Sukkot Pull-Outs
The hard copy of TT includes full texts
in Hebrew of the following:
PDF files of the Pull-Outs are being sent to those email subscribers who
requested PDFs on a weekly basis.
Others can download the PDFs singly from the website. Click on PDF files.
1- Seder Netilat Lulav
(That's what it is called, even though Lulav is only one of the Four Species
- it is the most prominent one)
The mitzva of the Four Species (hereafter L&E) is performed while STANDING.
Following is an optional introductory passage to say before performing the
mitzva of L&E. This can be said before taking L&E in hand, or while holding
the Lulav-Hadasim-Aravot “bundle” (AGUDA) in your right hand and the Etrog
in your left, but not yet joining them. Or by holding the Etrog pitma
pointing down until after the brachot. Or holding everything and having
specific KAVANA to not (yet) fulfill the mitzva.
The mitzva of L&E is to take the four species in hand together. Therefore,
one gets ready to do the mitzva by taking the Lulav “bundle” in the right
hand and the Etrog in the left, but does not hold them together, and
preferably has specifically in mind NOT to fulfill the mitzva YET; then says
the bracha (AND Shehechyanu the first time as well), and THEN holds the L&E
TOGETHER and UPRIGHT with the intention of fulfilling the mitzva.
After the bracha/brachot and the joining of the L&E, the mitzva is done, but
the custom is to wave the L&E in six directions. Keep the L&E upright; hold
them close to the chest and then extend your hands forward. With the L&E in
front of you, gently shake them. Bring your hands back to your chest. Repeat
in the same direction two more times. Now do the same thing three times to
the right. Then three times behind you. Try not to turn too much in the
direction of the NA’ANU’IM (waving); face front as best as possible and move
the L&E in the different directions. Then to the left three times.Then up.
Then down. Extend, shake, retract. Extend, shake, retract. Three times in
each of the six directions. There are different customs as to the order of
these NA'ANU'IM. Another custom is SOUTH, NORTH, EAST, UP, DOWN, WEST
2- Birkat Al Hamichya
3 - Candle lighting for the first night of Sukkot and Shabbat Chol hamoed
Monday, Erev Sukkot, Oct. 17, '05, 4:29pm (J'm)
Ideally, candles should be lit in the Sukka - if it is safe to leave them
there. It is not proper to light in the Sukka and then move the candles into
the house. If the candles cannot be left in the Sukka, they should be lit in
the house.
Candle lighting for Yom Tov really should be done by saying the brachot
first and then lighting, but then the match or helper-candle should be put
down on a safe surface and not extinguished by the woman who lit candles.
Covering the eyes is not necessary when lighting
this way. A woman who prefers to light Yom Tov candles the same way she
lights Shabbat candles (light, cover eyes, brachot) may do so, when lighting
at "candle lighting time", rather than at night. If one lights at night
(before the meal), which is allowed on Yom Tov that is not Shabbat, then the
flame used must be taken from a pre-existing flame (meaning, no striking a
match), brachot should be said first and then the candles are lit.
Erev Shabbat Chol HaMoed, Oct. 21, 4:25pm - Regular Shabbat candle lighting
procedure. Preferably in the Sukka, as above
4 - Blessing the Children
5 - Kiddush for first night and Daytime of Sukkot
6 - Upon entering the Sukka - full text of what to say to invite the
Ushpizin in
a general invitation to all seven USHPIZIN (spiritual guests). It is
followed by the specific invitation to the day’s “special guest”, along with
the other six guests. There are two opinions as to the order of the Ushpizin.
Some put them in (almost) chronological order: Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov,
Yosef, Moshe, Aharon, David. Others, based on Kabalistic considerations list
them as we have, with Moshe and Aharon before Yosef.
7 - Hoshanot
Except for Shabbat, a Torah is taken from the Aron to the Bima, the Aron
remains open.
For your information...
