Succot

After the fast has terminated, it is customary to begin preparations right away for the next Jewish festival which begins four days later. The festival is Succot, which means booths in Hebrew, and booths are built in gardens where meals are eaten during the festival. This is to commemorate the booths that the Children of Israel lived in during their forty years of wandering in the desert. Another drawing by Simeon Solomon shows a Rabbi at Succot.

THE RABBI by Simeon Solomon (1840 - 1905)
Charcoal 1893
Purchased with the assistance of Moshe Oved 1918
(114K)
The Rabbi in this drawing is standing in synagogue. We can tell this because behind him we can see the Ner Tamid, or everlasting light which burns in every synagogue, as a reminder of God's omnipresence. He is holding a palm leaf, which is known as a lulav, and is one of four species (Arbah Minim) that are shaken together on Succot. All four of these species are found in Israel. The others are the Myrtle (Hadas), the Willow (Aravah) and the Etrog, which is a citrus fruit. Branches from the three trees are bound together and held together with the etrog. They are then shaken in all directions to show that God is all around.

It is not known why the Rabbi in this drawing is only holding the lulav, and what has become of the other three species. However, this is probably once more due to the fact that Solomon was not an observant Jew and had probably not witnessed the Succot celebrations since childhood.

Succot is a harvest festival, and takes place at the time when the last crops were gathered in the Holy Land during biblical times. It is also one of the three Jewish pilgrim festivals, when Jews would take their offerings to God to Jerusalem.

Succot lasts for seven or eight days (depending on whether you live in or outside of Israel), and after this there is a further holiday known as Simchat Torah, or the Rejoicing of the Law.


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