The Jewish Holidays; Sukkot

living with our neighbors involves not only tolerance which is a somewhat passive quality but also understanding since knowledge is the only basis for true understanding riverside radio has undertaken to bring you all fettig information about one group of our neighbors the jews in cooperation with the jewish theological seminary of america we arranged a series of programs which tell us about the jewish holidays and through them about the jewish way of life this broadcast in our series is about the festival of circus the fast of yom kippur the day of atonement as the most solemn day in the jewish religious calendar the day of atonement <unk> judgment is closed and the destiny of all living creatures is decided by divine decree climaxes a period known as the ten days of penitence of time devoted to soul searching and to rededication just four days after the days of all with their overhanging sadness and self reproach comes the joyous

festival of service spirit's uncle by the conscious burden of committed sins so in the atmosphere of freshness and freedom that's douglas brings sinners or tablet apples celebrates the time of the ancient prove harvest of the land of israel on city roofs and backyards on balconies and terraces where space allows jews are now attracting boots or garden plots that will be removed with branches and gaily decorated with fruit and flowers for the nine day festival they'll pray eat and spend as much time as possible in these booths as a reminder of the nomadic life of the children of israel and their wanderings over the wilderness the festival of service as many levels of significance that interest men and women of all faiths and this broadcast in our series is about the meaning of service the speaker is rabbi eugene wiener director of

harvard h lehman institute of the jewish theological seminary of america the institute is a branch of seminary activity level of the research into the margins of the principles of human rights and freedoms rabbi winner was ordained by the seminary in nineteen sixty and also holds degrees from columbia and harvard university is an hour here is rabbi winner it is a specially auspicious time in the life of the individual when the culmination of a great preparation takes place the individual and the group is apt to invest in these moments with elaborate ceremony is in order to place these auspicious moments of life in the reassuring framework of order and fix today one of the areas in which man's is most dependent upon the often completions forces of nature is in the activity of farming and agriculture

in the ancient world no other activity aside from farming was so demanding of strenuous activity and preparation and do two forces very often beyond the control of the human so potentially baron of results the frustrations of the farmer well known and this anxiety is often translated into the desire to have a fixed formal ritual incumbent all the acts of the farmer we're significant and they were placed within a religious framework in the ancient world the acts of plowing planting and harvesting all have their can comment and rituals to reassure and guarantee success sue court is a jewish holiday which has its roots in the ancient desire on the part

of an agricultural society to establish a pattern of observance to commemorate the in gathering of the crops as we read the biblical portion of it is primarily any expression of this desire that is and bear in mind the anxiety of the farmer and the difficulties of an agricultural community i'm reading now from the book of leviticus chapter twenty three verse thirty three on the fifteenth day of the seventh month is a feast of tabernacle is for seven days until the lord on the first day shall be holding convocation you shall do no matter of survival work seven days you shall bring an offering made by fire under the lord on the eighth they shall be wholly convocation onto

you and you shall bring an offering made by fire onto the lord is a day of solemn assembly and sheldon no matter of survival work these all the appointed seasons of the war which is show proclaimed to be wholly complications bring an offering made by firing the lord bird offering a meal offering a sacrifice and drink offerings each of its own day beside the suburbs of more insider gets insider we are valves inside all your free will offerings she give on toward opiate on the fifteenth day of the seventh month when you're gathered in the fruits of the land you shall keep the feast of the lord seven days on the first day she'll be a solemn rest on the eighth they shall be a solemn rest you shall take you on the first day before a goodly trees branches of palm trees and bows of fig trees and willows of the brook new show rejoice before the lord your god seven

days shopkeeper had a feast on towards seven days in the year it is a statue forever in your generation's the shock even in the seventh month you shall be well and boons seven days all their home born in israel shelled well and boo is after generations may know that i made the children of israel could well and boots and i brought them out of the line the region i am the lord your god and moses declared and to the children of israel the appointed seasons of the war for these days and biblical times the event of the in gathering of the crops was commemorated by a wholly convocation to god the distinctiveness of the holiday as described in the bible is not necessarily the method of the celebration rather it is the motivation which prompted the need for this particular holiday while there are analogous

needs as expressed in the ceremonies of other people's and other groups this particular need found its primary expression any holiday the beautiful magnificent means of expressing this natural phenomena i love the in gathering of the crops all agricultural groups according to the findings of anthropology have developed rituals commemorating the in gathering the jews develop the occasion as another framework to express their loyalty to god the excesses of pagan practices were forbidden from their ceremonies all of those abominations according to the bible there were practiced by the pagans and associated with such events as ian gathering soldiers of mutilation the sexual

