III. Names Given To This Feast
IV. The Succoth Mussaf Sacrifices:
VI. The Sabbatical Year Torah reading
VII. The Services In The Synagogue
XI. Yeshua celebrated Succoth:
XV. Yeshua begins His Ministry
The four days between Yom HaKippurim (the Day of Atonement) and Succoth (Ashkenaz = Succos) (The Feast of Tabernacles) are days marked by a festive spirit. We do not fast, even if we would normally fast for a yartzeit (the anniversary of the passing) of a parent. During this time there is a frenzy of activity as we prepare to fulfill the mitzvot of Succoth. We are busy building and decorating our succah, our temporary dwelling, that we will be living in during the feast of Succoth. We are busy selecting our etrog and our lulav. These are the festive preparation days.
|
Etrog |
Lulav |
On the eve of Succoth we eat a little less in the afternoon so as to increase our appetite for the first meal of the feast.
After the last forty days of repenting and fasting, the upright of heart merit the feast of joy. This is alluded to in:
Tehillim
(Psalms) 97:10-12 Let those who
love HaShem hate evil, for he guards the lives of his
faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
Light is shed upon the righteous and joy on the upright in heart. Rejoice in
HaShem, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name.
Hag HaSuccoth (The Feast of Tabernacles / Feast of Booths) was detailed in:
Vayikra (Leviticus) 23:34-44 "Say to the Israelites: 'On the
fifteenth day of the seventh month HaShem's Feast of Tabernacles begins,
and it lasts for seven days. The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work. For seven days
present offerings made to HaShem by fire, and on the eighth
day hold a sacred assembly and present an offering made to HaShem by fire.
It is the closing assembly; do no regular work. ("'These are
HaShem's appointed feasts, which you are to
proclaim as sacred assemblies for bringing offerings made to HaShem by fire--the burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and
drink offerings required for each day. These offerings are in addition to those
for HaShem's Sabbaths and in addition to your gifts
and whatever you have vowed and all the freewill
offerings you give to HaShem.) "'So beginning with the fifteenth day of
the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the
festival to HaShem for seven
days; the first day is a day of rest, and the eighth day also is a day
of rest. On the first day you are to take choice fruit from the
trees, and palm fronds, leafy branches and poplars, and rejoice before HaShem
your God for seven days. Celebrate this as a festival to HaShem for seven days
each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come;
celebrate it in the seventh month. Live in booths for seven days: All
native-born Israelites are to live in booths. So your descendants will know
that I had the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt. I am HaShem your God.'" So Moses
announced to the Israelites the appointed feasts of
HaShem.
The "sacred assembly" is a rehearsal meeting (mik-raw), according to Strong's:
4744 miqra', mik-raw'; from 7121; something called out, i.e. a public meeting (the act, the persons, or the place); also a rehearsal:-assembly, calling, convocation, reading.
The "closing assembly" is NOT a rehearsal meeting (mikra).
The Feast of Tabernacles is a
seven day feast with an assembly on the eighth day. The first day is a Sabbath and the eighth day is a Sabbath. Outside of
In Eretz[1]
|
Tishrei 15 |
Sabbath |
|
Tishrei 16 |
Chol HaMoed, intermediate day. |
|
Tishrei 17 |
Chol HaMoed, intermediate day. |
|
Tishrei 18 |
Chol HaMoed, intermediate day. |
|
Tishrei 19 |
Chol HaMoed, intermediate day. |
|
Tishrei 20 |
Chol HaMoed, intermediate day. |
|
Tishrei 21 |
Chol HaMoed, intermediate day. |
|
Tishrei 22 |
Shemini Atzeret / Simchat Torah This is a Sabbath |
Outside Eretz
|
Tishrei 15 |
Sabbath |
|
Tishrei 16 |
Sabbath and Chol HaMoed |
|
Tishrei 17 |
Chol HaMoed, intermediate day. |
|
Tishrei 18 |
Chol HaMoed, intermediate day. |
|
Tishrei 19 |
Chol HaMoed, intermediate day. |
|
Tishrei 20 |
Chol HaMoed, intermediate day. |
|
Tishrei 21 |
Chol HaMoed, intermediate day. |
|
Tishrei 22 |
Shemini Atzeret. This a Sabbath |
|
Tishrei 23 |
Shemini Atzeret (second day), Sabbath, and Simchat Torah. |
Why does a seven day feast have an "eighth day" rehearsal meeting? See also II Divrei HaYamim (Chronicles) 7:9, 1 Melakim (Kings) 8:66, and Bamidbar (Numbers) 29:35.
The first seven days of the feast are called Succoth (booth plural), because we dwell in a succah (booth singular) during this time. The eighth day is called Atzeret, assembly, or Shemini Atzeret, the eighth assembly. The first and the eighth days are Sabbaths in which work is forbidden. The five days in between these two Sabbaths are called chol hamoed, the intermediate feast days. During these intermediate days certain kinds of work are permitted.
Shemot (Exodus) 23:14-17 Three times a year
you are to celebrate a festival to me. Celebrate
the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days eat bread made
without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed
time in the month of Abib, for in that month you came
out of Egypt. "No one is to appear before me empty-handed.
"Celebrate the Feast of Harvest with the
firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field. "Celebrate the Feast of
Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops
from the field. "Three times a year all the men
are to appear before the Sovereign HaShem.
Why just three times? Why not at every rehearsal-meeting?
"year" here can mean "whole age", or "cycle", as well as "year", according to
Strong's:
8141 shaneh (in plur. only), shaw-neh'; or (fem.) shanah, shaw-naw'; from 8138; a year (as a revolution of time):-+ whole age, X long, + old, year (X -ly).
----------------- Dictionary Trace ---------------
8138 shanah, shaw-naw'; a prim. root; to fold, i.e. duplicate (lit. or fig.); by impl. to transmute (trans. or intrans.):-do (speak, strike) again, alter, double, (be given to) change, disguise, (be) diverse, pervert, prefer, repeat, return, do the second time.
Hag
HaSuccoth - Feast of The Tabernacles
Vayikra (Leviticus)
Vayikra
(Leviticus) 23:39-41 "'So
beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered
the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the HaShem for seven days; the
first day is a day of rest, and the eighth day also is a day of rest. On the
first day you are to take choice fruit from the trees, and palm fronds, leafy
branches and poplars, and rejoice before the HaShem your God for seven days.
Celebrate this as a festival to the HaShem for seven days each year. This is to
be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh
month.
Hag
HaAsif - Feast of The Ingathering
Shemot (Exodus) 34:22-23 "Celebrate the Feast
of Weeks with the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of
Ingathering at the turn of the year. Three times a year all your men
are to appear before the Sovereign HaShem, the God of Israel.
Z'man simchateinu - The time of our joy
Devarim (Deuteronomy)
The seventh day = Hoshanah
Rabbah
( The Great Hoshanah)
Yochanan (John) 7:37-39 On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Yeshua stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone
is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture
has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." By this he
meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to
that time the Spirit had not been given, since Yeshua
had not yet been glorified.
