Sukkot Prayer of the Temporary Dwellings, "We are the Water Dwelling, where we thirst for the book of knowledge (Book of Life), the House of the Heart, the well of eternal light!"
Yee shall dwell in booths for seven days-Leviticus 23:42 "Let me sing and I will know the Mishnah משנה (oral tradition from the heart) the reverberation of God's breath (flight). I shall sing my voice like a trumpet. I shall praise glory in prayer. I shall know I am embraced within heaven's arms!" Isaiah 12:3 " And you shall draw waters with joy from the wells of salvation".
Starting beating the Sacred Holy Drum, Holiness David Running Eagle
Let me find the stars at night. Let me live a productive life. Let me be a shining star. The day I return home. Let me fill my world with love. Let me show, I'm a pure dove (peace in my heart). Let (me) give my life a way, serving God in every way.
Hear my call. My heart does swell. Hear my call. I am so very near (waves of tears find the shore). And when I find you did go, my heart pitter patter knows. I feel the soul, inside of you, my star does shine, to greet you too.
Let me find the stars at night. Let me remember all this plight. Let me love them anyway. Let me forgive all they didn't pray. I will fill the stars with my love. I will find a hall, god's delightful call. I will feel my heart again. Let us look into the wind.
Hear my call. My savior (relative in the wind) come hold my hand. Relative (swelling heart) hold my hand, I will understand. Give all (tears a river does flow, breathing out, a wind, a gush a know) the tears of God inside, they drop like rivers, stars above.
Hear my name, when the wind, comes near you. feel my heart in the sacred blue. And when I look up in the stars at night (tears rolling down, rolling ,journey over the hills-cheeks we do flow, I sniff, the bridge-nose knows, remembering the trails of tears behind over waves of light to the other side-realm, now we are in heaven) my heart is longing to feel just right.
I look up at you ♥ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪ (space time) ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ stars in the blue ♥ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪ (space time) ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ I know you are out there too!
(silently) ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ Tears a water fall, my heart feels, I'm about to fall, but you catch me. You are there to help me be set free. I'm on a path to heaven's road, to begin again, with my soul. I will unite in thee. I will bring liberty.
Wiping the tears away, I am relieved!
End beating the Sacred Holy Drum, Holiness David Running Eagle Shooting Star.
Our Blessed "Sukkot, day 6 blessed as a thorn, day 7 mountain horn, day 8 eagle born, day 9 I have flown". Thank you for the love of God (G_d: utterance transmission, G_ah_d: utterance of heavenly transmission, God: Voice of the Oneness, the Rainbow Clan.
Interpretation:
Blessed as a thorn, day 6 (Indigo, Sentry): Life is always full of surprises, sometimes up and sometimes down, but it's a journey, we do explore. We begin to bless the world, to join the crystalline stone river. This is done with fire and water blessings, daily to wash your holy temple. Now reflect upon your soul, the arrow, will help you grow, realize heaven's road. The perfect blessing, crystalline form, protection is known, the warrior is home.
Mountain horn, day 7 (Violet, Outside Gatekeeper): When we are able to speak our voice, pierce the hearts of others with love, and purify the path towards the light and the dark of the growing tree of life, within self and relatives. The voice of Oneness does grow (produce pressure), the strength of a mustard seed, blossoms dreams. Stand upright like a mountain, do good in scriptural ways, the magic of elixirs, just transcends today.
Eagle born, day 8 (Lavender, Garden Gate): This is the path of unity between the soul (song) and the flesh (dance), heaven and earth, macrocosm (big) and microcosm (small) pools of reflection, relative and perspective. This is one who unites, dances fire of joy upon the heart. Love overfloweth, rivers galore, walking into the garden of paradise. Protection is already known. Transcendence come grown. I am the perfect lamb, I belong to you, I unite with love. I am holy and true, I will look after you. "Sacred Gate into Paradise, purifying devotion, a flame cleanses you"
I have flown, day 9 (Magenta, Inside Gatekeeper): Here the breath of life, offers rolling hills, where the sun sets into the arms of heaven and gives birth to the rising sun over the horizon each morning. We dance and sing, we play with all the things. We know joy in our step, in little ways. Our heart feels light, a butterflies flight, with each swell, wave after wave, I do breathe. We protect the world around us, prepare others for battle (uniting separation), but always attentive to the heart, especially, when we gift our part. We listen to your problems, we dance and sing together, we feel the rushing winds, the lights over flow, serve to bow, seek knowledge, ask and know.
Beloved Relatives,
The 12 Lost Tribes (Jacob), representing the rainbow clan by the way, have the perspective from the eastern shore, descending from light, to heaven below. There the cradle of consciousness holds us closer to the world, where our heart and soul thrives. With the final blowing of the Shofar, The Jewish High Holy Days draw to a close and the focus of the Jewish community shifts from the solemnness of Yom Kippur to the jubilant celebration of the festival of Sukkot (vision of the heart). If one drew a circle and divided it in half, with a horizon across. Light above and dark below. On the left, where the horizon greets the edges, we hold the position to the eastern shore. Now this seems backwards, and it is, because we live in a world of reflection.
I was looking at the Hebrew language, as a crystal person, and wondering why I couldn't read it. Then I took a mirror to it, and placed the book upside down. It was upside down and backwards. You still read right to left, but also bottom to top. The Aramaic language is rather been translated over time (images to more like characters), much like Chinese. The more ancient the language is, the more easily, I can read and translate. This is because I can read the star language. And all of the songs we sing are the star language (song above, from your heart or someone). Remember we are all, rainbow clan members, holding the perspective of the same one circle (pie), but we just stand at different points of reference to the center of the path of godly law and love, down the crystalline river, the blessed eventually. Because heaven is the blue road, where heaven is in charge of the law, and it's love. It will be purified, that's the way.
On the eastern shore, descending, we enter heaven's darkness. Here the Mother of Darkness, in which we call her the Great Spirit Mother leads us towards the path of the heart. She never and I mean never turns away to serve her children. She is perfect love. But this is her contribution in the Oneness of God. We all have our purpose. She too has hers. Just as Great Spirit Father has led us and is still leading us into the next millennium (a few more years). We welcome home the Father Nation, the 12 Lost Tribes, to come home, to walk into Great Mother's arm, into heaven. We cleanse our hearts, to greet her love. With pure devotion, we serve her as warriors, who pray, protect and do battle (laws of love), to create a world of harmony, ecstasy and bliss, for her children in paradise.
Someday over the rainbow, dreams come true. Hold on to the pure and devoted, there our hearts will bloom. Protect in prayers each day, bring harmony away. Fight battles to unite all hearts, instead of who's right. The days, will spring wells of love, when we forgive all who try to help out. When we give a royal blue. When we (can) care about you. And it's our hearts, that bloom in spring. We are here, to be every thing, but it's a room outside, where we look at the stars at night. Travelers you and me, over the rolling seas. We find waves of delight, to move mountains of plight. Hear all I (have to) say to you, God gave you that's the truth. Now take your hands, make mountains out of Man! Create rainbows in everyone. They are your relatives and your suns. We are a part of them. We belong to the wind. And in the darkness, of you and me, we enter heaven's heart literally.
Starts beating the Sacred Holy Drum, Holiness David Running Eagle Shooting Star
Bring in sunshine today! Bring in your heart this day! Hear Holiness come over you, the beat inside that is true, the place you feel in your heart. How glorious is it to do your part. You are greatness, like stars in a sea, above the holy sacred trees, the stars that shine, give me all and make me blind (you are so bright, healing all plight with your love). You are my devoted treasures above, and I will learn to walk like this below, to bring in destiny. to welcome home man, to woman, can you please. It's where Father's light, the sun, does rise, but needs set in each and every night, into a woman's arms. To hold you full of charms (beat my heart, three times). And my love it feels so full. I am embraced, with love, that is real. She comforts me, like heaven's breeze. I am full of delightful waves. I get lost in her comforting rays. She is delightful heart, that gives, without any thought. And my soul it's feeling complete, I have returned home to the deep. The oceans of time. The blew (blue), of my mind.
Now, I come home. Walking towards you. I remember, my soul does too. Creating rainbows, bringing sunshine. That's how, I can be too/two. United soldiers, walking home. Bring love on the phone, spirit talking prayer to me. I hold up the keys (to open the doors into heaven, the song). God feel good in me.
Wake up wonder, Heal like thunder, think I'm in love with the world. Where do I start, where do I leap. Where is my faith to believe? I am a soul, with feeling inside, the darkness realize, and heaven surprise. I am greatness, oh suns do they shine, glory of man, returning home to stand. Warrior(s) returning home to band (Mother says, Warrior you go home!). There she stands waiting at the doorway. There she holds open the gate. There my heart breaks, if I must leave her, but now it's heaven's wake. I am to return to her love again. I travel over the winds. I pray to god for her love. Great Spirit Mother you give us up. (tears swell). And we are grateful for what you did, holding down the fort (woman, the last phase of evolution we depart), while we fought in the wind. Now we come home to you. Now we come home from the blue. Heaven come home straight to you, in your welcoming arms (tears do flow). And it's time for us again, to live with heaven on earth, no more sin. We just share our hearts. We just do our parts. We gain, a new realm, within.
Rainbow do shine, over across the hearts of yours and mine. We have united at last. Even though we struggled with our past. We come home to heaven's roost, the four directions keep us safe, in this noose (circle of life, relatives of plight), but we are home at last, to find a way to blast (purify). Now, it's time to pray, almost everyday. Grateful are we, because we plant the tree. The blossoms do grow, sprout out and drop below, and seeds begin again, to live the cycle of the wind. Bless with smoke, the fire, will reign, purify, all God's children again, we are headed for company, heaven' reigns down on me. And I will be ready in my heart. I will be ready, to impart. Can I find liberty, within this chaos breeze? But if I pray and bless with fire, when Mother knows, all my mires. She will welcome me, but I must bless to be free (literally). I will purify my soul of shame. I will be bond to love again. I will be grateful for this view, Woman, who loves, me, Mother to me and you.
Heaven come home to me! Stars find me in liberty. I pray God set me free. I long to feel harmony. I walk and talk for you, I unite with a modified view. My soul is united to, the flesh of man, with a sacred view. I come home, I bless the stars. I come home, I bless the stars, I come home, I bless to you. I come home, the sacred and treu (relative freedom style).
Sung by White Buffalo Calf Woman and end Sacred Drum by Holiness David Running Eagle Shooting Star.
Holy Temple and Sanctuary
The Temple in Jerusalem is considered a Holy Temple (Hebrew: בית המקדש, Bet HaMikdash ; "The Holy House", refers to a series of structures located on the Temple Mount Hebrew: הַר הַבַּיִת, Har haBáyit), also called the Noble Sanctuary (Arabic: الحرم القدسي الشريف, al-haram al-qudsī ash-sharīf).
"May He who causes His name to dwell [shochan, the divine presence] in this House, cause to dwell among you love and brotherliness, peace and friendship" who flock together with thy "neighbor", the seeker of divine wisdom. Thus relatives on the Tree of Life, the Oneness of us all, bring us to the golden path, where dreams come true and are shared in song. This is the house of the divine inner presence of the radiant soul. Here lies the "Shekhinah" (divine presence, of the eternal soul), the royalty of the blue, the "royal residence" of Noble Sanctuary, the Holy Temple of God (buffalo home). You are the image of perfection, the universe of one and part of the universe of oneness (related in space and time). We are the microcosm and macrocosm of the inter-relativeness of all creatures large and small. We journey with relatives, in the sacred blue. And only with divine presence, can we have faith, to know joy, to rejoice. We then can gather and be kingly too. Invite neighbors and share the truth of your dreams today, what you are going to do and how you are going to pray!
During this song, I felt like it would not end with melody, it seemed always to carry an abrupt ending. It felt like falling off a cliff. When we walk in the darkness, we must trust not our eyes, but our hearts. Have faith children of God, pray and bless and you will be protected all the way. Know joy in your heart, yee not toil, but rejoice. This is representative of Shabbat coming from the Hebrew verb shavat, which literally means "to cease." On the seventh day, you shall rest and you shall gather and know joy. Although Shabbat or Sabbath is universally translated as a "period of rest." To reflect upon, the pools of living waters! A more literal translation would be "ceasing", with the implication of "ceasing from work", just like our song above felt. Know joy in your heart, yee not toil, but rejoice. Holiness is known, when the divine presence is living, flowing and blossoming forth, like fountains of joy, over floweth within. This is the roaring sounds of winds that blow or the gentle breeze of rustling leaves, relatives on the tree of life. When we flock together and dwell in the Holy Temple, our soul knows, sanctuary. We share with the stars, to remember, we are together on this journey of life, on the crystalline stone river, the tears that flow and know. The divine presence is upon us , with the darkness of our perfect eternal heavenly soul. The unity of the heavenly soul, the blue road (heavenly dark), cross the red (earthly light, holy temple, in four sacred directions in rainbow colors, often referred to as the buffalo home), and my body is read (perfect book of life, pure in heart), my love is flowing pools of blood (hard work, endure for love, suffering for the ones I love, the relatives of the rainbow clan), rivers of spiritual tears I do know! To make holy and enter paradise, one must walk upon this world, with a heart of gold, singing with rejoice of the heavenly soul).
Again in Song White Buffalo Calf Woman Sings,"The unity of the heavenly soul, the blue road, cross the red and my body is read (book of life is known), my love is flowing pools of blood, rivers of spiritual tears I do know!"
We welcome the divine presence of our heavenly soul, asking for the spirit of the whole (of God), the unity of love, the greatness within, that flows, where heaven knows. We light the candle, to signify, our inner radiance, where there are no more lies, but pure bliss, a heart that is kissed. A light from within does bless, reciting the test of time, with song upon my heart, bringing joy to my heart. Hear, I dwell in my Temple of Love, rainbow colors everywhere. I do flock towards you, my heart is divine with this view of you. I am here, to join with you, every kind, with every view, because I know it's right, when I am part of this strife. I listen to all you say and do, singing with this brand new view, of heavenly delights, the divine right. It's brotherly love, the golden rule, the royal unity of dreams, the path where we reside, eternally. Our heaven, the perfection of love, the blue road, the heart, feels like doves, when peace comes over me, I have come home to feel this breeze. And here I dwell in the Tabernacle (Mishkan משכן "Residence" or "Dwelling Place") of God's bliss, sacred in all the cosmic dust, the inner world of love, I know it's heaven's road. I am a residence of Golden fields, abundance that is really real. The Stronghold, the Oneness of God, the mishcan (waking dead, spirit lives from this residence, rebirth), my dwelling place, the rainbow colors, the holy temple which houses the soul, the heartbeat of heaven knows. My heart lives with divine presence of my soul, in the wind, the waters of everything. Through prayer, my heart, the worship of brotherly love, I am golden with a crown (ahau, aho, my spirit flies), the place I make my sound, the song from up on high, I am an Angel in disguise.
