Sukkot and Shabbat

So this week a major Jewish celebration called Sukkot (Feast of the Tabernacles) began. For seven days they remember the exodus of their ancestors out of Egypt to the promised land by building a "sukkah" and eating all their meals in it. A sukkah is a simple structure (with very specific requirements)  made out of palm leaves that those from the Exodus era built and used to live in while traveling.

Here is a picture of an ancient sukkah. Inside it are bed coverings to keep bugs out at night. Even the bed coverings have specific requirements to be considered kosher. 

Today a sukkah is made from metal framing with Palm leaves for a roof and is usually set up on a porch or patio. Besides eating in the Sukkot they also sometimes sleep in it. Family camp out!!

Here's a picture of a group of us under a large modern sukkah with our Judaism professor Ophir right before the synagogue service we went to this week on the Jewish Shabbat (Sabbath).

The Sabbath Day service was really interesting. Ophir explained that it would be an abbreviated version because of the holiday weekend. I was grateful for the shortened service because I couldn't find my kippah (skullcap) before leaving and they didn't have any extra there so I had to stand in the back. Jordan forgot his too so luckily I didn't have to stand by myself. My legs were hurting so bad by the end!

They recited prayers and stood and prayed. The men were on one side and the women on the other with a veil drawn between them. They sang songs (my favorite part) and the leader gave a short sermon - all in Hebrew.

It was cool to see each member of the congregation come in and touch the Mezuzah (small box on the door post with a written scripture inside) and then kiss the fingers that touched it. At this synagogue everyone was dressed in casual dress clothes. It lasted about an hour. 

I couldn't help but wonder why each of them were there. A couple weeks ago I approached Ophir and asked him about the doctrine of salvation. He told me something that really surprised me. He said that Judaism emphasizes orthopraxy (practice) while Christianity emphasizes orthodoxy (doctrine). Jews, he explained,  aren't motivated by the doctrine of salvation but rather by showing their devotion to God by obedience to what God commands. Ophir said they gain satisfaction in simply fulfilling the law because there are no promised blessings related to salvation. 

That was hard for me to comprehend. It made me think of Fiddler on the Roof and the song "Tradition." Understanding that this musical isn't a perfectly accurate portrayal of a Jewish community, it seems to illustrate clearly that Judaism is a rich culture full of traditions. I saw my friend Jon perform in the show this past summer and I was shocked at how Reb Tevye basically disowned his daughter for not following the tradition. The faith, along with all it's practices and rituals, is passed down from generation to generation. You are expected to live it - it's your heritage. 

We walked down Mea She'Arim, a main street going through a neighborhood with the most devout Orthodox Jews in Jerusalem, on the first day of Sukkot. All shops were closed and all cars were parked. 

There's Olivia and Kasdyn walking on the empty street. 

Because it was a religious holiday no one was allowed to work. Look at how empty the street is! We did see Orthodox Jews walking in the streets wearing special clothing. They set up sukkahs on the balconies of their apartment buildings.

At the top you can see the sukkahs on the balconies. 

We followed this group for a while.

Here's a small family stopped in the road.

Young boys walking in the street.

This neighborhood is arguably the most devoutly religious neighborhood in the world. It was amazing to get a small glimpse into their world on such a special day. I saw parallels between our peculiarity and the Orthodox Jews' peculiarity. Maybe not in dress but I'd imagine that some see us as devout (perhaps phanatic) because of the commandments and customs we have as Mormons. 

Just when it seems like our beliefs couldn't be more different I realize that we have more in common than I thought.