Daniel’s DerechYour monthly journey to the Land of Israel with tour guide Daniel Sokol

SUKKOT IN JERUSALEM- A TRAVELLING TRADITION

Three times a year the Jewish nation would make a pilgrimage to the Bet Hamikdash ( Temple) in Jerusalem. Journey with us and discover the amazing event that took place every Sukkot, Pesach, and Shavuot. We’ll also learn about some amazing discounts on accommodations- from the times of the Temple!

Just for Kids

A great origami project to hold all of the candy that you’ll get when you

go sukkah-hopping!

Issue 3 ~ October 2009 ~ Sukkot Special

Copyright 2009C

You’ve Gotta See This!

Discover one of the largest gatherings of the Jewish people taking place this Sukkot.We’ll give you a hint- you’ll get blessed at

the same time!

US line: 412-567-5932 ~ Cell: 050-818-3786 ~ sokoltours@gmail.com ~ www.sokol-tours.com

Ask the Tour Guide

Buying a lulav and etrog in Israel versus bringing it with you on the plane.

Go through the pros and cons in the Ask the Tour Guide section.

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On Daniel’s Derech...

Welcome to the Sukkot Special Edition of Daniel’s Derech! In this issue we will travel throughout time as we discover Sukkot from then and now. Explore the pilgrimage that the Jewish people made to the Bet Hamikdash (Temple) three times a year and get in on some ancient discounts in our Feature Article. Can’t decide whether to bring your lulav and etrog from back home? Check out the pros and cons in the Ask the Tour Guide section! Take part in a gathering of 30,000 Jews for the Birkat Cohanim (Priestly Blessing) in You’ve Gotta See This!, and much more.

Wishing you a wonderful holiday from our sukkah in Israel,Daniel

Interested in a specific topic and want to see it featured in a future issue of Daniel’s Derech? Send us an email at sokoltours@gmail.com!

Have a question about a particular site in Israel, or need a recommendation for an upcoming family trip? Send us an email at sokoltours@gmail.com with “Ask the Tour Guide” in the subject line. Maybe your question will be featured in a future issue!

Should I bring my lulav and etrog with me from the States, or will I be able to buy a set once I arrive? I’m arriving a day before Sukkot begins- will that be enough time to get one?

Q:This is a personal preference. Some tourists prefer to buy their lulav and etrog back home in a place that they are

familiar with. The TSA (Transportation Security Administration) has issued a statement stating that they are aware that travelers will be transporting their lulav packages, and that this will pose no problems to airport security. On the other hand, buying a lulav and etrog in Israel is an amazing experience. Not only do you get the pleasure of

shaking a lulav that was grown in the Holy Land, but you also have the excitement of visiting the lulav and etrog shuks, markets, that spring up throughout the land in the week preceding Sukkot. Even the day before Sukkot, hundreds of these stands can be found on the street, in parking lots, storefronts, etc. Many have rabbanim on the premises to look over your selection to ensure that it is kosher. It is a fantastic experience to buy your lulav and etrog in Israel and I highly recommend it.

A:

your lulav and etrog in Israel and I highly

Daniel’s Derech, October 2009, Sukkot Special 1

?Ask theTourGuide

Are you tired of paying for expensive

hotels when you visit Israel for Sukkot?

Well, jump back in time to the era of the Bet

Hamikdash ( Temple) for some great savings

and deals! During the Temple times, Jews from

all over Israel, and even the world, would travel

to Jerusalem three times a year for the holidays

of Sukkot, Pesach, and Shavuot on something

called “oleh l’regel”. The bustling city of

Jerusalem would suddenly become filled to the

brim with Jews of all walks of life, all

coming to visit the holiest site in Judaism. As the guests began to arrive in the city, the residents of Jerusalem would throw open their doors and welcome the travelers into their homes, to sleep, eat, and stay during the duration of their visit. Special hotels with enormous mikva’ot (ritual bath) complex were established in prime locations to help to accommodate the influx of guests. In fact, recent archaeological digs have unearthed

JinSukkot erusalema 2 , 0 0 0 Ye a r O l d Tra d i t i o n

Daniel’s Derech, October 2009, Sukkot Special 2

Daniel’s Derech, October 2009, Sukkot Special 3

these “hotels” right outside of the Western Wall, by the Southern Wall Excavations (be sure to visit these and more on your next tour with Sokol Tours!).

