Sukkot & Simhat Torah

Sukkot is wonderful in the Land of Israel this year. In fact, Sukkot is always wonderful in the Land of Israel. Tonight, as the Shabbat in Sukkot begins, families will be sitting down to traditional Shabbat dinners in their sukkot, as cool autumn breezes gently caress the flimsy walls and the harvest moon and stars shine through roofs of branches and leaves. May G-d build a sukkat shalom – a tabernacle of peace – over the Land this Shabbat.

Sukkot ends with a special holy day – Hag Simchat Torah – the Holiday of Rejoicing for the Torah. And what a celebration of the Torah it is! On this, the last of our fall holy days, we conclude the reading of the Book of Deuteronomy with the death of Moses – the end of the Torah - and, then, quickly roll the sacred scroll back to the beginning, and read the story of the creation of the world. We never "finish" reading the Torah. Ours is a continual cycle of reading and celebrating G-d's word.

In every synagogue throughout the world, Jews will gather to sing and dance with the Torah. In every city in Israel, the singing and dancing will be in the streets. Many congregations unfurl the entire scroll, giving everyone a chance to see the hand-written parchment Bible up close.

We only have one holy day a year set aside for celebrating the Torah – Simchat Torah. And when is it? Well, about half the Jews in the world will be celebrating Simchat Torah on Monday night and Tuesday. The other half will be celebrating the holiday on Tuesday night and Wednesday. Some Jews will even observe them both!

How, you may wonder, did that come to be? The answer is a little complicated, but in Exile, many Jewish holy days were doubled so that, in Exile – but not in the Land of Israel, we might be sure to observe them on the proper day (first and last days of Sukkot and Passover, and the holiday of Shavuot). Jews in Israel will begin celebrating Monday night. So will Reform and Reconstructionist Jews outside the Land, but Conservative and Orthodox Jews there will begin to celebrate Tuesday night, just as the others cease their celebration. And Orthodox Jews who are visiting Israel from overseas will celebrate Monday night and Tuesday, as everyone does in Israel and Tuesday night and Wednesday, as they would if they were home. Confusing? Just part of what makes Simchat Torah so much fun!

This year, as for many years, thousands of Christians, from nearly every country on earth, have come to Israel to share in our celebration of Sukkot (Tabernacles). Thousands of Israelis joined them in marching through the streets of Jerusalem yesterday in song and prayer. It was a glorious sight and the perfect way to celebrate Sukkot – having so many loving guests visit us here in our home.

Shabbat Shalom and Hag Sameach –

Rabbi Jeff Kahn