span><\/b>)
\n– \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0“Hoshana Rabbah”: The Great Hoshana (the seventh day of the feast)
\n– \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0“Shimini Atzeret”: Solemn Assembly (the eighth day of the feast)
\n– \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0“Simchat Torah”: Rejoicing in the Law (the ninth day of the feast, or the second day of Shimini Atzeret, often considered a separate holiday)<\/span><\/p>\n

Sukkot is also known as the \u201cFeast of the Lord\u201d or simply \u201cThe Feast.\u201d \u00a0In Hebrew, the word feast is \u201chag\u201d and its root means to \u201cto dance\u201d or \u201cto be joyous\u201d before the Lord. \u00a0This feast was the biggest ceremony in Bible times.<\/p>\n

The name \u00a0\u201cThe Feast of the Ingathering.\u201d has dual meanings. \u00a0As the final agricultural harvest the crops were gathered in.\u00a0 It is also an \u201cingathering\u201d because Sukkot is one of the three feasts where all men are required to appear before God in
\nJerusalem.<\/p>\n

Deuteronomy 16:16
\n<\/span><\/b>“Three times a year all your men must appear before the LORD your God at the place he will \u00a0\u00a0choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles. <\/span>No man should appear before the LORD empty-handed.<\/span><\/i>“<\/span><\/p>\n

The last part of the verse mentions that the people are not to come empty handed before the Lord. \u00a0Indeed, they were not empty handed for Sukkot! \u00a0No other feast required so many sacrifices as spelled out in detail in Numbers 29:12-39<\/span><\/b>. \u00a0It is also interesting to note how many times the number <\/span>seven<\/span><\/span><\/i> is used – seven days, seventy bullocks, fourteen rams, ninety-eight lambs; they are all divisible by seven. Altogether, there were 182 animals mentioned (which is 26 x 7). \u00a0Added to this was the 336 tenths ephahs of flour for the meal offering (which is 48 x 7). It is like the number seven, symbolizing completion, is imprinted on this, the seventh feast in the seventh month. \u00a0Does this idea of “completion” symbolize something else for us?<\/span><\/p>\n

While the idea of \u201cingathering\u201d signifies the presentation of crops before the Lord and the gathering of Israelites to Jerusalem, \u00a0believer\u2019s can also see it to mean the \u201cingathering\u201d of Yeshua\u2019s children. \u00a0Yeshua says to those who believe in Him:<\/p>\n

John 14:2-3
\n<\/span><\/b>\u201cIn my Father\u2019s house there are many places to live. \u00a0If there weren\u2019t, I would have told you; \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0because I am going there to prepare a place for you. \u00a0Since I am going and preparing a place for \u00a0you, <\/span>I will return to take you with me<\/span><\/span><\/i>; so that where I am you may be also.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The spirit of thankfulness was especially true at the time of Sukkot in ancient Israel. \u00a0Their economy was mostly agricultural, so the people \u00a0relied heavily on the cycle of crops for their sustenance. \u00a0These crops were dependent on rain that was very scarce in the arid Middle East. \u00a0As is true today, farmers must have great faith, depending on G-d for the moisture necessary to avoid famine.<\/p>\n

During the time of Yeshua, the high point of the Sukkot celebration was the “drawing of \u00a0water” ceremony when the people called upon the Lord to provide heavenly waters for their next harvest season. \u00a0This was a very grand event that was full of much pomp and drama. \u00a0It reached its peak on the last day of Sukkot called “Hoshana Rabbah”. \u00a0Accompanied by throngs of chanting worshippers and flutists, the Levitical priests went to the pool of Siloam near the temple mount. \u00a0There he filled a golden pitcher with water and returned to the temple. \u00a0The crowd entered through the Water Gate that was named for this ceremony. \u00a0The choir and the worshippers began chanting the words of Psalm 118<\/span><\/b> called the “Hallel”, or praise psalm. \u00a0(as in “Beth <\/span>Hallel<\/span><\/i>“, house of praise)<\/span><\/p>\n