And one of the most amazing parts of this whole experience? The Jerusalemites did this for no charge! They housed and cared for a huge number of guests, whom they most likely had never even met before, completely for free. This is an extraordinary example of mitzvat hachnasas orchim, welcoming guests, at one of its greatest points.

How was this all possible? What was the reason that the residents of the holy city would offer their hospitality for free?

“Renting homes in Jerusalem is prohibited for they belong to all the tribes” -Tosefta, Maaser Sheni. We see from this gemara that the portion of Jerusalem belongs to all of the tribes of Israel. If that is so, then the idea of “what’s mine is yours, and what’s yours is mine” is extremely applicable in Jerusalem- especially during the three major holidays.

There must have been some compensation for these noble hosts. We learn from the gemara that the oleh regel, the people traveling to Jerusalem for the holidays, would take the hides from their sacrifices in the Temple and give them to their hosts. The Yerushalmis would then be able to sell the hides for a profit.

If you have ever traveled to the Old City, especially during Sukkot and other holidays, one of the first comments is

usually how crowded it is inside the walls. With the overpowering number of people there, you almost always bump into an old acquaintance from somewhere around the world (and it is so crowded that we do mean bump!). However, back then, “never did a person say it was too crowded in Jerusalem, and never did a person say to his friend, ‘I couldn’t find a bed to sleep on in Jerusalem’” - Avot.

Not only did the residents of the city throw open their homes in a beautiful display of kindness, it appears that the city literally stretched itself to comfortably accommodate each and every person who came to its walls.

So the next time you are visiting Israel for Sukkot, be sure to go to the Old City and really experience what Sukkot in Yerushalaim is all about.

Sukka Decorations in Jerusalem

Th e Birkat Cohanim gathering at the Kotel on Sukkot

What it is: The Birkat Cohanim, Priestly Blessing, is a special blessing given by the Cohanim during the prayer services. It is recited daily in Israel and on holidays throughout the rest of the world.

Where it is located: The Western Wall Plaza

Why we love it: Twice a year, on Sukkot and Pesach, thousands of people gather to the Kotel Plaza to hear this blessing. In an event that is reminiscent of the aliyah l’regel, the thrice yearly pilgramage to Jerusalem, the Plaza becomes packed with visitors from around the world. Wall-to-wall people come to pray the morning davening and to recite amen when the Cohanim give this holy blessing. This year, the Kotel Plaza saw some 30,000 visitors for the Birkat Cohanim.

There is a small town outside of Jerusalem called Motza.

You know the one- that small building at the side of the 1

highway as the road makes a sharp curve between Mevaseret and

Jerusalem. Well, during the times of the Bet Hamikdash ( Temple)

the residents and visitors to Jerusalem would flock to this town

to pick their aravot, willows, for their lulav bundles (the aravot

are part of the four species in the lulav package). Because of the

service that this town provided for so many of the Jewish people

(don’t forget that hundreds of thousands were travelling to the

holy city for Sukkot), the town of Motza was exempt from paying

the king’s taxes (gemara Sukkah).

!!You’ve SeeGotta Th is

?DidYouKnow

Daniel’s Derech, October 2009, Sukkot Special 4

KidsJust for

idsidsOrigami Candy Basket

Daniel’s Derech, October 2009, Sukkot Special 5

Use Origami folds to create a basket just right for all of the candy you are going to collect when you go Sukkah-hopping!Begin with a square sheet of paper- the bigger the better, just be sure that it is a perfect square.(Directions and pictures are courtesy of www.activityvillage.co.uk)

2. Bring the top corner down to reach the bottom. Crease well,

and lift the flap up again.

3. Fold the right corner across and line it up with the crease.

1. If there is a design or color on one side of the paper, place

that side down, so that you don’t see it. Fold it in half diagonally.

4. Repeat for the left corner and then flip the whole thing

over to its back.

5. Fold the basket in half so that the flaps are on the outside.

6. Using a pair of scissors, cut along the dotted line.

7. Open the basket and fold the top corner down.

Repeat on the other side.

8. You are ready to fill the basket with Sukkah-hopping candy!