Sukkot begins on the 14th of Tishri, which this year is at sundown on Friday, October 2, 2009.
Sukkot is one of the three pilgrimage Biblical festivals, during which Jews in ancient times traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate. It is also known as the Festival of Booths or Tabernacles. See Leviticus 23:41-42.
The word “sukkot” means “booths” (singular is “sukkah”), hence the name of the holiday. Prior to the beginning of Sukkot, Jews build a sukkah. Sukkot is a week-long holiday during which observant Jews eat and sleep within the sukkah. The holiday serves as a reminder of G~d providing shelter to the Israelites who were wandering in the desert following the Exodus from Egypt.
The sukkah must have at least three sides and a roof that is open to the sky. Stars must be visible from inside the sukkah at night, but must be covered enough to provide shade during the day. The sukkah is also generally decorated with harvest fruits and vegetables.
The festival of Sukkot is also marked by the four species ~ the etrog, which is a citrus; the hadassah, or myrtle branches; the lulav, or palm branch; and the aravot, willow branches. These items are held while special prayers and blessings are recited.
On the seventh day of Sukkot, Jews observe the Hoshanah Rabba. This is considered the last possible on which one can seek and obtain forgiveness for the sins of the previous year.
The Kabbalists of the middle ages began a custom, now associated with Sukkot, to invite a guest into the sukkah. These special guests represent Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, and King David. These guests are referred to in Hebrew as the Ushpizin.
There is a modern Israeli film called Ushpizin, which takes place in the Mea Shearim section of Jerusalem. A young orthodox couple are celebrating the holiday when two former friends of the husband appear. Prior to being married, the husband hung out with a rather wild crowd; his friends still live this life. In keeping with the spirit of Sukkot, however, the couple invites the friends to stay with them. It is a touching movie with more than a little levity that represents this joyous holiday.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement. This year, Yom Kippur begins at sundown on Sunday, September 27, 2009.
Yom Kippur is a long fast day, meaning that one refrains from eating between sundown to the next sundown. Fasting is obligatory unless one's health would be jeopardized by not eating. The principal of pikuach nefesh (saving of life) takes precedence over fasting.
Yom Kippur is described in Torah as Shabbat Shabbaton (Leviticus 16:31), which means the Shabbat of complete rest. All work is forbidden on Yom Kippur.
Yom Kippur atones only for the sins between us and G~d. To atone for the sins against another, you must first confront that person and ask for forgiveness.
The Yom Kippur synagogue service is composed of 5 separate services: (1) Kol Nidre, the evening service; (2) Shacharit, the morning service; (3) Musaf, the additional service; (4) Mincha, the afternoon service; and (5) Ne’ilah, the concluding service.
The Kol Nidre means “All Vows.” The Kol Nidre annuls all vows made to G~d. At this service, we ask G~D to annul all personal vows we may have made to Him. The service begins with the cantor singing the following words in Aramaic:
“All personal vows we are likely to make, all personal oaths and pledges we are likely to take between this Yom Kippur and the next Yom Kippur, we publically renounce. Let them all be relinquished and abandoned, null and void, neither firm nor established. Let our personal vows, pledges and oaths be considered neither pledges nor oaths.”
This pertains only to religious vow. It does not affect vows taken between individuals. For example, if a person promised G~d to do penance for a certain period of time, and he makes such a promise with the full intent of doing so, yet he fails, this nullifies his vow to G~d.
It is very important to note that the Kol Nidre has no effect upon the promises we make and break with others. Those promises remain in effect, and if broken, we must ask forgiveness to the individual(s) we harmed or affected.
The Day Services: Shacharit, Musaf, and Mincha Services:
The daytime services focus on forgiveness from sin and repentance. In Jewish tradition, G~d immediately forgive us for sins that affect our relationship with Him and no one else. For sins that affect others, we must first apologize and seek forgiveness from those individuals whom we have harmed. After doing so, then our Yom Kippur prayers can absolve us from those sins. During the service we go through the process of recognizing confessing our sins.
The Ne’ilah Service
The Ne’ilah Service is the concluding service of Yom Kippur. The word “Ne’ilah” means “closing” and refers to the symbolic closing of the gates of heaven. There is a spiritual urgency to this prayer and the Shofar, the ram’s horn, is blown.
Following the Ne’ilah Service, because people have been fasting all day, there is generally a Break Fast meal, shared with the congregation.
Yom Kippur is a long fast day, meaning that one refrains from eating between sundown to the next sundown. Fasting is obligatory unless one's health would be jeopardized by not eating. The principal of pikuach nefesh (saving of life) takes precedence over fasting.
