Sukkot is like a cozy hug, coming just five days after the deep soul work of Yom Kippur. We journey into our backyards or into a pillow fort to remind ourselves of our vulnerability and focus on gratitude. By dwelling in uncertainty, we move from the High Holidays into the rest of the year joyful, reconnected to nature and ready for what comes next.  Use this booklet, with its mix of traditional and reimagined rituals, to guide you through the week...

Erev Sukkot by Julia Knobloch The moon stood high over Yaffa Road. Why take a photo, my companion asked, behold the moment and enjoy the night. Shabbat was over. An old chazzan greeted us from the doorway of a small shul near the shuk. For a while, he joined our walk into the quiet new week, singing of gold, copper, myrrh and roses. Dates and jasmine filled the air after bare and sour pilgrimage. My olive harvest was destroyed. I didn’t...

Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu melech haolam,borei p’ri hagafen. We bless You, Eternal God, Sovereign of the universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.

בָּרוּךְ‭ ‬אַתָּה‭ ‬יְיָ‭ ‬אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ‭ ‬מֶֽלֶךְ‭ ‬הָעוֹלָם ‬הַמּֽוֹצִיא‭ ‬לֶֽחֶם‭ ‬מִן‭ ‬הָאָֽרֶץ Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu melekh ha’olam, hamotzi lekhem min ha-aretz. Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe, Who brings forth bread from the earth.

Each year, the first time we eat a fruit that only grows at a certain time of year, or when we do something for the first time in a while, we say a special blessing, the shehecheyanu, on this new experience.  בָּרוּך אַתָּה יי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶך הָעוֹלָם שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וקְִיְמָּנוּ והְִגִיּעָנוּ לַזְמַן הַזֶה Barukh ata adonai elohenu melekh ha-olam, she-hechiyanu, v’kiy'manu, v’higi'anu la-z’man ha-zeh Blessed are You, the One who has kept us alive and sustained us so that we could reach...

And G!d says: “After you are all wrung out from that amends making and accountability-having, go out into your backyard and build yourself a fort. And be sure to invite all your friends to join you in your backyard fort for food and merriment because that is how you make the community continue after all that hard work."   And G!d says: “And make your fort enclosed enough to feel cozy, but keep one side open, so that all who pass by...

In the 16th Century, Jewish mystics created the ritual of ushpizin (Aramaic for honored guests), inviting seven different Biblical figures into the sukkah during the holiday. The traditional list includes Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron and David. Modern feminists have added Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Leah, Miriam, Avigail and Esther.  Think of seven people - historical, fictional, ancestral, or  virtual (those you wish you could celebrate with this year). For each night of Sukkot, spend a few moments thinking about one...

Blessing for seeing large-scale wonders of nature such as high mountains, vast deserts, seas, major rivers, shooting stars and the sunrise: Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech haolam, oseh maasei v'reishit. We praise You, Eternal God, Sovereign of the universe, who makes the works of creation. Blessing for seeing smaller wonders of nature such as beautiful trees, flowers and animals:  Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech haolam, shekacha lo be’olamo. We praise You, Eternal God, Sovereign of the universe, who has such beauty...

High Holidays in Five Senses  What do the High Holidays smell like?  They smell of freshly-baked sweet challah, the vanilla-y pages of an old book, your grandfather’s aftershave, the tang of the etrog and the perfume of lulav branches. What do the High Holidays feel like?   They feel like fists beating on chests, shifting your tush on a wooden pew in an unairconditioned sanctuary, running your fingers through the fringes of a tallit, dropping crumbs into the water as you cast...

For centuries, Sephardi Jewish families have gathered to celebrate a special Rosh Hashanah ceremony with a plate or meal of symbolic foods. Each food is eaten after requesting a specific kind of Divine blessing that sounds like the name of that food in Hebrew.  Before eating dates ( tamar ): May it be your will, God, that hatred will end. ( Tamar resembles the word for end, yitamu. ) Before eating pomegranate: May we be as full of mitzvot as the...