(written Tuesday, September 28th)
Wow, I am dedicated to this blog this week! :-)
Today was not the smoothest day shift-wise, and I have to admit, I was happy to see 4:00 roll around this afternoon. After a trip to my room to gather camera, some shekels, and keys, (and then waiting for a sudden nosebleed to stop!), I escaped out the compound gates to experience Jerusalem during the height of Sukkot!
Sukkot is a week-long festival, initially described in Leviticus 23. Sukkot is known in English as the Feast of Tabernacles or the Feast of Booths. It is one of the three Jewish feasts for which the Israelites were commanded to travel to the Temple in Jerusalem (along with Pesach/Passover and Shavuot/Feast of Weeks). Although there is no longer a Jewish Temple standing in Jerusalem, the city is still flooded with Jews visiting during this festival week. It is agricultural in nature and occurs at the completion of the harvest. Sukkot is generally considered a time of thanksgiving for God's provision the previous year. It is a time of rejoicing; in fact, in Leviticus, the people are commanded to rejoice before the Lord for the seven days of Sukkot. It is often referred to as Yom Simchateinu (Day of our Rejoicing).
Interestingly, Moses commanded the Israelites to gather to read the Law every seventh year at Sukkot, Solomon dedicated the Temple in Jerusalem on Sukkot, and Sukkot was the first observed festival in Jerusalem after the sacrifices resumed following the Babylonian captivity.
Sukkot is known as the Feast of Booths because it is a festival to remember how the Israelites lived in booths during their time in the wilderness after their exodus from Egypt. The majority of Israeli Jews build their own sukkah for this week, and all meals are eaten in the fragile structure. Many also sleep in their sukkah (sukkot is the plural of sukkah). The sukkah is a temporary and somewhat flimsy structure, symbolizing the frailty and temporariness of life and dependence on God.
Anyway, today was the annual Sukkot march in Jerusalem. People from numerous nations around the world came to parade through the New City of Jerusalem in support of Jerusalem's inhabitants. It is truly a parade and exemplifies the joyful nature of Sukkot. It was still going on when I finished my shift and walked up to Jaffa Road.
After a day that was not necessarily my favorite or the easiest, absorbing the mood of the day and the crowd was just the right medicine. It was impossible not to pick up on the rejoicing and celebrating, and it was amazing to see the hundreds of people from around the world walking down Jaffa Road, shouting Chag Sameach (the Hebrew version of "happy holidays") and Shalom Yerushalayim, waving and cheering. It was a day of celebrating, and I loved seeing it. It was also fun to see all the Israel/Jerusalem flags as well as flags from the paraders' countries. So much excitement!
I wanted to share some Sukkot in Jerusalem snapshots with you!
Entrance to Christ Church decorated for Sukkot
The sukkah inside Christ Church
Some of the sukkot in Jerusalem's New City outside shops and restaurants . . . (photos taken Sunday evening)
The Jerusalem Sukkot march this afternoon
Jaffa Road was packed!!
More sukkot in western Jerusalem
After watching some of the Sukkot parade, I went for a walk through Jerusalem (New City and Old City); maybe you'd like to share some of my walk through photos?
The famous King David hotel
Dusk in Jerusalem (though the colors aren't quite so breathtaking in the photograph as in real life)
"Ground sukkot" in the Old City's Jewish Quarter
(the giant sukkah in Hurva Square)
(an "open air" sukkah in Hurva Square)
A couple "rooftop" sukkot in the Jewish Quarter
And what is a walk through the Jewish Quarter without a visit to the Western Wall? Here is a gigantic sukkah in the Western Wall plaza!
It's a good thing my ultimate goal was not the wall itself as I would not have gotten anywhere close to it--the plaza was packed!! It was humming with celebration and certainly something to experience.
One moment from my walk to the Western Wall really stuck in my mind. (Sometime I will take pictures of the endless stairs leading from the Jewish Quarter down to the Western Wall--there are a lot! I really admire the Jewish families for their ability to navigate these stairs (up and down) with strollers every time they visit the Western Wall. In America, parents would probably insist on an elevator or a ramp, but here, it's just part of life.) Anyway, as I was going down, I saw two Jewish men working together to carry a stroller up the stairs. I just caught a brief glimpse, but it really touched my heart to see people looking out for each other. Such a random thing, but it is one of my special Sukkot memories.
An important part of the Sukkot festival is the "four species." For an interesting read on these, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_species. Although I was aware of the four, I had not previously heard the symbolism they embody.
On my way back through the Jewish Quarter, I decided it was impossible to be in Jerusalem for Sukkot and not have something to show for it. :-) I decided to buy just one of the four species and ended up with a couple willow branches. Of all the luck, to get willow!! (If you read the wikipedia article, you'll get it!). I am not going to read anything into it, though. :-) And, it really is fun to have a piece of Sukkot in my room!
My Aravah (Hebrew for willow) from Sukkot 2010 in Jerusalem
And one last thing just for laughs . . . :-) Sukkot is an agricultural festival, and I decided to honor that connection with some green nail polish. Can you imagine?! In case you can't, here is proof!! :-)
Hope this has given you a little taste of Jerusalem during the week long festival of Sukkot. Although it's made a crowded and busy city, I have really enjoyed being here during this time. What an unforgettable experience!!
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