Yom Kippur is described in Torah as Shabbat Shabbaton (Leviticus 16:31), which means the Shabbat of complete rest. All work is forbidden on Yom Kippur.
Yom Kippur atones only for the sins between us and G~d. To atone for the sins against another, you must first confront that person and ask for forgiveness.
The Yom Kippur synagogue service is composed of 5 separate services: (1) Kol Nidre, the evening service; (2) Shacharit, the morning service; (3) Musaf, the additional service; (4) Mincha, the afternoon service; and (5) Ne’ilah, the concluding service.
The Kol Nidre means “All Vows.” The Kol Nidre annuls all vows made to G~d. At this service, we ask G~D to annul all personal vows we may have made to Him. The service begins with the cantor singing the following words in Aramaic:
“All personal vows we are likely to make, all personal oaths and pledges we are likely to take between this Yom Kippur and the next Yom Kippur, we publically renounce. Let them all be relinquished and abandoned, null and void, neither firm nor established. Let our personal vows, pledges and oaths be considered neither pledges nor oaths.”
This pertains only to religious vow. It does not affect vows taken between individuals. For example, if a person promised G~d to do penance for a certain period of time, and he makes such a promise with the full intent of doing so, yet he fails, this nullifies his vow to G~d.
It is very important to note that the Kol Nidre has no effect upon the promises we make and break with others. Those promises remain in effect, and if broken, we must ask forgiveness to the individual(s) we harmed or affected.
The Day Services: Shacharit, Musaf, and Mincha Services:
The daytime services focus on forgiveness from sin and repentance. In Jewish tradition, G~d immediately forgive us for sins that affect our relationship with Him and no one else. For sins that affect others, we must first apologize and seek forgiveness from those individuals whom we have harmed. After doing so, then our Yom Kippur prayers can absolve us from those sins. During the service we go through the process of recognizing confessing our sins.
The Ne’ilah Service
The Ne’ilah Service is the concluding service of Yom Kippur. The word “Ne’ilah” means “closing” and refers to the symbolic closing of the gates of heaven. There is a spiritual urgency to this prayer and the Shofar, the ram’s horn, is blown.
Following the Ne’ilah Service, because people have been fasting all day, there is generally a Break Fast meal, shared with the congregation.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Tzom Gedaliah / Fast of Gedaliah
The Fast of Gadaliah falls on the Third of Tishrei, the day after the second day of Rosh HaShanah. The day commemorates the assassination of Gedaliah ben Achikam, who was the last governor of Judea during the days of King Nebuchadnezzar. Gedaliah had been appointed governor in 586 BCE by the Babylonians. His assassination was intended to initiate the overthrow of Babylonian rule. It failed.
The Babylonians had become a major power in the middle east in the late seventh century BCE. King Nebuchadnezzar seized Jerusalem and the Temple was destroyed. Many Jews were exiled to Babylonia. Some fled to neighboring lands. A small group of Jews remained in Judea. Gedaliah was appointed to be the governor of those Jews left in Jerusalem. He established his administration in Mitzpah, which was located north of Jerusalem. He held control over Judea and refugees who had fled to neighboring lands began to return to the Land.
Soon, however, the King of Ammon became jealous of Gedeliah's perceived power. The King authorized a group to assassinate Gedaliah. Gedaliah was killed by Yishmael ben Nesania, a fellow Jew. Gedaliah's murder resulted in the mass slaughter of many Jews who had come to mourn his death.
Gedaliah is referenced in 2 Kings 25:22~26 and Jeremiah 39:13~14; 40:1 ~ 41:18.
The fast is a "short fast", from sunrise to sundown. Readings from Exodus 32:14; 34:1~10 are read on this date. The Fast reminds us that the death of a righteous person is the same as the burning and destruction of the Temple.
If Rosh HaShanah begins on Thursday, the fast is postponed until Sunday because fast, other than Yom Kippur, are not permitted on Shabbat.
The Babylonians had become a major power in the middle east in the late seventh century BCE. King Nebuchadnezzar seized Jerusalem and the Temple was destroyed. Many Jews were exiled to Babylonia. Some fled to neighboring lands. A small group of Jews remained in Judea. Gedaliah was appointed to be the governor of those Jews left in Jerusalem. He established his administration in Mitzpah, which was located north of Jerusalem. He held control over Judea and refugees who had fled to neighboring lands began to return to the Land.
Soon, however, the King of Ammon became jealous of Gedeliah's perceived power. The King authorized a group to assassinate Gedaliah. Gedaliah was killed by Yishmael ben Nesania, a fellow Jew. Gedaliah's murder resulted in the mass slaughter of many Jews who had come to mourn his death.
