Sukkot in 51 Syllables

Solemn Yom Kippur

Is followed by joyousness

A week of Sukkot

The sukkah is up

Decorating has begun

Lulav? Etrog? Check!

We'll do some shaking

Some sitting and some eating

'Cause it's a mitzvah!

Ed Nickow from Torah In Haiku

The Seven Species Hamsa seen above is from the etsy site of Susie Lubell owner of Mishmish Studio.

I cannot choose!

Sometimes when I am looking for the "IT" for a blog item, I find I can't just find one item that fits my imagination OR in the case of today's post, I can't choose just one particular picture.

Juggling Frogs is a blogger extroirdinaire. Not only is she an amazing artist in multiple media, but she shares instructions for her art and her recipes with her readers. While searching for some beautiful Sukkah Banners, I came across this page. Not only were there bannners galore (as shown on the left) but she shows step by step how to make BLACK AND WHITE COOKIES (kind of apros pos for this election season). But for those of you not in the know, Black and Whites are a quintessential New York deli cookie. Carolyn calls them Creation cookies but they are what they are!

Thank you Carolyn... you are truly a woman of valor!!!

Shabbat Shalom!

Shabbat in the Sukkah...

Every time I think I have exhausted my ability to find a new artist I surprise myself with a novel discovery! Lynne Feldman of Rochester NY was an oil painter but the proximity of her studio to a Fabric Store inspired her to dabble in Fabric Collage. Thank goodness for LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!!! Lynne describes her process: I begin each piece as I would an oil painting by stretching canvas over wooden stretchers strips. The entire composition for the work is then drawn onto the canvas in charcoal. Fabric is then cut and pieced to fit into the shapes of the drawing as well as painted with acrylic paints. I layer the work back and forth with fabric and paints until the surface of it is thick and rich in color, pattern and texture. When the collage is completed, it is removed from the stretchers and sewn onto a colorful fabric backing. Tabs (much like those on curtains) are sewn onto the top and the piece is suspended from a brass rod. The finished piece can be suspended from a ceiling or loosely from a wall. The effect of this kind of display is a gentle undulation in the fabric as in more conventional tapestries.

And for your Sukkot reading pleasure buzz on over to J. to read a story about Jews, Bears and why the two should never meet in a Sukkah (which reminds me if you have not read Once Upon a Shabbos you really need to do so).

And remember: Honey, honey. Sweet as Shabbos!

Sukkot: Starring the Etrog!

Like the Torah which is kept safe in the holy ark, the Etrog is kept safe in special Etrog box. This one from Raphael Carl is constructed from walnut and aluminum.

The etrog is a Citrus fruit of a tree of the orange and lemon family. It is oblong in shape, and sometimes as much as six inches in length. The skin is thick, somewhat hard, fragrant, and covered with protuberances; the pulp is white and subacid. Modern naturalists assume the north of India to be its native home; but it passed to the countries of the Mediterranean from Media or Persia ; hence the name of the tree, "Citrus medica," and of the fruit, "Malum medica," or "Malum Persica". It is possible that the Jews brought the tree with them from Babylonia to Israel.

Not just any etrog can be used during sukkot... there are rules (aren't there always???). So what makes a Kosher Etrog?
Esrog must be shaped "like a tower"--its bottom larger than its top.
Pitom, the flowered blossom at the tip of the fruit, and Uketz, the stem which is sunk into the broad base, must be examined carefully to make sure that both are present and intact.
If the Pitom falls off or is broken during Sukkot, a rabbi should be consulted. To avoid this problem, many people prefer to use Esrogim which grow without Pitoms.
The Pitom should be directly in line above the Uketz


While the etro is used symbolically... it can be used in recipes as well, similarly to other citrus fruits.

Citron [Etrog/Esrog] Slices Cooked in Syrup
4 large citrons (lemons, oranges, tangerines or etrog)
5 cups (1 kg) sugar
2 cups (500 mL) water
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Wash the citrons / etrog and leave them to soak in cold water for at least 3 hours. Then cut them into thick slices (about 1/3 inch (1 cm)) and remove the seeds.

Put the sugar, water, and lemon juice in a large pan and bring to the boil. Put the citron slices in, pressing them down into the syrup. Put the lid on and simmer gently for 1-1 1/2 hour, or until they are very soft. Lift out the slices and arrange on a serving dish. Reduce the syrup by simmering, uncovered, until it has thickened enough to coat a spoon, and pour a little over the slices. (Leftover syrup can be kept in a covered jar.)

This makes a most delicious and easy dessert to serve as an accompaniment to a citrus cake or a plain rice pudding. It surprises everyone. This recipe is from Tunisia and Morocco, but it is also made by Jews in Italy. You can serve the slices sprinkled with a little cinnamon and chopped pistachios and with a dollop of cream.

You can learn more about the Etrog and Sukkot and more yummy recipes right here.

Sukkah, Sukkot and a New Year!

Sukkot will start this Thursday, the 27th of September and will continue for 7 days until Wednesday, the 3rd of October. Without the proper attitude one can feel bombarded by the holidays this time of year. This makes the sukkah an even important place, allowing us to separate from the hussle and bussle which surround us. To sit within the walls of a SharonSukkah must be a delight for the eyes and spirit! The Sharon Sukkah is a unique collection of wall hangings and panels for decorating the sukkah, combining Hebrew calligraphy, Biblical verses, and contemporary designs of themes associated with the Land of Israel.


Sukkot is the Jewish New Year?
The days are growing shorter, the breeze is picking up, and in my area, the leaves are just starting to display a tinge of yellow. In a few weeks, it will be time for the new year: Rosh haShanah, the day on which human beings were first formed out of the earth. Traditionally, Jews spend the two days of the New Year eating sweet foods as a siman (a sign, symbol, or blessing) that the coming year should be sweet, and reflecting on their past deeds in order to improve in the future. It’s a day of rebirth, a day of looking back and beginning to move forward. Yet originally, the day of Rosh haShanah probably wasn’t the new year at all.

If one reads the Bible, it becomes clear that Sukkot—the harvest festival that falls on the full moon two weeks after Rosh haShanah, also known as Chag haAsif, the Ingathering Festival— was the new year. In the Bible, Sukkot alone is called tzeit hashanah, the departure of the year. This was a day of pilgrimage when farmers brought their first fruits, and the pilgrims and priests drummed and danced all night to the light of giant torches. At dawn, palm branches waved, water was poured on the altar as a sign of blessing, and the assembled crowd chanted praises to the Divine and the Temple. Today, Jews still process in circles with their lulavim on each day of Sukkot, symbolically turning the wheel of life back to its beginning. At the end of Sukkot, the Torah is re-rolled and a special “bride” or “groom” of the Torah reads about the creation of the world. Doesn’t that sound more like a new year? Read more here.