The special sacrifices which are offered on Succoth in addition (mussaf means "additional") to the regular daily offerings, are detailed in:
Bamidbar (Numbers) 29:12-40 "'On the fifteenth day of the seventh
month, hold a sacred assembly and do no regular
work. Celebrate a festival to HaShem for seven days. Present an offering
made by fire as an aroma pleasing to HaShem, a burnt
offering of thirteen young bulls, two
rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect. With each of the
thirteen bulls prepare a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine
flour mixed with oil; with each of the two rams, two-tenths; And with each of
the fourteen lambs, one-tenth. Include one male goat as a sin
offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering
with its grain offering and drink offering. "'On the second day prepare twelve young bulls, two rams and fourteen male lambs a
year old, all without defect. With the bulls, rams and lambs, prepare their
grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified. Include
one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the
regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and
their drink offerings. "'On the third day prepare eleven
bulls, two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect. With
the bulls, rams and lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings
according to the number specified. Include one male goat as a sin offering, in
addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink
offering. "'On the fourth day prepare ten bulls,
two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect. With the
bulls, rams and lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings
according to the number specified. Include one male goat as a sin offering, in
addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink
offering. "'On the fifth day prepare nine bulls,
two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect. With the
bulls, rams and lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings
according to the number specified. Include one male goat as a sin offering, in
addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink
offering. "'On the sixth day prepare eight bulls, two rams and fourteen
male lambs a year old, all without defect. With the bulls, rams and lambs,
prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number
specified. Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular
burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering. "'On the
seventh day prepare seven bulls, two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old,
all without defect. With the bulls, rams and lambs, prepare their grain
offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified. Include one
male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its
grain offering and drink offering. "'On the eighth day hold an assembly
and do no regular work. Present an offering made by fire as an aroma pleasing
to HaShem, a burnt offering of one bull, one ram and seven male lambs a year
old, all without defect. With the bull, the ram and the lambs, prepare their
grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified. Include
one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with
its grain offering and drink offering. "'In addition to what you vow and
your freewill offerings, prepare these for HaShem
at your appointed feasts: your burnt offerings,
grain offerings, drink offerings and fellowship offerings.'" Moses told
the Israelites all that HaShem commanded him.
Notice that the sacrifices are different for the future Succoth. Why? (see Future Celebrations)
Succoth is called the feast of our joy. It is to be celebrated joyfully! All of the other requirements of the feast are suspended if they can not be done joyfully. For example: If it is raining, you do not have to sleep in your succah. Notice how often the scriptures associate joy with this feast:
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 16:13-17 Celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles
for seven days after you have gathered the produce of
your threshing floor and your winepress. Be joyful at your Feast--you, your
sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites, the
aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns. For seven
days celebrate the Feast to HaShem your God at the
place HaShem will choose. For HaShem your God will bless you in all your
harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be
complete. Three times a year all your men must appear
before HaShem your God at the place he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast
of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles. No man should appear before
HaShem empty-handed: Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way
HaShem your God has blessed you.
Moshe, just before he died,
taught the Children of Israel the mitzvah of Hakhel: That every seven years
on the first day of the intermediate days of Succoth, the entire nation,
including small children, is to gather together at the Temple
to hear the King read from the Book of Devarim
(Deuteronomy). The sections that he reads, deal with faithfulness to HaShem,
the covenant, and reward and punishment.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 31:10-13 Then Moses commanded them: "At the end
of [every] seven years, in the year for canceling debts,
during the Feast of Tabernacles, When all Israel
comes to appear before HaShem your God at the place he will choose, you shall
read this law before them in their hearing. Assemble the
people--men, women and children, and the aliens
living in your towns--so they can listen and learn to fear HaShem your God and
follow carefully all the words of this law. Their children, who do not know
this law, must hear it and learn to fear HaShem your God as long as you
live in the land you are crossing the
Solomon celebrates Succoth:
I Melakim (Kings) 8:1-65 Then King Solomon summoned into his
presence at Jerusalem the elders of
II Divrei HaYamim (Chronicles)
7:1-10 When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the
sacrifices, and the glory of HaShem filled the temple.
The priests could not enter the
All of the synagogue
services are modeled after the ones in the
I Divrei HaYamim (Chronicles)
28:11-13 Then David gave his son
Solomon the plans for the portico of the temple, its buildings, its storerooms,
its upper parts, its inner rooms and the place of atonement.
He gave him the plans of all that the Spirit had put in his mind for the
courts of the
* * *
Each day of Succoth, in the
On each of the first six days of Succoth there would be one circuit around the Altar, and on the seventh day there would be seven. For this reason the seventh day was called Hoshana Rabbah, or the Great Hoshana. It is customary to wear your tallit over your head during the procession.
This mitzva,
which God commanded orally to Moses on Mount Sinai, applied only in the Temple. After the destruction, however, the Jewish
people universally adopted the custom to continue these circuits in their synagogues as an eternal
remembrance of the
Since the four
species are not taken on the Sabbath, there is no circuit around the synagogue
because, in the
There are two primary customs as
to the part of the service when Hoshanot are recited. In most congregations
that follow Nusach Ashkenaz, they are recited after mussaf, because in the
WATER
Water was a prominent part of
Succoth. There was a water libation in the
Zechariah 14:1-21 A day of HaShem
is coming when your plunder will be divided among you. I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem
to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the
women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people
will not be taken from the city. Then HaShem will go out and fight against
those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. On that day his feet will
stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and
the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great
valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. You will
flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you
fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of
The exiles return from
Ezra-Nechemiah (Nehemiah) 3:1-4 When the seventh month came and the
Israelites had settled in their towns, the people assembled as one man in
Ezra-Nechemiah)8:13-18 On the second day of the month, the heads
of all the families, along with the priests and the Levites, gathered around
Ezra-Nechemiah (Nehemiah) the scribe to give attention to the words of the Law.
They found written in the Law, which HaShem had commanded through Moses, that
the Israelites were to live in booths during the feast of the seventh month.
And that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns
and in Jerusalem: "Go out into the hill country and bring back branches
from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade trees, to
make booths"--as it is written. So the people went out and brought back
branches and built themselves booths on their own roofs, in their courtyards,
in the courts of the house of God and in the square by the Water Gate and the
one by the Gate of Ephraim. The whole company that had returned from exile
built booths and lived in them. From the days of Joshua son of Nun until
that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it like this. And their joy
was very great. Day after day, from the first day to the last, Nehemiah read
from the Book of the Law of God. They celebrated the feast for seven days, and
on the eighth day, in accordance with the regulation, there was an assembly.
From the days of Joshua (about 1400 B.C.E) till the days of Nehemiah (about 530 B.C.E.) which is about 870 years!
The reading
of the Law (above) may indicate that this was a seventh
year Sabbath.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 31:10-11 Then Moses commanded them: "At the end
of every seven years, in the year for canceling debts,
during the Feast of Tabernacles, When all Israel
comes to appear before HaShem your God at the place he will choose, you shall
read this law before them in their hearing.
It is said in the name of the
Vilna Gaon that there are only two opportunities among all the 613 mitzvot to physically
"enter the mitzva." One is the opportunity to live in Eretz Yisrael,
and the other to be in the succah you have constructed for the Festival of Succoth.
When you cross the border into the
The Hakhamim have noted that the
mitzva of the Succah is unique in that one performs it with his whole body. He
"walks into" the mitzva fully clothed, down to the mud on his boots.