Psalm 118:25-26
\n<\/span><\/b>O LORD, save us; \u00a0O LORD, grant us success.
\n<\/span>Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD<\/span><\/i>. (in Hebrew: \u00a0“Baruch ha ba b’shem Adonai”) From the house of the LORD we bless you.<\/span><\/p>\n

This expressed the messianic hope of the people at that time, oppressed by their Roman overseers. \u00a0It was very appropriate that Yeshua appeared on the scene, with the multitudes chanting “Please deliver us, Son of David!” as they laid the palm branches associated with Sukkot in His path:<\/p>\n

Matthew 21:8-9
\n<\/span><\/b>A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,<\/span><\/p>\n

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
\n“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
\n“Hosanna in the highest!”<\/p>\n

This ceremony also held a deep spiritual significance. \u00a0Water is a symbol of the Ruach HaKodesh, the Holy Spirit. \u00a0The people were aware of this as they gathered to pray for the fall rains. \u00a0The prophet Joel spoke of the Lord pouring down the latter rains:<\/p>\n

Joel 2:23
\n<\/span><\/b>Be glad, O people of Zion, \u00a0rejoice in the LORD your God,
\nfor he has given you \u00a0the autumn rains in righteousness.
\nHe sends you abundant showers, both <\/span>autumn<\/span><\/span><\/i> and spring rains, as before.<\/span><\/p>\n

In Joel the connection is made between these rains and the Spirit:<\/p>\n

Joel 2:28
\n<\/span><\/b>“And afterward, <\/span>I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
\n<\/span><\/span><\/i>Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams,
\nyour young men will see visions.”<\/span><\/p>\n

The Talmud, referring to this water ceremony at Sukkot asks: “Why is the name of it called the drawing out of water? \u00a0It is because of the pouring out of the Ruach HaKodesh according to what is said…(referring to Isaiah:)<\/p>\n

Isaiah 12:3<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cThen you will joyfully draw from the springs of <\/span>salvation<\/span><\/span><\/i>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This is the name given to our Messiah, \u00a0for “salvation” in Hebrew is Yeshua!<\/p>\n

Besides the water ceremony, there was the ceremony of the \u201cillumination of the temple.\u201d \u00a0This is where four enormous golden candelabras were lit. This was a terrific spectacle that has been noted in Rabbinical commentaries. \u00a0The Mishna says that pious worshippers would rejoice and dance well into the night holding torches and singing songs of praise. \u00a0It is said that the light from these candelabras on the Temple Mount could be seen for miles!<\/p>\n

It is no coincidence that on this last day of Sukkot, Hoshana Rabba, with the themes of light and water on the minds of the multitudes, that Yeshua came to the Temple to proclaim a message that offered better water and light that would totally satisfy the needs of the people:<\/p>\n

John 7:37-38<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cNow on the last day of the festival, Hoshana Rabbah, Yeshua stood and cried out, \u201cIf anyone is thirsty, let him keep coming to me and drinking! \u00a0Whoever puts his trust in me, as the Scripture \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0says, rivers of <\/span>living water<\/span><\/span><\/i> will flow from his inmost being!” \u00a0Yeshua struck a chord with the people who knew the scripture He was referring to:<\/span><\/p>\n

Isaiah 44:3<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cFor I will pour water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground; I will our my Spirit on your descendants, my blessing on your offspring.\u201d As bright as the lights were during this joyous occasion, Yeshua \u00a0proclaimed an even brighter light for all:<\/span><\/p>\n

John 8:12<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cYeshua spoke to them again: \u2018I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will never walk \u00a0\u00a0in darkness but will have the <\/span>light which gives life<\/span><\/span><\/i>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Yeshua offered life and redemption to all the pilgrims at Sukkot. \u00a0He was announcing the coming of the messianic age.\u00a0 Zechariah describes the return of the Lord when He will stand on the Mount of Olives. \u00a0God will personally deliver his people:
\nZechariah. 14:4<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

“On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem…”<\/span><\/p>\n

Later he describes the unique light also present in those days and the Living Waters flowing out of Jerusalem:<\/p>\n

Zechariah 14:7-8<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

It will be a unique day, without daytime or nighttime–a day known to the LORD. When evening comes, there will be light.\u00a0 On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea, in summer and in winter.<\/span><\/p>\n

