Meaningful Life Center

Now, we are ready to celebrate. Now we are ready to unleash all the energy of Tishrei into a celebration of joy and unity on Sukkot.

Sukkot (“Festival of Booths”) is a name for a period of time beginning on the night of the 14^th of Tishrei and officially ending on the 21^st of Tishrei (but really extending until the 23^rd) which is best known for its joy.

During this time, we dwell in little huts (or booths) with a roof of palm fronds, branches, reeds, or bamboo in which we are eat all our meals and conduct all the activities of the day which we regularly would do at home.[1]

These huts remind us of our total dependency on G-d—that our seemingly sturdy man-made shelters are nothing in the absence of His care. These huts also remind us of the “Clouds of Glory” which hovered over and protected the Israelites as they wandered in the desert on the way to the Land of Israel.

During this time, we also have the custom to wave in six directions (after having pronounced the proper blessing) the “four kinds”—namely, three myrtle branches (hadassim), two willow twigs (aravot), a palm frond (lulav) and a citron (etrog).

These “four kinds” remind us of the four kinds of people who comprise and are essential to the Nation of Israel. (See the essay for the 13^th of Tishrei for more on this subject).

~ Simchat Beit HaShoeva (“Happiness of the House of Water Drawing”) when we commemorate with great joy and celebration the ceremony of water libations in the Temple.

~ Hoshana Rabba (the day of “Great Salvation” when the verdict written on Rosh Hashana and sealed on Yom Kippur, is made final). We recite the complete Hoshanot, prayers in which the word hosha-na (“save us please”) is repeated over and over.

~ Shemini Atzeret (the “Eighth Day of Assembly”) an extra day added after the seven days of Sukkot when we celebrate alone with G-d because we and G-d cannot bear to “say goodbye” after the long holiday season. It is also the day when the messengers go out to deliver the judgement issued on the High Holidays.

~ Simchat Torah (“Happiness of/with Torah”) when we dance with the Torah in our arms, celebrating the second tablets that we received on Yom Kippur, as we finish reading the last chapter of Deuteronomy and we begin anew with the first chapter of Genesis.

It is a holiday when we celebrate the unity of the Jewish people and the unity of the people all over the world. It is a holiday when we integrate the awe of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur into our lives—by bridging the Divine energies of makif (surrounding light) and pnimi (internal light).

The special joy of Sukkot derives from its coinciding with the appearance of the “full moon” in the middle of Tishrei. Rosh Hashana, which began Tishrei, coincided with the birth of the new moon. Sukkot, when the moon is fully visible, represents the revelation of what was hidden and concealed on Rosh Hashana.

Revelation makes us joyful. “There is no greater joy than the resolution of doubt,” says the Talmud. Before the revelation we might have possessed all the ingredients of happiness, but without clear vision of how to direct our potential, we could not experience true joy. Sukkot is “the time of our rejoicing” because it brings with it the full revelation of what we have experienced and achieved during the first half of the month of Tishrei.

On Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, we touched base with the very quintessence of our souls and bonded with G-d. In those Days of Awe we crowned G-d the King of the Universe, actualized the power of teshuvah to transform the past and invigorate the future, and drew forth from heaven: life, sustenance, and well-being for the year to come.

But the trepidation in standing before the Divine throne eclipsed the joy we felt. On Sukkot, the veil of trepidation recedes and the Days of Awe erupt into a week-long Festival of Joy—a joy that reaches its climax in the celebrations of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah.

Earlier (on Tishrei 13) we examined the meaning of the “four kinds”—myrtle branches (hadassim), willow twigs (aravot), the palm frond (lulav) and the citron (etrog)—which we bind together and then wave in six directions every day during Sukkot week. Another way of understanding the “four kinds” is to compare them to the human body:

~ the citron resembles, in its shape, the heart, the driving force behind all our actions

~ the palm frond resembles the spine, which holds the body together and creates balance without which we would be unable to move

~ the myrtle leaves resemble, in their almond-shape, the eyes with which we behold G-d’s world

~ the willow leaves resemble the lips, with which we give expression to our thoughts and feelings

By holding these four together, we show that a person should devote all of his or her strengths and capacities to the service of G-d.