I enter Shabbat (holy day), to rest my soul, to bring reflection of inner light, a mountain, I do stand, ready to command! My soul from heaven watches over the land (holy tabernacle, the footstool, the day of rest and rejoice of the returning soul), the rainbow colors rest be still. Listen to the wind, let prayer allow God's will in. Let me receive my soul's desire, to serve all the while. I will share my joy. I will know golden toil (joy). And after six days of creation in me, the sacred blessings, the star of David relieves, we house the perfect form, the crystalline norm. Prayers, build a house that is strong, to stand up, to the seventh house (the voice of god), the winds of time, the tears do chime (bell of freedom). The voice of God is raised up high, to bring in stories, that need a chide, sow we assemble our love, we commune like doves. We reflect all we do and say, reverberation all the way, as we unify our hearts, we build castles in the sky. Temporary means eternally, in a circle among the leaves, our relatives of stairs, the house of Jacob, knows where! Let us shine our inner light, cease laborious, no toil at all, but live in joy. Divine presence of heaven, the soul. A river of gold, of brotherly love. A crystalline shore, a living rainbow, where all we do, is real and knew, the place, our soul does reside, the living waters of heaven survives. Know joy in your heart, yee not toil, but rejoice for it's God's will.
Sung by White buffalo calf woman, your Twin Deer Mother, elder crystal person!
The purpose of the temporary dwelling, reminding us we are a traveler. The Jews, escaping Egypt and wandering the desert for forty years, living in tents as wanderers in temporary dwellings. 40 years is representative of a complete four sides of our rainbow colors, your sacred four directions, and the wind of eternal life (zero) representing the stream of all life, the crystalline river of heaven that binds us all together eternally. We talk the blue road, the song of heaven. We look into the stars, to remember the returning journey home. The 12 Lost tribes share with you, the journey of life, we all have used. Because we all carry four sacred directions of rainbow colors, we are called the sun or a dance, when the sun goes down at night, at the horizon a rainbow of colors appear. We enter the darkness of heaven. This is why all celebration begin when we enter darkness, each day starts here for the Lost tribes. This is to show us the way home from the light of man, to the darkness of our heaven. This is our soul, beginning to unite and realize, acquire eternal wisdom, with prayer when we know how to move in the winds of heaven. The laws of love always dictates how we are to journey. We are grateful of our body, in the physical world of light, when we come home to the eternal soul, the darkness, where our hearts leap with joy.
The whole purpose of the festival of Sukkot is to look up into the stars return home to your heavenly soul and become a moral, productive, happy, united clan of rainbow colors. We are then ready to have the "Eighth Day of Assembly" (Shemini Atzeret), which follows immediately after to help us enter realization, that we can be heaven on earth, and it's through holiness, and the purification of prayers and blessings, receiving the divine presence of your soul, allows you to walk into the loving arms and embrace of paradise. You walk into the garden where flowers are in bloom, and love springs up and wells of delight, fill our thirst within. We begin to understand, wealth, knowledge and destiny of the royal blue path. Dreams of these treasures, welcome us home to the third phase of evolution.
This is the houseofthebeloved, Star of David, blessing you for the night, the day, the journey, the way, the heart, the path, the dash, the motion of twinkling stars, who dance. Welcome home Rainbow Clan, for the sacred nine directions command, the halls of consciousness is built on the laws of song filled with dance. Let us reverberate the light, rainbow colors delight, my tears lead me home, where my soul remembers the throne! Kingsmen, I do know, for I am of this royal glow. Love let it grow, blossom, heaven's door . Point to your heart, that's the way, our soul is divine and now you let it shine, "I am a Sun Dance, from the Rainbow Clan."
I give you a Dime, understand call home! Embrace of the sky, let me hear your song, send a prayer in the wind and it's eternally round, the spiraling sound, the circle of life grows, flourishes with laws of love, a perfect world, heaven on earth is known. Welcome to the third yellow rolling hill in time, the dawning, where Holy and Sacred will be our Home!
your devoted servants,
White Buffalo Calf Woman and Holiness David Running Eagle Shooting Star.
houseofthebeloved.blogspot.com
2 Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus (Yeshua, a christal person) stood and cried saying, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink."
He is saying "fly to my soul, let me tell you more".
This is the seeker, who knocks on the door, for the christal (crystal) person is heaven's mirror to your soul, who better knows (than your twin soul/heart). Come bring your thirst for knowledge to flow, restoring all within always to grow. Come sit have a drink with me. Let us share brotherly love, the golden cup, we dare to sea.
Forever free!
John 7
38 "He that believeth on me", as the scripture hath said, "out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."
Connected to space and time, Grandmother helps us chime, to know freedom again, to swell within. Come bring your spirit high, above let it fly (over waves of rainbow colors, our rolling hills in time), up into the winds (facing life head on, feeling it all), bringing us back to begin (the circle of life). And at birth we always know, the button of the falsetto (belly button where the spirit flies, reverberation and echo of heaven's embrace, turn it on the heart beat of unity), the place I sing, the place my tears do dream. I am the realization of everything, my heart,my soul, my wind, my prayers do sing, the heart of everything. And I'm a part of this river of love, especially when I fly above, in heaven's arms, perfect stars that charm!
I am the tears that reign/rain, along the blue road again. I travel to and fro, over oceans of more/moor. I remember my heart, the heavenly path of the soul, I always start and complete my life. Forever, I gift my strife.
My spirit flies!
Article written and sung by White Buffalo Calf Woman, elder crystal person. Articles below contains works of other authors, which contribute to this article. I have made occasional references below, and have collaborated to support your understanding of heaven's home, the blue road, the winds that blow.There maybe a bit of repetition, but hopefully not too much. I give praise to my relatives and bless their holy temple nine sacred directions. Thank you for the love of God, our return home to the heart "Sukkot, day 6 blessed as a thorn, day 7 mountain horn, day 8 eagle born, day 9 I have flown".
Sukkot will occur on the following days of the Gregorian calendar:
* Jewish Year 5771: sunset September 22, 2010 - nightfall September 29, 2010
* Jewish Year 5772: sunset October 12, 2011 - nightfall October 19, 2011
* Jewish Year 5773: sunset September 30, 2012 - nightfall October 7, 2012
* Jewish Year 5774: sunset September 18, 2013 - nightfall September 25, 2013
Yee shall dwell in booths for seven days-Leviticus 23:42 "Let me sing and I will know the Mishnah משנה (oral tradition from the heart) the reverberation of God's breath (flight). I shall sing my voice like a trumpet. I shall praise glory in prayer. I shall know I am embraced within heaven's arms!" Isaiah 12:3 " And you shall draw waters with joy from the wells of salvation".
Starting beating the Sacred Holy Drum, Holiness David Running Eagle
Let me find the stars at night. Let me live a productive life. Let me be a shining star. The day I return home. Let me fill my world with love. Let me show, I'm a pure dove (peace in my heart). Let (me) give my life a way, serving God in every way.
Hear my call. My heart does swell. Hear my call. I am so very near (waves of tears find the shore). And when I find you did go, my heart pitter patter knows. I feel the soul, inside of you, my star does shine, to greet you too.
Let me find the stars at night. Let me remember all this plight. Let me love them anyway. Let me forgive all they didn't pray. I will fill the stars with my love. I will find a hall, god's delightful call. I will feel my heart again. Let us look into the wind.
Hear my call. My savior (relative in the wind) come hold my hand. Relative (swelling heart) hold my hand, I will understand. Give all (tears a river does flow, breathing out, a wind, a gush a know) the tears of God inside, they drop like rivers, stars above.
Hear my name, when the wind, comes near you. feel my heart in the sacred blue. And when I look up in the stars at night (tears rolling down, rolling ,journey over the hills-cheeks we do flow, I sniff, the bridge-nose knows, remembering the trails of tears behind over waves of light to the other side-realm, now we are in heaven) my heart is longing to feel just right.
I look up at you ♥ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪ (space time) ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ stars in the blue ♥ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪ (space time) ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ I know you are out there too!
(silently) ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ Tears a water fall, my heart feels, I'm about to fall, but you catch me. You are there to help me be set free. I'm on a path to heaven's road, to begin again, with my soul. I will unite in thee. I will bring liberty.
Wiping the tears away, I am relieved!
End beating the Sacred Holy Drum, Holiness David Running Eagle Shooting Star.
Interpretation:
Blessed as a thorn, day 6 (Indigo, Sentry): Life is always full of surprises, sometimes up and sometimes down, but it's a journey, we do explore. We begin to bless the world, to join the crystalline stone river. This is done with fire and water blessings, daily to wash your holy temple. Now reflect upon your soul, the arrow, will help you grow, realize heaven's road. The perfect blessing, crystalline form, protection is known, the warrior is home.
Mountain horn, day 7 (Violet, Outside Gatekeeper): When we are able to speak our voice, pierce the hearts of others with love, and purify the path towards the light and the dark of the growing tree of life, within self and relatives. The voice of Oneness does grow (produce pressure), the strength of a mustard seed, blossoms dreams. Stand upright like a mountain, do good in scriptural ways, the magic of elixirs, just transcends today.
Eagle born, day 8 (Lavender, Garden Gate): This is the path of unity between the soul (song) and the flesh (dance), heaven and earth, macrocosm (big) and microcosm (small) pools of reflection, relative and perspective. This is one who unites, dances fire of joy upon the heart. Love overfloweth, rivers galore, walking into the garden of paradise. Protection is already known. Transcendence come grown. I am the perfect lamb, I belong to you, I unite with love. I am holy and true, I will look after you. "Sacred Gate into Paradise, purifying devotion, a flame cleanses you"
I have flown, day 9 (Magenta, Inside Gatekeeper): Here the breath of life, offers rolling hills, where the sun sets into the arms of heaven and gives birth to the rising sun over the horizon each morning. We dance and sing, we play with all the things. We know joy in our step, in little ways. Our heart feels light, a butterflies flight, with each swell, wave after wave, I do breathe. We protect the world around us, prepare others for battle (uniting separation), but always attentive to the heart, especially, when we gift our part. We listen to your problems, we dance and sing together, we feel the rushing winds, the lights over flow, serve to bow, seek knowledge, ask and know.
The 12 Lost Tribes (Jacob), representing the rainbow clan by the way, have the perspective from the eastern shore, descending from light, to heaven below. There the cradle of consciousness holds us closer to the world, where our heart and soul thrives. With the final blowing of the Shofar, The Jewish High Holy Days draw to a close and the focus of the Jewish community shifts from the solemnness of Yom Kippur to the jubilant celebration of the festival of Sukkot (vision of the heart). If one drew a circle and divided it in half, with a horizon across. Light above and dark below. On the left, where the horizon greets the edges, we hold the position to the eastern shore. Now this seems backwards, and it is, because we live in a world of reflection.
I was looking at the Hebrew language, as a crystal person, and wondering why I couldn't read it. Then I took a mirror to it, and placed the book upside down. It was upside down and backwards. You still read right to left, but also bottom to top. The Aramaic language is rather been translated over time (images to more like characters), much like Chinese. The more ancient the language is, the more easily, I can read and translate. This is because I can read the star language. And all of the songs we sing are the star language (song above, from your heart or someone). Remember we are all, rainbow clan members, holding the perspective of the same one circle (pie), but we just stand at different points of reference to the center of the path of godly law and love, down the crystalline river, the blessed eventually. Because heaven is the blue road, where heaven is in charge of the law, and it's love. It will be purified, that's the way.
On the eastern shore, descending, we enter heaven's darkness. Here the Mother of Darkness, in which we call her the Great Spirit Mother leads us towards the path of the heart. She never and I mean never turns away to serve her children. She is perfect love. But this is her contribution in the Oneness of God. We all have our purpose. She too has hers. Just as Great Spirit Father has led us and is still leading us into the next millennium (a few more years). We welcome home the Father Nation, the 12 Lost Tribes, to come home, to walk into Great Mother's arm, into heaven. We cleanse our hearts, to greet her love. With pure devotion, we serve her as warriors, who pray, protect and do battle (laws of love), to create a world of harmony, ecstasy and bliss, for her children in paradise.
Someday over the rainbow, dreams come true. Hold on to the pure and devoted, there our hearts will bloom. Protect in prayers each day, bring harmony away. Fight battles to unite all hearts, instead of who's right. The days, will spring wells of love, when we forgive all who try to help out. When we give a royal blue. When we (can) care about you. And it's our hearts, that bloom in spring. We are here, to be every thing, but it's a room outside, where we look at the stars at night. Travelers you and me, over the rolling seas. We find waves of delight, to move mountains of plight. Hear all I (have to) say to you, God gave you that's the truth. Now take your hands, make mountains out of Man! Create rainbows in everyone. They are your relatives and your suns. We are a part of them. We belong to the wind. And in the darkness, of you and me, we enter heaven's heart literally.
Bring in sunshine today! Bring in your heart this day! Hear Holiness come over you, the beat inside that is true, the place you feel in your heart. How glorious is it to do your part. You are greatness, like stars in a sea, above the holy sacred trees, the stars that shine, give me all and make me blind (you are so bright, healing all plight with your love). You are my devoted treasures above, and I will learn to walk like this below, to bring in destiny. to welcome home man, to woman, can you please. It's where Father's light, the sun, does rise, but needs set in each and every night, into a woman's arms. To hold you full of charms (beat my heart, three times). And my love it feels so full. I am embraced, with love, that is real. She comforts me, like heaven's breeze. I am full of delightful waves. I get lost in her comforting rays. She is delightful heart, that gives, without any thought. And my soul it's feeling complete, I have returned home to the deep. The oceans of time. The blew (blue), of my mind.Now, I come home. Walking towards you. I remember, my soul does too. Creating rainbows, bringing sunshine. That's how, I can be too/two. United soldiers, walking home. Bring love on the phone, spirit talking prayer to me. I hold up the keys (to open the doors into heaven, the song). God feel good in me.
Wake up wonder, Heal like thunder, think I'm in love with the world. Where do I start, where do I leap. Where is my faith to believe? I am a soul, with feeling inside, the darkness realize, and heaven surprise. I am greatness, oh suns do they shine, glory of man, returning home to stand. Warrior(s) returning home to band (Mother says, Warrior you go home!). There she stands waiting at the doorway. There she holds open the gate. There my heart breaks, if I must leave her, but now it's heaven's wake. I am to return to her love again. I travel over the winds. I pray to god for her love. Great Spirit Mother you give us up. (tears swell). And we are grateful for what you did, holding down the fort (woman, the last phase of evolution we depart), while we fought in the wind. Now we come home to you. Now we come home from the blue. Heaven come home straight to you, in your welcoming arms (tears do flow). And it's time for us again, to live with heaven on earth, no more sin. We just share our hearts. We just do our parts. We gain, a new realm, within.
Rainbow do shine, over across the hearts of yours and mine. We have united at last. Even though we struggled with our past. We come home to heaven's roost, the four directions keep us safe, in this noose (circle of life, relatives of plight), but we are home at last, to find a way to blast (purify). Now, it's time to pray, almost everyday. Grateful are we, because we plant the tree. The blossoms do grow, sprout out and drop below, and seeds begin again, to live the cycle of the wind. Bless with smoke, the fire, will reign, purify, all God's children again, we are headed for company, heaven' reigns down on me. And I will be ready in my heart. I will be ready, to impart. Can I find liberty, within this chaos breeze? But if I pray and bless with fire, when Mother knows, all my mires. She will welcome me, but I must bless to be free (literally). I will purify my soul of shame. I will be bond to love again. I will be grateful for this view, Woman, who loves, me, Mother to me and you.