These are not just natural waters, but spiritual waters of salvation. \u00a0The multitude could continue to rejoice because of what followed in Zechariah:<\/p>\n

Zechariah 14:16.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cFinally, everyone remaining from all the nations that came to attack Yerushalayim will go up every year to worship the King, the Lord, and to keep the festival of Sukkot.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

What a great messianic prophecy! \u00a0Yeshua came to the masses on the last day of Sukkot and proclaimed that there was a way for them to be cleansed of their sin so that they no longer needed to atone for them year after year as they had just done
\non Yom Kippur. \u00a0He was pointing to a time that Ezekiel had prophesied about:<\/p>\n

Ezekiel 36:25-27<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your \u00a0impurities and from all your idols. \u00a0\u00a0I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”<\/span><\/p>\n

This feast is the most joyous of Israel\u2019s feast. \u00a0It came at a time when the crops had been reaped and the people\u2019s heats had been naturally gladdened by the bounty. \u00a0As they presented themselves in Jerusalem, they recalled when they were gathered there six months earlier, when they had dedicated their entire feast to the Lord during \u00a0First Fruits. \u00a0At that time they remembered the Exodus from Egypt and the Passover with its fulfillment of the true Passover sacrifice, the perfect Lamb of God – Yeshua. \u00a0Then they would recall that seven weeks after that they gathered again for the grain harvest, or Shavuot. This was remembered as the time when the Law was given on Mount Sinai. \u00a0It also points to the time when the Holy Spirit fulfilled this feast by writing the Law on their hearts at Pentecost. \u00a0Now, gathering for Sukkot, the people remembered God\u2019s provision in the wilderness when they had dwelled in booths. The fulfillment of this feast will be the harvest of the nations when they will all be gathered to worship the Lord when He returns to reign in Jerusalem:<\/p>\n

Revelation 21:3<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cI heard a loud voice from the throne say, \u201cSee! God\u2019s Sh\u2019khinah (G-d’s presence) is with mankind, and he will live with them. \u00a0They will be his peoples and he himself, God-with-them, will be their God.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

There is a very good reason for rejoicing at Sukkot – especially for believers. \u00a0Rosh Hashanah\u2019s theme is to turn the nation of Israel to repentance with the sound of the shofar. \u00a0Prophetically this will signal Messiah\u2019s return. Yom Kippur\u2019s theme is the redemption and forgiveness through the atonement of Yeshua. \u00a0One day all of Israel will recognize Him as Lord. \u00a0On Sukkot, we rejoice in the Lord\u2019s gathering of His people to \u00a0tabernacle with Him. \u00a0Then they will \u00a0truly “sealed in the book of life.\u201d<\/p>\n

This points to a future Sukkot:<\/p>\n

Revelation 7:9-10<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cAfter this, I looked; and there before me was a huge crowd, too large for anyone to count, from every nation, tribe and language. \u00a0They were standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding <\/span>palm branches<\/span><\/i> in their hands; and they shouted, \u2018Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Almost as common as the sukkah are the “four species”, or “lulav” and “etrog” ritual items derived from an interpretation of materials mentioned in Torah:<\/p>\n

Leviticus 23:40<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cOn the first day you are to take choice fruit, palm fronds, thick branches and river-willows, and celebrate in the presence of Adonai your God for seven days.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Some believe that this verse describes the actual materials to be used in making a sukkah, but rabbis have come to agree that these materials are to be bound together and waved in rejoicing during the festival. \u00a0This is where we get the “lulav” and the “etrog”.<\/p>\n

\u201cEtrog\u201d is Aramaic for \u201cthat which shines.\u201d \u00a0Over time, it has come to mean a citrus fruit. \u00a0Rabbis say that this fruit is implied by the phrase \u201cfoliage on goodly trees\u201d where \u201cgoodly\u201d meant both, the taste of the wood of the tree, and the trees fruit. Only the citron fulfills these requirements. \u00a0Another way to understand the etrog is by using the numerical values of the letters in the Hebrew alphabet. \u00a0The number values in the phrase \u201cfruit of goodly trees\u201d matches the number values in \u201cetrogim\u201d (plural for etrog).<\/p>\n

