suzubeane
10-12-2006, 05:37 AM
Last Christmastime, many people expressed a desire to know when the more significant Jewish Holidays were (since many non-Jews in the U.S. know mostly about the one fairly minor one that occurs nearest Christmas.) So here is another PSA for friends of Jews …
Sukkot begins this year (2007) on Thursday night, Sept 27th and lasts for 7 days.
Excerpted from Judaism 101: (http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday5.htm)
"The Festival of Sukkot begins on Tishri 15, the fifth day after Yom Kippur. It is quite a drastic transition, from one of the most solemn holidays in our year to one of the most joyous. Sukkot is so unreservedly joyful that it is commonly referred to in Jewish prayer and literature as Z'man Simchateinu , the Season of our Rejoicing.
"Sukkot is the last of the Shalosh R'galim (three pilgrimage festivals). Like Passover and Shavu'ot, Sukkot has a dual significance: historical and agricultural. Historically, Sukkot commemorates the forty-year period during which the children of Israel were wandering in the desert, living in temporary shelters. Agriculturally, Sukkot is a harvest festival and is sometimes referred to as Chag Ha-Asif , the Festival of Ingathering.
"The word "Sukkot" means "booths," and refers to the temporary dwellings that we are commanded to live in during this holiday in memory of the period of wandering. The Hebrew pronunciation of Sukkot is "Sue COAT," but is often pronounced as in Yiddish, to rhyme with "BOOK us." The name of the holiday is frequently translated "Feast of Tabernacles," which, like many translations of Jewish terms, isn't very useful. This translation is particularly misleading, because the word "tabernacle" in the Bible refers to the portable Sanctuary in the desert, a precursor to the Temple, called in Hebrew "mishkan." The Hebrew word "sukkah" (plural: "sukkot") refers to the temporary booths that people lived in, not to the Tabernacle.
"Sukkot lasts for seven days. The two days following the festival, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, are separate holidays but are related to Sukkot and are commonly thought of as part of Sukkot."
More at the source.
What does a sukkah look like? A sukkah is meant to be temporary, so a gazebo or something used year-round cannot stand in. The structure is supposed to be open on one side, and the "roof" must be made of something natural, and is meant to be perforated, so you can see the stars through it.
Some kids in a Sukkah at Bradly U
http://www.bradley.edu/campusorg/hillel/pictures/Sukkot/parentsweekend2.jpg
A kit available for sale online:
http://www.trellisstructures.com/religious/images/religious_sukkah_photo.jpg
From chelm.org:
http://www.chelm.org/jewish/chags/sukkot/sukkah1.jpg
What to do: The funny thing about Sukkot is that it's a significant holiday that some Jews do not mark in any special way. I'm not sure why this is, but it might be because they feel they don't have the time, skills or space to build a Sukkah (booth.) Synagogues erect Sukkahs that the community members can come and enjoy together, but if your Jewish friends are not members of a Synagogue or other Jewish community, don't be surprised if they are only vaguely aware that this is the week of Sukkot.
That said, I personally have noticed a big resurgence in the popularity of Sukkot, owing mostly (IMO) to the availability of Sukkah kits online. Some families build them in their backyards and eat meals inside them, invite others in for meals all week, let the children decorate them, etc. I know several families who have made the conscious decision to "do" Sukkot in a bigger way than less significant but more popularly known holidays (like Chanukah) not just to enjoy home rituals with their kids, but to put the holidays in a more appropriate perspective.
What to say: "Good Sukkot" If you live in an area with lots of Jews, and notice a Sukkah in someone's yard, be neighborly and ask them about it. You might even get invited for a meal. :)
What else: Interesting fact: Chanukah – another eight day holiday – commemorates the first known struggle for religious freedom. Most people know the legend of the oil associated with that holiday, many don't know that that legend was attached to the story later on.
So why do we celebrate. Chanukah for eight days? Apparently there is reason to believe that what was later interpreted as eight days of Chanukah was actually eight days of Sukkot being observed late that year. Sukkot – a harvest holiday – could not be celebrated during wartime. Sukkot went back to being celebrated in the fall, and Chanukah remained an eight day holiday, to which a legend was added later.