excesses of these societies that were associated with paying homage to their gods were forbidden in the fall usually in the months of october the fifteenth of two trail according to jewish lunar calendar the jew to this day celebrates the festival of the in gathering it is called the season of our joy it is essentially a holiday that is associated with happiness the symbols of olives or god or for the most part associated with begin gathering of the crops in the celebration of so called the jew as a greater opportunity to observe a more important experiences related as to nature the symbols allow only are the superpower which is the hastily built house or both the intro which is a citron chosen

without blemish which looks like a large lemon branches of palm trees and various other ones early in the development of the jewish religion sue got a holiday of soup or commemorating of the holiday of the agricultural in gathering was given other symbolic connotations as all the holidays which are connected with nature they were related to the major and sparkle experiences of the jewish people and the both the souk are which at the origin of the festival in biblical times may have been only symbolic of the harvest booth built during the olive in grape harvest the game in addition a symbol of dwellings in the wilderness but your generations may know that i made the children of israel to

dwell and boons when i brought them out of the land of egypt in other words a holiday is not only associated with an event in nature been gathering of the crops but is also associated with an event in the historical life of the jewish people in the jewish redemptive view of history as sue cobb became the symbol of god's concern and protection of these people there is a soup gotten the recently constructed magnificent museum in jerusalem which is approximately eight feet where with beautiful polish mahogany wood with magnificent pictures that are on the walls use of god was decorated with ferns and bull rushes the roof was covered with greenery sufficient to keep out slightly more somber that lets him

and this is a type of stuttgart which is built by jewish families throughout the world and while some are a bit more elaborate than other others they nonetheless express the same general idea a temporary dwellings which has a strong connection with nature or wild in the construction of us there should be more shade than some in the city there should nonetheless be sufficient space on the roof to permit want to see the stars during the evening when one looks through the roof during the days of the holiday of soup called the jew was encouraged to read his meals within the same color in some cases you slept with them the synagogue at night and lived in it for the entire length a violent

personally speaking i find this entire very conducive to a very intensive contemplation of one's relationship to nature as one is surrounded by the firm walls and bull rush ceiling and a flimsy frame of the soup out and looks at the stars of mike one feels a sense of kinship with all the jews who left egypt with all the juice or travel various levels of this of the dispersion around jewish history with most secure framework for their safety accept god's loving care as a student a number of years ago at the jewish theological seminary living in a nearby apartment house we constructed for all the people in the apartment house sue got invited everyone for this economy the seminary so god so god the jewish

theological seminary is a magnificent structure which is built each year and has all the elements that make a cigar a beautiful temporary abode the great varieties of fruit and vegetables hanging from the walls and ceiling remind wong of the great bounty and graciousness of god's goodness amidst the swirling activity of a city and frenzied action there is a building constructed once a year to commemorate god's beneficence and majesty in nature i find this particular holiday personally one of the most magnificent expressions of this desire to somehow in our mass society that is so mechanize and computerized to reaffirm our sense of identification with the forces of nature and to relate to these

forces of nature to their creator god's goodness sue got is a symbol of this identification association in addition to lease a car which is only one of the symbols of support there are four kinds of appliances are associated with only three are at the palm leaves which is called love witches waved in all directions during the service to symbolize the omnipresence of god in his majesty there is a syndrome it's called the intro the beautiful spotless perfection of god's perfect being is symbolized by it as well as the myrtle leaves and the willow leaves which symbolizes some the cool freshness of rivers and luxury

and growth the vegetation according to some other commentators the palm leaf is the backbone of man this a trend is the heart the myrtle branch the eyes with a willow leaves phillips the object to bring more for together on the solidly is to proclaim as does the psalmist all my limbs shall say oh lord who is light and tv the olive support its climax on sing heart tore off the day of suharto are which is the rejoicing of the law the rejoicing that the jew feels and having had the opportunity to live through an entire year and to be privileged to begin the cycle of readings of the torah once again in the synagogue and some hardcore r o the members of the family

the children no matter how small come to the synagogue to rejoice over the fact that the law has to be read again from the very beginning part of the five books of moses is read each sabbath morning in the synagogue so that during the course of the entire year old the five books of moses a regular congregation and soon hot or arbel holiday which marks the close of simple but the law has read once again the cycle begins once again and there's great rejoicing in our synagogues we generally dance with the tour are in the synagogue and sing with all our might with all eyes as with all over about the wonderful privilege of being a jew and having had a magnificent privilege of being part of such a heroic people as the jews