“Lulav” originally meant sprout, but has come to mean willow, myrtle, and palm branches. \u00a0Myrtle was chosen because of the phrase \u201cboughs of leafy trees.\u201d \u00a0There are various explanations for the four species \u00a0that have been chosen. \u00a0Each of the four species refers to a specific place on a persons body where he\/she can serve God.<\/p>\n

– \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The etrog represents the heart<\/span><\/i>, \u00a0a place of understanding and wisdom.
\n– \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The palm represents the <\/span>backbone<\/span><\/i> and one\u2019s uprightness.
\n– \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The myrtle represents the <\/span>eyes<\/span><\/i> that give us enlightenment.
\n– \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The willow represents the <\/span>lips <\/span><\/i>and our prayers to G-d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Both the lulav and the etrog are used in the synagogue each day during Sukkot. \u00a0The etrog is placed in one\u2019s left hand and the lulav (myrtle, willow, and palm branches bound together) are in the right hand and are to be waved in the direction of the four compass points during certain times of the Sukkot service.<\/p>\n

Other traditions include inviting symbolic guests, or “ushpizim” to visit the sukkah. \u00a0These are Bible patriarchs such as Abraham, Isaac, Moses, etc. \u00a0The idea is to recall those who went before us who were wanderers, those who depended on G-d’s shelter and provision. \u00a0We can turn this tradition into a time to teach our living guests about these Bible characters.\u00a0 This is a time to show hospitality by inviting others to share a meal under the sukkah. \u00a0This would be especially appropriate to offer to anyone who does not have a sukkah of their own.<\/p>\n

It is also traditional to recite the Hoshanah Psalm while circling around the synagogue. \u00a0Some have turned this into a joyous celebration by including dancers, musicians and others waving the lulav and etrog in a loud procession. The Megillah, or short scroll associated with this feast is the Book of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes<\/span><\/b>). \u00a0Its soul searching, somewhat dark, contemplative nature, more associated with Yom Kippur, is said to balance the joyous note of Sukkot. \u00a0It is traditionally read on the last day of the feast.<\/span><\/p>\n

A tradition of Moroccan Jews is to pour water on each other, perhaps a reminder of the pouring-out-of-water ceremony during Temple times. \u00a0What a great idea for our warm \u00a0fall days!<\/p>\n

Of course the biggest tradition is the building of the sukkah. Traditionally, the first branches of the sukkah are lashed together just after the Yom Kippur break-fast. Each family can build one, or it may be a communal project, involving the whole synagogue. \u00a0In addition, a small sukkah can be put together completely by children.<\/p>\n

The best choice in materials are natural branches or other organic items such as bamboo. \u00a0Some people use branches from Magnolia trees that have a fragrance to encourage people to stay in the sukkah. \u00a0If possible, the items should be secured with rope or twine verses nails, again to emphasize the structure’s temporary nature. However, make sure your sukkah doesn’t come crashing down on a table-full of guests! \u00a0A string of outdoor lanterns, a rug, hay bales, or potted plants will make the sukkah inviting.<\/p>\n

All types of natural items can be suspended from the “skhakh”, or roof of the sukkah. Apples and pears are easily tied by the stem, and will keep for the length of the feast. Some use the seven fruits of harvest mentioned in Deuteronomy 8:8<\/span><\/b>, such as wheat, barely, vines, figs, pomegranates, olives, and honeycomb. This is another symbol of G-d’s rich blessing of provision for us.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hashanah and Yom Kippur but is associated more with Passover and Shavuot. (Leviticus 23:33-41) Sukkot is the last of the seven feasts. \u00a0It falls on the last seven days of the seventh month and we are commanded to observe it seven times. \u00a0Seven is the number of completion as seen in Genesis 2:2 when God\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":109,"menu_order":5,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/bethadonai.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/665"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/bethadonai.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/bethadonai.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bethadonai.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bethadonai.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=665"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"http:\/\/bethadonai.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/665\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":670,"href":"http:\/\/bethadonai.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/665\/revisions\/670"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bethadonai.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/bethadonai.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=665"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}