Because of the LO AD”U ROSH rule of our fixed Calendar, neither the first
day of Rosh Hashana nor the first day of Sukkot (nor Simchat Torah) can fall
on a Sunday, Wednesday, or Friday. Hence, there are four possible days of
the week on which Sukkot can begin.
Each possibility produces a slightly different order and arrangement of
Hoshanot. This sheet is made for 5766 and other years like it - namely, when
Rosh HaShana is Tuesday-Wednesday.
Hoshanot are commemorative of the Hakafot around the Mizbei'ach in the Beit
HaMikdash on the days of Sukkot. Therefore, it might be suggested that our
Hoshanot combine a Korban-like practice with prayer, as expressed in the
pasuk in Hallel (T'hilim 116:17): To You I will sacrifice a Thanksgiving
Offering, and in G-d's name I will call.
The G'matriya of this pauk is 1176 - the same as: HOSHANA L'MAANCHA ELOKEINU,
HOSHANA
8 - Shir Shel HaYom
According to MINHAG YERUSHALAYIM, which is largely based on the opinions of
the Vilna Gaon, the regular Psalms of the Day are not said during Sukkot
(and other Holidays), but rather there are special Psalms for each day of
the CHAG. Although the Psalm for the Chag replaces the regular Psalm of the
day, the Psalm for Shabbat supersedes that of Chag.
Here is the set of T'hilim chapters for Sukkot this year. Even if you
(and/or your shul) say the regular SHIR SHEL HAYOM (for the days of the
week), you might want to add the special Psalms of the day.
After the Psalm of the Day (either or both), we say L'DAVID (Psalm 27), as
we have been doing since the first of Elul. It is said until and including
Hoshana Rabba (GR"A minhag is not to say it, but many among those who follow
Minhag Yerushalayim, do say it).
For those who follow Minhag Yerushalayim and say only the special Psalms for
each day of Sukkot instead of the "regular" Psalms for the day of the week,
it is recommended that you do the following. At some point (perhaps right
after the Shir for the day of Sukkot), say aloud, "HaYom Yom _______
b'Shabbat. Fill in the blank with the day of the week - Rishon, Sheini,
Sh'lishi... This is one of the ways we fulfill the mitzva of ZACHOR ET YOM
HASHABBAT L'KAD'SHO, every day of the week. Since Min.Yer. does not say the
Psalm of the day, this is important to do.
9 - Candle lighting, kiddush & hakafot for Simchat Torah
10 - Kiddush for night and day of Shabbat Chol Hamoed
11 - Havdala for Motzaei Yom Tov and Shabbat
12 - Birkat Hachodesh for the Year 5766
The full handout for the months of 5766 is also sent as a PDF to the TT-PDF
people, and is available under PDF files on the website.
Following is the English text of the Months Chart
We bench Rosh Chodesh as a commemoration of the practice in the time of the
Sanhedrin (past AND future) of proclaiming Rosh Chodesh based on the
testimony of eye-witnesses who saw the “first visibility of the lunar
crescent”. We pray for a good month, announce the Molad (the instant of the
new moon), and announce the day(s) of the upcoming Rosh Chodesh. The
introductory passage is modified for this monthly use from a prayer composed
by RAV, as mentioned in the Gemara (Brachot 16:), originally intended by its
author for daily use.
Notice that among the requests for a "LIFE OF...", we ask for YIR'AT
SHAMAYIM twice. In the Gemara's version of this prayer, it appears only once
(the second of our two). However, we can explain its appearance twice. The
first time, it is linked with "fear of sin", fear of punishment. This is the
basic level of YIR'AT SHAMAYIM, a feeling motivated by YIR'A, fear. The
second time we ask, it is paired with AHAVAT TORAH, love of Torah. This is a
higher level of YIR'AT SHAMAYIM, better translated (perhaps) as REVERENCE
for G-d, this time motivated by love. When our YIR'AT SHAMAYIM reaches that
exalted level, then we can ask for a "life that G-d will fulfill the
requests of our hearts to the good".
