Sukkot

So, how come it took me over a week to get my computer to the lab, you ask? I have learned a crucial Israeli phrase: “Achrai haHagim”: After the holidays. When my computer broke, the country was just entering the weekish-long holiday of Sukkot. Basically throughout September, Israel opens and closes on a regular basis. Not just government businesses. I am used to post offices, schools, and such being closed. Nope. we’re talking everything. Basically, get everything in order before the holidays begin, and then enjoy the break. There’s no use fighting it; you won’t win. And anyway, sitting back and relishing in the rest restores you to start the new year. ;-)

So, Sukkot. A suka is a tent. The –ot is the feminine plural suffix, giving the holiday its name: Sukkot, “Tents”. People build tents outside their houses and live in them for the holiday in remembrance of when the Israelites spent 40 years living in sukkot as they wandered in the desert before entering the promised land.

The roof of the suka is made of palm branches, so you can see through it toward the heavens, to remember Who is the provider and protector of the nation that wandered in the desert, and decorated with the seven species of Israel. Um…they are…I’m sure I could google it…pomegranate, lemon/citrus, olives, a branch of some sort, a reed, a fig? grapes? Hmm…that will be your assignment: to find a list of the species.

Each person seems to have his or her own explanation as to the meaning behind the species—speci? specieses? What is the plural of “species”? Anyway, some people equate the seven with the land, as they are commonly seen growing in Israel, some speak of them representing the various parts of the human body—how we worship God with our mind, body, heart, possessions, etc., others see them as representing different aspects of God, and still others simply refer to the command in scripture and call it a way to show obedience…go figure.

I find that as each holiday or tradition comes up and I ask about meaning behind it, there always seem to be several explanations. Some people say that Sukkot is also connected to harvest time because farmers would stay in tents for the week or two while they harvested in the fall.

While it is said that we’re supposed to “live” in the suka for the week (Lev 23:42), most people interpret that to mean eating three meals a day and sleeping in the tent. To accommodate these people, restaurants also put up sukkot for those who want to eat out during the week, but still want to observe the holiday. Good thing Israel has nice weather in the late summer/early autumn! ;-)

Others interpret it to mean dwelling there as if it is your house. Some people even bring the television and lamps into the tent, using extension cords, and bring books, homework, etc.: whatever objects they use in their daily lives.

A few of my friends decided to eat their meals in the tent, but sleep indoors because they felt it was too cold outside. These were the friends who made their suka upside down on their balcony and when they went to turn it right side up, it fell over the banister to the ground below! Thankfully the car that had been parked there the day before was gone, so no damage was done, and they were able to retrieve it and restore it right side up to their balcony.

The first night of Sukkot, I joined a local family for synagogue and dinner, and peppered the family with questions throughout the meal, asking about the building of the suka and the decorations within, the ritual hand washing and no talking between the hand washing and bread eating, the salt on the bread, the songs we sang, and the various foods set forth. We had a great time, and as I had gone with two other female students, the father of the family dubbed us “Charlie’s Angels”, which of course we also had a lot of fun with, then calling him “Charlie”. I am sorry I have no pictures of the night, but of course pushing the button on my camera would be deemed “work” by orthodox people, so it would have been oober disrespectful to be snapping pictures all around their tent while I ate the delicious dinner they’d set before me.

My ke-ela (congregation) hosted a dinner on Friday night so we could all welcome the Sabbath together. They had build a big suka out back and we had the whole service out there, with the kids running around, and fireworks going off down the street, I suppose in celebration of Sukkot? Lighting a match is certainly not keeping Shabbat, but as I was snapping pictures left and right, obviously I was not offended, and fireworks are always fun to see. ;-) Haifa is a pretty diverse city, so there is much less strict observance of the various religious laws.

The following weekend I moved into my new apartment. I slept there one night and the very next day head out of town for ten days. It was quite a whirlwind, taking a few trips on the bus with my bags stuffed full each time, in order to get my bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen halfway down the mountain. The room I was moving into was still full of books and belongings that I had permission to clean out, but that would have to wait. I left my bags piled neatly on the bed, and wished my new roommate a good week.

The next day I hopped a train to Tel Aviv.