Sukkot Update

As we are now in the middle of the festive Sukkot holiday, I thought it would be appropriate to share a couple of experiences of the last few days. Sukkot are everywhere, on balconies, in front of restaurants, at the kotel, backyards, front yards, side yards. You name the place and there is a sukkah or two to be found there. As I hope to demonstrate to you this week with pictures, some sukkot are quite elaborate, covered in decorations, people even bring fans inside to stay cool. Other sukkot are what we might call "the halakhic minimum," satisfying the requirements, but nothing beyond.

The other night I was walking home from the sukkah of a friend, and I could hear singing. The more I walked the louder the singing became. Then, a new set of voices reached my ears, and then still another. For a second I couldn't figure out why people were being so loud, as it's not unusual to hear voices from apartments whose windows are above the street. Then I realized, a lot of people are sitting outside, and that's why they're so audible. Just a wonderful moment of rejoicing in the happiness of this holiday.

Finally, this morning, as you can see above, I was at the Kotel for birkat kohanim (the priestly blessing). The blessing is recited daily in Jerusalem, weekly in Israel, and on the holidays outside of Israel. However, on this day, hundreds of kohanim gathered to deliver the bracha en masse. As you can see from the picture, quite a crowd builds. What you can't see is that every place where there is a view of the kotel people are packed tightly, hoping to hear the blessing. I could not take a photo during the actual blessing, but you'll have to take my word when I tell you the plaza was a mass of humanity. A chazzan called to the kohanim at the appropriate time in the davening, all of the movement on the plaza ceased as those in attendance paused to receive the priestly blessing.

Moadim L'simcha!

Emotional Transformation

In the days leading up to Yom Kippur, there was to me a palpable sense of the gravity of the Aseret Y'mei Tshuva (Ten Days of Repentance) that fall between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. Immediately after Yom Kippur, sukkot began springing up on balconies, in back yards, and in front of restaurants. The mood around town was transformed from that of awe and solemnity with an eye toward the approaching Yom Kippur. Now, there is an equally palpable sense of joy and anticipation of the holiday that is called in the liturgy zman simchateinu (time of our happiness, more about that on the T'fillah blog). Until this week, I have appreciated the transformation, but I have never been able to see it occur.

I had the pleasure earlier this week of going to the arba minim shuk (four species market) to purchase my lulav and etrog. Usually I order from a local synagogue and pick up the assembled materials before Sukkot begins. However, this time I got to select which I wanted. I must have looked at over 100 lulavim (palms), hadasim (myrtles), and etrogim (citron), before I found the ones that I thought were the most beautiful and permissible by halacha (Jewish Law). I certainly did not want to purchase any pasul (disqualified) items. Here is a link to my Facebook album where you can see some of the selection process, the photos above and below will give you a good idea.

This morning, I awoke to a sort of pit-pattering sound. It was rain! A very light and very short rain shower passed over Jerusalem. This was the first time I have seen or felt water falling from the sky since early July, when I was still in the United States. Next week we will say the prayer for rain, which I will address more thoroughly as we get closer.

So here's to a week of meals in the sukkah, happiness, and rejoicing before God!
Chag sameach!

Yom Kippur Wrap: Observations

Disclaimer: There is no way that my words will accurately encompass, describe, or depict my Yom Kippur t'fillah experience, but I will try nonetheless.

Three Yom Kippur observations that I want to share with you.

1) In Israel, daylight savings time ends the week before Yom Kippur. This is done so that the fast begins and hour earlier and consequently ends an hour earlier. Having only done it once in my life so far, I feel like this is the preferred method. Essentially your waking hours during the fast are cut down, which I think results in a fast that is less difficult, but still meaningful. Furthermore, it leaves you with more energy, although less napping time (I would argue this is a positive outcome of the time change), with which to approach the unique Neilah (closing) service of Yom Kippur. Neilah, when we make our final petitions for God's mercy via the Thirteen Attributes, is the culmination of weeks of tshuva and a marathon day. I have never felt adrenaline flowing during Neilah like I did this year. I almost found myself wishing for one more piyut (liturgical poem), begging the sun to remain in the sky, giving me one more chance to petition God.

2)Yom Kippur is universal. I cannot speak to the practices of any individual person or a group of people. However, as I was told ahead of time, there are no cars on the road, and the traffic lights flash yellow for the duration of the holiday. Thus, there is universality of Yom Kippur, even if individual practices vary. Walking in the middle of what would be five lanes of traffic is the rule not the exception. The entire country stops to mark the Day of Atonement, it's both bizzare, unbelievable, and very cool (for lack of a better word).

3) White. Most people are wearing white. People did not arrive at synagogue dressed to show off their newest and most beautiful outfits. As I wrote last week, white is a sign of purity. Following the blasts of the shofar that mark the conclusion of Yom Kippur, we began dancing. A euphoric rejoicing in the work we had just accomplished to achieve atonement, still clad in white, even the dancing was pure.