every jew in the synagogue he's called up to a majority say the blessings while a portion of that draw is red i've been reading all the children in the synagogue are called too literal while a large prayer shawl is spread over time and some of the most beautiful memories of children preserve throughout the years as they grow older are associated with the ceremony of standing with the rest of the children under these over spread prayer shawl and repeating the blessings over the tour is called the holiday inn jewish more is associated with all of the wonderful things that constitute the privilege of being a jew is a personification of all that we identify with judaism

it is essentially a joyous holiday inn express is the joy that one feels at the bow before harvest the goodness of god and it is an expression of our independence upon god's goodness we express this dependence and censored or majesty which we have we express says through the symbol of the soup pot which is a temporary frail residence which is incapable of really sustaining us in providing us with a shelter without god's care the book of the bible that is generally read during the holiday soup or is the enigmatic m paradoxical book of the bible which is the book of ecclesiastes as you may know the book of ecclesiastes these contained statements which are

very paradoxical at one particular point in the development of the canon the rabbis had a great deal of soul searching to do in order to decide whether the book of ecclesiastes use was to be included in the canon of all for a contained statements which appear at first blush to be very radical the book of ecclesiastes days which is essentially a paradox of faith and doubt which is somehow beautifully woven together the paradox of faith and doubt which is a book of ecclesiastes use is associated with the holy of so called which is in a certain way also a paradoxical homemade because in its symbols it expresses not only that there is a time of plenty and god's goodness but there is seemingly a time when a man is forced to acknowledge

that is dependent totally upon god's goodness which is at times withdrawn from him and that through our dependence on the suv car which is a frail abode and a frail structure we indicating symbolize that to be human is to be subject of frailty and sue court expresses is a paradox but not only is it a time of plenty but it can be a time of famine as well not only is a human being capable of rising to great heights but is also capable of great evil and deprivation so it is entirely fitting that the book of ecclesiastes lee's be read during this holiday of soup or which is not only a joyous holiday but also reminds mann of his frailty the book of ecclesiastes ease it's perhaps one of the most majestic books that we have in the bible it

expresses the fact that time is not only filled with goodness and joy but also with sorrow but support as it follows upon the other great holidays a jewish life roshan sharma and you'll keep for the high holidays the days of great all and reverence it expresses the fact that there is not only a time for introspection fasting as is done on these high holidays but there is a time for great joy for dancing in the synagogue for taking the torah and expressing for thanksgiving for the fact that we are privileged to have god's word listen to these verses from the book of ecclesiastes is express is the fact that life is lived in counterpoint not only do we have the reverend some old while aids but we also know that joy and

thanksgiving to everything there is a season says the book of ecclesiastes east and a time to every purpose under heaven a time to be born a time to die a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted a time to kill a time to heal a time to break down they're trying to build up a time to weep and a time to laugh time to mourn and a time to dance time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing a time to speak and a time to lose a time to keep and a time to cast away a time to rend and a time to

sew a time to keep silence and a time to speak a time to love and a time to hate time for war and a time for peace what profit that feed at work of embody labor there is a time for everything under heaven there is a time for great on reverence a time for fasting as we have in the hallway of your jeep or there's a time for great reverence as we find on these days and then there's a time for joy time of thanksgiving a time to emphasize man's reliance on god's goodness a time to empathize with one's historical tradition of wondering in the desert without a permanent home of time to bind together all of the

good news and harvest of got a timed to symbolize guards on the presence in the world a time from rome to say thank you and to give expression to his gratitude this is the time of so called the holiday which comes once a year and which is celebrated by jews throughout the world which is symbolized by the frail booth which is covered with all sorts of greenery which is symbolized the palm leaves the city treme a drone which is symbolized by the willow branches which is symbolized by the firms which cover the super which is symbolized by all of the leaders of the merkel and all of god's bounty and goodness you are

listening to another in our series on the jewish holidays is bigger for this program about the festival of circus was rabbi eugene winner director other herman h lehman institute of the jewish theological seminary of america single copies of rabbi winners talk are available from the seminary at thirty at broadway new york or from riverside radio wypr for naughty riverside drive in new york the zip code for both institutions is it one doubled to seven days and poses stamped self addressed our mobile with your request for rabbi wieners talk these programs on the jewish holidays and the jewish way of life are produced in cooperation with the jewish theological seminary of america by wypr the fm station of the riverside church in new york city