It’s officially fall and the weather is…still hot. But we took our annual trip to the pumpkin patch on Sunday in the midst of preparing for Sukkot, which starts tomorrow night, and these fun questions from The Blended Blog are perfect for all the fall sharing! Before we get to that, let me tell you a bit about Sukkot, for those of you who may not remember from previous years.
“Sukkot has a dual significance: historical and agricultural. Historically, Sukkot commemorates the forty-year period during which the children of Israel were wandering in the desert, living in temporary shelters. Agriculturally, Sukkot is a harvest festival.”
Getting ready to build our sukkah.
“The word ‘Sukkot’ means ‘booths,’ and refers to the temporary dwellings that we are commanded to live in during this holiday in memory of the period of wandering. The Hebrew pronunciation of Sukkot is ‘Sue COAT,’ but is often pronounced as in Yiddish, to rhyme with ‘BOOK us.’ In honor of the holiday’s historical significance, we are commanded to dwell in temporary shelters, as our ancestors did in the wilderness. The temporary shelter is referred to as a sukkah (which is the singular form of the plural word ‘sukkot’). Like the word sukkot, it can be pronounced like Sue-KAH, or to rhyme with Book-a.”
The kids went to help decorate the synagogue sukkah on Sunday.
“The sukkah is great fun for the children. Building the sukkah each year satisfies the common childhood fantasy of building a fort, and dwelling in the sukkah satisfies a child’s desire to camp out in the backyard. The commandment to ‘dwell’ in a sukkah can be fulfilled by simply eating all of one’s meals there; however, if the weather, climate, and one’s health permit, one should spend as much time in the sukkah as possible, including sleeping in it.”
“The ‘walls’ of the sukkah do not have to be solid; canvas covering tied or nailed down is acceptable and quite common in the United States. A sukkah may be any size, so long as it is large enough for you to fulfill the commandment of dwelling in it. The roof of the sukkah must be made of material referred to as sekhakh (literally, covering). To fulfill the commandment, sekhakh must be something that grew from the ground and was cut off, such as tree branches, corn stalks, bamboo reeds, sticks, or two-by-fours.”
They also helped build a smaller version for the kids to use.
“It is common practice, and highly commendable, to decorate the sukkah. In the northeastern United States, Jews commonly hang dried squash and corn in the sukkah to decorate it, because these vegetables are readily available at that time for the American holidays of Halloween and Thanksgiving. Many families hang artwork drawn by the children on the walls. Building and decorating a sukkah is a fun family project.”
I have been saving these cute pear decorations for our sukkah since January’s $10 at Target!
Here is a new decoration made by Gabbie!
“Another observance during Sukkot involves what are known as the Four Species (arba minim in Hebrew) or the lulav and etrog. We are commanded to take these four plants and use them to ‘rejoice before the Lord.’ The four species in question are an etrog (a citrus fruit similar to a lemon native to Israel; in English it is called a citron), a palm branch (in Hebrew, lulav), two willow branches (aravot) and three myrtle branches (hadassim). The six branches are bound together and referred to collectively as the lulav, because the palm branch is by far the largest part. The etrog is held separately. With these four species in hand, one recites a blessing and waves the species in all six directions (east, south, west, north, up and down), symbolizing the fact that God is everywhere.” [source for all the information].
Now, let’s talk about even more fun fall things!
1. Favorite Fall Sweet Treat?
I have to say candy corn. I must eat it in the fall!
2. Red, Yellow, or Green Apples?
I think I like the yellow ones the best. Or any that are not too sour.
3. Favorite Fall Sport To Play?
I’m not much of a sports player! Gabbie’s is dance, of course!
4. Best Drink For Fall?
Apple Cider!
5. Favorite Fall Activity?
I love going to the pumpkin patch every year and taking our annual fall photos to look at how much the kids have grown!
6. Must Have Fall Purchase?
See the pumpkins they are holding in all of those pictures? We always buy a few to take home!
7. Pumpkins: Pick Your Own or Store Bought?
So even though we go to the patch, we don’t buy the big ones off the vines! We choose from the pre-picked small ones. The sad thing is though, this year there was a flood in the pumpkin patch so they had to bring in pumpkins from elsewhere. So even if people wanted to pick their own, they were already picked and just set out on the field. They still looked pretty though!
8. Real or Fake pumpkin?
Both!
9. Favorite Halloween Costume?
I celebrated Halloween as a kid even though we don’t now. My favorite costume I wore was a wrapped present!
10. College Football or NFL?
Unfortunately, the team I would cheer for in college sports (Rutgers) is awful! So I have to prefer NFL. Even though my fantasy team is awful too. Go Chiefs. (Or Giants).
11. Fall or Halloween Décor?
Fall.
12. Raking Leaves or No Leaves to Rake?
We definitely have leaves but that doesn’t mean I want to rake them! Zachary likes to rake sometimes though!
13. Favorite Soup?
Chicken Soup with Matzah Balls.
14. Favorite Fall Candle Scent?
Apple Pie, Pumpkin Pie, Coffee!
15. Love or Hate Pumpkin Spice?
I wouldn’t say I hate it, but I don’t like it!
16. Short Booties or Tall Boots?
Both! It’s still sandal weather here though!
17. Favorite Halloween Candy?
M&Ms or Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
18. PSL Yes or No?
No. I love salted caramel mochas though!
19. Hayride or Corn Maze?
We do the hayride because the corn maze costs extra! Ha!
20. Favorite Fall TV Show?
I’ll go with This Is Us!
Also! I’m the featured blogger at Johanna’s blog today, so go check out my answers to the questions she asked me! Happy Fall Y’all!