Sukkot begins this year (2007) on Thursday night, Sept 27th and lasts for 7 days.
Excerpted from Judaism 101: (http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday5.htm)
"The Festival of Sukkot begins on Tishri 15, the fifth day after Yom Kippur. It is quite a drastic transition, from one of the most solemn holidays in our year to one of the most joyous. Sukkot is so unreservedly joyful that it is commonly referred to in Jewish prayer and literature as Z'man Simchateinu , the Season of our Rejoicing.
"Sukkot is the last of the Shalosh R'galim (three pilgrimage festivals). Like Passover and Shavu'ot, Sukkot has a dual significance: historical and agricultural. Historically, Sukkot commemorates the forty-year period during which the children of Israel were wandering in the desert, living in temporary shelters. Agriculturally, Sukkot is a harvest festival and is sometimes referred to as Chag Ha-Asif , the Festival of Ingathering.
"The word "Sukkot" means "booths," and refers to the temporary dwellings that we are commanded to live in during this holiday in memory of the period of wandering. The Hebrew pronunciation of Sukkot is "Sue COAT," but is often pronounced as in Yiddish, to rhyme with "BOOK us." The name of the holiday is frequently translated "Feast of Tabernacles," which, like many translations of Jewish terms, isn't very useful. This translation is particularly misleading, because the word "tabernacle" in the Bible refers to the portable Sanctuary in the desert, a precursor to the Temple, called in Hebrew "mishkan." The Hebrew word "sukkah" (plural: "sukkot") refers to the temporary booths that people lived in, not to the Tabernacle.
"Sukkot lasts for seven days. The two days following the festival, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, are separate holidays but are related to Sukkot and are commonly thought of as part of Sukkot."
More at the source.
What does a sukkah look like? A sukkah is meant to be temporary, so a gazebo or something used year-round cannot stand in. The structure is supposed to be open on one side, and the "roof" must be made of something natural, and is meant to be perforated, so you can see the stars through it.
Some kids in a Sukkah at Bradly U
http://www.bradley.edu/campusorg/hillel/pictures/Sukkot/parentsweekend2.jpg
A kit available for sale online:
http://www.trellisstructures.com/religious/images/religious_sukkah_photo.jpg
From chelm.org:
http://www.chelm.org/jewish/chags/sukkot/sukkah1.jpg
What to do: The funny thing about Sukkot is that it's a significant holiday that some Jews do not mark in any special way. I'm not sure why this is, but it might be because they feel they don't have the time, skills or space to build a Sukkah (booth.) Synagogues erect Sukkahs that the community members can come and enjoy together, but if your Jewish friends are not members of a Synagogue or other Jewish community, don't be surprised if they are only vaguely aware that this is the week of Sukkot.
That said, I personally have noticed a big resurgence in the popularity of Sukkot, owing mostly (IMO) to the availability of Sukkah kits online. Some families build them in their backyards and eat meals inside them, invite others in for meals all week, let the children decorate them, etc. I know several families who have made the conscious decision to "do" Sukkot in a bigger way than less significant but more popularly known holidays (like Chanukah) not just to enjoy home rituals with their kids, but to put the holidays in a more appropriate perspective.
What to say: "Good Sukkot" If you live in an area with lots of Jews, and notice a Sukkah in someone's yard, be neighborly and ask them about it. You might even get invited for a meal. :)
What else: Interesting fact: Chanukah – another eight day holiday – commemorates the first known struggle for religious freedom. Most people know the legend of the oil associated with that holiday, many don't know that that legend was attached to the story later on.
So why do we celebrate. Chanukah for eight days? Apparently there is reason to believe that what was later interpreted as eight days of Chanukah was actually eight days of Sukkot being observed late that year. Sukkot – a harvest holiday – could not be celebrated during wartime. Sukkot went back to being celebrated in the fall, and Chanukah remained an eight day holiday, to which a legend was added later.