HOLIDAYS IN ISRAEL – THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES SUCCOTH

[music] [music] [music] [music] Heat. Heat. [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] You know who shall? time. Jerusalem, the eternal city, Israel's [music] ancient capital and spiritual center. Hypa, gateway to the [music] old new land. [bell] [music] Tel Aviv, modern architecture, buildings of stone [music] and concrete. Streets pulsating with life. This is Israel. But on Yum Kipur, the day of atonement, everything comes to a standill. The day of the fast ends with a festive dinner. Spirits are high and thoughts drift to the coming holiday, Sukkot, the feast of tabernacles. [music] On this holiday, huts in [music] Hebrew, Sukkot are built to commemorate the Israelites wanderings in the desert. [music] According to tradition, the building of the suka begins on Yam Kipur night. A suka must be built under the open sky, either in the garden or on the balcony or as in this case on [music] the roof. The entire family takes part in this beautiful custom. [music] The next four days are marked by preparations for the holiday. Markets spring up everywhere. Shoppers, this time mostly men, shop for those special items that they'll need for the celebration. For instance, Lulov and Ephrod representing the noblest of truth. [music] and the myrtle and willow ordinary foliage which together symbolize [music] the unity of the people. The roof is traditionally covered with branches and leaves so that the sky is visible from within. In the kibuts, the children build their own suka. When the walls are finished, the lattice roof is covered with palm leaves and other foliage. And all that remains is to decorate it [music] as tastefully as possible with flowers and of course fruit [music] since sukkot is a harvest festival. [music] The whole nation builds sukkot so as not to forget [music] that the children of Israel dwelt in desert huts for 40 years before they [music] reached the promised land. [music] Today when the Jews are again returning to their ancient homeland, many thousands are still living [music] in temporary shelters. But as the children of Israel in ancient days exchanged their huts for houses, so today [music] too newcomers as well find new homes in their reborn [music] country. [music] For a whole week, life is concentrated around the suka. There people take their meals and they meet their friends. [music] [music] The children inaugurate their suka with a celebration. [music] The ceremony begins with readings from the Bible. In this 15th day [music] of the seventh month, thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles, after thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine. [music] For the Lord bringeth thee into a good land, a land [music] of wheat and barley and vines and fig trees and pomegranates. [music] A land of olive and honey, a land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarcess. [music] [music] [music] [music] And ye shall Take the fruit of goodly trees, branches of the palm trees, and the boughels of the thick trees, and the willows of the brook, [music] and ye shall rejoice. [music] [music] Ye shall dwell in huts, that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in hut when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. [music] Therefore, thou shalt surely rejoice. [music] For the farmers, Sukkot is truly the feast of the harvest. This aspect of the festival, which has [music] been missing for so many centuries after the Jews had lost their country, is now revived in its full meaning. [music] Blessed art thou, O Lord, who bringeth forth bread from the earth. [music] [music] Everybody is in a holiday mood. Parents and children have lots of fun together on this joyous day of Thanksgiving. And all over the country, this is the season for water games, boat races on the Mediterranean, and swimming competitions across the Canary, the Sea of Galilee. A great many people come to watch and to rest. to rest by the cooling waters after a hot and rainless summer. [music] In ancient times, to hasten the arrival of rain at the end of [music] this season, a ceremony of drawing the water was held at the temple. The modern farmers of Israel have revived this [music] custom of beta through dancing and singing on the water. [music] Shimat Torah, the last night of the 7-day festival, is dedicated to the Torah, [music] the book of Moses. [music] Like nature, the Torah completes its cycle at this season. The reading of last chapter and the beginning of the first come together. [music] They sing, "Thrill with joy over the Torah. Render glory to the Torah. She is our strength and our light. Thrill with joy over the Torah. A brilliant display of fireworks concludes the 7-day rejoices. Autumn is in the air and the race with the weather. Houses must [music] be finished as many wait to greet the new season in their new homes which are being built all over the country. [music] The great day that they've been waiting [music] for so long has come. Their days of wandering are over. [music] [music] [music] Thus, as the Sukkot come down, the immigrants huts disappear forever. For the iningathered children of Israel have found permanent homes in their new land. [music] [music] [music] [music] May he send rain from the heavenly source to soften the earth with its crystal drops that refresh all that have breaths of life. The first rain is here. A good omen [music] for a blessed year. [music] [music]