In this way, the mitzva of the Succah is similar to that of building the
Tehillim (Psalms) 76:2 "And His Succah was in Shalem, and His
dwelling place in
The Vilna Gaon notes another
similarity: Just as one is commanded to personally construct his own Succah, so
is he commanded to become personally involved in the mitzva of building the
Moreover, one can even perform
the mitzva of Succah while he is asleep. The halacha
deems sleeping in a Succah even more important than eating
there. This indicates that there are mitzvot which
HaShem's people performs while "doing nothing", a sign of the unique
nature of the Jewish soul. Likewise, the mitzva of living in Eretz
We recognize HaShem in every realm of life, both by words and deeds. We don't only thank Him for our food, but live the message that He's our Sole Provider, by refraining from certain foods, and sometimes from all food, at His command. So, besides our profound prayers upon sleeping and awakening, basic daily experiences (supra), Jewish males are commanded to sleep only in the succah one week a year, on Succoth (females MAY do so, with due credit; apparently, whatever succah is supposed to do for Jews is already found in Jewesses, unnecessary for their mission, or achieved by other means). This law is even stricter than eating in the succah, light snacks may be eaten outside it, while even a catnap must be slept in it (see Succah 25a, 26a, and all the Codes). But one SHOULDN'T dwell in the succah, if its uncomfortable, e.g. cold and wet, unlike one's home, or if he has to do an important mitzva; some travelers are exempt (see Succah 25f, Sefer Hachinuch #325). Some, e.g. pupils of the Besht and Reb Levi Yitzchak, were impervious to such discomfort, amidst their religious ecstasy in the succah, they ate or slept there, despite cold, rain, etc.
The Shulchan Aruch of Rav Schneur Zalman, also requires that every nap be in the Succah, the most observant Jews back then slept in their cold succoth; he even urges Hassidim to build a succah in which they can sleep comfortably with their wives, thus fulfilling two mitzvot (639:7f) and bringing us joy.
The central theme of the Feast of Succoth is JOY. This theme is represented by the construction of your Succah. The walls can be made of any material, as long as they are sturdy enough to withstand a normal wind. You must have at least two complete walls and a small part of a third wall. The roof can be made of any organic vegetation that is detached from the ground (but not from any finished vessel or from metal or food.) The roof must be sufficiently covered so that it gives more shade than sun during the daytime. Yet it must be sufficiently open so that the stars are visible at night.
It is most important to at least eat a bread meal in the Succah on the first night of Succoth. Beyond that, if one find it too uncomfortable to be in the Succah, the Sages say that you can go back into your house. Because if one is preoccupied with his own discomfort, then he'll miss the whole point of being in the Succah anyway! Torah is not meant to be painful. For as King Solomon says:
Mishlei (Proverbs) 3:7 "[The Torah's] ways are pleasant, and
all its paths are peace".
Whenever we sit in the Succah and eat food made of grain, we say the following blessing:
"Baruch ata Adonai, Elo-heinu Melech ha'olam, asher kid'shanu
bi'mitzvo-tav, vi'tzivanu lay-shave ba-succah."
Blessed are You, HaShem our G-d, King of the Universe, who sanctified
us with His mitzvot, and instructed us to sit in the succah.
The Kabbalists say that when a Jews dwells in the Succah, the presence of HaShem dwells with him. It is as if the Almighty has invited us to enter His holy palace, to sit at His table and share in His goodness. Perhaps this is why Succah is one of the few mitzvot we perform with our entire body. We are literally immersed and bathed in the spiritual energy. Look over your head and see the sky allowing, as it were, heaven to descend through your ceiling and infuse your Succah.
The Talmud says that in the days of the Mashiach, all of HaShem 's people will dwell together in one gigantic Succah. This underscores the need for Jewish unity. Perhaps this is the reason why on Succoth we take the four species, Etrog, Lulav, myrtle and willow, bind them close together, and wave them in all directions. We declare that all of the House of Israel are part of the same unit. And we pledge to discover how all these parts can work together to accomplish our lofty goals.
When the Jews left Egypt and began wandering in the barren desert, they were unarmed, unprotected, and left vulnerable to the elements of wind, cold, heat, bandits and animals. Since they were constantly travelling, HaShem instructed them to build flimsy, temporary booths, called succoth (plural of succah). These hardly provided any protection from the elements! Yet the Children of Israel learned a profound lesson: Safety and security does not come through thick walls and burglar alarms, but ultimately through trust and reliance in HaShem . In other words, if HaShem is for us, any shelter will suffice. If HaShem is against us, no shelter will protect us.
Today, we re-learn that same lesson every year by building our own Succah. For an entire week, we leave the comfort and "security" of our homes, and venture out into our flimsy, temporary Succah. For an entire week, we absorb the lesson of our ancestors. We eat in the Succah, socialize in the Succah, and learn Torah in the Succah. (In effect everything, except for going to the bathroom, which is considered a dishonor to the Succah.) Weather permitting, we even sleep in the Succah. The Succah becomes our temporary home!
The succah is designed to provide protection. It not only provides protection when we are in our succah, but it provides protection to it’s owner all year! The succah’s protection involves building emunah, faithfullness, in us.
The Zohar states: "One who has a portion in the People and in the Holy Land sits in the "shadow of emunah" (the kabbalistic term for the succah) to receive the ushpizin (honored guests), to rejoice in this world and the next." The Zohar tells us one who dwells in the Succah is completely encompassed in The Divine Presence. For that reason, it calls the Succah: tzila d'mehemnusa, or the shadow of emunah. Dwelling in the Succah is very conducive for emunah, since a person attains phenomenal proximity to HaShem within the walls of a kosher succah.
One other interesting aspect of Succah is that it is the opposite of Pesach (Passover). In the Zohar, the most ancient and mystical book we have, matza is called the bread of emunah, where as the Succah is called the shadow of emunah. On Pesach we take the mitzvah (the commandment) which is matzot and we put it inside of us. However on Succah we put ourselves inside of the mitzva, inside the Succah.
The Zohar also states, "One who leaves the shadow of emunah inherits exile for himself and his children." It thus appears, writes R' Goren, that the mitzvah of succah is connected to the holiness of Eretz Yisrael.
This world is like a succah, a flimsy affair not capable of protection, but the shadow of emunah that hovers over someone who sits in the succah is stronger than a concrete roof a dozen feet deep.
The nation who dwells in the shadow of emunah proclaims
that existence extends beyond the here and now, beyond what can be perceived by
the five senses of man. Emunah is something that takes place in the
shade. The nation that dwells in the shadow of emunah draws that emunah from the succah, for the shade of the succah is the shadow of emunah!
As simple an action as sitting in the shade of the succah can cause the wind to blow, the rain to fall in its season, the sick to recover, famine to abate, and peace to descend on this world.
The Succah represents our prayer for protection from unseasonal rains.
The Torah teaches us that after we have survived an intense situation of great danger, the very next thing that happens is that the one who was in danger, he enters a succah. Consider Yaakov:
Bereshit (Genesis) 33:16-17 So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir. 17 And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him
an house, and made booths for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.
The torah does not juxtapose these events haphazardly. We know that when the Torah puts two events together, they are always related.
Yaakov built succoth for his animals. Why did he build a succah for the animals before he built his own house? The mystics teach us that animals represent the lower or animal side of man. Yaakov was putting his lower side into the protection of the succah. After his encounter with Esau, Yaakov needed this protections. It is also interesting that these animals had been Laban’s animals that HaShem had given to Yaakov. Laban represents the power of this world.