Another explanation of our asking twice is that after asking the first time,
we ask G-d for wealth and honor. A person so blessed, would need to ask for
YIR'AT SHAMAYIM again, since wealth and honor are two things that lead a
person to the arrogant feeling of self-accomplishment. It is "easy" to
achieve YIR'AT SHAMAYIM when one is poor; the humility that usually
accompanies poverty helps one achieve Fear of G-d. With wealth and honor, we
need to ask for YIR'AT SHAMAYIM again.
The Molad
The Tradition is to announce the Molad in Jerusalem Solar Time. In the chart
below you will find the (suggested) wording for the announcement of the
Molad. This time is used by Jews all over the world for Rosh Chodesh
Benching, without adjusting for time zones or daylight savings time. The
chart below has four additional times of the Molad, for your further
edification. From right to left, after the name of the month is the average
Molad in Rambam’s notation. This is the same time as the one we announce,
but it differs in form in two ways.
Rather than midnight being the “zero
hour”, Rambam uses the previous 6:00pm as his starting point for the day.
Furthermore, Rambam does not use minutes in his notation. Rather than an
hour having 60 minutes and a minute having 18 chalakim (each cheilek - part
- being 33 seconds). Rambam uses 1080 chalakim in an hour (that’s 60x18).
Remember: The announced molad and the Rambam's notation are the same time,
just expressed differently. Let's take Cheshvan below as an example. The
molad is Tuesday night, 23h 32m 13p. 32 minutes is 576 chalakim. Add 13 and
the total chalakim is 589 which is TAV-KUF-PEI-TET in Hebrew letters. 23
hours of Tuesday is 5 hours into Wednesday, starting at 6:00pm (Tuesday
evening). So in Rambam notation, TUE 23h is DALET (that's Wednesday) 5
hours, or HEI in Hebrew. Note that what we call TUE night is often referred
to as LEIL R'VI'I.
The next box to the left is the same
time, but expressed as D h m p and (clock time). To convert the Molad to
local Israeli time (known as European time or Cairo horizon), we subtract 21
minutes (on average) in the winter and add 39 minutes during Summer Time.
Unlike the “Traditional” Molad time and Rambam’s notation (which do not get
adjusted), the clock time in parentheses can (and should) be adjusted to
your time zone (for informational purposes only — remember that the
announcement of the Molad at Rosh Chodesh Benching is the same all over the
Jewish World), by adding or subtracting the number of hours you are
different from Israel. And the time is also adjusted for Daylight Savings
Time. (But don’t change the “announcement time”.)
The box on the far left is the Actual
Molad (astronomical). It differs from the average time partly because of
Kepler’s Second Law of Planetary Motion (really it’s G-d’s Law of Planetary
Motion, discovered by Kepler), which explains why the length of time from
one Molad to the next is not always the same (as it is in the calculation of
the Molad we use in our fixed calendar). The actual time of the Molad is not
used for any halachic purpose today, but in the time of the Sanhedrin - may
it be restored speedily in our time - it will be used to help determine the
time of the first visibility of the lunar crescent, which in turn will be
used by the Sanhedrin committee for Kidush HaChodesh, to know if and when to
await witnesses.
Generally, AV HARACHAMIM is not said when
we bench Rosh Chodesh, so continue with ASHREI (in your siddur). On the two
SHABBATOT MEVORCHIM during the OMER (for IYAR and SIVAN) we DO say AV
HARACHAMIM (even if there is a person present who would usually "knock out"
AV HARACHAMIM. And even if there is a BRIT MILA in the shul on that day.)
When we bench Rosh Chodesh Menachem Av, some say AV HARACHAMIM, some don't
say it. The opinion of the GR"A is not to say AV HARACHAMIM when we bench
Rosh Chodesh (even during the Omer), except for Shabbat M’vorchim Menachem
Av.
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