This gallery of photos is from Andy’s mother, Myra Yellin Outwater (of blessed memory), from her book, Judaica. Click on any of the photos for details.
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Sensational Succahs: Traditional
Succot can be celebrated in many ways! Whether Ashkenazi, Sephardic, traditional, bohemian, or modern, flavors and styles from around the world can be incorporated to create your own Sensational Succah! Be creative! Make it Fun and Festive! Watch our video below to see all 3 of our Sensational Succahs.
Succah is Hebrew for “booths” or “huts.” The Biblical holiday Succot is celebrated 5 days following Yom Kippur. For a seven-day period it has been a custom to “temporarily dwell” in a Succah to remember the Israelites who lived in these temporary dwellings during their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness after their Exodus from Slavery in Egypt.
Succot is based on the verse: “Every resident among the Israelites shall live in booths, in order that your [ensuing] generations should know that I had the children of Israel live in booths when I took them out of the land of Egypt.” (Leviticus 23:42-43)
A traditional succah is created outside synagogues and homes as a place to invite family and friends to celebrate the fall harvest. A dining table is set up in our traditional succah to enjoy the harvest with food and comfortable seating for eating, entertaining and sometimes (as in our Moroccan Succah) even sleeping!
A tradition is to include four species of plants that are bound together and waved north, south, east, west up and down, symbolic that god is all around us. These species include lulav (palm), hadas (myrtle), aravah (willow) and etrog (fruit from the citron tree).
It is common to decorate the succah with fruits and plants of the harvest. It is important to cover the succah roof loosely with s’chach (roof coverings which must have grown from the ground) and pieces of plants from the ground such as palm, bamboo or corn husk and important to only partially cover as to allow the view of the night sky.
A succah has at least 3 walls, and often can be purchased in easy to assemble kits as we did here at http://www.sukkah.com.
Other Resources:
More Meaningful Project Ideas from the Mitzvah Bowl
The Mitzvah Bowl is your easy guide for finding the ideal bar/bat mitzvah project. It provides volunteer opportunities for high school students looking to fulfill community service hours. Additionally, the Mitzvah Bowl offers resources for youth groups, clubs, scouting troops and families seeking a way to help others and to make a difference.
We research organizations who have a need in the community. Then we compile those organizations in a database format which the bar/bat mitzvah students may use to help them focus on a particular area of interest. The stock is updated with current information continuously.
Additionally, our Blog page features meaningful teen volunteer stories to inspire others. The “more ideas” page has even more unique ways a tween/teen can give back to their community.
Send your mitzvah project or teen volunteer story to info@themitzvahbowl.com. We may publish it on our site!! If you are unable to find a mitzvah project, email us and we will give you personalized help.
Sensational Succahs: Modern
Make your Succah Modern. A contemporary look and feel will make this Succot a celebration to remember! Watch our video below to see all 3 of our Sensational Succahs.
Incorporating the four species and the fruit of the harvest was important in our displays and floral throughout this unique modern day Succah.
Cascading from the back of the bookshelf, you will find one of the four species of plant (willow) and on the top of the back book shelf, enclosed in beautiful oval grey glass vases, a hedge of myrtle.
Palm is represented in the s’chach (roof covering) as well as potted in an angular planter on the side of both tan velvet chairs.
A copper geometric bowl of etrogs is featured on top a geometric table on a side table for guests to rest their wine and food.
Resources:
Geometric Bowl
Plush Lulav & Etrog
Sensational Succahs: Moroccan
Celebrating Jews from around the world, we wanted to incorporate Sephardic traditions by including beautiful and colorful Moroccan Lanterns and ornate tea glass candles to
set the mood under the night sky.
Bountiful bohemian linen, plush pillows, thrown blankets and outdoor carpet create a relaxed and comfortable setting for relaxing and soaking in the beautiful fall setting all around.
This is a wonderful environment for chatting and sleeping and lends itself to a relaxed and laid back feel complete with food, family and friends.
When the night sky appears, a romantic glow shines throughout creating a picturesque and romantic fall setting.
Resources:
Succah:
Moroccan Lanterns (large)
Moroccan Lanterns (small)
Pillows and Linens
Rosh Hashanah Menu Ideas
Usher in a sweet new year with one of our Rosh Hashanah menus.
We’ve included many traditional recipes as well as many vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options!
