Yom Kippur and Sukkot

Living in Jerusalem is a fascinating adventure as we continually learn new things. Two very important holidays in October are Yom Kippur and Sukkot. Yom Kippur (2016) began at sunset on Tuesday, Oct. 11 and lasted through Wednesday, Oct. 12.

Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year for Jews and provides prophetic insight as to coming of the Second Messiah, the restoration of national Israel and the final judgment of the world. It is also one of the most somber days on the Jewish calendar and is accompanied by fasting in the efforts for Jews to atone for their sins of the past year. The Torah commands all Jewish adults to fast except pregnant women, nursing mothers and those who are ill.

For generations, ultra-Orthodox Jews have marked Yom Kippur by holding a chicken by its wings and then rapidly swinging it over their heads three times while saying a blessing. The ritual concludes as the bird is slaughtered and is a symbolic way to rid their souls of sins. The meat is usually donated to charity or cooked for the family meal. The tradition dates back 800 years and it calls for Jews to do this before the arrival of Yom Kippur at sundown. However, some believers use a bag of money as an accepted alternative. Last year in New York city, an estimated 50,000 chickens were sacrificed.

Jewish leaders across Israel and the United States, along with animal activists, have called for an end to this practice for years but leaders of ultra-Orthodox communities have resisted. This practice causes a stir with non-Jewish people when they see plastic cages stacked five high stuffed with chickens in the alleys near butcher shops. The chickens are allowed to go without food or water and the local butchers charge about $16 for a live bird with bound legs.

Yom Kippur’s services are the only night of the entire Jewish calendar when a prayer shawl is worn for evening prayers. There are many more rituals and special events associated with Yom Kippur but my knowledge is limited.

We have learned so much about the Jewish people and have admired their dedicated efforts to attend synagogue, to read the Torah, to pray at the Western Wall and to strictly observe their many Jewish holidays each year.

Photo: This sign is posted in the Orthodox Jewish section of the city. Some of my students from choir were in one of these Jewish neighborhoods over the weekend and said that people on the street turned and started clapping at them . . . louder and louder until the girls realized that was their way of getting them to leave because they were wearing short sleeved shirts. Luckily, I had a long sleeved shirt on and long pants but neighborhoods make a great effort to keep the residents covered modestly so they are not distracted by those who don't comply. I wonder what would happen in our non-Jewish American neighborhoods if signs like this were posted?

Photo: We can all learn a lesson from those who are not afraid to make a stand on dress standards. This is another reason we have strict dress standards at the Jerusalem Center so our students will not offend these communities. I believe the girls from the JC learned a good lesson and I did also hearing them talk about it.

The Jewish men take great pride in their children and their entire family keeps a strict standard in their dress.

Photo: We have loved watching the families walk to and from synagogue. The young boys with their kippas are adorable and the strings (tzitzis) that dangle outside the clothing of the men and boys truly fascinate us.

The way they dress is an outward expression of an inward commitment which we respect. The young boys do not cut their side curls and the boys in this neighborhood had their hair cut very, very short. The Jewish women wear wigs or head scarves because their hair must be covered. If their skirts are not to their ankle, they wear thick, flesh colored or opaque hose and that goes for females of every age. It is a way of life and for that reason they try to marry within their own religious group or sect. You will notice throughout this blog that some of the men wear white socks with shorter pants. The color of the long coat and the type of kippa or fur hat also sets them apart from other Jewish sects.

Judaism is an all-encompassing way of life. This was taken at the Western Wall (Wailing Wall). Every Friday night Jews go there to pray and that night cameras and cell phones are forbidden. However, on other days, they are allowed.

There is an article of clothing made of four corners that is standard wear for Jewish men. By wearing this, they fulfill the Mitzvah (or commandment) of Tzitzis. In this photo, notice the man with white socks and a white long coat and another man who is wearing black pants to the ankle under his white coat. These details in dress set them apart from their Jewish sects.

Photo: In this photo, you can see part of the undergarment with the strings attached at the corners. Many people call this garment a pair of tzitzis (which means something like "small wrap-around garment"). It also means "four corners" because strings are attached at all four corners.

