Chabad to host community Sukkot celebration and OcTORAH Fest
Chester. Following the “Days of Awe” of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur come the “Days of Joy” of Sukkot and Simchat Torah. Chabad of Orange County offers celebrations in Monroe and Chester.
Chester /
| 16 Oct 2019 | 06:12
Duvy Burston of Monroe assists Al Muhlrad of Goshen with the shaking the "Four Kinds," a mitzvah on the holiday of Sukkot. (
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Daniel Askenazy of Highland Mills, 13, shows the “Hot-Torahs” he made at a recent club at Chabad. Hot-Torah’s will be served at Chabad’s OcTORAH Fest deli dinner on Oct. 21. (
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Chana Burston and Jania Brunstein of Monroe shaking the "Four Kinds," a mitzvah on the holiday of Sukkot. (
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Rabbi Pesach Burston and Gavin Reich of Highland Mills shaking the "Four Kinds," a mitzvah on the holiday of Sukkot. (
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Rabbi Pesach Burston shows Hebrew School students the inside of a Torah scroll. (
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Chabad of Orange County invites the community to celebrate the Jewish holidays of Sukkot and Simchat Torah with special events hosted by Rabbi Pesach and Chana Burston.
“Subs in the Sukkah” will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on Sunday, Oct. 20, at the community Sukkah located at their home at 47 Highview Road in Monroe.
The event, geared for all ages, will feature subs, salads and sweets as well as a live animal show by Outragehiss Pets. The Sukkah party will also offer the opportunity to partake in the special mitzvot unique to Sukkot: Eating in a Sukkah as well as blessing and shaking the "Four Kinds.”
Rabbi Pesach explained the connection between the live animal show and the holiday of Sukkot.
“Since Sukkot celebrates the ‘Clouds of Glory and Pillars of Fire’ which protected the Jewish people during their journey in the desert, Outragehiss Pets will demonstrate some of the dangerous desert animals from which they were protected," he said.
Simchat Torah
Chabad will also be offering community celebrations in observance of Simchat Torah with the following two celebrations:
“OcTORAH Fest” -- Simchat Torah Eve, Monday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m. The event will feature dancing with the Torah and deli dinner.
“Torah Horah” -- Simchat Torah Day, Tuesday, Oct. 22, at 10:30 a.m. The event will feature dancing with the Torah, a Torah Rolling Ceremony, and being called to the Torah, followed by festive lunch.
Both events will be held at the Chabad Center, 1170 Route 17M, Suite 1 in Chester. They are free of charge, but reservations are required. Sponsorships are also available.
“This is a holiday worth taking the kids to as this is a very joyous holiday,” explained Chana Burston, “It’s so important to teach and show our kids the joys – more than the ‘oys’ – of Judaism. Simchat Torah is a holiday when young and old become the legs of the Torah, enabling it to dance.”
To register or for more information, call 845-782-2770, email rabbi@ChabadOrange.com, or visit ChabadOrange.com.
Days of joy
Following the “Days of Awe” of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, come the “Days of Joy” of Sukkot and Simchat Torah.
Sukkot celebrates the gathering of the harvest and commemorates the miraculous protection G‑d provided for the children of Israel when they left Egypt. It is celebrated Sukkot by dwelling in a foliage-covered booth (known as a sukkah) and by blessing the “Four Kinds,” four special species of vegetation, representing the harvest. They are: An etrog (citron), a lulav (palm frond), three hadassim (myrtle twigs) and two aravot (willow twigs).
The weeklong holiday of Sukkot leads into the festival of Simchat Torah (lit. “the joy of the Torah”), celebrating the conclusion—and restart—of the annual Torah-reading cycle. The highlight of Simchat Torah is the ‘hakafot’ (dancing circles), held on both the eve and the morning of Simchat Torah, in which Jews march and dance with the Torah scrolls around the reading table in the synagogue.