Sukkot
September 30, 2012 7:00 PM

Congregation Etz Chaim will celebrate the beginning of Sukkot with a joyous service. The observance will include holiday songs, a special story and the shaking of the lulav. Each child should bring a gaily decorated basket of fruit. During the service, the children will be called to the bima to present their baskets. Following the service, the baskets of fruit will be distributed to the needy of our community. After the service, the congregation will gather in the Sukkah for Kiddush immediately followed by sweets in the Stoller-Soreff Social Hall.

Rich in significance, replete with special rituals, the lulav and the etrog are central to this joyous harvest and historical festival.

Lulav is a Hebrew word meaning "palm branch" and refers to a unique ceremonial object associated with the holiday of Sukkot. Lulav is also a generic term, describing a three-sectioned holder with a single palm branch in the center, two willow branches on the left, and three myrtle branches on the right.

Etrog is a Hebrew word meaning "citron," and refers to the special lemon-like fruit used in conjunction with the lulav in the Sukkot ritual.