We see the succah again in the days of Moshe, right after they left Egypt:
Shemot (Exodus) 12:36-37 And HaShem gave the people favour in the sight of the
Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such
things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians. 37 And the children of Israel journeyed
from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on
foot that were men, beside
children.
Shemot (Exodus) 12:17-20 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the
people go, that God led them not through
the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when
they see war, and they return to Egypt:18 But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of
the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of
Egypt.19 And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children
of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones
away hence with you. 20 And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness.
This message is repeated for Jews every year when we enter the judgment of Rosh HaShana (Tishri 1) and Yom HaKippurim (Tishri 10). This judgment puts us all in mortal and financial danger. The next thing that happens right after this dangerous time of judgment… We sit in the succah on Succoth (Tishri 15)!
If you look closely at each of these examples, you will see that not only did the succah provide protection after a period of danger, note that it also was the place of freedom. This is consistent with what we read in the Zohar:
Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section
3, Page 103a Thus whoever abides under the shadow of faith
acquires freedom for himself and his descendants in perpetuity, and is blessed
with a noble blessing, but he who withdraws from the shadow of faith brings
captivity upon himself and for his children, as it is written, “And he took
some of them captive”.
No more than two Aravot are used, but many Hadassim may be used.
We make a point of binding the Lulav in the Succah and on Erev Yom Tov. (1)
Two rings are placed on the Lulav proper, and these should be covered by the Hadassim and Aravot, even the top ring, at least somewhat.
In addition, three rings are used to bind the Hadassim and Aravot to the Lulav.
These three rings are to be all within one handbreadth.
* * *
So from where do we learn that
the cover, the Scach, is made
of real tree branches? And what kind
of branches are Kosher, or prefarable? Says the Talmud
(Succah): We derive the halachah from the book of
Nechemiah, where it is said that as they came back from the Diasporah to the
The story, then, as told in Nechemiah is extremely important as a source for the laws of Succoth. From there we derive the defintion what S'chach is. And the text there says that when they brought the branches and made the Succoth they were extremely joyfull. And the vesrse adds: They celebrated the Succoth unlike anyone had done since the time of Joshua the son of Nun".
* * *
The dimensions for a succah are given in:
Succah 2a Whence do we know this? — Rabbah answered: Scripture says, That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, [with a booth] up to twenty cubits [high] a man ‘knows’ that he is dwelling in a booth, but with one higher than twenty cubits he does not ‘know’ that he is dwelling in a booth, since his eye does not descry it. R. Zera replied: From the following verse, And there shall be a booth for a shadow in the daytime from the heat. [With a booth] up to twenty cubits [high] a man sits in the shade of the booth; but with one higher than twenty cubits he sits, not in the shade of the booth but in the shade of its walls. Said Abaye to him, But if so, if a man made his Succah in Ashteroth Karnayim’ would it also be no valid Succah? — He answered him: In that case, remove the ‘Ashteroth Karnayim’ and there will remain the shade of the Succah, but here, remove the walls, and you have no shade of a Succah.
Raba replied: [It is derived] from the following verse, Ye shall dwell in booths seven days, the Torah declared, For the whole seven days leave thy permanent abode and dwell in a temporary abode. [With a booth] up to twenty cubits [high] a man makes his abode a temporary one; [in one] higher than twenty cubits, a man does not make his abode temporary, but permanent.[3] Said Abaye to him, But if so, if he made walls of iron and placed the [proper] covering over them, would it also be no valid Succah. The other answered him, it is this that I mean to tell you: [In a booth] up to twenty cubits, which a man makes his temporary abode, even if he makes it permanent, he has fulfilled his obligation; [but in one] higher than twenty cubits, such as a man makes his permanent abode, even if he makes it temporary, he has not fulfilled his obligation.
BUILDING A SUKKAH
Selecting a site:
To build you own Succah, first select a site that has nothing hanging above it, ie a roof or a tree. The Succah floor space must be at least thirty inches by thirty inches, the minimum space for most of a person to sit with a small table. If you don't have a yard, then an apartment balcony will do just fine (provided it has no roof!).
The walls:
For a "kosher" Succah, you'll need at least three complete walls. The walls can be of any material, as long as they are sturdy enough to withstand a normal wind. The walls should be at least forty inches high, but not higher than thirty feet.
You don't have to build walls especially for the Succah; you can use the side of a building. And if you can find an area that is already enclosed by two or three walls, then your job will be that much easier!
The roof:
This is the tricky part. First of all, the roof of a kosher Succah must be made from material that grows from the ground, i.e. wood or leaves (but not metal, or any food). If you're using natural boards, they cannot be wider than fifteen inches. The Talmudic term for this roof material is S'chach (same root as the word Succah).
Also, the material must be presently detached from the ground (i.e. don't just bend a tree over the top of your Succah!).
The roof material can only be added after the requisite number of walls are in place.
The roof must be sufficiently covered so that it gives more shade than sun during the daytime. Yet it should be sufficiently open so that the stars are visible through the roof at night.
Since the Succah is designated as your "home" for the next seven days, it is customary to decorate it nicely. Many people hang fruits and flowers from the ceiling, and tape posters of Jerusalem and other Jewish themes on the walls.
During the entire seven days of the festival of Succoth, all meals are eaten in the Succah, unless it rains. the performance of the mitzvah of succah also requires special merit, as we find in Tractate Succah, Chapter 2, Mishna 9. The laws of Succoth state that the mitzva to sit in the succah is negated by heavy rain. Our mishna reads: "Rain falls ... to what can this be compared? To a servant who comes to pour a drink for his master and the master throws the flask in his face." If the Jewish People don't follow God's ways, then He brings rain so they won't be able to perform the mitzva.
When partaking of a meal containing at least two ounces of bread or cake, we say the blessing "Le-shev Ba-Suk-kah."
Rabbi Yehuda Samet,
based on Mayana Shel Torah
We refer to the three festivals of Pesach, Shavuot and Succoth as the 'time of our freedom,' the 'time of the
giving of the Torah,' and the 'time of our rejoicing.' We understand that Pesach
is the time of year we were freed from
One of the important mitvot is that of the arba minim - the four species - also called the lulav and the etrog (palm branch and citron).
Vayikra (Leviticus) 23:40 On the first day you are to take choice
fruit from the trees, and palm fronds, leafy branches and poplars, and rejoice
before HaShem your God for seven
days.
"The trees" is interpreted by the Hakhamim to refer specifically to an etrog (citron), and the "palm fronds," "leafy branches," and "poplars" have been interpreted as a lulav (palm branch), hadasim (myrtle), and aravot (willows), respectively.
The Torah says:
Vayikra (Leviticus) 23:40 "You shall take... the beautiful fruit
(Etrog), a palm frond, myrtle twigs and willow branches of the stream (Lulav) -
and rejoice for seven days before the Lord your G-d."
To be valid for the mitzva, the four species must meet certain requirements. Since the details are many and technical, it is not recommended to search through the forest on your own for these species! (Particularly the Etrog, which can easily be confused with a lemon.) A better idea is to purchase a complete set from a reliable distributor in your area. Your local Jewish book store may have "four species sets" with a rabbinical seal certifying their validity.