Rosh Hashanah Menu 1
Beverage:
Indian-Jewish Sangria
Appetizers:
Chopped Liver & Crackers
Entrees:
Grandma Boody’s Brisket
Za’atar Chicken
Sides:
Shang & Emma’s Tzimmes
Spinach Salad with Lakeview Orchard Apples, Pears & Fennel (Vegan & Gluten-free)
Desserts:
Apple Honey Cake
Rosh Hashanah Menu 2
Beverage:
Mint & Rose Water Lemonade
Appetizers:
Stuffed Baby Artichokes
Kafta (Lebanese Lamb Kebabs)
Entrees:
Chraime
Spaghetti Squash with Basil & Kale Pesto (Vegan & Gluten-free)
Sides:
Shang & Emma’s Tzimmes
Desserts:
Apple Rose Pastries
Marzipan Stuffed Dates (Vegetarian & Gluten-free)
Ordinary to Extraordinary Lives: Adolfo Kaminsky
Adolfo Kaminsky (or Adolphe; born 1 October 1925) was a master document forger whose work saved more than 14,000 Jews during WWII. Born to a Russian Jewish family in Argentina, Kaminsky later moved to France when he was 7 years old. He became fascinated with the chemistry of colorants when working in his Uncle’s dye shop in France, later creating his own lab.
After the German invasion of France, during which his mother was killed by Nazis, he joined the Resistance and worked in an underground lab in Paris, forging identity papers for Jews and others sought by the Nazis. He was later quoted saying, “Keep awake. The longer possible. Struggle against sleep. The calculation is easy. In one hour, I make 30 false papers. If I sleep one hour, 30 people will die.”
After the liberation of Paris in 1944, he was awarded the Médaille de la Résistance and went to work for the French secret services to create forged identities for spies sent behind the lines to find concentration camps before they were dismantled by the Nazis.
To read more about this extraordinary individual, click here.
Bar/Bat Mitzvah for Kids
Below are excerpts from our bar/bat mitzvah blogs intended for your bar/bat mitzvah. Please share these with your bar/bat mitzvah child.
What Does “Bar/Bat Mitzvah” Mean?
“Bar” means “male” and “bat” means “female”. “Mitzvah” means one is responsible for performing the “mitzvot” or “commandments.” After your bar/bat mitzvah you will be seen as an adult, responsible for all of your actions.
When Preparing Your Torah Teaching:
Read the Torah and haftarah portions for the week of your celebration in English (and Hebrew, if possible)?
- As you read, note any interesting ideas or topics in either (or both) text.
- Is there one idea or topic especially interesting? Why?
- How does this subject relate to contemporary life?
- How does it relate to your life and the experience of becoming a bar or bat mitzvah?
- Are there other textual or cultural sources (e.g., a movie, painting, poem) on your topic that might help deepen or clarify your thoughts?
- Choose at least one person with whom you can have an ongoing conversation about your bar/bat mitzvah teaching as you develop your thoughts and writing (over the course of a few months). How often will you check in with them? Who else could be helpful in developing and drafting your presentation?
Elements of your speech (10-12 minutes):
- Welcome– Greet and thank all those present and those with you in spirit
- Introduction– What will you be sharing with your community and why?
- Torah Lesson– What is one key lesson you learned from your studies?
- Contemporary & Personal Connections– Why does it matter today, to you?
- Give Thanks– Honor the people who helped you prepare and who helped you grow into a bar/bat mitzvah
- Enjoy– Take a deep breath and enjoy the moment, knowing you have worked hard and contributed to your community!
When thinking about your mitzvah project:
- What is one issue or that you care about? Why?
- What talents or skills do you possess that you can apply to this cause?
- Who can help you address this issue meaningfully?
- What are 2-3 goals you want to accomplish through this mitzvah project?
Some things to think about…
How do you envision your bar/bat Mitzvah service and party? How can you relate your Torah portion to your life today? How will you make your bar/bat mitzvah a truly “holy holiday”?
The term “bar mitzvah” first appears in the Talmud, the great collection of oral Jewish teaching more than 1,200 years ago?
“B’nai Mitzvah” is the term used when twin boys (or triplets!) celebrate their mitzvah. The term is “B’not Mitzvah” for twin girls (or more!).
The word bar in Aramaic means “son,” and mitzvah means “commandment” in Hebrew. In rabbinic usage, the term bar mitzvah means “a young man subject to Jewish law.”
The bar mitzvah ceremony did not emerge as a full-fledged ritual until the late Middle Ages, with more additions made throughout the modern period.
