Festivals | Tishrei
From Sukkot to Simhat Torah
Erev Simhat Bet Hashoeva
Gila Ansell Brauner
There are two religious ceremonies and one celebration connected
with water in the month of Tishrei:
the solemn, private Tashlich prayer for the symbolic cleansing
of sins over flowing water on Rosh Hashana;
the communal prayer for rain in Israel on Shemini Atzeret;
the associated Erev Simhat Bet Hashoeva, commemorating the Libation
Ceremony in Jerusalem of Temple times. (Water is also compared
with the Torah in Shir Hashirim Rabba.)
Flowing water versus rainfall and conserved water - from solemnity
to hope and celebration in national and spiritual life. Thus we
approach the conclusion of the one month-plus period of soul-searching
and begin in full the cycle of another year on Simhat Torah. (Please
see background files on Sukkot.)
CHOICE OF ACTIVITY
The original Libation Ceremony was musical, with people dancing
in the street with torches - a crowd celebration with water and
wine being poured on the Temple altar, too.
Israeli kibbutzim tended to choose a staged presentation with readings,
choruses, songs and water carriers; Festival prayers include excellent
lyric poetry for readings; there are many traditional and modern
Israeli songs referring to water...
HOW DOES ONE MAKE THIS JOYFUL, MEANINGFUL BUT NOT TOO SERIOUS OUTSIDE
THE REALITY OF LIFE IN ISRAEL?
One recommendation is to enlarge the scope of the activity to make
this your main programme over the Succot Festival, not entirely
limited to the location of your Succah - unless it is extremely
large!
The Flow Chart of your programme should look something like this:
- Pre-activity - make related decorations to set the stage.
- Pre-activity - rehearse at least a small group in Festival
and water songs, choose music tapes/videos for atmosphere.
- Pre-activity - select quiz panel or prepare quiz teams for
all participants.
- Reception of your members to something musical, continued
by a short, choral opening. For students and adults, greet
with a glass of Israeli wine, grape or fruit juice.
- Open the event with a guest and say something about its significance.
If you have no guest, make it short and show visuals instead.
- If you're doing a drama presentation, now's the time.
- Close this section of the programme and move chairs.
- For youth and children, play a selection of team games* with
food-tasting, painted batons and water; for students and adults
- food and wine tasting comes at the end!
- Optional Israeli dance section.
- Move to the succah or kumsitz, or sit on blankets/the floor
and learn the water songs; move to free singing. Use a guest
singer if you feel it is suitable. This is the time to provide
drinks, biscuits (or baked potatoes) or a more "refined" menu
for adults.
THE GAMES
- Blindfolded food tasting at several tables for different teams
- Baton and relay races with an etrog or lulav
- Pass the etrog between your knees or from chin to chin down
the team
- First team to find a song beginning with the word/letter ....
- Relay ladder climb (pack the area with mattresses in case
of falls)
- Relay bucket of water race (the aim is to have a full bucket
at the end!)
- Human pyramids / 15 people on a chair
- The best "orchestra"
- Scavenger hunt
- How many glasses of water you can drink (1 volunteer per team)
in a set time
- Filling a bucket from small plastic kiddush cups (five cups
a team)
See also: Short Games file.
THE SONGS
- Ush'avtem mayim...
- Havu lanu yayin...
- The Prayer for Rain
THE QUIZ
We offer below a few examples of serious and humorous questions
for your quiz; the answers to the serious challenges can be found
in the background files.
Serious
1. For 5 points: give three main features for choosing a "beautiful"
lulav.
2. For 5 points: give three main features for choosing an etrog.
3. For 5 points: give the main features for choosing hadassim [myrtle
branches] and aravot [willow branches].
4. How many walls must a succah have? [2 points]
5. Explain where a succah may be built and where not [5 points]
6. How high may a succah be? [2 points]
7. How many times do we go round the bimah for "hosha'not"? [2
points]
8. Which mitzvot can we perform in the succah? [5 points]
9. What does the succah represent? [3 points]
10.Name 3 traditional Succot dishes you know. [3 points]
11.What special Megillah [book] do we read on Succot and when?
[3 points]
12.What do each of the 4 species represent? [5 points]
13.Name two community customs associated with Hol Hamo'ed Succot
[the intermediate days]. [3 points]
14.What do you say when your guests come into the Succah? and so
on!
Humorous
1. How many leaves in a lulav? [give 3 figures]
2. How many bumps on an etrog? [give 3 options]
3. How many meters / feet in the average 7 hakafot around the bima?
4. How many calories in a holishke?
5. Find out the record number of guests in the succot of the competitors!
6. What would you say to xxx if s/he were to visit your succah?
7. Your neighbor has brought a case against you for construction
without planning permission [your succah!]. In court, the judge
decided that you have to dismantle it within 8 days or pay a fine.
What are you going to tell the news reporter outside?!!
8. Think of a slogan: [15 seconds simultaneously for all competitors]
A succah is a place where ..... or Come to my succah because .....
9. Coca Cola have decided to sponsor a succah competition: how
will you decorate your succah?
10.Name three succot you would like to visit in a super-succah
crawl! and many, many more!
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