To be an informed consumer, here are some basic requirements to look for:
ETROG
- Should preferably be yellow rather than green.
- It cannot be punctured through in any spot, nor can it lack any of its inner skin.
- The skin cannot be overly soft, cracked, dry or peeled.
- Even a small black dot on the upper part invalidates it.
- The shape should preferably be like a tower -- wider at the bottom and narrow at the top.
- If this particular Esrog grew with a protruding stem (called a pitom), then that stem cannot be broken off. (However, if the Esrog grew in the first place without a pitom, it is still kosher.)
MYRTLE
- You will need three myrtle branches.
- A kosher myrtle has a pattern of three leaves coming out from the same point in the branch. This three-leaf pattern must be repeated over at least half the length of the branch.
- Each branch should be at least eleven inches long.
- The branch cannot be dried out.
- You will need two willow branches.
- The stem should preferably be red.
- The stem should be at least eleven inches long.
- The leaves should be oblong, not round in shape.
- The leaves should have a smooth edge, not serrated.
LULAV
- Look at the very top of the branch and make sure that the center- most leaf is not split, but rather is closed (at least half-way down).
- The top cannot be cut off.
- The branch cannot be dried out.
- It should be at least sixteen inches long.
- The straighter the branch, the better.
The basic commandment of the four species consists of holding them in your hand and then shaking them. The four species more specifically consist of a long palm branch that has a holder made of palm leaves. In the holder on your left side, you place two willows (aravot) and on the right side you place three myrtles (hadasim). The citron (etrog) is not attached with the other three species.
The ritual:
1. While standing, pick up the lulav with its attached willows and myrtle in your right hand. Hold the lulav so that its spine is toward you. The Willows on the left, one palm branch in the center,
The three myrtles on the right.
2. Pick up the etrog in your left hand with its tip (pitom) pointing down. Hold the etrog next to the lulav.
3. Recite the following blessing:
"Baruch ata Adonai, Elo-heinu Melech ha'olam, asher kid'shanu bi'mitzvo-tav, vi'tzivanu al ni-tilat lulav."
Blessed are You, HaShem our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us by His commandments, and instructed us concerning the waving of the palm branch.
Then recite the shehekeyanu:
Blessed are You, HaShem our God, King of the universe, for keeping us in life, for sustaining us, and for helping us reach this day.
4. Turn the etrog right side up and shake the lulav. Shake it three times in each direction: front, right, back, left, up and down (Sefardim and Chassidim have a different custom for the order). This mitzva should be performed each of the seven days of Succoth, during the daytime.
The Talmud, Tractate Succah, explains that we wave the lulav in all directions of the compass and up and down not only to symbolize that HaShem is everywhere, but to beseech Him to protect us from the tempestuous winds which threaten us from all sides. Also, He should save us from the torrential rains pouring down from above and the flood waters raging from below.
Yechezkel (Ezekiel) 45:17 - 46:5 It will be the duty of the prince to
provide the burnt offerings, grain offerings and drink offerings at the festivals, the New Moons
and the Sabbaths--at all the appointed feasts of the
house of Israel. He will provide the sin offerings,
grain offerings, burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to make atonement for the house of
Israel. "'This is what the Sovereign HaShem says: In the first month
on the first day you are to take a young bull without defect and purify the
sanctuary. The priest is to take some of the blood of the sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the temple, on the four corners of
the upper ledge of the altar and on the gateposts of the inner court. You are
to do the same on the seventh day of the month for anyone who sins
unintentionally or through ignorance; so you are to make atonement for the
temple. "'In the first month on the fourteenth day you are to observe the Passover, a feast lasting seven
days, during which you shall eat bread made without yeast. On that day the
prince is to provide a bull as a sin offering for himself and for all the
people of the land. Every day during the seven days of the Feast he is to
provide seven bulls and seven rams without defect as a burnt offering to
HaShem, and a male goat for a sin offering. He is to provide as a grain
offering an ephah for each bull and an ephah for each ram, along with a hin of
oil for each ephah. "'During the seven days of the Feast, which begins in
the seventh month on the fifteenth day, he is to make the same provision
for sin offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings and oil. "'This is
what the Sovereign HaShem says: The gate of the inner court facing east is to be shut on the six
working days, but on the Sabbath day and on the day of the New Moon it is to be
opened. The prince is to enter from the outside through the portico of the
gateway and stand by the gatepost. The priests are to sacrifice his burnt
offering and his fellowship offerings. He is to worship at the threshold of the
gateway and then go out, but the gate will not be shut until evening. On the
Sabbaths and New Moons the people of the land are to worship in the presence of
HaShem at the entrance to that gateway. The burnt offering the prince brings to
HaShem on the Sabbath day is to be six male lambs and a ram, all without
defect. The grain offering given with the ram is to be an ephah, and the grain
offering with the lambs is to be as much as he pleases, along with a hin of oil
for each ephah.
and:
Zechariah 14:1-21
Here we see HaShem rebuilding David's succah:
Amos 9:8-15 "Surely the eyes of the Sovereign
HaShem are on the sinful kingdom. I will destroy it from the face of the
earth--yet I will not totally destroy the house of Jacob," declares
HaShem. "For I will give the command, and I will shake the house of
Amos 9:11 In that day will I raise up the tabernacle
of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up
his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:
5521 cukkah, sook-kaw'; fem. of 5520; a hut or lair:-booth, cottage, covert, pavilion, tabernacle, tent.
----------------- Dictionary Trace ---------------------
5520 cok, soke; from 5526; a hut (as of entwined boughs); also a lair:- covert, den, pavilion, tabernacle.
The following 'rooms' are not succoth yet
they are certainly an allusion to a succah:
Yeshayah (Isaiah) 26:16-21 HaShem, they came to you in their distress;
when you disciplined them, they could barely whisper a prayer.
As a woman with child and about to give birth
writhes and cries out in her pain, so were we in your presence, HaShem. We were
with child, we writhed in pain, but we gave birth to wind. We have not brought salvation to the earth; we have not given birth to
people of the world. But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who
dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the
morning; the earth will give birth to her dead. Go, my people, enter your
rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until
his wrath has passed by. See, HaShem is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their
sins. The earth will disclose the blood shed upon her; she will conceal her
slain no longer.
Rabbi Levi taught that he who fulfills the mitzva of succah in this world will be sheltered from the fires of the Day of Judgment (Pesikta D'Rav Kahana 29).
Tehillim (Psalms) 27 is recited at the minchah service on Erev Succoth:
Tehillim (Psalms) 27:1-14 {Of David.} HaShem is my light and my
salvation--whom shall I fear? HaShem is the stronghold of my life--of whom
shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my
enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though an army
besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then
will I be confident. One thing I ask of HaShem, this is what I seek: that I may
dwell in the house of HaShem all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty
of HaShem and to seek him in his temple. For in
the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.
Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his
tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to
HaShem. Hear my voice when I call, HaShem; be merciful to me and answer me. My
heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, HaShem, I will seek.
Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have
been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior. Though my
father and mother forsake me, HaShem will receive me. Teach me your way,
HaShem; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. Do not turn me
over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me,
breathing out violence. I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness
of HaShem in the land of the living. Wait for HaShem; be strong and take heart
and wait for HaShem.