Look out tomorrow for some more observations and thoughts as we head into the Festival of Sukkot.

Yom Kippur Thoughts

Three thoughts on Yom Kippur. I hope they prove meaningful for you.

1) During the lengthy repetition of the Yom Kippur musaf service, there is a section devoted entirely to the Temple rites of the day. In fact, we are acting out the activities in the Temple as best we can. On Shabbat and other holidays, the section from the Torah dealing with that day's sacrifices is included in the repetition, and Yom Kippur is no different in that way. However, on no other day do we act as if we are the High Priest. We dress in white (as you'll see below) and proceed to fall on our faces before God, the ultimate sign of submission and supplication. I urge you not to allow your focus to wane during these holy hours, but rather to try and experience the Temple service with all its details.

2) It is customary on Yom Kippur to wear white. Yom Kippur is NOT the day to wear your best clothing, where you show off all of your material possessions. In fact, its the opposite. During his service in the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur, the High Priest would wear white. White is a symbol of purity and humility, even the people of Ninveh in the Book of Jonah used simple garments to effect their t'shuva. Married men commonly wear a kittel (white robe), and others should try to wear white in a demonstration of their humility and purity. There are plenty of days on which to display your possessions, I do not believe that Yom Kippur is one such day. We are forbidden from bathing and anointing our bodies with oils and perfumes. It is almost as if to say "God, this is me. Simple, humble, no adornments, and I am coming before You for atonement."

3)During the Pardes retreat, one student shared a story of his experience in the Israeli Defense Force where he felt a great deal of longing for God. He went on to explain that as downright frightening Yom Kippur can be, and sometimes even unpleasant, the closeness to God is unique. Rabbinic texts suggest that from the beginning of Rosh Chodesh Elul through Yom Kippur, God is in the fields, at God's maximum accessibility. However, when the gates close at the end of Yom Kippur, that closeness is no longer the same and the longing for God returns. I hope that we can experience both the awesome power of Yom Kippur as well as the unique closeness to God that it provides. Through our t'shuva and t'fillot we can bring ourselves closer to God throughout the year.

Shana tova u'ktiva v'chatima tova l'kol beit Yisrael!
May all Israel be inscribed and sealed for a good year!

The Three Day Yom Tov

Sometimes the Jewish calendar falls in such a way that there are two days of holiday immediately followed by Shabbat, or the opposite in the case of Passover. "Holiday" refers to the first day (or two days outside Israel) of any of the festivals (Passover, Sukkot, Shavuot) and Rosh Hashana. Inside Israel, the only time where it can occur is with Rosh Hashana that leads into Shabbat. Confused yet?

As you might have guessed, this was one such year in Israel, creating three days where work is forbidden along with certain other activities. For the purposes of this blog, I do not want to get into the halachic(Jewish Law)implications, but rather to simply set out the fact that as a result of the way Rosh Hashana fell, Jerusalem was essentially closed for three days. Last winter, cities on the East Coast of the United States were socked in by copious amounts of snow, causing municipalities to closed their doors. However, the weather in Jerusalem was sunny, beautiful, and perhaps even a bit too hot for some people. Nonetheless, the fact is that the roads were passable, traffic lights were working, but there were hardly any cars. Israel, known for its dangerous pedestrian crossings, was transformed into a place where main roads could be traversed with little fear.

In our apartment we hosted meals of 10, 9, and 8 people. If I do say so myself, we shared great food, some of which I cooked, wine, songs, laughter, and lots of blessings. I could not have asked for a better way to celebrate the beginning of Rosh Hashana, continue in my personal process of t'shuva, and appreciate Israel as the homeland of the Jewish People.

That Delicious Smell

Earlier posts have already established the fact that the cycle of the week in Israel, or at least in parts of Israel, is focused on Shabbat. Well documented are the crowded supermarkets, open-air markets, pop-up flower stands, laundry blows in the wind after being set out to dry, and the disappearance of Egged buses thirty minutes before Shabbat. All of these can be easily observed.

What cannot be seen are the smells of Shabbat. The clattering dishes in apartments next door signal the fact that cooking has begun. But its only a couple of hours later until the smells of delicious food begin wafting from neighboring apartments. I like to try and guess what people are having for Shabbat dinner, how many guests, or how they make their chollent. Sauteed onions are one of the first smells that can be detected, followed, by garlic, roasting potatoes, and fresh spices. The last, and perhaps most flavor laden smell, is that of meat cooking. Whether its brisket, chicken soup, or kishke, wonderful smells fill the apartment. Sorry vegetarians, tofu just doesn't smell as yummy.

You can see above how close the apartments are to each other in the Old City of Jerusalem. It's not hard to imagine the ease by which one can smell thy neighbor's Shabbat meals. Although I do not live in a neighborhood as densely populated or homogeneous as the Old City, Shabbat continues to be an experience that appeases all the senses, well before it even begins.

Hebrew phrase of the day:
Eifo hatachanat autobus?
Where is the bus stop?

Shabbat shalom.