When the Cohen family of Hebron sat down for dinner on the first night of Sukkot, they were joined by dozens of friends—all members of the Israel Defense Forces who were stationed nearby.
“It is really special for us to sit with them in the sukkah and make sure they have a gourmet meal, instead of what they would get in the IDF dining room,” says Rabbi Danny Cohen, who with his wife, Batsheva, serves as a Chabad-Lubavitch emissary to Hebron. “It really enhances the holiday and brings the ‘Four Species’ of Am Yisrael, the nation of Israel, together.”
Cohen notes that a midrash likens the “Four Species” or “Four Kinds” to four types of Jews: the aravah (willow branch), which has neither smell nor taste, is compared to a Jew who is without Torah and mitzvot; the etrog (citron) is compared to a Jew who excels in both Torah and mitzvot. The lulav (palm branch) is compared to a Jew who has a taste of Torah scholarship; and the hadas (myrtle branch) to a Jew who performs mitzvot in the best possible manner, but is lacking in Torah.
Which Jew is which, says the rabbi, isn’t always so clear-cut.
“There are secular soldiers and looking at them, you might think they represent aravot, but really they are etrogim,” says Cohen. “They have chosen to serve in a combat unit and are willing to give their lives for Am Yisrael.”
It isn’t just a hot meal the Cohens provide during the holiday. The rabbi also provides lulav and etrog sets to all soldiers who request them. He and a group of rabbinical students also travel to various military bases in the area with a pop-up sukkah for those wanting to make a blessing in the hut.
‘A Spiritual High’
The rabbi and other Chabad emissaries in Hebron also welcome numerous visitors during the weeklong holiday.
For two of the intermediate days of Sukkot, explains Cohen, the hall above where the patriarch Isaac and matriarch Rebecca are buried is open for Jews to pray. It is such a special occasion—the building is only accessible for Jews several days a year—that tens of thousands pour in from all over the world.
There’s even a Jewish music festival in the city during the week to entertain local residents and visitors alike. And Chabad offers them the opportunity to spend time in a sukkah for a bite to eat or to shake the lulav.
“Obviously, being in the Holy Land always adds a more spiritual high” to the Jewish holidays, says the rabbi, a native New Yorker. “But on Sukkot, when so many come to Hebron, you really see Jewish unity.”
For a comprehensive guide to information, insights and inspiration about the holiday of Sukkot and its many mitzvahs, visit the Chabad.org Sukkot mini-site here.
To find a Sukkot or Simchat Torah event near you, click here.
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