The word "succah" is derived from 5520 (below). The above word "tabernacle" means:
5520 cok, soke; from 5526; a hut (as of entwined boughs); also a lair:- covert, den, pavilion, tabernacle.
----------------- Dictionary Trace ----------------------
5526 cakak, saw-kak'; or sakak (Exod. 33:22), saw-kak'; a prim. root; prop. to entwine as a screen; by impl. to fence in, cover over, (fig.) protect:-cover, defence, defend, hedge in, join together, set, shut up.
Here we see HaShem's succah over us:
Yeshayah (Isaiah) 4:1-6 In that day seven
women will take hold of one man and say, "We will eat
our own food and provide our own clothes; only let us
be called by your name. Take away our disgrace!" In that day the Branch of
HaShem will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the
pride and glory of the survivors in
Rashi says that the "storm", which will engulf the wicked,
refers to:
Daniel 7:9-10 "As I looked, "thrones were set
in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as
snow; the hair of his head was
white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all
ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out
from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten
thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the
books were opened.
Yirimiyah (Jeremiah)
Rashi goes on to say that the "rain" refers to:
Tehillim (Psalms) 11:6 On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and
burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot.
The following reference seems to refer to Succoth as well, since we
"know" that Yeshua was born
on Succoth:
Revelation 12:1-5 A great and wondrous sign
appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet
and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was
pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.
Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red
dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. His tail
swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung
them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give
birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born. She gave
birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron
scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.
Keep in mind the constellation 'Draca' the dragon which will be in the west at the new moon of the seventh month.
Yochanan (John) 7:1 - 8:1 After this, Yeshua went around in Galilee,
purposely staying away from
Yeshua's birthday had an unusual event:
Matityahu (Matthew) 17:1-9 After six days Yeshua
took with him Tzefet (Peter), Yaaqov (James) and Yochanan (John) the brother of
Yaaqov (James), and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was
transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became
as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah,
talking with Yeshua. Tzefet (Peter) said to Yeshua, "Lord, it is good for
us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters--one for you, one for
Moses and one for Elijah." While he was still speaking, a bright cloud
enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I
love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" When the disciples heard
this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. But Yeshua came and touched
them. "Get up," he said. "Don't be afraid." When they
looked up, they saw no one except Yeshua. As they were coming down the
mountain, Yeshua instructed them, "Don't tell anyone what you have seen,
until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."
Luqas (Luke) 9:28-36 About eight days
after Yeshua said this, he took Tzefet (Peter), Yochanan (John) and Yaaqov
(James) with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his
clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah,
Appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Yeshua. They spoke about his
departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.
Tzefet (Peter) and his companions were very sleepy,
but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two
men standing with him. As the men were leaving Yeshua, Tzefet (Peter) said to
him, "Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters--one for you, one for Moses and one for
Elijah." (He did not know what he was saying.) While he was speaking, a
cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the
cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, whom I have
chosen; listen to him." When the voice had spoken, they found that Yeshua
was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves, and told no one at that time
what they had seen.
The succah symbolizes several major principles:
1. It is a reminder that the
children of
2. The booth is a reminder of the temporary endurance of material buildings as opposed to the permanent and abiding strength of our Lord and the heavenly shelter He promises. In another sense, unless HaShem be for us, no dwelling can save us! If HaShem is for us, any dwelling can save us!
3. Our Thanksgiving Day celebration grew out of this festival - Vayikra (Leviticus) 23:39.
4. Our obedience to HaShem's command.
Hallel (Tehillim (Psalms) 113 - 118) is recited every day of Succoth.
The book of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) is read on the intermediate Shabbat.
In biblical times one very
important and significant ritual of the Feast of tabernacles was the sending of
the priest to the Pool of Siloam with a golden
pitcher to draw water which was poured into a bowl at the altar, in the
Tehillim (Psalms) 113:1-9 Praise HaShem. Praise, O servants of
HaShem, praise the name of HaShem. Let the name of HaShem be praised, both now
and forevermore. From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the
name of HaShem is to be praised. HaShem is exalted over all the nations, his
glory above the heavens. Who is like HaShem our God,
the One who sits enthroned on high, Who stoops down to look on the heavens and
the earth? He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash
heap; He seats them with princes, with the princes of their people. He settles
the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise HaShem.
Tehillim (Psalms) 114:1-8 When Israel came
out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of foreign tongue,
Tehillim (Psalms) 115:1-18 Not to us, HaShem, not to us but to your
name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. Why do the nations
say, "Where is their God?" Our God is in heaven; he does whatever
pleases him. But their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men.
They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot
see; They have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but they cannot smell; They have
hands, but cannot feel, feet, but they cannot walk;
nor can they utter a sound with their throats. Those who make them will be like
them, and so will all who trust in them. O house of Israel, trust in HaShem--he
is their help and shield. O house of Aaron, trust in HaShem--he is their help
and shield. You who fear him, trust in HaShem--he is their help and shield.
HaShem remembers us and will bless us: He will bless the house of
Tehillim (Psalms) 116:1-19 I love HaShem, for he heard my voice; he
heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as
long as I live. The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came
upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow. Then I called on the name of HaShem:
"HaShem, save me!" HaShem is gracious and righteous; our God is full
of compassion. HaShem protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, he
saved me. Be at rest once more, O my soul, for HaShem
has been good to you. For you, HaShem, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling, That I may walk before HaShem in the land of the
living. I believed; therefore I said, "I am greatly afflicted." And
in my dismay I said, "All men are liars." How can I repay HaShem for
all his goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of HaShem. I will fulfill my vows to HaShem in the
presence of all his people. Precious in the sight of HaShem is the death of his
saints. HaShem, truly I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your
maidservant; you have freed me from my chains. I will sacrifice a thank
offering to you and call on the name of HaShem. I will fulfill my vows to
HaShem in the presence of all his people, In the courts of the house of
HaShem--in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise HaShem.
Tehillim (Psalms) 117:1-2 Praise HaShem, all you nations; extol him,
all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of
HaShem endures forever. Praise HaShem.
Tehillim (Psalms) 118:1-29 Give thanks to HaShem, for he is good; his
love endures forever. Let
Succoth
and
by Atara Sendor, Sharon Chapter
Every day of Succoth, we circle the Bima once with our Lulavim for Hoshanot. On Hoshana Rabba, we circle the Bima seven times, as they circled the altar in the Beit HaMikdash. Why do we circle specifically seven times? Why do we circle seven times on Hoshana Rabba and not on the other days of Succoth? The answers to these questions give insight to the ultimate purpose of the entire festival of Succoth.
The Sefer Ta'amei HaMinhagim U'Mekorei HaDinim states that the circling seven times is parallel to the seven times Yehoshua and his army circled the city of Yericho before capturing it, which was an extremely pivotal act.
The connection is through the Hebrew root. The word VaEsoveva, and I will circle, only appears in two places in the Tanach. In Shir HaShirim (3:2), it says "I will get up and circle the city," which, to the author of Sefer Ta'amei HaMinhagim U'Mekorei HaDinim, refers to Yericho. Tehillim (26:6) says, "I will circle your altar, HaShem," which connects circling the Mizbeach to circling Yericho; the Mizbeach was circled seven times on Hoshana Rabba just as Yericho was circled seven times when conquering it.
