Chabad’s Sukkos Events Make Fall Holiday a Public Affair

MONROE, NY [CHI] — Children and adults of all ages learned about the beauty and joy of the Jewish “autumn” holidays – beginning with the High Holy-Days, and culminating with the festivities of Sukkot and Simchat Torah. Chabad of Orange County, directed by Rabbi Pesach and Chana Burston, organized these events.

The children of Chabad’s specialized preschool program, Torah Troopers, ages 3-5 years, traced holiday shapes with shaving cream, used hammers to build an imaginary sukkah, enjoyed singing Sukkot songs with puppets and created a beautiful sensory project of the Lulav and Etrog (the “four kinds”) using cotton balls, tissue paper and straws. They also created “stuffed Torahs” and danced under the parachute in anticipation of the Simchat Torah holiday.

Chabad Hebrew School students, ages 5-13, learned about the history and traditions of the Sukkah while sitting in the Chabad community Sukkah. Children enjoyed an interactive sukkot game and hot cocoa. All students received a shoebox filled with creative materials and, after learning about the required measurements of the Sukkah, designed their own miniature Sukkah models.

Many teens and adults volunteered to assist in the building of the Chabad community Sukkah, located at the Monroe home of Rabbi Pesach and Chana Burston, directors of Chabad of Orange County.

Over 150 people from throughout the County enjoyed a festive Sukkot party with Chabad. Held at the spacious Chabad community sukkah, children, adults and senior citizens joined together for this joyous holiday. “Sukkot” celebrates the “Clouds of Glory” which miraculously surrounded, shielded and hovered over the Jewish People in Sinai Desert prior to their entry into the Holy Land. Ever since, the Jewish people remember G-d’s kindness and reaffirm trust in His providence by dwelling in a sukkah–a hut of temporary construction with a roof covering of branches–for the duration of the Sukkot festival.

“One may wonder why this holiday is celebrated in the autumn and not in the spring, close to Passover, as that is when the Jews left Egypt and would sequentially make sense,” says Rabbi Pesach Burston. “After filling the storehouses with all the produce that was harvested at the end of the summer season, a person might feel confident about his financial situation, and forget the Creator who supplied him with all this material wealth. We therefore sit in the sukkah and contemplate the Jewish people’s sojourn through the desert, a time when we had nothing – no fields, orchards, or vineyards – and G‑d alone provided for our every need.” Burston also adds that if Sukkot was celebrated in the springtime, we would enjoy the pleasant weather and would perhaps forget the important messages of the holiday.

All enjoyed a full kosher taco bar as they listened to musician David Dixler of Monroe play live Jewish music. Children of all ages designed Sukkot arts and crafts. Rabbi Pesach Burston offered each participant at the party the opportunity to fulfill the tradition of shaking the “Lulav and Etrog”. “The shaking of the four different kinds, as we hold them together, symbolizes the unity of all people,” explains Rabbi Pesach Burston. “ We all come together, leaving our comfortable and warm homes, and celebrate our Jewish identity and faith in G-d by eating in a simple ‘hut,’ a sukkah.”

The feature show, a comical magic show by magical Seth Dale, in association with Laugh Out Loud Productions, provided wonderful entertainment for the crowd.

“The commandment to eat in the Sukkah in unique as it’s one of the only opportunities we have to serve G-d with our entire body,” says Chana Burston. “We give charity with our hand, say a blessing with our mouth, and run to help someone with our feet. But the Sukkah surrounds us and represents our complete commitment to our heritage. We feel privileged to provide the Jewish community with the opportunity to experience this special holiday of unity and togetherness.” The community Sukkah party was generously sponsored by Jack and Suzzanne Berkowitz, Mitch and Gladys Wenzel and Lester and Shirley Pleeter.

The joys and traditions of the holidays were also brought to several Senior Centers in the county.

Chabad also offered services and a special children’s program for the holiday of Simchat Torah, which celebrates the annual completion of the reading of the Torah with dancing and singing.

Chabad-Lubavitch centers around the world dedicated one of the traditional rounds of dancing during Simchat Torah to the memory of Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter who was abducted by terrorists and murdered in early 2002.

Following a request made by Dr. Judea Pearl just days before the holiday and what would have been his son’s 46th birthday, Chabad Houses from Agoura Hills, Calif., to Paris, London, North Cyprus and Bangkok signed on to the effort as a way to honor the self sacrifice exhibited by the slain correspondent when he declared to his captors, “My father is a Jew, my mother is a Jew and I am a Jew.”

“We are honored and excited to know that thousands of miles apart, from Thailand to Russia to Los Angeles, there will be Jewish youngsters remembering our son Daniel,” Judea Pearl wrote shortly before the onset of the holiday.

For more information about Chabad-Lubavitch of Orange County visit www.ChabadOrange.com

Payton Sale, 5, of Highland Mills decorating his model Sukkah at Chabad Hebrew School. He is pictured with Chana Burston, director of Chabad Hebrew School

David Brand shakes the Sukkot tradition of “the Four Kinds” when his seven year old visitors, Duvy Burston, center, and Yitzi Zelenko, right, both of Monroe, brought the joys and tradition of the holiday to Elant at Tuxedo