Festivals | Tishrei
Background and Biblical sources
From the Bible
"Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh, when you have
gathered in the fruits of the land, you shall keep a feast unto
the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a Sabbath, a solemn
rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest." "And you
shall take for yourselves on the first day the boughs of goodly
trees, branches of palm trees, and boughs of thick trees, and
willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your
God seven days. And you shall keep it a feast unto the Lord seven
days in the year; it shall be a statute forever in your generations;
you shall celebrate it in the seventh month." "You shall dwell
in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell
in booths; that your gene- rations may know that I made the children
of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the Land
of Egypt." "I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD." And Moses declared unto the
Children of Israel the appointed seasons of the Lord."
Leviticus: 23,39-45
Introduction
The festival of Sukkot is rooted in the Bible, which delineates
its basic laws and recounts the historical events related to it.
According to the Pentateuch, HAG HA-SUKKOT (Feast of Booths) or
HAG HA-ASIF (Feast of Ingathering), as the holiday is alternately
termed, is one of the three festivals on which the Israelites
were enjoined to make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem.
It prescribes the manner of observance -- dwelling in booths,
prohibition of work on the first and eighth days, offering sacrifices,
use of the Four Species, and rejoicing over the harvest.
The people were commanded to assemble and hear the reading of the
Law of Moses every seventh year, on the Feast of Booths.
Data
The Festival has nine days (eight in Israel) and begins on the
15th of Tishri.
In addition to the first days there are four intervening days (third
to sixth inclusive) known as Chol Hamo'ed -- weekdays of the Festival.
There are three further days, with characteristics of their own
making a combined nine day festival period.
Names
- Chag HaSukkot: Festival of Booths (Lev. 23,34).
- Chag Ha'Asif : Festival of Ingathering (Exod. 23,16)
- Zeman Simchateinu: Season of our Rejoicing (Deut. 16,14)
- Chag : The Feast (Lev. 23, 39-41)
- The first two days are called Sukkot.
- The seventh day is called Hoshanah Rabbah - The Great Hoshanah.
- The eighth day is called Shimini Atzeret - The Feast of the
Eight days or the Eighth Day of Solemn Assembly.
- The ninth day is called Simchat Torah - Rejoicing of the
Law. (This day is really the second day of Shimini Atzeret).
The Temple Period
The dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem during the reign of King
Solomon took place on Sukkot, and this historic event is described
in detail in I Kings and 2 Chronicles.
First Kings also describes the rebellion of Jeroboam against Rehoboam,
King Solomon's successor. To show his independence, Jeroboam,
among other changes, changed the date for the commemoration of
the feast.
The biblical books of Ezra and Nehemiah contain accounts of the
reinstitution of the celebration of Sukkot in Jerusalem after
the Babylonian exile.
The prophet Zechariah foresaw a period when all nations will worship
one God and will observe the Feast of Booths. The idea of a universal
religious brotherhood is confirmed in the rabbinic dictum:
"On the Feast of Tabernacles, the Israelites offered seventy
bullocks for the seventy nations of the world" (Midrash Tanhuma
on Pinhas).
A Sukkot Summary
NOTE:
Each of the * sections below is presented in greater detail in
subsequent background files:
Sukkot is also historically a national celebration--CHAG HA-ASIF--the
Harvest Festival. At this time of year the farmer had already
gathered his harvest and was relaxing before the first rains.
It is only in relation to Sukkot that the Torah says,
"You will rejoice before the Lord your G-d."
This is why Sukkot is also the only holiday called, "ZMAN SIMCHATENU"--
the season of our rejoicing.
Through the Ages
Solomon's temple in Jerusalem was consecrated during Chag Ha-Asif,
and because of this, the holiday of Sukkot became the first of
the three REGALIM (pilgrimage festivals celebrated in Jerusalem:
Sukkot, Passover and Shavuot).
When Solomon went to Jerusalem, he went with all the people of
Israel. The Cohanim (priests) and the Levites brought up all the
holy vessels in the Tabernacle and G-d's altar (the Ark). King
Solomon and all the Congregation of Israel that were assembled
with him sacrificed sheep and oxen before the Ark.
After the Babylonian exile, Chag Ha-Asif became known as Sukkot.
This was in remembrance of the days our ancestors left Egypt and
dwelled in booths (Sukkot);
"for in booths I sat the children of Israel when I took
them from the land of Egypt" (Leviticus 23:41).
The Torah names the first seven days of Sukkot "Chag Ha-Sukkot"--The
Festival of Booths--for during these days we are commanded to
sit in the Sukkah. In Israel, Sukkot is celebrated for eight days,
while in all other places nine days are celebrated. The eighth
day is called Atzeret, and the last day is called Simchat Torah.
The first and eighth days are both holy days, and no work is permitted.
Before Sukkot, every Jew builds a Sukkah in his yard where he and
his family join in the Sukkot meal. Chassidim (men of good deeds)
begin building the Sukkah immediately after Yom Kippur ends, so
as to proceed directly from mitzvah to mitzvah:
"they will go from strength to strength" --Psalms 85.
Home and Community Customs
The mitzvah of ARBA'AT HA-MINIM, the four species, symbolizes national
unity: The ETROG and LULAV symbolize a full life of happiness
and love of G-d. The HADAS and ARAVA represent the weaknesses
of man. On Sukkot, it is a mitzvah to invite poor Torah students
to join in the meals. In extending this invitation, the Ushpizin
are also hosted-- Arbraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron
and David. This custom represents our forefather Abraham's mitzvah
of inviting guests.
Communal Customs
The seventh day of the mitzvah of Sukkah and "the four species"
was named Hosha'nah Rabbah for the prayer "Hosha'nah." On this
day, the altar was circled seven times, while the following words
were repeated-
"Save now, I beseech you, G-d; G-d, I beseech you, send
now prosperity."
Today, we march around the Bimah (reader's pulpit) seven times
with the Torah, reciting the same Hosha'nah prayer. On this day,
the LULAVIM wave repeatedly, signifying the nation's prayer for
rain.
The night of Hosha'nah Rabbah is the culmination of judgement,
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 Sukkot 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 Genesis.
On this day, the Torah is lovingly surrounded with dancing, while
children carry flags garnished with apples at the end of sticks.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
The materials in this file have been adapted from the "SUCCOT"
folder written and produced by the former Publications Division
of the Youth and Hechalutz Department, WZO and from "SUKKOT",
a leaflet by the American Zionist Youth Foundation, WZO, New York.
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