During the recitation of Hallel, the psalms of praise we recite on holidays, these “four kinds” are held together and waved in six different directions of space (south, north, east, up, down, west) for a total of eighteen movements—three times to and fro in each of the six directions. These movements manifest the unity of the “four kinds”—and the Divine unity—in all the parameters of space in the entire universe, which it is our responsibility to elevate.[2]

After we raise the “four kinds” upwards we then lower the bundle somewhat earthwards before bringing it back to touch the chest, suggesting drawing Divine light downward into this world. When we lower the “four kinds” down, we first extend it somewhat upwards before bringing it back, suggesting elevating worldliness heavenward.

Following Hallel, on each day of Sukkot, we recite Hoshanot, prayers in which the word hosha-na (“save us please”) is repeated over and over. As we do so, we circle the platform (bimah) where the Torah is read.

The circling is a march of conquest, compared to the circling of the city of Jericho in order to conquer the city. We march with the “four kinds,” armed with our spiritual arsenal resolute to fight and win any battle.[3]

The honored guest for the first day of Sukkot is Abraham. (See explanation for Erev Sukkot.) Abraham represents loving-kindness (chesed). He blesses us with the words from Book of Isaiah (Isaiah 58:14): “I will take pleasure with G-d.” This is the theme to focus on today: love, kindness, and bringing pleasure to each other.

“And you shall take for you on the first day, the fruit of a beautiful tree and branches of date palms, and twigs of the plaited tree, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before G-d, seven days.” (Leviticus 23:40-41).

“First day” implies a new beginning: After we have completely wiped clean the slate of the past year, the first day of Sukkot begins a new year of accounting (The Midrash[4])

Sukkot observances:
Continue to eat all your meals in the sukkah
Bless and wave the “four kinds”
Celebrate with great joy

Each morning of Sukkot we take the “four kinds” make a blessing on them, preferably in the sukkah in the morning before prayers. Two blessings are said the first day; on subsequent days the second blessing, Shehecheyanu, is omitted: “Blessed Are You, O G-d, King of the Universe, who sanctified us with Your commandments and commanded us to raise the lulav.”

“Blessed are You, O G-d, King of the Universe, Who has kept us alive and sustained us and brought us to this season.”

After morning (Shacharit) prayers, Hallel (the special hymn of praise to G-d) is recited during which we perform the mitzvah of naanuim (“movements”)—waving of the “four kinds.” This is done on each day of Sukkot (except Shabbat when the "four kinds" are not taken; Shabbat compensates for the energy of this mitzvah).

For the Torah reading of every day of Sukkot, two Torah scrolls are taken out. In the first we read the portion about holidays in Leviticus (11:26-23:44). In the second scroll we read for Maftir, the portion about Sukkot in Numbers (29:12-16).

The Haftorah is the last chapter of the Book of Zechariah. It discusses the transformation of the world and its nations in the End of Days. This Haftorah identifies Sukkot as the time when the ultimate redemption of the world will take place. An essential part of this redemption will be the gathering of all of the nations of the world in Jerusalem where all of the nations will announce their acknowledgment of G-d.

On the second night of Sukkot a special celebration began in the Temple, called Simchat Beit Hashoeva, the great joyous celebration that took place nightly when they drew water to pour on the altar. It is therefore customary to celebrate every night of Sukkot with dance and song. (See tomorrow).

[1] Talmud, Sukkah 28b; Rambam, Laws of Sukkah 6:5; Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 639:1. This also defines when a person is not obligated to do something in the sukkah: one is not obligated to eat or sleep in the sukkah when, under similar conditions, one would not do so in one’s own home (Talmud, ibid.; Shulchan Aruch, ibid., subsections 2 and 5).

[3] The four species are like spiritual ‘weapons’ which we use to conquer and sublimate the world. (Midrash Rabba Vayikra, 30:2). See Tishrei 18, facts.