Heaven come home to me! Stars find me in liberty. I pray God set me free. I long to feel harmony. I walk and talk for you, I unite with a modified view. My soul is united to, the flesh of man, with a sacred view. I come home, I bless the stars. I come home, I bless the stars, I come home, I bless to you. I come home, the sacred and treu (relative freedom style).
Sung by White Buffalo Calf Woman and end Sacred Drum by Holiness David Running Eagle Shooting Star.
The Temple in Jerusalem is considered a Holy Temple (Hebrew: בית המקדש, Bet HaMikdash ; "The Holy House", refers to a series of structures located on the Temple Mount Hebrew: הַר הַבַּיִת, Har haBáyit), also called the Noble Sanctuary (Arabic: الحرم القدسي الشريف, al-haram al-qudsī ash-sharīf).
"May He who causes His name to dwell [shochan, the divine presence] in this House, cause to dwell among you love and brotherliness, peace and friendship" who flock together with thy "neighbor", the seeker of divine wisdom. Thus relatives on the Tree of Life, the Oneness of us all, bring us to the golden path, where dreams come true and are shared in song. This is the house of the divine inner presence of the radiant soul. Here lies the "Shekhinah" (divine presence, of the eternal soul), the royalty of the blue, the "royal residence" of Noble Sanctuary, the Holy Temple of God (buffalo home). You are the image of perfection, the universe of one and part of the universe of oneness (related in space and time). We are the microcosm and macrocosm of the inter-relativeness of all creatures large and small. We journey with relatives, in the sacred blue. And only with divine presence, can we have faith, to know joy, to rejoice. We then can gather and be kingly too. Invite neighbors and share the truth of your dreams today, what you are going to do and how you are going to pray!
During this song, I felt like it would not end with melody, it seemed always to carry an abrupt ending. It felt like falling off a cliff. When we walk in the darkness, we must trust not our eyes, but our hearts. Have faith children of God, pray and bless and you will be protected all the way. Know joy in your heart, yee not toil, but rejoice. This is representative of Shabbat coming from the Hebrew verb shavat, which literally means "to cease." On the seventh day, you shall rest and you shall gather and know joy. Although Shabbat or Sabbath is universally translated as a "period of rest." To reflect upon, the pools of living waters! A more literal translation would be "ceasing", with the implication of "ceasing from work", just like our song above felt. Know joy in your heart, yee not toil, but rejoice. Holiness is known, when the divine presence is living, flowing and blossoming forth, like fountains of joy, over floweth within. This is the roaring sounds of winds that blow or the gentle breeze of rustling leaves, relatives on the tree of life. When we flock together and dwell in the Holy Temple, our soul knows, sanctuary. We share with the stars, to remember, we are together on this journey of life, on the crystalline stone river, the tears that flow and know. The divine presence is upon us , with the darkness of our perfect eternal heavenly soul. The unity of the heavenly soul, the blue road (heavenly dark), cross the red (earthly light, holy temple, in four sacred directions in rainbow colors, often referred to as the buffalo home), and my body is read (perfect book of life, pure in heart), my love is flowing pools of blood (hard work, endure for love, suffering for the ones I love, the relatives of the rainbow clan), rivers of spiritual tears I do know! To make holy and enter paradise, one must walk upon this world, with a heart of gold, singing with rejoice of the heavenly soul).
Again in Song White Buffalo Calf Woman Sings,"The unity of the heavenly soul, the blue road, cross the red and my body is read (book of life is known), my love is flowing pools of blood, rivers of spiritual tears I do know!"
I enter Shabbat (holy day), to rest my soul, to bring reflection of inner light, a mountain, I do stand, ready to command! My soul from heaven watches over the land (holy tabernacle, the footstool, the day of rest and rejoice of the returning soul), the rainbow colors rest be still. Listen to the wind, let prayer allow God's will in. Let me receive my soul's desire, to serve all the while. I will share my joy. I will know golden toil (joy). And after six days of creation in me, the sacred blessings, the star of David relieves, we house the perfect form, the crystalline norm. Prayers, build a house that is strong, to stand up, to the seventh house (the voice of god), the winds of time, the tears do chime (bell of freedom). The voice of God is raised up high, to bring in stories, that need a chide, sow we assemble our love, we commune like doves. We reflect all we do and say, reverberation all the way, as we unify our hearts, we build castles in the sky. Temporary means eternally, in a circle among the leaves, our relatives of stairs, the house of Jacob, knows where! Let us shine our inner light, cease laborious, no toil at all, but live in joy. Divine presence of heaven, the soul. A river of gold, of brotherly love. A crystalline shore, a living rainbow, where all we do, is real and knew, the place, our soul does reside, the living waters of heaven survives. Know joy in your heart, yee not toil, but rejoice for it's God's will.
Sung by White buffalo calf woman, your Twin Deer Mother, elder crystal person!
The purpose of the temporary dwelling, reminding us we are a traveler. The Jews, escaping Egypt and wandering the desert for forty years, living in tents as wanderers in temporary dwellings. 40 years is representative of a complete four sides of our rainbow colors, your sacred four directions, and the wind of eternal life (zero) representing the stream of all life, the crystalline river of heaven that binds us all together eternally. We talk the blue road, the song of heaven. We look into the stars, to remember the returning journey home. The 12 Lost tribes share with you, the journey of life, we all have used. Because we all carry four sacred directions of rainbow colors, we are called the sun or a dance, when the sun goes down at night, at the horizon a rainbow of colors appear. We enter the darkness of heaven. This is why all celebration begin when we enter darkness, each day starts here for the Lost tribes. This is to show us the way home from the light of man, to the darkness of our heaven. This is our soul, beginning to unite and realize, acquire eternal wisdom, with prayer when we know how to move in the winds of heaven. The laws of love always dictates how we are to journey. We are grateful of our body, in the physical world of light, when we come home to the eternal soul, the darkness, where our hearts leap with joy.
The whole purpose of the festival of Sukkot is to look up into the stars return home to your heavenly soul and become a moral, productive, happy, united clan of rainbow colors. We are then ready to have the "Eighth Day of Assembly" (Shemini Atzeret), which follows immediately after to help us enter realization, that we can be heaven on earth, and it's through holiness, and the purification of prayers and blessings, receiving the divine presence of your soul, allows you to walk into the loving arms and embrace of paradise. You walk into the garden where flowers are in bloom, and love springs up and wells of delight, fill our thirst within. We begin to understand, wealth, knowledge and destiny of the royal blue path. Dreams of these treasures, welcome us home to the third phase of evolution.
I give you a Dime, understand call home! Embrace of the sky, let me hear your song, send a prayer in the wind and it's eternally round, the spiraling sound, the circle of life grows, flourishes with laws of love, a perfect world, heaven on earth is known. Welcome to the third yellow rolling hill in time, the dawning, where Holy and Sacred will be our Home!
your devoted servants,
White Buffalo Calf Woman and Holiness David Running Eagle Shooting Star.
houseofthebeloved.blogspot.com
- The Sukkah is the temporary dwellings of the rainbow colors, the physical light that shines, where rivers of bounty flow, eternally knows/nose (bridge between realms).
- Nisuch HaMayim נסוך המים literally "pouring of the water" or Water Libation Ceremony, the sacred blessing of the unity with the Suns!
- V'ahavta: Assert the oneness of God's kingship. Command: To love God with all one's heart, soul and might and to remember and teach these very important words to the children throughout the day. Obey these commands will lead to rewards. To ensure fulfillment God also commands wearing the tzitzit, "that ye may remember and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God. Follow the Blue Road to Heaven, with your heart!"
- Shema means "what is", in Chinese, or what is truth, knowledge, the way of the torah, with Emet or Truth to the end of prayer. "Blessed be the Name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever", was originally a congregational response to the declaration of the Oneness of God; an undertone (lift me up, I stand up, a voice does ring, I am free to know everything).
- Shemini Atzeret שמיני עצרת "the Eighth day of Assembly is celebrated on the 22nd day of tishri, to build heaven on earth, theunited fields. Golden rays of brotherhood, with sisterhood in song.
- The Temple Mount acts as the figurative "footstool" of God's presence or the hebrew word "shechina" in the physical world."
- Sukkot, the nine-day Festival of Booths, concludes with a special two-day holiday. The first of these days is known as Shemini Atzeret, meaning "the eighth day of assembly" (day of holiness, sacred unity), and the final day is Simchat Torah, meaning "the joy of Torah" (to seek wisdom, living rivers of gold).
2 Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus (Yeshua, a christal person) stood and cried saying, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink."
This is the seeker, who knocks on the door, for the christal (crystal) person is heaven's mirror to your soul, who better knows (than your twin soul/heart). Come bring your thirst for knowledge to flow, restoring all within always to grow. Come sit have a drink with me. Let us share brotherly love, the golden cup, we dare to sea.
Forever free!
John 7
38 "He that believeth on me", as the scripture hath said, "out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."
I am the tears that reign/rain, along the blue road again. I travel to and fro, over oceans of more/moor. I remember my heart, the heavenly path of the soul, I always start and complete my life. Forever, I gift my strife.
My spirit flies!
Article written and sung by White Buffalo Calf Woman, elder crystal person. Articles below contains works of other authors, which contribute to this article. I have made occasional references below, and have collaborated to support your understanding of heaven's home, the blue road, the winds that blow.There maybe a bit of repetition, but hopefully not too much. I give praise to my relatives and bless their holy temple nine sacred directions. Thank you for the love of God, our return home to the heart "Sukkot, day 6 blessed as a thorn, day 7 mountain horn, day 8 eagle born, day 9 I have flown".
Sukkot will occur on the following days of the Gregorian calendar:
* Jewish Year 5771: sunset September 22, 2010 - nightfall September 29, 2010
* Jewish Year 5772: sunset October 12, 2011 - nightfall October 19, 2011
* Jewish Year 5773: sunset September 30, 2012 - nightfall October 7, 2012
* Jewish Year 5774: sunset September 18, 2013 - nightfall September 25, 2013
During Sukkot, a Jewish celebration, for four winds (40), the direction of wandering and freedom, the Hadass or the boughs from the Mrytle tree (relatives on the tree of life) are used to create temporary shelter for the night, to glean and gather some stones, the last remnants gazing at the stars. The North gate looks out to the fruitful land of Ephraim, which means doubly fruitful (Jew and Gentile, Earthly and Heavenly, Soul and Flesh, in other words, united with the Blue, the road to heaven, relatives to me and you, all leaves on the Oneness Tree of Life). This Sun's view point represent the North-Eastern perspective of the Oneness, where the light is at it's fullest, the Sun does shine, without, or upon light of Earth (reflection and shadow). This place, begins to rise, like a star in heaven, to twinkle in the night sky. Here in the darkness, Heaven emerges within. We call this the Bear (Star) that Shines, the united four directions (white or star person, or united four direction).
And while on route, our journey of life (deer), we build a home for a night, to look into to the sky, our heavens. This journey is celebrated, in our hearts, each year in commemoration, to honor memory of the yearly pilgrimage, to become the wind. This journey offers us unity with heaven. We join not only in spirit, but in flesh. Here the blue road (soul, dark), has crossed the red road (flesh, light), where dreams come true (yellow), to shine like a star in heaven (white). Our return and journey home (temporary shelter), reminds us, how grateful we are, to experience the "Greatness of our Lives". And as the sun rises, morning prayers lift us up, to shine again, until we return to our heaven once more! Traveling the circle of the eternal winds, do blow...(excerpt from alightfromwithin.org http://sacredsongblessings.blogspot.com/2010/09/esta-shares-dance-of-fair-festival-of.html)
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Title: Sukkot, Type: Oil, Dimensions:
Width/Height (in inches) 60/48, Year: 2004 |
This painting fuses images and words from the Sukkoth Torah reading and two competing Sukkoth apocalyptic Haftorah readings from Zecharia and Ezekiel. According to both Zechariah and Ezekiel in the end of days (Acharit Hayamim), the apocalypse or Armageddon will occur on Sukkoth. According to Zechariah’s vision, Jerusalem will be saved from its attacking enemies who will be converted to Judaism so that on that day “the Lord shall be one and his name one”. All the surviving remnants of all the nations will come to Jerusalem to celebrate Sukkoth. In Ezekiel’s vision the apocalyptic armies of Gog and Magog descend upon Jerusalem, and are then decisively defeated by G-d thus ushering in the messianic age.
The painting portrays Moses (representing all of Israel) with the Ten Commandments (the Torah) being protected from the armies of Gog and Magog, and from the descending apocalyptic rain, fire and brimstone, by the hand of G-d which is formed by the lulav’s myrtle branches. God’s outstretched translucent veiled hand also represents the traditional roof (sechach) of the sukka above Moses’ head. G-d is further portrayed as a lulav with a burning face telling Moses that he is not allowed to see the face of G-d, and live. G-d places Moses in the crack of a rock, allowing Moses to view God’s back, portrayed as the spined stalk of the lulav.
The painting portrays the Gog and Magog soldiers carrying lulavs or sporting Sukka head gear in a very unconventional and disrespectful way, as they are being defeated by G-d’s descending rain, fire and brimstone. The armies consist of Assyrians, Egyptians, German Nazis and other historical enemies of Israel, who in the end of days after their defeat march toward Jerusalem to celebrate Sukkoth. The images of Gog and Magog goose-step marching soldiers have been inspired by the archeologically excavated victory Stele of Naram-Sin (Akkad, 2159-2133 B.C.). Thank you http://www.nahumhalevi.com/sukkot.html Email nmosk @nahumhalevi.com.
A great explanation on the celebration marking the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings, and the beginning of a new cycle. Simchat Torah is a component of the Biblical Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret ("Eighth Day of Assembly"), which follows immediately after the festival of Sukkot in the month of Tishrei (mid-September to early October on the Gregorian calendar).
The Four Species (Hebrew: ארבעת המינים, Arba'at Ha-Minim, also called Arba Minim) are three types of branches and one type of fruit which are held together and waved in a special ceremony during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. The waving of the Four Species is a mitzvah prescribed by the Torah, and contains symbolic allusions to a Jew's service of God.
The Four Species are:
* Lulav (לולב) – a ripe, green, closed frond from a date palm tree
* Hadass (הדס) – boughs with leaves from the myrtle tree
* Aravah (ערבה) – branches with leaves from the willow tree
* Etrog (אתרוג) – the fruit of a citron tree
Practice
The mitzvah of waving the Four Species derives from the Torah. In Leviticus, it states: “And you shall take for yourselves on the first day [of Sukkot], the fruit of the beautiful [citron] tree, tightly bound branches of date palms, the branch of the braided [myrtle] tree, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days.”[1] During the time of the Temple in Jerusalem, the waving ceremony (called na'anu'im – נענועים) was performed in the Holy Temple on all seven days of Sukkot, and elsewhere only on the first day. Following the destruction of the Temple, Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai ordered that the Four Species be waved everywhere on every day of Sukkot (except on Shabbat), as a memorial to the Temple.
