Sukkot
This week is the holiday of Sukkot (Leviticus 23:34) The Feast of Tabernacles. During this time, the Jews are living in temporary shelters just outside of their homes or apartments called Sukkahs (Leviticus 23:42-43). These shelters remind me of when I was a child. I used to make a “tent” inside of my bedroom using blankets. The tabernacles that they build consist of connected fabric in the shape of a square and all have some sort of a see thru roof. Mainly the roofs consist of branches or something along those lines that have cracks in them so you can see the stars. Israel has two seasons: rain and no rain. Right now there is no rain, so the Sukkahs do not need to be weather proof. In the New City there are Sukkahs all over the place. Just about every apartment and restaurant have these shelters just outside there doors. Also, this time of the year is when Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike flock to Jerusalem.

The purpose of Sukkot is to be an annual reminder of God’s provision during the 40 year wilderness wondering when the Hebrews lived in similar structures. The holiday is filled with large meals and crazy Jewish shindigs. The other night I went to the “World’s Largest Sukkah” which is right here in Jerusalem. This Sukkah is in the center of a park which has a lot of palm trees at the entrance. All of the palm trees have various colored lights that project from the base and land in its leaves. Throughout the entire park there is a beautiful array of lights that greeted me as I headed inside. On the inside they had a live band playing, some art exhibits, and a lot of Orthodox Jews. I went rather early in the evening, so I hope to return sometime later this week to see everything in full swing.

For who knows…

If the planets align and if there is enough Jewishness in the air…

…then maybe my Caucasian Gentile self might be able to pull off a little Jewish jig…