During the times of the Temple, this ceremony was held once every seven years when all of Israel – men, women, and children – were gathered in Jerusalem for the Sukkot festival.
What is Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah all about? Is it merely a continuation of the week-long holiday of Sukkot or does it have its own special purpose?
The holiday of SUKKOT is here! What better way to find out what this holiday is all about than by watching this EXCITING video and becoming educated in a fun and adventurous way!
Throughout our long history, Jews have overcome all sorts of obstacles to observe the mitzvah of sukkah. But perhaps one of the most striking instances is the sukkah built in Mexico City in the year 1603 by a crypto-Jew named Sebastian Rodriguez.
Take a trip to the heart of Israel you'll see the restoration of an ancient tradition of the Jewish People where thousands of people from all nations of the world voyage to Jerusalem to celebrate the Sukkot Festival (Feast of Tabernacles).
The word "Sukkot" means "huts" or "booths", referring to the booth-like structures that Jews are to eat their meals in over the course of the holiday, and preferably to sleep in too!
Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are timeless lessons of continuity, growth, study and celebration of all of God's gifts, especially the spiritual ones.
'If atonement is not granted on Rosh Hashana, I will grant it on Yom Kippur, and if they do not attain atonement on Yom Kippur, I will grant it on Hoshana Rabba.'
Mistakenly confused with Sukkot and sometimes referred to as the last days of Sukkot, the holiday of Simchat Torah is actually an independent holiday that begins the moment the holiday of Sukkot ends.
The Festival of Sukkot allows us to take a step back, to appreciate the material possessions that God has given us and to understand how to use them for spiritual means.
The day after the Jewish High Holiday of Yom Kippur, Jewish communities in Israel and around the globe start building in preparation for the Festival of Succot.