Sukkot
Sukkot Celebration Guide to Make Holiday More Joyous
Dear Friend,
Along with spending time in the sukkah and waving the Four Kinds, a central observance of the holiday of Sukkot is holding festive evening-time celebrations.
Known as Simchat Beit Hashoevah, they harken back to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, when all-night dancing, singing and acrobatics would accompany the joyous drawing of water that was poured on the altar every day of the seven-day holiday.
With the coronavirus pandemic, many will be hosting their own Simchat Beit Hashoevah for the first time.
To assist them in creating an experience that is celebratory, spiritual and user-friendly, Chabad.org has has created a beautiful booklet.
Each day, the user is provided with an easy-to-repeat Torah thought and story, as well as an insight into the daily ushpizin, otherworldly visitors. Coupled with a lively dance track, everything is provided, save for the refreshments and participants, which must be locally sourced.
Access the booklet at www.chabad.org/joy
Happy Sukkot!
Join us as we explore a sampling of the Sukkot customs, ranging from ubiquitous to virtually unknown.
You can create an over-the-top joyous Sukkot at home, one to remember fondly long after the pandemic has been relegated to the dusty annals of history.
Take these 10 questions to see how well you know the joyous holiday of Sukkot.
A Torah teaching for each night, from that night's Chassidic "visitor."
Passover is the "Season of Our Liberation," Shavuot is the "Season of the Giving of Our Torah" and Sukkot is described simply as the "Season of Our Rejoicing!"
Every year I get all inspired. But somehow it dissipates pretty quickly . . .
Over the last many months, so many of the things that we thought we needed to connect to G‑d and spirituality haven’t been possible.
The Four Species taken on Sukkos represent four types of Jews, from the citron which has both flavor and fragrance, and represents the Jew who studies Torah and fulfills its commandments, to the willow which is neither tasty nor fragrant, represents the simplest of Jews, who lacks both Torah and good deeds.
The constellation of Chassidic heroes is crowded with great men. Less well known are the great women, whose influence has rarely been documented.
Yesterday, you were inspired.
Today, that is all gone.
And so, you are depressed.
But this is the way the system works: Everything begins with inspiration.
Then the inspiration steps aside
—to make room for you to do something with it.
For fire to become deeds.
Because inspiration without action is like a flame wit...