To prepare the species for the mitzvah, the lulav is first bound together with the hadass and aravah (this bundle is also referred to as "the lulav") in the following manner: One lulav is placed in the center, two aravah branches are placed to the left, and three hadass boughs are placed to the right. (This order is the same for both right-handed and left-handed people.[2]) The bundle may be bound with strips from another palm frond, or be placed in a special holder which is also woven from palm fronds.
Sephardic Jews place one aravah to the right of the lulav and the second aravah to its left, and cover them with the three hadass boughs—one on the right, the second on the left, and the third atop the lulav's spine, leaning slightly to the right. The bundle is held together with rings made from strips of palm fronds. Many Hasidic Ashkenazi Jews follow this practice as well.
In all cases, all of the species must be placed in the direction in which they grew. (For the etrog, this means that the stem end should be on the bottom and the blossom end on top; this is the direction in which the etrog begins to grow, though as it matures on the tree it usually hangs in the opposite direction.)
Reciting the blessing The waving the Four Species during Hallele Four Species during Hallel
To recite the blessing over the lulav and etrog, the lulav is held in one hand and the etrog in the other. Right-handed users hold the lulav in the right hand and the etrog in the left. The customs for those who are left-handed differ for Ashkenazim and Sephardim. According to the Ashkenazi custom, the lulav is held in the left hand, and according to the Sephardi custom, in the right hand.[3]
According to Sephardi custom, the blessing is said while holding only the lulav and the etrog is picked up once the blessing is completed. According to Ashkenazi custom, before the blessing is said, the etrog is turned upside-down, opposite the direction in which it grows. The reason for these two customs is that the blessing must precede the performance of the mitzvah. Should all the species be held in the direction in which they grew, the mitzvah would be fulfilled before the blessing is recited.
After reciting the blessing, "Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to take the lulav" (the "Shehecheyanu" blessing is also recited the first time each year that one waves the lulav and etrog), the etrog is turned right side up (or picked up), and the user brings his or her two hands together so that the etrog touches the lulav bundle. The Four Species are then pointed and gently shaken three times toward each of the four directions, plus up and down, to attest to God's mastery over all of creation.
The waving ceremony can be performed in the synagogue, or in the privacy of one's home or sukkah, as long as it is daytime. Women and girls may also choose to perform the mitzvah of waving the lulav and etrog, although they are not required by Halakha to do so. Because women are not required to perform this mitzva, some are of the opinion that Sephardi women do not need to recite the blessing. [1]
The waving is performed again (though without the attendant blessings) during morning prayer services in the synagogue, at several points during the recital of Hallel.
Additionally, in the synagogue, Hallel is followed by a further ceremony, in which the worshippers join in a processional around the sanctuary with their Four Species, while reciting special supplications (called hoshaanot, from the refrain hosha na, "save us"). From the first through the sixth day of Sukkot, one complete circuit is made; on Hoshanah Rabbah, the seventh and last day of Sukkot, seven complete circuits are made. As the Four Species are not used on Shabbat, there are variant customs as to whether hoshaanot are said and a circuit made on that day.
Selecting the Four Species: While all mitzvot should be performed in the best manner possible, hiddur mitzvah (beautifying the mitzvah) especially applies to the Four Species. The halacha is explicit on what constitutes the "best" in each species.[4] To that end, people will spend large amounts of money to acquire the most perfect etrog, the straightest lulav, and the freshest hadass and aravah. Usually a father will buy several sets of the Four Species to outfit his sons, as well. Another custom for hiddur mitzvah is to, depending on your custom of wrapping lulav and esrog, is to have more than two aravos and three haddasim. Some people have the custom to have as many as 40 extra haddassim and aravos.
Hiddur mitzvah applies to all mitzvot, but its absence does not impede the mitzvah from being performed. For the Four Species specifically, there is a further "technical" requirement of hadar (beauty), which does impede the mitzvah of the Four Species from being performed. Despite their similar names and details, these two requirements are distinct from one another. [2]
Symbolism: Several explanations are offered as to why these particular species were chosen for the mitzvah. The Midrash[5] notes that the binding of the Four Species symbolizes our desire to unite the four "types" of Jews in service of God. An allusion is made to whether or not the species (or their fruits) have taste and/or smell, which correspond to Torah and good deeds. The symbolism is as follows:
* The lulav has taste but no smell, symbolizing those who study Torah but do not possess good deeds.
* The hadass has a good smell but no taste, symbolizing those who possess good deeds but do not study Torah.
* The aravah has neither taste nor smell, symbolizing those who lack both Torah and good deeds.
* The etrog has both a good taste and a good smell, symbolizing those who have both Torah and good deeds.
A second explanation[6] finds the four species alluding to parts of the human body. Each of the species or its leaves is similar in shape to the following organs:
* Lulav – the spine
* Hadass – the eye
* Aravah – the mouth
* Etrog – the heart
By binding them together for a mitzvah, the Jew shows his desire to consecrate his entire being to service of God.
An additional reason for waving the Four Species in all directions alludes to the fact that all these species require much water to grow. The lulav (date palm) grows in watered valleys, hadass and aravah grow near water sources, and the etrog requires more water than other fruit trees. By taking these particular species and waving them in all directions, the Jew symbolically voices a prayer for abundant rainfall for all the vegetation of the earth in the coming year.
Other interpretations: The mitzvah is derived from the Book of Leviticus: "And you shall take for yourself on the first day the fruit of goodly (meaning of Hebrew uncertain, but modern Hebrew "citrus") trees, branches of palm trees, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook" (Lev. 23:40). The use to which these species are to be put is not indicated; this gave rise to divergent interpretations at a later time. Two breakaway sects, the Sadducees and the Karaites, maintained that they were meant for building the sukkah, as would appear from Neh. 8:14-18, while their opponents contended that they were to be carried in the synagogue procession. http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Four+Species
The Children of Israel, Bani Israil (بني اسرائيل) in Arabic or B'nei Yisrael (בני ישראל) in Hebrew B'nai Yisrael, B'nei Yisroel or Bene Israel) is a Biblical term for the Israelites. It is also an alternate way of referring to the people known as Hebrews or Jews. In the Torah, the literal children of Israel are the twelve sons of Jacob (also named Israel). The Children of Israel are also known as the Twelve Tribes. (also The phrase "Children of Israel" (or "Sons of Israel") refers to the offspring of the Biblical patriarch Jacob, who was renamed "Israel" after he triumphed in a wrestling match with a mysterious adversary. The name "Israel" in English means "Struggles with God". Jacob's twelve sons were the progenitors of the biblical Twelve Tribes of Israel. The Torah refers to them alternatively as the "children of Jacob" and the "children of Israel." After their descendants multiplied during their exile in ancient Egypt, the Bible continues to refer to them as the "Children of Israel."
Sukkot and Simchat Torah
A great explanation on the celebration marking the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings, and the beginning of a new cycle. Simchat Torah is a component of the Biblical Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret ("Eighth Day of Assembly"), which follows immediately after the festival of Sukkot in the month of Tishrei (mid-September to early October on the Gregorian calendar).
The Final Days of Sukkot:
Shemini Atzeret & Simchat Torah
Shemini Atzeret 2010: Wednesday September 29
Simchat Torah 2010: Thursday September 30
Simchat Torah 2010: Thursday September 30
Sukkot, the nine-day Festival of Booths, concludes with a special two-day holiday. The first of these days is known as Shemini Atzeret, meaning "the eighth day of assembly", and the final day is Simchat Torah, meaning "the joy of Torah". This joyful time has a number of special traditions associated with it, including:
Tefilat HaGeshem
Sukkot marks the conclusion of the harvest in Israel, and Shemini Atzeret welcomes in the beginning of the rainy season. In synagogue, a special prayer for rain, known as Tefilat Geshem, is recited.
Hakafot
In synagogue, Jews consecutively read aloud a portion of the Torah (Five Books of Moses) every week, reading the entire holy book each year. On Simchat Torah, the final passage of the Torah is read, immediately followed by the first passage, creating an unbroken cycle of Torah. To celebrate this auspicious and joyful occasion, worshippers participate in processions known as Hakafot. During these hakafot, people joyfully dance and sing while carrying the Torah scrolls.
Aliyot
An aliyah is a special honor in which members of the synagogue are called up to bless the Torah before it is reading. Typically there are seven aliyot during the reading of the Torah portion; on Simchat Torah, however, synagogues will repeat the readings over and over again, giving as many people as possible the opportunity to be honored by reciting these blessings.
Sitting in the Sukkah
Throughout the week, Jews traditionally eat their meals in the sukkah. Some even sleep there! During the final days of Sukkot, one is not obligated to eat in the sukkah. If one does eat in the sukkah on Shemenei Atzeret, he or she is not required to say the traditional blessing over sitting the sukkah.
Shemini Atzeret & Simchat Torah in Israel
In the Diaspora, Jews celebrate two separate, but attached days at the end of the Sukkot holiday: Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. In Israel, however, there is only a one-day holiday at the end of Sukkot, and the traditions of both Simchat Torah and Shemini Atzeret are combined into this day. Thank you http://www.holidays.net/sukkot/simchat_torah.htm
The Four Species (Hebrew: ארבעת המינים, Arba'at Ha-Minim, also called Arba Minim) are three types of branches and one type of fruit which are held together and waved in a special ceremony during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. The waving of the Four Species is a mitzvah prescribed by the Torah, and contains symbolic allusions to a Jew's service of God.The Four Species are:
* Lulav (לולב) – a ripe, green, closed frond from a date palm tree
* Hadass (הדס) – boughs with leaves from the myrtle tree
* Aravah (ערבה) – branches with leaves from the willow tree
* Etrog (אתרוג) – the fruit of a citron tree
Practice
The mitzvah of waving the Four Species derives from the Torah. In Leviticus, it states: “And you shall take for yourselves on the first day [of Sukkot], the fruit of the beautiful [citron] tree, tightly bound branches of date palms, the branch of the braided [myrtle] tree, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days.”[1] During the time of the Temple in Jerusalem, the waving ceremony (called na'anu'im – נענועים) was performed in the Holy Temple on all seven days of Sukkot, and elsewhere only on the first day. Following the destruction of the Temple, Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai ordered that the Four Species be waved everywhere on every day of Sukkot (except on Shabbat), as a memorial to the Temple.
To prepare the species for the mitzvah, the lulav is first bound together with the hadass and aravah (this bundle is also referred to as "the lulav") in the following manner: One lulav is placed in the center, two aravah branches are placed to the left, and three hadass boughs are placed to the right. (This order is the same for both right-handed and left-handed people.[2]) The bundle may be bound with strips from another palm frond, or be placed in a special holder which is also woven from palm fronds.
Sephardic Jews place one aravah to the right of the lulav and the second aravah to its left, and cover them with the three hadass boughs—one on the right, the second on the left, and the third atop the lulav's spine, leaning slightly to the right. The bundle is held together with rings made from strips of palm fronds. Many Hasidic Ashkenazi Jews follow this practice as well.
In all cases, all of the species must be placed in the direction in which they grew. (For the etrog, this means that the stem end should be on the bottom and the blossom end on top; this is the direction in which the etrog begins to grow, though as it matures on the tree it usually hangs in the opposite direction.)
Reciting the blessing The waving the Four Species during Hallele Four Species during HallelTo recite the blessing over the lulav and etrog, the lulav is held in one hand and the etrog in the other. Right-handed users hold the lulav in the right hand and the etrog in the left. The customs for those who are left-handed differ for Ashkenazim and Sephardim. According to the Ashkenazi custom, the lulav is held in the left hand, and according to the Sephardi custom, in the right hand.[3]
According to Sephardi custom, the blessing is said while holding only the lulav and the etrog is picked up once the blessing is completed. According to Ashkenazi custom, before the blessing is said, the etrog is turned upside-down, opposite the direction in which it grows. The reason for these two customs is that the blessing must precede the performance of the mitzvah. Should all the species be held in the direction in which they grew, the mitzvah would be fulfilled before the blessing is recited.
After reciting the blessing, "Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to take the lulav" (the "Shehecheyanu" blessing is also recited the first time each year that one waves the lulav and etrog), the etrog is turned right side up (or picked up), and the user brings his or her two hands together so that the etrog touches the lulav bundle. The Four Species are then pointed and gently shaken three times toward each of the four directions, plus up and down, to attest to God's mastery over all of creation.
The waving ceremony can be performed in the synagogue, or in the privacy of one's home or sukkah, as long as it is daytime. Women and girls may also choose to perform the mitzvah of waving the lulav and etrog, although they are not required by Halakha to do so. Because women are not required to perform this mitzva, some are of the opinion that Sephardi women do not need to recite the blessing. [1]
The waving is performed again (though without the attendant blessings) during morning prayer services in the synagogue, at several points during the recital of Hallel.
Additionally, in the synagogue, Hallel is followed by a further ceremony, in which the worshippers join in a processional around the sanctuary with their Four Species, while reciting special supplications (called hoshaanot, from the refrain hosha na, "save us"). From the first through the sixth day of Sukkot, one complete circuit is made; on Hoshanah Rabbah, the seventh and last day of Sukkot, seven complete circuits are made. As the Four Species are not used on Shabbat, there are variant customs as to whether hoshaanot are said and a circuit made on that day.
Selecting the Four Species: While all mitzvot should be performed in the best manner possible, hiddur mitzvah (beautifying the mitzvah) especially applies to the Four Species. The halacha is explicit on what constitutes the "best" in each species.[4] To that end, people will spend large amounts of money to acquire the most perfect etrog, the straightest lulav, and the freshest hadass and aravah. Usually a father will buy several sets of the Four Species to outfit his sons, as well. Another custom for hiddur mitzvah is to, depending on your custom of wrapping lulav and esrog, is to have more than two aravos and three haddasim. Some people have the custom to have as many as 40 extra haddassim and aravos.
Hiddur mitzvah applies to all mitzvot, but its absence does not impede the mitzvah from being performed. For the Four Species specifically, there is a further "technical" requirement of hadar (beauty), which does impede the mitzvah of the Four Species from being performed. Despite their similar names and details, these two requirements are distinct from one another. [2]
Symbolism: Several explanations are offered as to why these particular species were chosen for the mitzvah. The Midrash[5] notes that the binding of the Four Species symbolizes our desire to unite the four "types" of Jews in service of God. An allusion is made to whether or not the species (or their fruits) have taste and/or smell, which correspond to Torah and good deeds. The symbolism is as follows:
* The lulav has taste but no smell, symbolizing those who study Torah but do not possess good deeds.
* The hadass has a good smell but no taste, symbolizing those who possess good deeds but do not study Torah.
* The aravah has neither taste nor smell, symbolizing those who lack both Torah and good deeds.
* The etrog has both a good taste and a good smell, symbolizing those who have both Torah and good deeds.
