Posted on 10/15/2014 2:26:40 PM PDT by DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis
The eight day festival that consists of Sukkot and Shmini Atzeret/Simchat Torah will come to an end Thursday night, bringing an end to the month long holiday season and starting the regular year.
Hebrew calendar days begin from the previous evening; therefore, in accordance with Jewish Law, Arutz Sheva staff will be offline from Wednesday night until the end of the holiday, on Thursday night. Overseas staff will be off until Saturday night in the US.
n Israel, a popular expression is "Acharei Hachagim" - lets' wait till after the holidays - as the entire country seems to put off whatever it can from Rosh Hashanah, sometimes even from the preceding month of Elul, until the day after Shmini Atzeret/Simchat Torah.
The Sukkot holiday marks the last of three yearly pilgrimage festivals to Jerusalem and the Holy Temple - preceded by Pesach and Shavuot - and also the end of the Tishrei holidays, Shmini Atzeret, which begins Wednesday evening and is mandated in the Torah as a final "encore" holiday.
It is an additional day, celebrated on the day immediately following Hoshanna Raba, the solemn last and seventh day of Sukkot which is observed with mystical prayers for salvation in which the congregation marches around the bimah (table for reading the Torah, in the center of the synagogue, ed.) seven times holding the Four Species and then slams five willow branches on the floor to symbolize the destruction of our sins but also that awaiting Israel's enemies - the latter reason not made public knowledge for obvious reasons, as the Maharsha says, positing it as the real meaning of the willow beating.
(Excerpt) Read more at israelnationalnews.com ...
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