Gedaliah is referenced in 2 Kings 25:22~26 and Jeremiah 39:13~14; 40:1 ~ 41:18.
The fast is a "short fast", from sunrise to sundown. Readings from Exodus 32:14; 34:1~10 are read on this date. The Fast reminds us that the death of a righteous person is the same as the burning and destruction of the Temple.
If Rosh HaShanah begins on Thursday, the fast is postponed until Sunday because fast, other than Yom Kippur, are not permitted on Shabbat.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Rosh HaShanah Honey Cake
Rosh HaShanah marks the beginning of the new year. This year, Rosh HaShanah begins at sundown on Friday, September 18, 2009. In the Jewish calendar, this begins the month of Tishri. The period between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) is often referred to as the Days of Awe. These are the Holiest Days of the Jewish year.
This is a traditional honey cake that is served at Rosh HaShanah. The cake symbolizes a “sweet” future for the coming year. I make this cake year round. It's easy and tasty.
1 Cup Honey
1 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
4 Eggs
2 ½ Cups Flour
1 ½ tsp Baking Powder
½ tsp Baking Soda
½ tsp Ground Allspice
½ tsp instant coffee granules
½ Cup Hot Water
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
½ tsp Lemon Extract
½ tsp Almond Extract
Beat the first 4 ingredients at a medium speed. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; gradually add to the honey mixture. Mix well. Dissolve the coffee granules in the hot water and add to the mixture. Stir in flavorings. Pour into 2 greased and floured 9 x 5 inch loaf pans.
Bake at 325 Degrees F for 1 hour to 1.25 hours, or until a wooden tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool loaves and remove from pans.
This is a traditional honey cake that is served at Rosh HaShanah. The cake symbolizes a “sweet” future for the coming year. I make this cake year round. It's easy and tasty.
1 Cup Honey
1 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
4 Eggs
2 ½ Cups Flour
1 ½ tsp Baking Powder
½ tsp Baking Soda
½ tsp Ground Allspice
½ tsp instant coffee granules
½ Cup Hot Water
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
½ tsp Lemon Extract
½ tsp Almond Extract
Beat the first 4 ingredients at a medium speed. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; gradually add to the honey mixture. Mix well. Dissolve the coffee granules in the hot water and add to the mixture. Stir in flavorings. Pour into 2 greased and floured 9 x 5 inch loaf pans.
Bake at 325 Degrees F for 1 hour to 1.25 hours, or until a wooden tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool loaves and remove from pans.
Friday, September 11, 2009
The World to Come by Dara Horn
This is Dara Horn's second novel. Her first, In the Image, was terrific. This one doesn't quite live up to her first book.
The protagonist is the legally blind Benjamin Ziskind. He is depressed because of the recent death of his mother and the collapse of his marriage. He reluctantly attends a singles' cocktail hour at an art museum. While there, he spies a Chagall, which he is convinced is the one that once hung in his parents' home. He steals the painting. From here, the novel zigzags in time.
Going back to Russia we ensounter the fledgling artist Chagall as an art teacher in a Jewish orphanage in the 1920s. The orphans lost their parents during the 1919 pogram. The drifts to the Yiddish writer Der Nister (the Hidden One), who stories are stuffed inside the frames of Chagall's paintings. Artifacts are preserved; people are disposable.
Chagall leaves Russia and becomes well known. Der Nister remains in Russia and is now virtually unknown.
The book's title, The World to Come, is a reference to not only the afterlife, but also to those not yet born to this world. In Jewish tradition, the world to come, Olam ha-ba, not clearly defined. Is it the afterlife? Is it redemption and ressurrection? Is it the future? Is it all of the above? Horn blurs the boundaries of life and death.
The protagonist is the legally blind Benjamin Ziskind. He is depressed because of the recent death of his mother and the collapse of his marriage. He reluctantly attends a singles' cocktail hour at an art museum. While there, he spies a Chagall, which he is convinced is the one that once hung in his parents' home. He steals the painting. From here, the novel zigzags in time.
Going back to Russia we ensounter the fledgling artist Chagall as an art teacher in a Jewish orphanage in the 1920s. The orphans lost their parents during the 1919 pogram. The drifts to the Yiddish writer Der Nister (the Hidden One), who stories are stuffed inside the frames of Chagall's paintings. Artifacts are preserved; people are disposable.
Chagall leaves Russia and becomes well known. Der Nister remains in Russia and is now virtually unknown.
The book's title, The World to Come, is a reference to not only the afterlife, but also to those not yet born to this world. In Jewish tradition, the world to come, Olam ha-ba, not clearly defined. Is it the afterlife? Is it redemption and ressurrection? Is it the future? Is it all of the above? Horn blurs the boundaries of life and death.
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