A second explanation[6] finds the four species alluding to parts of the human body. Each of the species or its leaves is similar in shape to the following organs:
* Lulav – the spine
* Hadass – the eye
* Aravah – the mouth
* Etrog – the heart
By binding them together for a mitzvah, the Jew shows his desire to consecrate his entire being to service of God.
An additional reason for waving the Four Species in all directions alludes to the fact that all these species require much water to grow. The lulav (date palm) grows in watered valleys, hadass and aravah grow near water sources, and the etrog requires more water than other fruit trees. By taking these particular species and waving them in all directions, the Jew symbolically voices a prayer for abundant rainfall for all the vegetation of the earth in the coming year.
Other interpretations: The mitzvah is derived from the Book of Leviticus: "And you shall take for yourself on the first day the fruit of goodly (meaning of Hebrew uncertain, but modern Hebrew "citrus") trees, branches of palm trees, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook" (Lev. 23:40). The use to which these species are to be put is not indicated; this gave rise to divergent interpretations at a later time. Two breakaway sects, the Sadducees and the Karaites, maintained that they were meant for building the sukkah, as would appear from Neh. 8:14-18, while their opponents contended that they were to be carried in the synagogue procession. http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Four+Species
Sukkot
Sukkot (Hebrew: סוכות or סֻכּוֹת, sukkōt ; "booths", also known as Succoth, Sukkos, Feast of Booths or Feast of Tabernacles), is a Biblical pilgrimage festival that occurs in autumn on the 15th day of the month of Tishri (late September to late October). The holiday lasts 7 days. Outside the land of Israel, many people continue to sit in the Sukkah (temporary dwellings, the rainbow colors) on the following day, Shemini Atzeret. In Judaism it is one of the three major holidays known collectively as theShalosh Regalim (three pilgrim festivals), when historically the Jewish populace traveled to the Temple in Jerusalem.
The Three Pilgrimage Festivals, known as the Shalosh Regalim (שלוש רגלים), are three major festivals in Judaism — Pesach (Passover), Shavuot (Pentecost), and Sukkot (Tabernacles) — when the Israelites living in ancient Israel and Judea would make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, as commanded by the Torah. In Jerusalem, they would participate in festivities and ritual worship in conjunction with the services of the kohanim ("priests") at the Temple in Jerusalem.
After the destruction of the Temple, the actual pilgrimage is no longer obligatory upon Jews, and no longer takes place on a national scale. During synagogue services the related passages describing the holiday being observed are read aloud from a Torah scroll on the Bimah (platform) used at the center of the synagogue services. During the Jewish holidays in modern-day Israel, many Jews living in or near Jerusalem make an effort to attend prayer services at the Western Wall "emulating" the ancient "pilgrimages" in some small fashion.
The sukkah is a temporary structure used for meals throughout the holiday. Its walls can be made from any material, including wood, canvas, plaster or regular walls of glass or metal, but its roof must be of organic material that is detached from the ground. The decor of the interior of the sukkah may range from totally unornamented to lavishly decorated.
The Four Species are waved as follows: The first three species are held in the right hand, while thee trog is held in the left hand. The user holds his or her hands apart while saying the special blessing,"Blessed are You, God our Lord, King of the Universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to take the lulav". Then the user brings his or her hands together so that the etrog touches the lulav bundle, and points and gently shakes the Four Species three times in each of the four directions, as well as up and down. Symbolically, this ceremony is a prayer for adequate rainfall for all the vegetation of the earth in the coming year.
In Orthodox circles, the mitzvah of waving the lulav and etrog is mandatory each day of Sukkot (except Shabbat) for men and boys over the age of bar mitzvah. Although women are not obligated to wave the lulav and etrog, they may do so if they choose, and traditionally, Orthodox women are considered to have taken the obligation upon themselves and perform it as their male counterparts. In Conservative and Reform circles, all Jews over the age of Bar or Bat Mitzvah perform the waving ceremony.
Sukkot laws and customs
Sukkot (Hebrew: סוכות or סֻכּוֹת, sukkōt ; "booths", also known as Succoth, Sukkos, Feast of Booths or Feast of Tabernacles), is a Biblical pilgrimage festival that occurs in autumn on the 15th day of the month of Tishri (late September to late October). The holiday lasts 7 days. Outside the land of Israel, many people continue to sit in the Sukkah (temporary dwellings, the rainbow colors) on the following day, Shemini Atzeret. In Judaism it is one of the three major holidays known collectively as theShalosh Regalim (three pilgrim festivals), when historically the Jewish populace traveled to the Temple in Jerusalem.
The Three Pilgrimage Festivals, known as the Shalosh Regalim (שלוש רגלים), are three major festivals in Judaism — Pesach (Passover), Shavuot (Pentecost), and Sukkot (Tabernacles) — when the Israelites living in ancient Israel and Judea would make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, as commanded by the Torah. In Jerusalem, they would participate in festivities and ritual worship in conjunction with the services of the kohanim ("priests") at the Temple in Jerusalem.
After the destruction of the Temple, the actual pilgrimage is no longer obligatory upon Jews, and no longer takes place on a national scale. During synagogue services the related passages describing the holiday being observed are read aloud from a Torah scroll on the Bimah (platform) used at the center of the synagogue services. During the Jewish holidays in modern-day Israel, many Jews living in or near Jerusalem make an effort to attend prayer services at the Western Wall "emulating" the ancient "pilgrimages" in some small fashion.
The Sukkah
The word Sukkot is derived from the Hebrew word sukkah, meaning booth or hut. During this holiday, Jews are instructed to build a temporary structure in which to eat their meals, entertain guests, relax, and even sleep. The sukkah is reminiscent of the type of huts in which the ancient Israelites dwelt during their 40 years of wandering in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt, and is intended to reflect God's benevolence in providing for all the Jews' needs in the desert.The sukkah is a temporary structure used for meals throughout the holiday. Its walls can be made from any material, including wood, canvas, plaster or regular walls of glass or metal, but its roof must be of organic material that is detached from the ground. The decor of the interior of the sukkah may range from totally unornamented to lavishly decorated.
The Four Species
On each of the seven days of Sukkot, the Torah requires the Jew to take Four Species of plants and to grasp and shake them in a specific manner. These species are: the lulav (date palm frond),hadass (bough of a myrtle tree), aravah (willow branch)— these three are actually bound together and collectively referred to as the lulav—and the etrog (a citron, a lemon-like citrus fruit). These plants are usually sold in religious communities during the days preceding the festival. However, in some Reform communities where these plants are not available locally, other plants such as reeds are substituted for one or more of the four species.The Four Species are waved as follows: The first three species are held in the right hand, while thee trog is held in the left hand. The user holds his or her hands apart while saying the special blessing,"Blessed are You, God our Lord, King of the Universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to take the lulav". Then the user brings his or her hands together so that the etrog touches the lulav bundle, and points and gently shakes the Four Species three times in each of the four directions, as well as up and down. Symbolically, this ceremony is a prayer for adequate rainfall for all the vegetation of the earth in the coming year.In Orthodox circles, the mitzvah of waving the lulav and etrog is mandatory each day of Sukkot (except Shabbat) for men and boys over the age of bar mitzvah. Although women are not obligated to wave the lulav and etrog, they may do so if they choose, and traditionally, Orthodox women are considered to have taken the obligation upon themselves and perform it as their male counterparts. In Conservative and Reform circles, all Jews over the age of Bar or Bat Mitzvah perform the waving ceremony.
Sukkot laws and customs
In modern day Israel (and among Reform Jews), Sukkot is a 7-day holiday, with the first day celebrated as a full festival with special prayer services and holiday meals. Outside the land of Israel, the first two days are celebrated as full festivals. The remaining days are known as Chol HaMoed ("festival weekdays"). The seventh day of Sukkot is called Hoshanah Rabbah and has a special observance of its own.
Prayers
Prayers during Sukkot include the reading of the Torah every day, saying the Mussaf (additional) service during morning prayers, reading the Hallel and adding special supplications into the Amidah and grace after meals. On the first day of Sukkot (the first two days, outside of Israel), the prayer services are extended and similar to those of Shabbat. Hallel (Hebrew: הלל "Praise [God]" is part of Judaism's prayers, a verbatim recitation from Psalms 113-118, which is used for praise and thanksgiving that is recited by observant Jews on Jewish holidays. Hallel consists of six Psalms (113-118), which are said as a unit, on joyous occasions. It is usually chanted aloud as part of Shacharit (the morning prayer service) following the Shacharit's Shemoneh Esreh ("The Eighteen", the main prayer). It is also recited during the evening prayers the first night of Passover.) Psalms • תהילים (Tehilim)'' Psalm 23 • Psalm 51 • Psalm 67 • Psalm 74, Psalm 83 • Psalm 89 • Psalm 91 • Psalm 95,• Psalm 98 • Psalm 100 • Psalm 103,• Psalm 104 • Psalm 109 • Psalms 113-118 Psalm 119 • Psalm 130 • Psalm 137
• Psalm 151 • Psalms 152–155 Complete Psalms 1–150 Muktza
Many of the laws of Muktza that apply on Shabbat also apply on Sukkot, such as the prohibition of engaging in commerce, lighting a fire, and completing an electric circuit. Other Shabbat prohibitions, however, are relaxed. With various differences based on one's religious orientation, one is permitted to cook (so long as the fire is pre-existing), smoke (again, so long as the fire is pre-existing), and carry material things beyond the home or eruv boundaries ("an eruv" frequently refers to this symbolic "fence," (actually "doorframe/s") rather than the eruv itself. However, the term eruv actually refers to the process of sharing ownership within the enclosed domain.)
The relaxed rules derive from the specific tasks and duties that were permitted to be done on Sukkot in the Beit HaMikdash (Holy Temple) that were otherwise forbidden on Shabbat.
Sukkah in Herzliya
The applicable rules of Muktza only apply on the first day of Sukkot for those in Israel, and the first two days outside of Israel. For the remaining five days, known as Chol HaMoed (see below) other rituals are practiced, but Muktza does not apply.
General Concept of Muktza: Muktza is essentially a restriction on objects that were not 'prepared' before the Sabbath. The absence of prepairedness in this sense means that the vast majority of people would not expect to use this particaular item or substance on Shabbat.
Categories: There are four main categories of muktza, each one with different halakhic ramifications:
- Muktza Mahmat Gufo – An object or substance not designed or prepared for any use (sometimes referred to as not having a 'torat keli').
- Keli she'Melakhto le'Isur – An object that is used most of the time for activities prohibited on Shabbat (e.g. a pencil - writing is forbidden on Shabbat).
- Muktza Mahmat Hisaron Kis – An object that is a Keli she'Melakhto le'Isur and that the owner of which is strict not to use it in any other way for fear of potential damage (e.g. a guitar-its use is prohibited on Shabbat and most people would not use it as a stepping stool).
- Basis le-Davar he-Asur – an object on which a muktza object was placed before Shabbat (e.g. a table on which candlesticks were placed before Shabbat).
When the first day or Sukkot falls on Shabbat (or one of the first two days outside of Israel), the greater restrictions of Shabbat take effect. As a practical matter, on Shabbat, the rituals and blessings over the Four Species are not performed.
Chol HaMo'ed
The second through seventh days of Sukkot (third through seventh days outside the land of Israel) are called Chol HaMo'ed (חול המועד - lit. "festival weekdays"). These days are considered by Halakha to be more than regular weekdays but less than festival days. In practice, this means that all activities that are needed for the holiday—such as buying and preparing food, cleaning the house in honor of the holiday, or traveling to visit other people's sukkahs or on family outings—are permitted by Jewish law. Activities that will interfere with relaxation and enjoyment of the holiday—such as laundering, mending clothes, engaging in labor-intensive activities—are not permitted. Observant Jews typically treat Chol HaMo'ed as a vacation period, eating nicer than usual meals in their sukkah, entertaining guests, visiting other families in their sukkahs, and taking family outings.
On the Shabbat which falls during the week of Sukkot (in the event when the first day of Sukkot is on Shabbat, the Book of Ecclesiastes (seasons of time) is read read during morning synagogue services in Israel. (Diaspora communities read it the following Shabbat). This Book's emphasis on the ephemeralness of life ("Vanity of vanities, all is vanity...") echoes the theme of the sukkah, while its emphasis on death reflects the time of year in which Sukkot occurs (the "autumn" of life). The second to last verse reinforces the message that adherence to God and His Torah is the only worthwhile pursuit.
Halakha (Hebrew: הלכה ; alternate transliterations include Halocho and Halacha) is the collective body of Jewish religious law, including biblical law (the 613 mitzvot) and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions. Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life. Hence, Halakha guides not only religious practices and beliefs, but numerous aspects of day-to-day life. Halakha is often translated as "Jewish Law," though a more literal translation might be "the path" or "the way of walking." The word is derived from the Hebrew root that means to go or walk.
Hakhel
In the days of the Temple in Jerusalem, all Jewish men, women, and children on pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the festival would gather in the Temple courtyard on the first day of Chol HaMo'ed Sukkot to hear the Jewish king read selections from the Torah. This ceremony, which was mandated in Deuteronomy 31:10-13, was held every seven years, in the year following the Shmita (Sabbatical) year. This ceremony was discontinued after the destruction of the Temple, but it has been revived by some groups and by the government of Israel on a smaller scale.
Deuteronomy (Greek deuteronomion, Δευτερονόμιον "second law") is the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible and of the Old Testament. In form it is a set of three sermons delivered by Moses reviewing the previous forty years of wandering in the wilderness; its central element is a detailed law-code by which the Children of Israel are to live in the Promised Land.
In theological terms the book constitutes a covenant between Yahweh, the God of Israel, and the "Children of Israel"; this is the culmination of the series of covenants which begins with that between Yahweh and all living things after the Flood (Genesis 9). One of its most significant verses constitutes the shema* ("Hear, O Israel, the Lord (YHWH) is our God, the Lord (YHWH) alone!"), which today serves as the definitive statement of Jewish identity.
The Children of Israel, Bani Israil (بني اسرائيل) in Arabic or B'nei Yisrael (בני ישראל) in Hebrew B'nai Yisrael, B'nei Yisroel or Bene Israel) is a Biblical term for the Israelites. It is also an alternate way of referring to the people known as Hebrews or Jews. In the Torah, the literal children of Israel are the twelve sons of Jacob (also named Israel). The Children of Israel are also known as the Twelve Tribes. (also The phrase "Children of Israel" (or "Sons of Israel") refers to the offspring of the Biblical patriarch Jacob, who was renamed "Israel" after he triumphed in a wrestling match with a mysterious adversary. The name "Israel" in English means "Struggles with God". Jacob's twelve sons were the progenitors of the biblical Twelve Tribes of Israel. The Torah refers to them alternatively as the "children of Jacob" and the "children of Israel." After their descendants multiplied during their exile in ancient Egypt, the Bible continues to refer to them as the "Children of Israel."