Among the standards of clothing, you can find in the Torah are such laws as not mixing wool with linen (Deuteronomy 22:11). Other fabric blends are mostly permitted and the Torah says that men are forbidden to dress as women nor women as men. Therefore, girls of all ages wear skirts rather than pants and are usually dressed up. I have admired the Jewish girls and the pride they take in their appearance. Girls wear uniforms to school and the boys also wear white shirts. Next time I walk through a Jewish community, I will also be sure to wear a skirt so I won't offend anyone.

Sukkot is a week-long Jewish festival which falls shortly after Yom Kippur. Sukkot in Israel is a time of vacation. The first and last days are national holidays when most businesses will be closed (similar to a regular Shabbat), while the intermediary days are normal business days except for the fact that many Israelis take the time off work. The result is that there are loads of activities for Sukkot across Israel so it is a great time to be traveling in or around the city.

Sukkot (plural of sukkah)is a Hebrew word meaning "booths" or "huts" and refers to the Jewish festival of giving thanks for the fall harvest. The sukkah is a flimsy structure (usually made of wood or fabric) built outside and usually on balconies with at least three sides, a roof made of thatch or branches which provides some shade and protection from the sun but also allows the stars to be seen at night. The sukkah is built in keeping with strict rules dictated by Jewish Law. It is traditional to decorate the sukkah and to spend as much time in it as possible. In a welcoming ceremony called ushpizin, relatives are invited to share their evening meal and weather permitting, meals are eaten in the sukkah and some even elect to sleep in it at night. Families put their children to bed until they fall asleep and carry them inside during the night.

Above photo: In this photo, sukkahs are built on the balconies of their homes but if they don't have a balcony, then they are built in a yard or even near a sidewalk. Sukkot is celebrated five days after Yom Kippur.

Photo: Sukkas are all over the city. The Jews lived in sukkot during the 40 years of travel through the wilderness after the exodus from Egypt and the giving of the Torah atop Mt. Sinai. As a temporary dwelling, the sukkah also represents the fact that all existence is fragile and therefore Sukkot is a time to appreciate the shelter of our homes.

The Sukkot festival started around the 17th of October and is finishing this week. As we were driving in the city today, people were starting to tear down their sukkahs.

We were driving along and saw this sukkah near the road. Three women were standing nearby so I got out of the car and asked if anyone spoke English. Two said they did. One was a young woman told us was 20 years of age. She was pushing a baby carriage of this beautiful child, age 15 months.

I asked if I could take a photo of her child and she gave me permission. She was pregnant with her 2nd child and said that at age 16 her parents arranged for her to be married at age 17. She said every orthodox Jewish girl expects to be married young (in their teens) and often the marriages are arranged. I asked if it was hard to marry a man she didn't know and she said it took her a few months to get acquainted and about one year until she felt she really knew him. She also said he dresses in full orthodox clothing in a white coat and the fur hat and they cost about $3,000 because they are made of real fur. She was very willing to talk with us, but the minute Garth went to shake her hand, she pulled back and said, "I am not allowed to speak to a man, shake his hand, or touch him." However, she came up and gave me a hug. She said women only talk to woman and men only to men.

Photo: The girl on the right of this photo is getting married in one week and asked us if we would like to look inside the sukkah.

The girl with the baby also said that her husband dresses in a white coat like men we saw on the street. She was darling and so friendly and it was wonderful to talk with her. I mentioned that we live at the "Mormon University" as it is called in Jerusalem and that I play the organ there. Then she said that her father is well-known musician and on weekends he has events where people gather and play instruments.

Photo: In this neighborhood we saw men in white coats, tan striped coats, and also black ones and each is a member of a different orthodox Jewish sect. They also marry within their own sect or tribe.

Photo: Tan striped coat worn by orthodox Jew from another sect.

Photo: The woman is carrying a palm branch and in commemoration of the bounteous Holy Land, women shake four species of plants: date palm, myrtle, willow and citron while they pray. We have seen children and adults carrying these around this past week.

 

“And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days” (Leviticus 23:40)

Priestly blessing are given at the Western Wall and there was a huge Jerusalem march in the city last week. Sukkot is such an interesting time to be here. This is a time when we can all give thanks for the bounty of the earth during the Fall Harvest.