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"These festivities can be occasions for many blessings from
the Eternal and a source of immense joy, so that the will to
promote the peace that the world so greatly needs will grow
within each one of us. May God in his goodness protect your
community and grant that the friendship between us deepen...."
--Pope Benedict XVI in a message to Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni
on the occasion of the Jewish High Holidays, September 1007.
Visit the
Synagogue During
Sukkot
___________________________
Members of the
Catholic parishes in Waterloo are invited to visit Waterloo's
Sons of Jacob Synagogue during the Jewish festival of Sukkot,
the "Feast of Booths," and tour the community's sukkat.
Guests will be greeted by Rabbi Stanley Rosenbaum, who will
explain the festival, tour the sukkat, and answer
questions.
Visits are scheduled at the
following times:
Thursday, Oct. 16
•
6:00-7:00pm
Friday, Oct. 17
• 11:00am-Noon
Sons of Jacob Synagogue
411 East Mitchell Ave., Waterloo
To register, call St. Edward Parish Office at 319-233-8060.
___________________________
Background
Sukkot
is the third of the three "Pilgrim Festivals" in the Jewish
tradition. Passover commemorates the exodus from Egypt;
Shavuot celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai;
and Sukkot commemorates the 40 years the Hebrew people
spent in passage from Egypt to the Promised Land. Sukkot
follows on the heels of the
High Holidays and represents a shift from somber reflection to
joyous celebration, and from introspection to an outward display
of thanks for the earth’s bounty.
The
celebration of Sukkot begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew month
Tishrei (five days after Yom Kippur) and lasts nine days
(eight days in Israel). This year, Sukkot begins on Tuesday,
Oct. 14 and continues until Tuesday, Oct. 21.
Sukkot is
also called the Feast of Booths. The name is derived
from the word sukkat, which means tabernacle or booth
(literally, “hut”). According to the bible, Moses and the
Israelites traveled in the desert for forty years before they
were allowed to enter the Promised Land. During that time, they
slept in temporary shelters made of branches, which were
relatively easy to construct and carry around with them.
The Festival of
Sukkot is
also called Chag Ha'Asif ("Holiday of the Harvest"),
because it takes place at the time of year in which the crops
were collected from the fields, and in ancient times some of
them were brought to the temple.
Sukkot Traditions
The main
tradition related to this holiday is building a sukkah, a
temporary home or “hut” in which it is customary to live for
seven days. In most places, Jews don't actually sleep in these
huts, but eat their meals there every day. This also depends, of
course, on the kind of climate you live in?
A second
important tradition in Sukkot is hospitality. While traveling in
the desert before entering the Promised Land, the Israelites
were considered the guests of God, who looked after them and
provided them with food and water. Therefore, Sukkot is a
holiday of sharing meals and inviting in Ushpizin (guests).
In each of
the seven days of Sukkot apart from Saturday, it is commanded to
say a blessing for
The Four Species
(the product of hadar trees, branches of palm trees,
boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, which represent
four different types of growing things). Blessings for these species
are said both in the Sukkah and in the synagogue.
On the
eighth
day there is no obligation to sit in the Sukkah, but it is still
a holiday in which no work should be done. The uniqueness of
this specific day is praying for rain. In Israel this is the
time of year when winter begins, and since there is not much
rain there, Jews started praying for rain as soon as Sukkot
ended.
The ninth day
of Sukkot is called Simchat Torah (meaning "The Joy of
the Torah"). On this day the reading of the Torah is completed
and begun again. During the celebration it is customary to
circle the sanctuary seven times with the Torah, while singing
and dancing.
Prayer for
Sukkot
Blessed
are you, Lord, our God,
sovereign of the universe,
Who creates the fruit of the vine. (Amen.)
Blessed are you, Lord, our
God,
sovereign of the universe,
who has chosen us from among all people,
and exalted us above every tongue
and sanctified us with His commandments.
You gave us, Lord our God, with love
appointed festivals for gladness,
festivals and times for joy
this day of the festival of Sukkot,
the time of our gladness, a holy convocation,
a memorial of the exodus from Egypt,
because You have chosen us
and made us holy from all peoples
and your holy festivals in gladness and in joy
you have given us for an inheritance
Blessed are you, Lord,
who sanctifies Israel and the seasons. (Amen).
References
http://www.judaica-guide.com/sukkot/
http://www.hillel.org/jewish/holidays/sukkot/default.htm
http://www.hillel.org/jewish/holidays/sukkot/sukkot_fact.htm
• • •
For more information contact:
Director of Adult Faith Formation
320 Mulberry St. - Waterloo IA 50703
Phone: 319-234-9912
Email: DBQ208s3@arch.pvt.k12.ia.us
Posted 10.01.08 •
Last Update: 10.01.08
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