*Shema Yisrael (or Sh'ma Yisroel or just Shema) (Hebrew: שמע ישראל; "Hear, [O] Israel") are the first two words of a section of the Torah (Hebrew Bible) that is used as a centerpiece of all morning and evening Jewish prayer services and closely echoes the monotheistic message of Judaism. It is considered the most important prayer in Judaism, and its twice-daily recitation is a mitzvah (religious commandment).
The term "Shema" is used by extension to the whole part of the daily prayers that commences with Shema Yisrael and comprises Deuteronomy 6:4–9, 11:13-21, and Numbers 15:37–41 These are in the weekly Torah portions: Eikev, VaEtchannan, and Shlach respectively.
The term "Shema" is used by extension to the whole part of the daily prayers that commences with Shema Yisrael and comprises Deuteronomy 6:4–9, 11:13-21, and Numbers 15:37–41 These are in the weekly Torah portions: Eikev, VaEtchannan, and Shlach respectively.
History: Originally, the Shema consisted only of one verse: Deuteronomy 6:4 (see Talmud Sukkot 42a and Berachot 13b). The recitation of the Shema in the liturgy, however, consists of three portions: Deuteronomy 6:4–9, 11:13–21, and Numbers 15:37–41. These three portions relate to central issues of Jewish belief.Additionally, the Talmud points out that subtle references to the Ten Commandments can be found in the three portions. As the Ten Commandments were removed from daily prayer in the Mishnaic period, the Shema is seen as an opportunity to commemorate the Ten Commandments.
The Hebrew text of the first two paragraphs of the Shema, as they are written on a mezuzah:
Notice that the two larger-print letters in the first sentence ('ayin ע and daleth ד) spell "עד" which in Hebrew means "witness". The idea thus conveyed is that through the recitation or proclamation of the Shema' one is a living witness testifying to the truth of its message. Modern Kabbalistic schools, namely that of the ARI, teach that when one recites the last letter of the word 'echadh' (אחד), meaning "one", he/she is to 'intend that he is ready to "die into God".
שמע ישראל יהוה אלהינו יהוה אחד
Judaism teaches that the Tetragrammaton (י-ה-ו-ה) is the ineffable name of God, and as such is not read aloud in the Shema but is traditionally replaced with אדני, Adonai ("my Lord"). For this reason, the Shema is recited aloud as:
The literal word meanings are roughly as follows:
Shema (A three part word) — listen, or hear and "act on"
Yisrael — Israel, in the sense of the people or congregation of Israel
Adonai — often translated as "Lord", it is used in place of the Tetragrammaton
Eloheinu — our God, the word "El" or "Elohei" signifying God (see also: Elohim), and the plural possessive determiner suffix "nu" or "einu" signifying "our"
Echad — the Hebrew word for "1" (the number)
In common with many other ancient languages, connective words such as "is", and conventions regarding punctuation, are usually implied rather than stated as they would be in modern English.
The first portion relates to the issue of the kingship of God. The first verse, "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord," has ever been regarded as the confession of belief in the One God. Due to the ambiguities of the Hebrew language there are multiple ways of translating the Shema:
"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God! The LORD is One!" and,
"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God — the LORD alone."
Many commentaries have been written about the subtle differences between the translations. There is an emphasis on the oneness of God and on the sole worship of God by Israel. There are other translations, though most retain one or the other emphases.
V'ahavta
V'ahavta in Hebrew: The following verses, commonly referred to by the first word of the verse immediately following the Shema as the V'ahavta, meaning "And you shall love...", contain the commands to love God with all one's heart, soul, and might; to remember all commandments and "teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit down and when you walk, when you lie down and when you rise" (Deut 6:7); to recite the words of God when retiring or rising; to bind those words "on thy arm and thy head" (interpreted as tefillin), and to inscribe them on the door-posts of your house and on your gates (referring to mezuzah).V'haya im shemoa: The passage following the "Shema" and "V'ahavta" relates to the issue of reward and punishment. It contains the promise of reward for serving God with all one's heart, soul, and might (Deut 11:13) and for the fulfillment of the laws. It also contains punishment for transgression. It also contains a repetition of the contents of the first portion -but this time spoken to the second person plural, (Where as the first portion is directed to the individual Jew, this time it is directed to the whole community, all the Jews).
Vayomer: The third portion relates to the issue of redemption. Specifically, it contains the law concerning the tzitzit as a reminder that all laws of God are obeyed, as a warning against following evil inclinations and in remembrance of the exodus from Egypt. For the prophets and rabbis, the exodus from Egypt is paradigmatic of Jewish faith that God redeems from all forms of foreign domination. It can be found in the portion "Shlach Lecha" in the book of Numbers.
Summary of V'ahavta: In summary, the content flows from the assertion of the oneness of God's kingship. Thus, in the first portion, there is a command to love God with all one's heart, soul and might and to remember and teach these very important words to the children throughout the day. Obeying these commands, says the second portion, will lead to rewards, and disobeying them will lead to punishment. To ensure fulfillment of these key commands, God also commands in the third portion a practical reminder, wearing the tzitzit, "that ye may remember and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God."
The full content verse by verse, in Hebrew, English transliteration and English translation, can be found here.
The second line quoted, "Blessed be the Name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever", was originally a congregational response to the declaration of the Oneness of God; it is therefore often printed in small font and recited in an undertone, as recognition that it is not, itself, a part of the cited Biblical verses. The third section of the Shema formally ends at Numbers 15:41, but in fact traditionally Jews end the recitation of the Shema (Shema means "what is", in Chinese, or what is truth, knowledge, the way of the torah) with the following word from the next verse, Emet, or "Truth", as the end of the prayer.
Recitation and reading: The Hebrew Bible states that "these words" be spoken of "when you lie down, and when you rise up" Deuteronomy 6:7.
The first book of the Talmud, tractate Brachot, opens with a discussion of when exactly the Shema needs to be recited. The Mishna connects the time of recitation with details of the rhythm of the life of the Temple in Jerusalem, saying that the Shema should be recited in the evening when the Kohanim (Jewish priests) who were Tamei (ritually impure) (and had been unable to serve) enter to eat their Terumah (heave offerings). The Gemarrah contains a wide-ranging discussion of exactly when this occurred, with general agreement that it occurred in the evening, either after sunset or after three stars were visible. A similar discussion describes the morning Shema, which can be recited at first light prior to sunrise, as soon as colors can be discerned.
The Shema does not have to be recited in Hebrew. It may be recited in any language the worshipper understands (Berakhot 2:3). However, it is an almost universal custom among observant Jews to recite it in Hebrew.
In Orthodox and Conservative Judaism, the Shema should be recited twice daily, whether or not one is able to attend services with a congregation, wherever one is. Even a requirement of decent surroundings (e.g. not to recite it in the bathroom) can be waived if necessary, as occurred for example at Auschwitz.
The Shema, or as much of the first verse of it as can be said under the circumstances, is traditionally recited by a dying person as part of an affirmation of faith upon death. It is also recited at the end of Ne'illah service on Yom Kippur.
Women and the Shema: In Orthodox Judaism, women are not required to recite the Shema, as with other time-bound requirements which might impinge on their traditional familial obligations, although they are obligated to pray at least once daily without a specific liturgy requirement and many discharge that obligation through prayers like the Shema. Since 2002, Conservative Judaism has regarded Conservative women as generally obligated to recite the Shema at the same times as men. Reform Judaism and Reconstructionist Judaism do not regard gender-related traditional Jewish ritual requirements, including obligations for men but not women to pray specific prayers at specific times, as necessary in modern circumstances; instead, both genders may fulfill all requirements.
According to the Talmud, the reading of the Shema morning and evening fulfils the commandment "You shall meditate therein day and night". As soon as a child begins to speak, his father is directed to teach him the verse "Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob" (Deut. 33:4), and teach him to read the Shema (Talmud, Sukkot 42a). The reciting of the first verse of the Shema is called "the acceptance of the yoke of the kingship of God" (kabalat ol malchut shamayim) (Mishnah Berachot 2:5). Judah ha-Nasi, who spent all day involved with his studies and teaching, said just the first verse of the Shema in the morning (Talmud Berachot 13b) "as he passed his hands over his eyes" which appears to be the origin of the Jewish custom to cover the eyes with the right hand whilst reciting the first verse.
The first verse of the Shema is recited aloud, simultaneously by the hazzan and the congregation, which responds with the rabbinically instituted Baruch Shem ("Blessed be the Name") in silence before continuing the rest of Shema. Only on Yom Kippur is this response said aloud. The remainder of the Shema is read in silence. Sephardim recite the whole of the Shema aloud, except the Baruch Shem. Reform Jews also recite the whole of the Shema aloud, but including the Baruch Shem.
Bedtime Shema: Before going to sleep, the first paragraph of the Shema is recited. This is not only a commandment directly given in the Bible (in Deuteronomy 6:6–7), but is also alluded to from verses such as "Commune with your own heart upon your bed" (Psalms 4:4).
Some also have the custom to read all three paragraphs, along with a whole list of sections from Psalms, Tachanun, and other prayers. altogether this is known as the Kerias Shema She'al Hamita. According to the Arizal, reading this prayer with great concentration is also effective in cleansing one from sin. This is discussed in the Tanya.[1]
Other instances: The exhortation by the Kohen ("priest") in calling Israel to arms against an enemy (which does not apply when the Temple in Jerusalem is not standing) also includes Shema Yisrael. (Deuteronomy 20:3; Talmud Sotah 42a).
Rabbi Akiva patiently endured while his flesh was being torn with iron combs, and died reciting the Shema. He pronounced the last word of the sentence, Echad ("one") with his last breath (Talmud Berachot 61b). Since then, it has been traditional for Jews to say the Shema as their last words.
Arnold Schoenberg used it as part of the story to his narrative orchestral work A Survivor from Warsaw (1947).
Roi Kline, a major in the IDF, said the Shema before jumping on a live grenade, in accordance with the traditional Jewish practice of reciting the Shema when one believes one is going to die.
In Parade (musical) (see [1]) the main character Leo Frank, wrongly accused of the murder of a child worker at the pencil factory he manages, recites the Shema Yisrael as a vigilante gang kidnap and hang him in the final scenes of the work. The musical is based on a true story.
Shema in Christianity: Shema is one of the sentences that are quoted in the New Testament. The Gospel of Mark 12:29 mentions that Jesus considered the Shema the beginning exhortation of the first of his two greatest commandments: "And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, 'Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord'" (KJV). Jesus also refers to the Shema in The Gospel of John 10:30. A group of Jews in the Temple in Jerusalem at the Feast of Dedication, or Hanukkah, asks him if he is Messiah, the anointed one of God. Jesus concludes his response with the words "I and my Father are one" (KJV). This is an allusion to the Shema, which the Jews immediately recognize.
In addition, the apostle Paul reworks the Shema in 1 Corinthians 8:6 vis-à-vis the risen Christ: "yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist."[2]
Simchat Beit HaSho'eivah
In the days of the Temple in Jerusalem, a unique service was performed every morning throughout the Sukkot holiday: the Nisuch HaMayim (נסוך המים—lit. "pouring of the water") or Water Libation Ceremony. According to the Talmud, Sukkot is the time of year in which God judges the world for rainfall; therefore this ceremony, like the taking of the Four Species, invokes God's blessing for rain in its proper time. The water for the libation ceremony was drawn from the Pool of Siloam (Hebrew: Breikhat Hashiloah in the City of David, believed to be the original site of Jerusalem, now outside the walls of the Old City to the southeast. The pool was fed by the waters of the Gihon Spring, which were carried there by two aquaducts - the Middle Bronze Age Channel, a 20ft deep direct cutting that was covered with rock slabs, and dates from the Middle Bronze Age Hezekiah's Tunnel, a curving tunnel within the bedrock, dating from the reign of King Hezekiah ~700BC, is a rock-cut pool on the southern slope of the ~1800BC) and the joy that accompanied this procedure was palpable. (This is the source for the verse in Isaiah: "And you shall draw waters with joy from the wells of salvation" (Isa. 12:3).Afterwards, every night in the outer Temple courtyard, tens of thousands of spectators would gather to watch the Simchat Beit HaSho'eivah (Rejoicing at the Place of the Water-Drawing), as the most pious members of the community danced and sang songs of praise to God. The dancers would carry lighted torches, and were accompanied by the harps, lyres, cymbals and trumpets of the Levites. According to the (The Mishnah or Mishna (משנה, "repetition", from the verb shanah שנה, or "to study and review") is a major work of Rabbinic Judaism, and the first major redaction into written form of Jewish oral traditions, called the Oral Torah.) Mishna tractate Sukkah, "He who has not seen the rejoicing at the Place of the Water-Drawing has never seen rejoicing in his life." Throughout Sukkot, the city of Jerusalem teemed with Jewish families who came on the holiday pilgrimage and joined together for feasting and Torah study. A mechitza* (partition separating men and women) was erected for this occasion.
Nowadays, this event is recalled via a Simchat Beit HaSho'eivah gathering of music, dance, and refreshments. This event takes place in a central location such as a synagogue, yeshiva*, or place of study. Refreshments are served in the adjoining sukkah. Live bands often accompany the dancers. The festivities usually begin late in the evening, and can last long into the night.
*Mechitza: A mechitza (מחיצה, Hebrew: partition or division, plural mechitzot) is a partition that is a valid divider under Jewish law.
Origin: The rationale for a partition dividing men and women is given in the Babylonian Talmud (Sukkah 51b, 52a). A divider in the form of a balcony was established in the Temple in Jerusalem for the occasion of the Simchat Beit Hashoeivah (Water Drawing Ceremony) on Sukkot, a time of great celebration and festivity. The divider was first established to preserve modesty and attention during this time. In the Talmud, the Amoraic sage Abba Arika (known as Rav) explains that the divider originated with a statement of the prophet Zechariah regarding the mourning following the war between Gog and Magog (dark and light, heaven and earth, female and male):
The land will mourn each of the families by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of Nathan by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Levi by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself and their wives by themselves; and all the families who remain, each of the families by itself and their wives by themselves. Zechariah 12:12-14. [1]
The rabbis of the Talmud reasoned that if such a sad occasion necessitates a separation between men and women, then the Simchat Beit HaShoeivah in the Temple in Jerusalem, considered the happiest Jewish occasion, does as well.
Uses of Separate seating in synagogue: A mechitza most commonly means the physical divider placed between the men's and women's sections in Orthodox synagogues and at religious celebrations. The idea behind this is twofold. First, mingling of the genders is generally frowned upon, as this leads to frivolity, which itself may lead to promiscuity. Secondly, even if the sexes are separated, they shouldn't be able to interact to a high degree during a religious service, lest this lead to gazing and impure thoughts. Because of these restrictions, mechitzot are usually opaque (at least looking from the men's side to the women's side). The women's section of the synagogue is called the Ezrat Nashim (women's courtyard) after a similar area in the Temple in Jerusalem.
