Sukkot in Israel is unlike Sukkot anywhere else

In the USA just a few years in the past, Rabbi Eytan Hammerman, whose congregation was in Harrison, New York, determined to convey the sukkah to his members. He had a field constructed with three sides during which two individuals sitting on chairs subsequent to a desk may match. He put just a few crosspieces on the empty high of the field and positioned branches on them. Rabbi Hammerman had a bicycle-store proprietor join a large-size bike to the sukkah field. After all, he had the non secular college youngsters embellish the edges of the sukkah field. A speaker was connected and despatched forth the music from an iPhone.

A field with fruit and sweet and little desserts was positioned in a big plastic container connected to the again of the bicycle. Away he pedaled. Rabbi Hammerman rode to his members’ houses; he rode to the Jewish Group Middle; he rode to the Outdated People’ Residence the place the extra ready got here out to get pleasure from. Youngsters adopted him on his route singing the vacation melodies. Oh sure, the native newspaper put an image of the bicycle-sukkah within the newspaper, and hailed “Hammerman Reaches His Members with His Cell Sukkah.”

RABBI EYTAN HAMMERMAN’S sukkah-mobile. (credit score: COURTESY EYTAN HAMMERMAN)

Jewish neighborhood residents in Zürich, Switzerland, from the Nineteen Twenties by way of the Nineteen Sixties, even some do it at the moment, constructed their tiny sukkot on the roof of their buildings. A Zürich resident, now in Jerusalem for a few years, described how the sukkah was made. “The boards of the sukkah, saved within the attic underneath the roof, have been carried up the one ground the place the sukkah was constructed – the youngsters got here as much as affix the decorations.”

Who used the sukkah? I requested. “Solely the lads and a few boys climbed as much as the roof and there made kiddush and ate. After the birkat hamazon, the Grace after Meals, the ladies of the households within the constructing got here as much as clear the desk. The plates and glasses have been introduced down rigorously so they’d not fall and break.” With the lulav (palm department) and etrog (citron) it was a bit completely different. “The boys introduced the lulavim and etrogim residence after the tefilot – Yom Tov providers. Each lady who wished to, and each lady who wished, may make the berachah with the lulav and etrog.”

HERE IN Jerusalem, I can really feel a brand new spirit within the air. Whereas standing and watching the brand new buildings rise into the environment and the tunnel being dug on the entrance to town, I do know that I’ll by no means see these tasks accomplished. Nonetheless, altering the Talmudic assertion simply barely, “Somebody constructed these buildings for me and so now nice power is being poured into the multifaceted building in Jerusalem for the long run.”

I’m not glad with every new construction above nor every part continuing beneath however I do know that’s progress. Jerusalem may have the Kotel and different historical constructions and tunnels, however the face of Jerusalem shall be modified perpetually. I by no means traced the expansion of town in 4 a long time dwelling right here, however there have been dramatic adjustments. Now, many extra as a result of our metropolis is a superb worldwide metropolis.

THE WRITER’S spouse Rita holds son Avie, 1966, in entrance of the Fort Sill sukkah. (credit score: AVIE GEFFEN COLLECTION)

At this season of the yr, we’re blessed to have a whole bunch of sukkot constructed, possibly even hundreds. There’s an incredible variety of the citizenry strolling round with the lulav within the one hand adorned by the willow and myrtle. Within the different hand they maintain a field or a container with the etrog. In contrast to myself due to my dried-up, lack-of-feeling fingers, many individuals carry the 4 components of the “Sukkot bouquet” collectively.

Two components of the Sukkot vacation have been a spotlight of my life right here in Jerusalem. One has been the development of the sukkah with our youngsters. They now construct their very own. The opposite is the acquisition of the Arba Minim (4 Species) in the principle lulav and etrog open-air market close to the shuk of Mahaneh Yehuda.

That is our nation; “the perfect on earth” so we are able to buy these things and, in fact, talking with a bit bit extra fervor, our sukkot are the perfect on the earth.

Again within the early years of the twentieth century, in keeping with statistics, solely 100 or so sukkot can be constructed in Eretz Yisrael. Clearly, the inhabitants was smaller, had a unique strategy to da’at (faith) however, in fact, no make-your-own sukkah kits existed. We’re conversant in the boards, saved yr to yr, to be the edges of the sukkah. Newer discarded previous doorways have been sought yearly. I do know just a few, particularly, which can graduate to a sukkah wall this yr (an image of it’s proven).

Close to my Diur Mugan (assisted dwelling facility) is a stand of do-it-yourself sukkah kits positioned on Ussishkin Avenue. The proprietors, often younger yeshiva bahurim, (younger single males) will even ship for a price and when you select, assemble yours for fee. The joys of Sukkot for me personally is to stroll round and see the slim porches on many buildings crammed with a sukkah. That house is used each day for the varied meals. It takes fairly a expertise to make these “holy and utilitarian” constructions match, however they do.

In Wilmington, Delaware, the place I and my late spouse and our three youngsters lived within the early seventies, we had a big yard with a tree within the again to carry a sukkah up, however to not cowl it. An exquisite couple, Edith and Charles Schnitzer had lived locally since their early years. Charley was the gabbai (sexton) of our synagogue for nearly 25 years. I so loved seeing him in conjunction with the Torah usually Shabbat-in, Shabbat-out and holidays too.

He was an engineer having constructed a number of houses in our neighborhood. “Rabbi,” he mentioned to me, “I shall be bringing the boards that will help you construct your sukkah.” What a deal with it was for the six years we lived there for our three youngsters and me to construct the sukkah. Rita, of blessed reminiscence, embellished the material sides for our sukkah. Right here in Israel, one yr one other English newspaper acknowledged Mr. Schnitzer as “a grasp sukkah builder.” (P.S. Their two sons made aliyah a few years in the past. Sadly, their daughter died at a really younger age.)

IN THE US Military after I served as a chaplain, 1965-1967, there was a standing order at my submit, Fort Sill, to construct an “annex” subsequent to my small workplace constructing between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The boards for the sukkah have been saved someplace rigorously. A element of males was assigned to make our little momentary constructing rise and to convey fresh-cut s’chach (leafy overlaying for a sukkah) for the roof.

Each night time, the submit commanders (generals) and troopers have been invited in addition to Christian chaplains and their assistants to be our visitors within the sukkah. Twice throughout the week, we served corned beef sandwiches despatched to us by the Jewish neighborhood middle in Dallas Texas, 300 km. to the south.

One yr after I was the chaplain, a busload of younger Jewish girls from Dallas for whom we had organized housing, got here up for the Shabbat of Sukkot. We solely had three lulavim and etrogim units, one from the Lubavitcher Rebbe and two from the Jewish Welfare Board. After all, we didn’t want them for Shabbat, since that day the berachot on lulav and etrog are usually not mentioned. On Saturday night time, we organized a dance on the Officers’ Membership. As you possibly can think about, the trainees, most of whom would go to Vietnam, have been thrilled. I can solely recall one shidduch (match) that got here out of these social occasions. What I did overlook; on Shabbat we ate in our Sukkah for lunch. A gaggle of privates served us in spanking-sharp uniforms.

On this age, some girls nonetheless haven’t graduated to dancing with the lads. They, for essentially the most half, have their very own Simhat Beit Hashoeva celebration.

And at the moment and possibly perpetually, the lads dance on Simhat Torah. Nonetheless, the ladies dance individually with the Torah scrolls capturing the religious pleasure too.

Coronavirus has not ended however Z’man Simhateinu is ours to get pleasure from.