Why Sukkot is my favorite Jewish holiday
Shaking a lulav, finding the most fragrant etrog, eating outside with no patriarchal judgment — what's not to love?
Lulav
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Community How Much Should You Spend On A Lulav And Etrog?
In preparation for the holiday of Sukkot, many Jews around the world will purchase a lulav (bound date, myrtle and willow fronds) and an etrog (a citron) for use during synagogue and in their sukkahs. Although the two objects may seem humble, together they can cost a very pretty penny. In a recent informal poll,…
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Opinion This Sukkot, Ditch Your Etrog and Lulav in Favor of Apples and Maple Leaves
No Jewish holiday is more beloved among American and Israeli environmentalists than Sukkot. With its agricultural roots and its dictum to live close to the earth, Sukkot is the sine qua non of Jewish environmentalism. Camp out under the stars in what is essentially a lean-to, eat all your meals in it, invite friends over…
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Life A Woman’s Place Is in the Sukkah
Nobody intentionally set out to make Sukkot and Simchat Torah feminist holidays. Yet, slowly but surely, these two Jewish festivals have evolved into a time of year when the envelope is pushed when it comes to women’s participation, even in Orthodox communities in which egalitarian practice isn’t easily accepted. Over the past four years,…
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Opinion Kalamazoo Police Thought My Lulav Was a Sword
Mordechai Lightstone demonstrates the proper use of a lulav I was harassed by the police outside of Kalamazoo, Michigan for using my lulav and etrog. Last Tuesday, while traveling between Chicago and Detroit, my family and I stopped at the Kalamazoo Air Zoo. Traveling with small children is always a challenge, and the museum offered…
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Opinion Bob Dylan, M.C. Hammer and the Joy of a Mitzvah
As we wove through the backroads of an 18th-century Italian estate in our rented Volvo, I questioned myself once more: What exactly was I doing there? It was the summer of 2004, my first time in Europe. And in truth, the Baroque home commissioned by one of the Doges of Venice and the site of…
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Opinion When Natalie Portman Shook the Lulav
Levi and Yisroel Pekar have asked thousands of people, “Are you Jewish?” in their years of conducting street outreach for the Chabad movement during Sukkot. Since the twins mainly operate in New York City, it should come as no surprise that they have shaken the lulav with some famous Jews over the years. Like Natalie…
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News Meet the ‘Are You Jewish?’ Chabad Guys
“Excuse me, are you Jewish?” It’s a question heard on the streets of New York and other cities this time of year as members of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement approach other Jews and ask them to shake the lulav and the etrog — a sheath of palm fronds and a citrus fruit — in observance of…
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