*A yeshiva or yeshivah (IPA: [jəʃi'və]) (Hebrew: ישיבה, "sitting (n.)" ; pl. yeshivot or yeshivas) is a Jewish institution for Torah study and the study of Talmud. Yeshivot are usually Orthodox Jewish institutions, and generally cater to boys or men. A roughly equivalent women's institution is the midrasha.The term yeshiva gedola ("senior/great yeshiva") refers to post-high school institutions, and yeshiva ketana ("junior/small yeshiva") refers to institutions catering to boys of high school age. The term "yeshiva" is also used sometimes as a generic name for any school that teaches Torah, Mishnah and Talmud, to any age group.
A yeshiva with a framework for independent study and providing stipends for male married students is known as a kollel.
Etymology: Jewish tradition holds that students should sit while learning from a master. The word yeshiva, meaning "sitting," therefore came to be applied to the activity of learning in class, and hence to a learning "session."
Winter zman starts after Sukkot and lasts until just before Passover, a duration of five months (six in a Jewish leap year). Summer semester starts after Passover and lasts until either the middle of the month of Tammuz or Tisha B'Av, a duration of about three months. A typical beth midrash in Yeshivas Ner Yisroel in Baltimore. Usually each student has his own fixed place to sit, known as a makom kavuah.
Typical schedule: The following is a typical daily schedule for Beit Midrash students:
* 7:00 a.m. - Optional seder (study session)
* 7:30 a.m. - Morning prayers
* 8:30 a.m. - Session on study of Jewish law
* 9:00 a.m. - Breakfast
* 9:30 a.m. - Morning Talmud study (first seder)
* 12:30 p.m. - Shiur (lecture) - advanced students sometimes dispense with this lecture
* 1:30 p.m. - Lunch
* 2:45 p.m. - Mincha - afternoon prayers
* 3:00 p.m. - Mussar seder - Jewish ethics
* 3:30 p.m. - Talmud study (second seder)
* 7:00 p.m. - Dinner
* 8:00 p.m. - Night seder - Review of lecture, or study of choice.
* 9:25 p.m. - Mussar seder - Jewish Ethics
* 9:45 p.m. - Maariv - Evening prayers
* 10:00 p.m. - Optional evening seder
This schedule is generally maintained Sunday through Thursday. On Thursday nights there may be an extra long night seder, known as mishmar sometimes lasting beyond 1:00 am, and in some yeshivot even until the following sunrise. On Fridays there is usually at least one seder in the morning and the afternoons are free. Saturdays have a special Shabbat schedule which includes some sedarim but usually no shiur.
Method of study: Studying is usually done together with a study-partner called a chavruta (Aramaic: "friend"), or in a shiur (lecture). The chavruta is one of the unique features of the yeshiva. The young men studying in the yeshiva will spend most of their time with a study partner. The duo should read over the text, discuss it, test each other, ask questions, encourage each other etc. Upon entering the main study of the yeshiva, a first-time visitor will be amazed at the noise level. The learning partners in each chavruta will be almost shouting at each other, generating much noise.
Hoshanot
In the synagogue, each day of Sukkot, worshippers parade around the synagogue carrying theirlulavim and etrogim and reciting Psalm 118:25 (Anna, Adonay, hoshi'a na..", "We beseech you, O Lord, save us..." followed by special prayers). The Hoshanot are recited either after the morning's Torah reading of at the end of Mussaf. This ceremony commemorates the Aravah (willow) ceremony in the days of the Temple in Jerusalem, in which willow branches were piled beside the altar, with their tops branching over it, and worshipers paraded around the altar reciting the same verse.
Hoshanah Rabbah
The seventh day of Sukkot is known as Hoshanah Rabbah (הושענא רבא, Great Supplication). This day is marked by a special synagogue service, the Hoshanah Rabbah (Great Hoshanah), in which seven circuits are made by the worshippers with their lulav and etrog, while the congregation recites Psalm 118:25 and additional prayers. It is customary in some communities for all the scrolls of the Torah to be removed from the ark and lead this procession. In addition, a bundle of five aravah branches is taken and beaten against the ground, accompanied by a series of liturgical verses ending with, "Kol mevasser, mevasser ve-omer" (A voice brings news, brings news and says) —expressing hope for the speedy coming of the Messiah. The reasons for the latter custom are rooted in Kabbalah.
Abudarham speaks of the custom of reading the Torah on the night of Hoshanah Rabbah, out of which has grown the modern custom of meeting socially on that night and reading from Deuteronomy, Psalms, and passages from the Zohar; reciting Kabbalistic prayers; and eating refreshments. In Orthodox Jewish circles, men will stay up all night learning Torah.
Among Sephardic Jews, prayers known as "Selihot" (forgiveness) are recited before the regular morning service (these are the same prayers recited before Rosh Hashanah). In Amsterdam and in a few places in England, America, and elsewhere, the shofar (call of the mighty horn) is also sounded in connection with the processions. The latter practice reflects the idea that Hoshanah Rabbah is the end of the high holiday season, when the world is judged for the coming year.
Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah
The day immediately following Sukkot is known as Shemini Atzeret, "the Eighth (Day) of Assembly." Shemini Atzeret is a separate holiday.[1] In Israel, the celebration of Shemini Atzeretincludes Simchat Torah*. Outside the land of Israel, Shemini Atzeret is celebrated on the day after Sukkot and Simchat Torah is celebrated on the day after that, bringing the total days of festivities to eight in Israel and nine outside Israel.
The holiday of Shemini Atzeret (שמיני עצרת - lit. "the Eighth [day] of Assembly") is a separate festival that follows immediately after Sukkot, on the eighth day (eighth and ninth days outside the land of Israel). The family returns indoors to eat and sleep in their house, special synagogue services are held, and holiday meals are served. However, outside of Israel many have the custom to still eat in the Sukkah on Shemini Atzeret, but not on Simchat Torah.
Shemini Atzeret* is a separate holiday in respect to six specific issues. However, it is considered part of an eight-day holiday regarding a seventh issue. These issues are explained in the Talmud,Tractate Rosh Hashanah 4b. There is a dispute amongst the commentaries regarding what those six issues are. Two of the main opinions are Rashi and Tosafot.
*Shemini Atzeret (שמיני עצרת - "the Eighth [day] of Assembly") is a Jewish holiday celebrated on the 22nd day (to build, heaven on earth, the united) of the Hebrew month of Tishrei. In the Diaspora an additional day is celebrated, the second day being separately referred to as Simchat Torah.[1] In Israel and Reform Judaism the holidays of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are combined into a single day and the names are used interchangeably.Shemini Atzeret is mistakenly referred to as the eighth day of the Festival of Sukkot, which occupies the seven preceding days. In fact, Shemini Atzeret is a holiday unto itself. There is no use of the Sukkah in Israel, and the lulav and etrog are not waved, although in the Diaspora some sit in the sukkah on Shemini Atzeret.[2] However, one of Sukkot's liturgical aliases זמן שמחתנו, "Time of Our Happiness" continues to be used to describe Shemini Atzeret in prayers.
In Israel, Shemini Atzeret lasts for one day and the festivities of Simchat Torah* (שמחת תורה) coincide with it. Outside of Israel, Shemini Atzeret lasts for two days and the festivities of Simchat Torah fall on the second day. Simchat Torah (lit. "the joy of the Torah") is an especially happy day on which the very last portion of the Torah is read in the synagogue during morning services and, in order to convey the idea that Torah study never ends, the very first portion of the Torah (the beginning of Genesis) is read immediately after. All the men and boys, and in more liberal congregations all the women and girls, over the age of bar mitzvah are called up to the Torah for an aliyah, and all the children under the age of bar mitzvah are also given an "aliyah" called Kol HaNa'arim (all the children) —the youngsters crowd around the reader's table while men hold up a large tallit* (prayer cloth) to include them all in the aliyah. Both during the night service and the morning service in Orthodox synagogues, all the Torah scrolls are removed from the ark and all the worshippers engage in rounds of spirited dancing. Seven official circuits around the reader's table (called "hakafot") are made, although the dancing can go on for hours.
In the Former Soviet Union, Simchat Torah was the day on which Jews gathered in the street outside the synagogue to dance and proclaim their Jewishness openly. Refuseniks were often inspired by that Simchat Torah celebration to pursue other Jewish religious practices in secret, despite Communist oppression.
*Simchat Torah or Simchas Torah (שמחת תורה) is a Jewish holiday marking the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings, and the beginning of a new cycle. Simchat Torah is Hebrew for "rejoicing with the Torah". On the morning of Simchat Torah, the last parashah of Deuteronomy and the first parashah of Genesis are read out in the synagogue. Most communities have a special Torah reading on the eve of Simchat Torah. At both the morning and evening services in the synagogue, the ark is opened, and the Torah scrolls are carried around the synagogue in seven circuits, accompanied by singing and dancing.
Duration of holiday: On the Hebrew calendar, the holiday of Sukkot in the autumn (mid to late October) is immediately followed by the holiday of Shemini Atzeret. In Orthodox and Conservative communities outside Israel, Shemini Atzeret is a two-day holiday and the Simchat Torah festivities are observed on the second day. The first day is referred to as "Shemini Atzeret" and the second day as "Simchat Torah," although both days are officially Shemini Atzeret according to Halakha, and this is reflected in the liturgy.
Duration of holiday: On the Hebrew calendar, the holiday of Sukkot in the autumn (mid to late October) is immediately followed by the holiday of Shemini Atzeret. In Orthodox and Conservative communities outside Israel, Shemini Atzeret is a two-day holiday and the Simchat Torah festivities are observed on the second day. The first day is referred to as "Shemini Atzeret" and the second day as "Simchat Torah," although both days are officially Shemini Atzeret according to Halakha, and this is reflected in the liturgy.
*The tallit (Hebrew: טַלִּית), also called tallis (Yiddish, plural taleysm), is a prayer shawl that is worn during the morning Jewish services (the Shacharit prayers) in Judaism, during the Torah service, and on Yom Kippur and other holidays. It has special twined and knotted fringes known as tzitzit attached to its four corners. The tallit is sometimes also referred to as the arba kanfot, meaning "four corners," although this term is more commonly used to refer only to the tallit katan undergarment with tzitzit. The bible mandates that the tzitzit contain a thread of blue known as tekhelet.[1] Since the bible itself does not describe how to tie the tzitzit, interpretation of the oral tradition has resulted in a number of methods of tying.[2]In some Jewish communities, a tallit is given as a gift by a father to a son, a father-in-law to a son-in-law, or a teacher to a student. It might be purchased to mark a special occasion, such as a wedding or a bar/bat mitzvah. Many parents purchase a tallit for their sons at the age of 13, at the same time as they purchase tefillin. While it is considered a personal item, and many men have their own, synagogues usually have a rack of shawls for the use of visitors and guests. Although non-Jewish male visitors are expected to wear a kippah (headcovering) when visiting a synagogue, they should not wear a tallit.
Sukkot in the Hebrew Bible
In the Hebrew Scriptures, Sukkot is called:
- “The Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths) ” (Lev. 23:34; Deut. 16:13-16; 31:10; Zech. 14:16-19;Ezra 3:4; 2 Chron. 8:13)
- “The Feast of Ingathering” (Ex. 23:16, 34:22)
- “The Feast” or “the festival” (1 Kings 8:2, 8:65; 12:32; 2 Chron. 5:3; 7:8)
- “The Feast of the Lord” (Lev. 23:39; Judges 21:19)
- “The festival of the seventh month” (Ezek. 45:25; Neh. 8:14)
- “A holy convocation” or “a sacred occasion” (Num. 29:12)
In later Hebrew literature it is called “chag,” or "[the] festival." Sukkot was agricultural in origin. This is evident from the name "The Feast of Ingathering," from the ceremonies accompanying it, and from the season and occasion of its celebration: "At the end of the year when you gather in your labors out of the field" (Ex. 23:16); "after you have gathered in from your threshing-floor and from your winepress" (Deut. 16:13). It was a thanksgiving for the fruit harvest (compare Judges 9:27). And in what may explain the festival’s name, Isaiah reports that grape harvesters kept booths in their vineyards (Isa. 1:8). Coming as it did at the completion of the harvest, Sukkot was regarded as a general thanksgiving for the bounty of nature in the year that had passed.
Sukkot became one of the most important feasts in Judaism, as indicated by its designation as “the Feast of the Lord” (Lev. 23:39; Judges 21:19) or simply “the Feast” (1 Kings 8:2, 65; 12:32; 2 Chron. 5:3; 7:8). Perhaps because of its wide attendance, Sukkot became the appropriate time for important state ceremonies. Moses instructed the children of Israel to gather for a reading of the Law during Sukkot every seventh year (Deut. 31:10-11). King Solomon dedicated the Temple in Jerusalem
"The Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple (Hebrew: בית המקדש, Bet HaMikdash ; "The Holy House"), refers to a series of structures located on the Temple Mount (Har HaBayit) (The Temple Mount (Hebrew: הַר הַבַּיִת, Har haBáyit), also called the Noble Sanctuary (Arabic: الحرم القدسي الشريف, al-haram al-qudsī ash-sharīf), is a religious site in the Old City of Jerusalem. Due to its importance for Judaism and Islam it is one of the most contested religious sites in the world.
The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism. Jewish Midrash holds that it was from here that the world expanded into its present form, and that this was where God gathered the dust He used to create the first man, Adam. The Torah records that it was here that God chose to rest His Divine Presence, and consequently two Jewish Temples were built at the site. Jews believe that the Third Temple*, which they hope will be the final one, will also be located here. In recent times, due to difficulties in ascertaining the precise location of the Mount's holiest spot, many Jews will not set foot on the Mount itself.
A drawing of Ezekiel's Visionary Temple from the Book of Ezekiel 40-47
* Third Temple: Since the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, religious Jews have prayed that God will allow for the building of a Third Temple. This prayer has been a formal part of the traditional thrice daily Jewish prayer services. Though it remains unbuilt, the notion of and desire for a Third Temple is sacred in Judaism, particularly Orthodox Judaism, as an unrealized place of worship. The prophets in the Tanakh called for its construction, to be fulfilled in the Messianic era.