The first bat mitzvah celebration was 95 years ago and took place in the United States when Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan (1881-1983, founder of Reconstructionist Judaism) called his daughter Judith Kaplan to the Bimah.
DIY Fun
Centerpiece for Charity
Create custom charity centerpieces for your bar/bat mitzvah!
DIY Havdalah Candle
Easy and elegant! Classic braided Havdalah candle for your bar/bat mitzvah blessing.
Personalized Hebrew Name Plate
Fun bar/bat mitzvah project! Rustic stenciled Hebrew name plates!
Personalized Kiddush Cup
Fun-to-make DIY Kiddush cup to help commemorate your special occasion.
Shibori Challah Cover
Twist & Shibori! Make a beautiful Japanese dyed Shabbat challah cover.
Apple Votives
Add some ambiance to your bar/bat mitzvah tables with these DIY Apple Votives.
How to Have the Bar/Bat Mitzvah You Want
What really matters?
Andy discusses the addition of the new bar/bat mitzvah category on BreakingMatzo.com with JewishBoston.com, a premier, online magazine, with suggestions on making this Jewish milestone more personal and reflective of the bar/bat mitzvah child.
See the full article here.
Our Children Will be Teachers of Torah
How do you inspire your child to inspire us all? Your child will teach our community.
One of the most important aspects of the bar/bat mitzvah experience is providing a young person with the opportunity to study and teach Torah. “Torah” literally refers to the Five Books of Moses or the Pentateuch, but more broadly to the great storehouse of Jewish wisdom—ancient, medieval and modern. Judaism is a culture animated by the study of and creative interpretation of Torah; a rich textual tradition replete with stories, ethical maxims, prayers, laws, poetry, and humor. The text of the Hebrew Bible is itself thousands of years old and generations of Jews have continuously read and discussed its meaning in their lives.
In initiating a bar or bat mitzvah into Jewish adulthood, part of the goal is to help the young person discover the spiritual, moral, and existential resources available to them through the study of Torah. Further, we wish to articulate to our children that their voices matter — that their insights and interpretations can be beneficial, even transformative, to others. We seek to instill in our kids the understanding that they are both inheritors and innovators of Jewish life and thought. This sensibility is, in fact, a part of many Jewish observances that include elements designed to engage and empower Jewish children and young people. One well-known example is the Passover Seder, at which it is customary for the youngest child to ask the Four Questions.
One way to communicate this sacred idea at the bar/bat mitzvah ceremony is to provide the honoree the opportunity to offer a Torah teaching. This is often a central part of synagogue training programs or the work of a private tutor. Below are two brief lists of suggestions for how a bar/bat mitzvah can prepare his/her teaching and how s/he might present the teaching. We recommend you review these lists with your child or student and others involved in the preparation process. Remember, these are suggestions, not hard-and-fast rules:
Please share this with your bar/bat mitzvah child:
When preparing your Torah teaching:
- Read the Torah and haftarah portions for the week of your celebration in English (and Hebrew, if possible)?
- As you read, note any interesting ideas or topics in either (or both) text.
- Is there one idea or topic especially interesting? Why?
- How does this subject relate to contemporary life?
- How does it relate to your life and the experience of becoming a bar or bat mitzvah?
- Are there other textual or cultural sources (e.g., a movie, painting, poem) on your topic that might help deepen or clarify your thoughts?
- Choose at least one person with whom you can have an ongoing conversation about your bar/bat mitzvah teaching as you develop your thoughts and writing (over the course of a few months). How often will you check in with them? Who else could be helpful in developing and drafting your presentation?
For more information on preparing a meaningful bar/bat mitzvah teaching — including alternatives to a speech — see Rabbi Goldie Milgram.
Elements of your speech (10-12 minutes):
- Welcome – Greet and thank all those present and those with you in spirit
- Introduction – What will you be sharing with your community and why?
- Torah Lesson – What is one key lesson you learned from your studies?
- Contemporary & Personal Connections – Why does it matter today, to you?
- Give Thanks – Honor the people who helped you prepare and who helped you grow into a bar/bat mitzvah
- Enjoy – Take a deep breath and enjoy the moment, knowing you have worked hard and contributed to your community!
Thank you Rabbi Or Rose for your help and insight on this article!
We’re sharing Lucy and Caroline’s (Andy’s daughters) speeches here as examples:
Caroline’s Bat Mitzvah speech
Lucy’s Bat Mitzvah speech
