SHABBOS & YOM TOV 2020/5781
SUKKOT EVE
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2
*Please note we are now on the Winter schedule. Mincha will follow Shabbat candle lighting times
6:18 PM--Candle Lighting
6:20 PM--Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat/Maariv
6:36 PM--Shkiah (Sunset)
SUKKOT DAY 1
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3
9:00---AM--Shacharis/Hallel/Hoshanos
11:00--AM--Krias HaTorah/Mussaf
Candle Lighting from pre-existing flame after 7:11
7:15--PM--Mincha/Maariv
SUKKOT DAY2
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4
9:00---AM--Shacharis/Hallel/Hoshanos
11:00--AM--Krias HaTorah/Mussaf
12:30--PM--*We will be davening Mincha directly after Mussaf
7:10----PM--Yom Tov Ends.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8 / FRIDAY OCTOBER 9
HOSHANA RABBAH EVE VIRTUAL ALL NIGHT LEARNING
Please join us from the safety of your own sukkah for all night learning & meditation, beginning at midnight! Led by David Sacks and Yehuda Masjedi
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 831 6740 1677
Passcode: 815234
Hoshana Rabbah
The seventh day of Sukkot is called Hoshana Rabbah, and is considered the final day of the divine “judgment” in which the fate of the new year is determined. It is the day when the verdict that was issued on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is finalized.
The Midrash tells us that G‑d told Abraham: “If atonement is not granted to your children on Rosh Hashanah, I will grant it on Yom Kippur; if they do not attain atonement on Yom Kippur, it will be given on Hoshana Rabbah.”
Isaiah says, “They seek Me day [after] day.” The Talmud explains that these two “days” refer to the day when the shofar is sounded (Rosh Hashanah) and the day when we take the willow (Hoshana Rabbah)—the day when the heavenly judgment begins, and the day when it concludes.
In addition, on Sukkot we are judged regarding how much rain will fall in the upcoming year. Thus, on Hoshana Rabbah, the final day of Sukkot, this judgment is finalized. Considering how much our wellbeing and economy depend on bountiful rainfall, it is clear how important this day is.
The Day of the Willow
The primary observance of Hoshana Rabbah is “the taking of the willow.” In addition to the Four Kinds taken every day of Sukkot, it is a tradition, dating back to the times of the prophets, to take an additional willow on the seventh day of Sukkot. This commemorates the willow ceremony in the Holy Temple, where large eighteen-foot willow branches were set around the altar every day of Sukkot. Every day of Sukkot the altar was circled once, to the sounds of supplications for divine assistance; on Hoshana Rabbah, the altar was circled seven times.
Today, during the course of the Hoshana Rabbah morning services, all the Torah scrolls are taken out of the Ark and are held by people standing around the bimah (Torah reading table). The congregation then makes seven circuits around the bimah (instead of the one circuit done the other days of Sukkot) while reciting the Hoshaanot prayers, with the Four Kinds in hand. At the conclusion of the Hoshaanot we take a bundle of five willows (available for a nominal fee at most synagogues), and with it we strike the ground five times, symbolizing the “tempering of the five measures of harshness.”
It is customary for all—men, women, and even small children—to perform this ritual. One should not use a willow bundle already used by another; a bundle should be purchased for every family member. After the bundle is used, many have the custom of throwing it onto the top of the Ark.
Night Learning
In consideration of the auspiciousness of the day, it is customary in many communities to remain awake on the night preceding Hoshana Rabbah. We recite the entire book of Deuteronomy, wherein the precepts to love and fear G‑d are expounded at length. In certain communities, the entire book of Deuteronomy is read in the synagogue from the Torah scroll. After midnight, the entire book of Psalms is recited. In some congregations it is a custom for the gabbai (synagogue manager) to distribute apples (signifying a “sweet year”) to the congregants. These apples are then taken home, dipped in honey, and eaten in the sukkah.