Unused ancient Jewish floor plans for a Temple exist in various sources, notably in Chapters 40-47 of Ezekiel (Ezekiel's vision pre-dates the Second Temple) and in the Temple Scroll discovered at Qumran among the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Unused ancient Jewish floor plans for a Temple exist in various sources, notably in Chapters 40-47 of Ezekiel (Ezekiel's vision pre-dates the Second Temple) and in the Temple Scroll discovered at Qumran among the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Divine Presence, is known as Shekhinah - alternative transliterations Shekinah, Shechinah, Shekina, Shechina, Schechinah, שכינה is the English spelling of a feminine Hebrew language word that means the dwelling or settling, and is used to denote the dwelling or settling presence of God, especially in the Temple in Jerusalem. Etymology: Shekhinah is derived from the Hebrew verb שכן. In Biblical Hebrew the word means literally to settle, inhabit, or dwell, and is used frequently in the Hebrew Bible. (See Exodus 40:35 - "Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting, for the cloud rested [shakhan, the divine presence] upon it, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle." See also e.g. Genesis 9:27, 14:13, Psalms 37:3, Jeremiah 33:16, as well as the weekly Shabbat (welcoming in the
divine presence of heaven, with candle lighting, inner radiance, a light from within) blessing recited in the Temple in Jerusalem "May He who causes His name to dwell [shochan, the divine presence] in this House, cause to dwell among you love and brotherliness, peace and friendship"). In Mishnaic Hebrew the word is often used to refer to birds' nesting and nests. ("Every bird nests [shechinot, divine presence] with its kind, and man with its like, Talmud Baba Kammah 92b.) and can also mean "neighbor" ("If a neighbor and a scholar, the scholar is preferred" Talmud Ketubot 85b, the one who seeks is more divine). The word "Shekhinah" also means "royalty" or "royal residence" (our heaven, the perfection of love, the blue road, the heart) (The Greek word σκήνη - dwelling - is thought to be derived from שכינה and שכן.) The word for Tabernacle, mishcan, is a derivative of the same root and is also used in the sense of dwelling-place in the Bible, e.g. Psalm 132:5 ("Before I find a place for God, mishcanot (dwelling-places) for the Strong One(ness) of Israel.")(I must find the dwelling place, the rainbow colors, the holy temple which houses the soul, the heartbeat of heaven, my heart) Accordingly, in classic Jewish thought, the Shekhinah refers to a dwelling or settling in a special sense, a dwelling or settling of divine presence, to the effect that, while in proximity to the Shekhinah, the connection to God is more readily perceivable (again the divine presence of heaven, upon us, through prayer and worship of brotherly love, the golden rule). According to Professor Kern, Shekhinah means "the presence of God." practically the same as the Greek word "Parousia also a feminine word (literally: "presence") which is used in a similar way for "Divine Presence".
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divine presence of heaven, with candle lighting, inner radiance, a light from within) blessing recited in the Temple in Jerusalem "May He who causes His name to dwell [shochan, the divine presence] in this House, cause to dwell among you love and brotherliness, peace and friendship"). In Mishnaic Hebrew the word is often used to refer to birds' nesting and nests. ("Every bird nests [shechinot, divine presence] with its kind, and man with its like, Talmud Baba Kammah 92b.) and can also mean "neighbor" ("If a neighbor and a scholar, the scholar is preferred" Talmud Ketubot 85b, the one who seeks is more divine). The word "Shekhinah" also means "royalty" or "royal residence" (our heaven, the perfection of love, the blue road, the heart) (The Greek word σκήνη - dwelling - is thought to be derived from שכינה and שכן.) The word for Tabernacle, mishcan, is a derivative of the same root and is also used in the sense of dwelling-place in the Bible, e.g. Psalm 132:5 ("Before I find a place for God, mishcanot (dwelling-places) for the Strong One(ness) of Israel.")(I must find the dwelling place, the rainbow colors, the holy temple which houses the soul, the heartbeat of heaven, my heart) Accordingly, in classic Jewish thought, the Shekhinah refers to a dwelling or settling in a special sense, a dwelling or settling of divine presence, to the effect that, while in proximity to the Shekhinah, the connection to God is more readily perceivable (again the divine presence of heaven, upon us, through prayer and worship of brotherly love, the golden rule). According to Professor Kern, Shekhinah means "the presence of God." practically the same as the Greek word "Parousia also a feminine word (literally: "presence") which is used in a similar way for "Divine Presence".
Shabbat or Shabbos (Hebrew: שבת, shabbāt, shabbes, "rest/inactivity"), is the weekly Sabbath or day of rest. Judaism, symbolizing the seventh day in Genesis in (mountain, I do stand, ready to command, my soul from heaven watches over the land, the rainbow colors, rest be still, listen receive God's will), after the six days of creation (That's the sacred blessings, the six days, the star of David, the perfect crystalline form. The six days are to build prayer to the winds, seven days, are to assemble, to commune and reflect upon.) Though it is commonly said to be the Saturday of each week, it is observed from sundown on Friday until the appearance of three stars in the sky on Saturday night. Shabbat is ushered in by lighting candles. (Candle-lighting to share our inner light) time changes from week to week and from place to place, depending on the time of the sunset at the location.
Etymology: The Hebrew word Shabbat comes from the Hebrew verb shavat, which literally means "to cease." Although Shabbat (or its anglicized version, "Sabbath") is almost universally translated as "rest" or a "period of rest," a more literal translation would be "ceasing", with the implication of "ceasing from work." Thus, Shabbat is the day of ceasing from work; while resting is implied, it is not a necessary denotation of the word itself. For example, the Hebrew word for "strike" (as in work stoppage) is shevita, which comes from the same Hebrew root as Shabbat, and has the same implication, namely that striking workers actively abstain from work, rather than passively.
Some people ask why God needed to "rest" on the seventh day of Creation according to Genesis. If the meaning of the word is understood as "ceasing from labor" rather than "rested," this is more consistent with the biblical view of an omnipotent God.
"When we cease walking in labor, we toil not, but live in joy, the divine presence of heaven, the soul, within does shine over living rivers of water. Let the stars shine, in the house of the throne, where kinsmen are known, and rainbow colors have come home," White Buffalo Calf Woman, your Twin Deer Mother.
In Islam, the site is revered as the location of Islamic prophet Muhammad’s journey to Jerusalem and ascent to heaven and is associated with other local Muslim figures of antiquity. The site is the location of the al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock, the oldest extant Islamic structure in the world. Both Israel and the Palestinian Authority claim sovereignty over the site, which remains a key issue in the Arab-Israeli conflict. In 1967, the Israeli government assigned a Muslim council management of the site.)
According to classical Jewish belief, the Temple (or the Temple Mount) acts as the figurative "footstool" of God's presence (Heb. "shechina" in the physical world.") on Sukkot (1 Kings 8; 2 Chron. 7). And Sukkot was the first sacred occasion observed after the resumption of sacrifices in Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity (Ezra 3:2-4).
In the time of Nehemiah, after the Babylonian captivity, the Israelites celebrated Sukkot by making and dwelling in booths, a practice of which Nehemiah reports: “the Israelites had not done so from the days of Joshua” (Neh. 8:13-17). In a practice related to that of the Four Species, Nehemiah also reports that the Israelites found in the Law the commandment that they “go out to the mountains and bring leafy branches
of olive trees, pine trees, myrtles, palms and [other] leafy trees to make booths” (Neh. 8:14-15). In Leviticus, God told Moses to command the people: “On the first day you shall take the product of hadar trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook” (Lev. 23:40), and “You shall live in booths seven days; all citizens in Israel shall live in booths, in order that future generations may know that I made the Israelite people live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt” (Lev. 23:42-43). Numbers, however, indicates that while in the wilderness, the Israelites dwelt in tents (Num. 11:10; 16:27).
of olive trees, pine trees, myrtles, palms and [other] leafy trees to make booths” (Neh. 8:14-15). In Leviticus, God told Moses to command the people: “On the first day you shall take the product of hadar trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook” (Lev. 23:40), and “You shall live in booths seven days; all citizens in Israel shall live in booths, in order that future generations may know that I made the Israelite people live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt” (Lev. 23:42-43). Numbers, however, indicates that while in the wilderness, the Israelites dwelt in tents (Num. 11:10; 16:27).
Some secular scholars consider Leviticus 23:39-43 (the commandments regarding booths and the four species) to be an insertion by a late redactor. (E.g., Richard Elliott Friedman. The Bible with Sources Revealed, 228-29. New York: HarperSanFrancisco, 2003.)
Jeroboam son of Nebat, King of the northern Kingdom of Israel, whom Kings describes as practicing “his evil way” (1 Kings 13:33), celebrated a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, one month after Sukkot, “in imitation of the festival in Judah” (1 Kings 12:32-33). “While Jeroboam was standing on the altar to present the offering, the man of God, at the command of the Lord, cried out against the altar” in disapproval (1 Kings 13:1).
According to Zechariah (Zech. 14:16-19), Sukkot in the messianic era will become a universal festival, and all nations will make pilgrimages annually to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast there. (A modern interpretation of this resulted in a recent holiday celebrated in Jerusalem by non-Jews, "The Feast of Tabernacles".) Sukkot is here associated with the granting of rain, an idea further developed in later Jewish literature. Observance of Sukkot is detailed in Mishnah, Tosefta, Jerusalem Talmud, and Babylonian Talmud in tractate Sukkah, part of the order Moed (Festivals). (Mishnah Sukkah 1:1–5:8; Tosefta Sukkah 1:1–4:28; Jerusalem Talmud Sukkah 1a–; Babylonian Talmud Sukkah 2a–56b.)
Sukkot in the Christian New Testament
Only in one place in the four Christian Gospels is there a mention of Sukkot. The Gospel of John mentions Sukkot indicating, "Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand." John 7:2 In this account, Jesus asks his own family to attend the feast telling them, "Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; for my time is not yet full come. When he had said these words unto them, he abode still in Galilee. But when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were, in secret. John 7:8-10.
Sukkot as a place
The name Sukkot appears in a number of places in the Hebrew Bible as a location:- Sukkot is Egyptian for the "place of entering into the darkness". It's the place where the Sons of Israel went to retrieve the bones of Joseph from his tomb at Auaris before leaving Egypt. It is the first encampment of the Israelites after leaving Auaris (later named Pi-Ramesse/Raamses) (Exodus 12:37).
- Succoth is a city east of the Jordan River, identified with Tell Deir Άlla, a high mound, a mass of debris, in the plain north of Jabbok and about one mile from it (Josh. 13:27). This is where Jacob, on his return from Padan-aram after his interview with Esau, built a house for himself and made sukkot (booths) for his cattle (Gen. 32:17, 30; 33:17).
- The princes of Succoth (Sukkot) refused to provide help to Gideon and his men when they followed one of the bands of the fugitive Midianites after the great victory at Gilboa. After routing this band, Gideon on his return visited the rulers of the city with severe punishment. "He took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth" (Judg. 8:13-16). Wright identifies this with Deir Άlla.
- At this place were erected the foundries for casting the metal-work for the temple (1 Kings7:46). Thank you http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/sukkot
- Etymology of the name Auaris (Avaris)
Exodus Decoded, a made-for-TV documentary by Simcha Jacobovici [1] reported an unlikely etymology for the place name Avaris (Hatwaret/Auaris), suggesting the place name derives from the Hebrew word for "Hebrew" (Hebrew: עִבְרִי, Tiberian: ʕivɾi, Israeli: Ivri). If so, it would mean something like "the place of the Hebrews", and thus identify the Asiatic Hyksos with the biblical Hebrews. Nevertheless, while a Canaanite/Hebrew origin is plausible, it is difficult to show how the Canaanite/Hebrew word-root ʕ.b.ɾ (עבר), meaning "to pass" (whence a "Hebrew", a "passer-by", one who "goes across"), could linguistically become ħt wʕrt in Egyptian. The Hebrew to the word Ivri (Israelite) "עברי" has its roots in the words "מעבר הנהר" which translates as "from across the river". i.e. The Hebrew's or Israelites as such were commonly known as "those from across the river" (the Nile). Thank you http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Avaris - The stranger and the journey across the river! Give yee light. Brotherly love swells within a heart. Let us be kinsmen, to assist our travelers along the blue road of heaven, where the soul shines a light from within, to rise up to sing, and hearts do feel a spring in the air (a well). Water is blessed, we are in a sacred nest, all hearts belong together in the breeze. Welcome home, Sisters who reign/rain love! Thank you http://alightfromwithin.org
The Stranger: Deuteronomy 16
13 Thou shalt observe the Feast of Tabernacles seven days, after thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine.
14 And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates.
Even if we're not native-born Israelis, or even Jewish, scripture says that even "the stranger within the gates" is to observe the Feast.
13 Thou shalt observe the Feast of Tabernacles seven days, after thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine.
14 And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates.
Even if we're not native-born Israelis, or even Jewish, scripture says that even "the stranger within the gates" is to observe the Feast.
Restoration: Nehemiah 8
14 And they (Ezra and the scribes) found written in the law which the LORD had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the Feast of the seventh month:
15 And that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written.
16 So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves booths, every one upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the street of the water gate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim.
14 And they (Ezra and the scribes) found written in the law which the LORD had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the Feast of the seventh month:
15 And that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written.
16 So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves booths, every one upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the street of the water gate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim.
Sukkot is also called The Feast, The Great Feast, Feast of Booths - Hag’ha Sukkot, Feast of Ingathering - Hag’Ha Asif, Time of Our Joy - Z’man Simchateinu, The Feast of Full Glory,
The Feast of the Watergate, The Festival of the Final Harvest. Thank you http://curtis.loftinnc.com/sukkot.htm
The Feast of the Watergate, The Festival of the Final Harvest. Thank you http://curtis.loftinnc.com/sukkot.htm
Sukkot
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Significance: Remembers the wandering in the dessert; also a harvest festival
Observances: Building and "dwelling" in a booth; waving branches and a fruit during services Length: 7 days |
On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the Festival of Sukkot, seven days for the L-RD. -Leviticus 23:34
On the first day, you will take for yourselves a fruit of a beautiful tree, palm branches, twigs of a braided tree and brook willows, and you will rejoice before the L-RD* your G-d* for seven days. -Leviticus 23:40
*L-RD (ah, heaven is home, look at the stars, Lord).
*G-d (ah, heaven is home, look at the stars, God).
List of Dates
Sukkot will occur on the following days of the Gregorian calendar:
- Jewish Year 5770: sunset October 2, 2009 - nightfall October 9, 2009
- Jewish Year 5771: sunset September 22, 2010 - nightfall September 29, 2010
- Jewish Year 5772: sunset October 12, 2011 - nightfall October 19, 2011
- Jewish Year 5773: sunset September 30, 2012 - nightfall October 7, 2012
- Jewish Year 5774: sunset September 18, 2013 - nightfall September 25, 2013
Pray With Elders around the World
"When we cease walking in labor, we toil not, but live in joy, the divine presence of heaven, the soul, within does shine over living rivers of water. Let the stars shine, in th house of the throne, where kinsmen are known, and rainbow colors come home, "White Buffalo Calf Woman, your Twin Deer Mother Understands, your heart needs a command!
United Four Directions Dance, Holy Temple Commands. We are Man (kind).
Stars from the Rainbow Clan, Rejoice, I say, Rejoice!
"Sukkot (in Hebrew)"
svkvt.gif
http://www.jewfaq.org/hebrew/svkvt.gif
"A drawing of Ezekiel's Visionary Temple from the Book of Ezekiel 40-47"
http://img.tfd.com/thumb/0/06/Secondtempleplan.jpg
Secondtempleplan.jpg
Vahavta_2.jpg
http://img.tfd.com/wiki/b/bf/Vahavta_2.jpg
Mezuzahklaf.jpg
"Sukkah in Herzliya
http://img.tfd.com/wiki/e/e5/Mezuzahklaf.jpg
Arbaat_haminim.jpg
http://img2.tfd.com/wiki/8/8b/Arbaat_haminim.jpg
"Sukkot and Simchat Torah"
torah.gif
http://www.holidays.net/sukkot/images/torah.gif
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