We have connected Yericho to the Mizbeach. The great Rebbeim of Rupshitz clarify the connection between Yericho and Hoshana Rabba vis a vis the Mizbeach by bringing down the less practiced custom of blowing the shofar seven times during the Hakafot on Hoshana Rabba. They say the source of this was also from Yericho. In Yericho, the people circled the city once a day for six days, and on the seventh day, they circled seven times, while the Kohanim blew shofrot and carried the Aron around. The blowing, seemingly miraculously, made the city wall fall down. On Hoshana Rabba, we should blow the shofar and do the seven Hakafot to make the "... iron wall between us and the Holy One Blessed Be He fall down."
This, in fact, is the purpose of Hoshana Rabba and Succoth in general: to break down the barrier between us and HaShem. The beginning of the pasuk in Tehillim is "Erchatz B'Nikayon Kapi / I will wash my hands in purity." The purpose of this circling of the Mizbeach is to purify the self, which is what we try to do on Succoth. One may incorrectly believe that the only intense days for asking for forgiveness are from Rosh Hashana to Yom Kippur. However, Succoth is such a day, too. For seven days, we live in a Succah, removing ourselves from material possessions which distance us from G-d. The number seven traditionally represents, shlemus, completion, within nature. On Succoth we spend seven complete days getting close to G-d through nature. By the seventh day, hopefully, we are ready to crash the gates of heaven.
Water drawing - Nissuch Ha-Mayim
The Mishna says: "Anyone who has not witnessed the rejoicing of the libation water-well, Beit HaSho'eivah, has never seen rejoicing in his life"[4]
In the Midrash Rabbah Bereshit (Genesis) LXX:8, we read, "Why is the name of it called the drawing out of water? Because of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, according to what is said: 'With joy shall ye draw out of the wells of salvation'".[5]
Yochanan (John) 7:37-39 On the last and
greatest day of the Feast, Yeshua stood and said in a loud voice, "If
anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the
Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." By
this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in
him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since
Yeshua had not yet been glorified.
Throughout the year, a wine libation accompanied the daily tamid-offering. Each day of Succoth an additional libation of water was poured.[6] Although this water libation is not mentioned specifically in the Torah, it is alluded to in the section Numbers 29 describing the Succoth mussaf (additional) sacrifices where three superfluous letters are inserted.
In describing the mussaf of the second day (v.19), the Torah uses the word "their libations" (rather than "it's libation" - the expression used for the other days). Thus, there is an extra 'mem'. For the sixth day the Torah uses "it's libations" (v.31), providing an extra 'yod'. And in describing the seventh day (v.33), the Torah uses the word ...... rather than the word ..... which appears on all other days - again an extra 'mem'. The three extra letters spell 'mem yod mem', water, an allusion to the Succoth water libation.[7] Thus, 'On the second day there is an allusion to the pouring of the water libation'.
This special libation was performed ONLY during the seven days of Succoth. All other libations, in the Temple, were of wine poured on the Altar, but during the seven days of Succoth water was poured simultaneously with the wine libation as part of the daily burnt offering in the morning.[8]
The Kohen
performing the ceremony filled a golden flagon holding three lugin of water
from the Shiloach, a well near Jerusalem. When they
reached the Water Gate, one of the Southern Gates of the Temple
Devout men and men of good deeds would dance before them with the flaming torches in their hands and would utter before them words of songs and praises of HaShem. The Levites with harps, lyres, cymbals, trumpets, and countless other musical instruments would stand on the fifteen steps that descend from the Courtyard of the Israelites to the Women's Courtyard. Two Kohanim stood at the Upper Gate that descends from the Courtyard of the Israelites to the Women's Courtyard with two trumpets in their hands. When the crier called out at dawn, the two Kohanim sounded a tekiah, teruah, and tekiah. When those who brought the water that had been drawn from the well of Shiloach reached the tenth step between the Women's Courtyard and the Israelite's Courtyard, the Kohanim sounded a tekiah, teruah, and a tekiah. They would continue sounding tekiah until they reached the gate leading out to the east.[10]
One opinion, among many, is that the golden pitcher contained approximately 30.6 ounces of water. Some say it was much more.
The water gate was so named
because the High Priest brought the golden pitcher of
water, from the pool of siloam through this gate, to the
'At four junctures of the year the world is judged... and on the Festival of Succoth they are judged for the water (i.e., the rainfall)'.[11]
The Illumination of the
Another ceremony of Succoth, the
illumination of the
There was not a courtyard in
The priests
and Levites used their own worn-out liturgical clothing for wicks. The light
emanating from the four candelabra was so bright that the Mishna says,
"There was no courtyard in
Yochanan (John)
It is customary to invite and welcome seven exalted guests, to join us when we enter the succah. No ordinary guests, the guests are Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph, and David. Each day of Succoth another of these guests leads the others into the succah. This is based on a passage from the Zohar.
It is customary to say HaMotzi, Kiddush, and the following blessing:
Blessed are You, HaShem our God, King of the
universe, who has sanctified us by His commandments and instructed us to sit in
the Succah.
On the intermediate days of Hag HaSuccoth, we are allowed to cook and to do anything for the prevention of a loss. That is, if by not doing it you will incur a loss. We must be careful not to desicrate Chol HaMoed because the Rabbis of blessed memory, said: “He who desecrates Chol HaMoed is considered as though he worshipped idols”.[16] The Rabbis have also said that those who disgraces Chol HaMoed have no share in the World to Come.[17] Disgracing Chol HaMoed implies not honoring it with better food and drink and wearing better clothes.
Fertilizing and planting a field are forbidden. It is forbidden to pluck or cut off anything that is growing, unless the fruit will spoil.[18]
It is forbidden to shave on Chol HaMoed[19]. Cutting your nails is also forbidden[20], unless you also cut them on Erev Yom Tov or it it required for the mikveh.[21]
It is forbidden to launder clothes unless it was impossible to wash before Yom Tov.
Anything required to restore health is permitted to be done.
We should write only what is required. Social letters are customarily written with a slight change.[22] However, you may not purposely leave your writing for Yom Tov.
Weddings are not performed on Chol HaMoed because one kind of rejoicing should not be mixed with another.
It is not permitted to mate a male animal to a female animal because no loss is sustained by delaying it.
* * *
Every Shabbat Chol Hamoed Succoth
we read the Haftorah (Yechezkel, Chapter 38) about the final confrontation at
the end of days between Gog and the nation of
It is ironic to note that after the exodus from Egypt, while travelling in the desert, a place that offers absolutely no natural security or protection, the Jewish people experienced their greatest sense of true security, protected from their enemies and entirely provided for by God. Every year, when the Jew leaves his home for a week to eat, sleep and live in a succah; an often flimsy structure with a roof made of bits of wood, reed, bamboo, etc., he actualizes this idea that ultimate care and protection come only from HaShem. By virtue of the closeness to HaShem he has achieved during Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, he can now experience a sense of true security.
The word "Gog" in Hebrew means roof. Modern man, divorced from a belief in God, deeply believes that a good job, a big bank account, a solid economy, a high tech army, in short, a strong solid "roof over his head," is the source of true security. These two world views cannot co-exist forever. We are told by the prophets that armageddon is inevitable, a final confrontation that will witness the destruction of mankind's false faith. Succoth teaches us that our apparently flimsy roofs will ultimately be triumphant over modern man's misguided sense of security.
