Sukkot October 2017

                      The outside of our succa seen from the street.




For those of you out there that do not know about our holiday of Sukkot I want to give you some information before I start my viewing of my succa:

Sukkot has a double significance. The one mentioned in the Book of Exodus is agricultural in nature—"Feast of Ingathering at the year's end" (Exodus 34:22)—and marks the end of the harvest time and thus of the agricultural year in the Land of Israel. The more elaborate religious significance from the Book of Leviticus is that of commemorating the Exodus and the dependence of the People of Israel on the will of God (Leviticus 23:42-43).

The holiday lasts seven days in Israel and eight in the diaspora. The first day (and second day in the diaspora) is a Shabbat-like holiday when work is forbidden. This is followed by intermediate days called Chol Hamoed, when certain work is permitted. The festival is closed with another Shabbat-like holiday called Shemini Atzeret (one day in Israel, two days in the diaspora, where the second day is called Simchat Torah). Shemini Atzeret coincides with the eighth day of Sukkot outside of Israel.

The Hebrew word sukkōt is the plural of sukkah, "booth" or "tabernacle", which is a walled structure covered with s'chach(plant material such as overgrowth or palm leaves). A sukkah is the name of the temporary dwelling in which farmers would live during harvesting, a fact connecting to the agricultural significance of the holiday stressed by the Book of Exodus. As stated in Leviticus, it is also intended as a reminiscence of the type of fragile dwellings in which the Israelites dwelt during their 40 years of travel in the desert after the Exodus from slavery in Egypt. Throughout the holiday, meals are eaten inside the sukkah and many people sleep there as well.

To wish someone a Happy Sukkot, simply say “Chag Sameach!” (Happy Holiday).

Now, on the the blog itself:

This is what our succa looks like from the street. This is the outside of the succa.

Sophie and I want to wish all of those celebrating Sukkot a Hag Sameach and want to invite you into our succa and take a look around.

Hello everyone, Now, I have to introduce you the the person that custom made my succa for me and it would not be complete without him.

This is Avi. He is hard at work putting the succa together. Doesn't he look like he is having fun here?

This is Avi and myself after the succa has been done and the walls put on. All that would be left is to decorate it. See how happy we are that it is done. I helped a little, but, he did the hard work.

Picture yourself standing at the entrance to the succa off our kitchen. This is the first thing you will see. This is Sophie's tent where she sleeps.
I still have not figured out where or what I will sleep on.

When you stand at the entrance to the succa and look in this picture really stands out.  This one is right there for you to see. I hope you can see it clearly. It is absolutely beautiful.

I could not get everything in on one picture so I took the bottom part separately. The bottom part is nice to see too.

Now, if you go to the right this picture and two others you can see. Isn't this something? I love how he has his paw up like that. This is a 3D picture by the way.

This is another picture you will see on that wall. It looks like the deers are coming out at you. No, it is not a 3D.

This is the 3rd picture on the wall. This is 3D. There is something I really like about this picture. I used it in the video I did for Rosh Hashana.

On top of the 3 pictures you just saw is this picture of Jerusalem.

Now turn left and left again and on the wall you will see this picture of the Tower of David.

Now, at the entrance to the succa just turn left and you will see the back wall. On that wall is a picture of the Kotel that stretches a little bit to the next wall. Here you will only see this on one wall. Hanging dow is one of my dolls that I put out that sits on a swing for Sukkot. On the post type thing are cards I have for Rosh Hashana.

Some other things you will see in the succa. This doll on the swing is in the corner on the right underneath a picture.

                                        This ball is in the corner up on top.

Turning the the left on the floor you will see Yisraela with Alfred and a decoration around them. They would come with me on holidays and be my helpers with things on my table. This picture was taken before I moved them.

These are two of our friends that stay at home also with a decoration around them.

There are two more ornaments put up here that not sure you can see. One is something like flying through the air and one hanging up there and there is another ball here in the picture as well.

These are the people that donated their decorations to the succa. They cannot have any in theirs. I invited them over to decorate and they added two of their own from the picture above. The succa could not be complete if there were no human people in it. Now, it is complete.

I believe this is the best picture to end this blog with. This is Sophie peeking out of the tent.

Thank you for taking the tour of our succa and hope you enjoyed it. If you have any questions or want to say hi or make comments contact Hanni at: hannihar@gmail.com