Rabbi Chaim Salenger
The seventh day of the mitzva of Succah and "the four species" was named Hoshana Rabbah for the prayer Hoshana. On this day, the altar was circled seven times, while the following words were repeated:
"Save now, I beseech you, HaShem; HaShem, I beseech you, send now prosperity."
Today, we march around the Bimah (reader's pulpit) seven times with the Torah, reciting the same Hoshana prayer. On this day, the lulavim wave repeatedly, signifying the nation's prayer for rain. The night of Hoshana Rabbah is the culmination of judgment, the day when our future fate is decided upon and sealed for the coming year. The night has thus come to be called LEYL HA-CHOTAM--the night of the sealing of man's fate. On Simchat Torah (the last day of the Succoth festival), the annual cycle of the Torah reading is completed, and immediately begun again, symbolizing the nation's eternity. The reader who finished the last portion of the Torah is called Chatan Torah, bridegroom of the Torah, and the reader who begins Bereshit (the first portion of the Torah) is called Chatan Bereshit, bridegroom of Bereshit (Genesis). On this day, the Torah is lovingly surrounded with dancing, while children carry flags garnished with apples at the end of sticks.
Yeshua began His ministry on the anniversary of His brit, His circumcision (Read about when He was born at: BIRTH.):
Luqas (Luke) 3:21-22a When all the people were being baptized, Yeshua
was baptized too. And as he was praying,
heaven was opened And the Holy Spirit descended on
him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my
Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." Now Yeshua himself was
about thirty years old when he began his ministry.
His was the Yom HaKippurim immersion (baptism) of repentance. He was immersed on the day before the most solemn day of the year, in preparation for the feast of the Day of Atonement.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 23:36 For seven days
present offerings made to HaShem by fire, and on the
eighth day hold a sacred assembly and present
an offering made to HaShem by fire. It is the closing assembly; do no
regular work.
Luqas (Luke)
Yeshua was circumcised on the Feast of Conclusion!
Yochanan (John)
4637 skenoo, skay-no'-o; from 4636; to tent or encamp, i.e. (fig.) to occupy (as a mansion) or (spec.) to reside (as God did in the Tabernacle of old, a symbol of protection and communion):-dwell.
-------------------- Dictionary Trace ------------------
4636 skenos, skay'-nos; from 4633; a hut or temporary residence, i.e. (fig.) the human body (as the abode of the spirit):-tabernacle.
Isn't it curious that our Mashiach was
incarnate into a temporary body into a temporary dwelling
(manger, cave, whatever).
Luqas (Luke) 2:4-7 So Joseph also went up from the town of
5336 phatne, fat'-nay; from pateomai (to eat); a crib (for fodder):-manger, stall.
Vayikra (Leviticus)
5521 cukkah, sook-kaw'; fem. of 5520; a hut or lair:-booth, cottage, covert, pavilion, tabernacle, tent.
------------------- Dictionary Trace --------------------
5520 cok, soke; from 5526; a hut (as of entwined boughs); also a lair:- covert, den, pavilion, tabernacle.
Lets explore the origins of Christmas and Easter. We will start with Christmas:
The Babylonians, Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans all celebrated a pagan festival at the time of the winter solstice (the "Brumalia" of the Romans, and "Saturnalia" of the Greeks on December 25th), with their traditional trees, commemorating Nimrod's "resurrection". Yule logs, orbs and bulbs symbolizing eggs, and sexual reproduction, and especially the mistletoe, which was an important feature of Druidism.
According to the Encyclopedia Brittanica; Mashiachmas was first established as a feast in the fourth century. In the fifth century the western church ordered it to be celebrated forever on the day of the old Roman feast of the birth of Sol. Among the German and Celtic tribes the winter solstice was considered an important point of the year, and they held their chief festival of Yule to commemorate the return of the burning wheel. The holly, the mistletoe, the yule log and the wassail bowl are relics of a pre- Christian era.
The Christmas tree, now so common
among us, was equally common in Pagan Rome and Pagan Egypt. In
The Christmas tree can also be found in scripture:
Yirimiyah (Jeremiah) 10:3-5 For the customs of the peoples are
worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with
his chisel. They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and
nails so it will not totter. Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, their idols
cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them;
they can do no harm nor can they do any good."
The 25th of December, the day that was observed at Rome as the day when the victorious god, Baal-Berith, reappeared on earth, was held at the Natalis invictisolis, "The birthday of the unconquered Sun." Now the Yule Log is the dead stock of Nimrod, deified as the sun-god, but cut down by his enemies; the Christmas tree is Nimrod redivivus - the slain god come to life again.3
The mistletoe bough, in Druidic
superstition, was derived from
Now, lets examine the origins of Easter:
The Encyclopedia Brittanica
indicates that the date for Easter was changed by Constantine the Great in 325
A.D.. He summoned the famous council of
Ashtoreth was the "queen of heaven" in:
Yirimiyah (Jeremiah) 7:16-20 "So do not pray for this people nor
offer any plea or petition for them; do not plead with me, for I will not
listen to you. Do you not see what they are doing in the towns of
Yirimiyah (Jeremiah) 44:15-30 Then all the men who knew that their wives
were burning incense to other gods, along with all
the women who were present--a large assembly--and all the people living in
Lower and Upper Egypt, said to Yirimiyah (Jeremiah), "We will not listen
to the message you have spoken to us in the name of HaShem! We will certainly
do everything we said we would: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven
and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our fathers, our kings
and our officials did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. At
that time we had plenty of food and were well off and suffered no harm. But
ever since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring
out drink offerings to her, we have had nothing and have been perishing by
sword and famine." The women added, "When we burned incense to the Queen
of Heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did not our husbands know
that we were making cakes like her image and pouring out drink offerings to
her?" Then Yirimiyah (Jeremiah) said to all the people, both men and
women, who were answering him, "Did not HaShem remember and think about
the incense burned in the towns of
The cakes they made contained a
symbol of the sun, formed by an X, like the solar wheel worshipped by
* * *
This study was
written by Hillel ben David
(Greg Killian).
Comments may be
submitted to:
Greg Killian
7104 Inlay St SE
Lacey, WA 98513
Internet
address: gkilli@aol.com
Web page: http://www.betemunah.org/
(360) 584-9352
Return to The WATCHMAN home page
Send comments to Greg
Killian at his email address: gkilli@aol.com
[1] "Eretz
[2] `The Complete ARTSCROLL MACHZOR - SUCCOS', page 320.
[3] Such a high structure requires firm foundations and walls and these give it the characteristics of a permanent abode.
[4] Succah 5:1
[5] Yeshayahu 12:3
[6] see Succah 4:9
[7] Taanit 2b
[8] Gemara 44a
[9] Succah 4:9
[10] Succah 5:4
[11] Rosh Hashanah 1:2
[12] Succah 5:2
[13] Succah 5:3
[14] Succah 5:3
[15] Excerpted from Shulchan Aruch
[16] Magen Avraham 530 ans Chayei Adam 106:1
[17] Perkei Avot 3:11
[18] Peri Megadim 533:6
[19] Maseches Moed Katan 14b.
[20] Magein Avraham
[21] Ramah
[22] Rema 545:5
[23] Ovid, Metam., lib.x v. 500-513, quoted by Alexander Hislop in "The two Babylons"
[24] "The Two Babylons" by Alexander Hislop.
