On Hoshana Rabbah We Bid Farewell to the Etrog and Lulav and Welcome Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah

Today is Hoshana Rabbah, the last day of Sukkot. In synagogues around the world, Jews take up the etrog and lulav for the last time and march around the shul seven times carrying them together with the myrtle and willow leaves.

In the evening we welcome Shemini Atzeret, a separate holiday which leads into Simchat Torah. In Israel, both holidays are celebrated in a single day.  

The search for a nice set of the four species is a big project in Israel, where stands are set up in the street and in front of stores where the etrogim (citrons) are on display for buyers to inspect and purchase.

In this video, singer Aaron Holder visits the Mahane Yehuda market in Jerusalem, smelling his way through many etrogim before finding the perfect one.

We will be observing Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah on Thursday and Friday, leading into another Shabbat. So Jewish Humor Central will be taking a break for two days, and we'll be back on Sunday with our usual mix of humor and music.

Enjoy, Chag Sameach, and Shabbat Shalom!

Etrog After Sukkot: A Visit to Jerusalem's Medicine Man and His Etrog Remedies

Starting tomorrow we will be waving the etrog, along with the lulav, myrtle and willow branches, for the week of Sukkot. The etrog can be very expensive, costing up to and in some cases more than $100 apiece.

But what use is the etrog after the holiday is over? It depends where you are and who you are. As we enter the Sukkot holiday, let's hop over to Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda market, where one of the shopkeepers, Uzi-Eli Chezi, is known as the Etrog medicine man.

In this video, Uzi-Eli greets a pair of American visitors and gives them instant etrog-based treatments for a variety of illnesses and skin conditions, along with a jolly laugh and a hearty welcome to Israel.

Enjoy! We'll be celebrating Sukkot tomorrow and Wednesday, returning with more Jewish Humor Central on Thursday.

Chag Sameach!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.

Sukkot is Here - Get Ready to Shake Your Lulav with Rebbetzin Tap!

With Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur in the rear view mirror, Sukkot is suddenly here. Starting tonight, we'll be spending lots of time in the Sukkah --eating, drinking, and spending special time with family and friends. Some of us may also be sleeping in the Sukkah, weather permitting.

As we head into a seven day period of saying special blessings while holding the lulav, etrog, myrtle and willow branches together and giving them a good shake, let's get the holiday off to a good start with Rebbetzin Tap and her entourage.

Rebbetzin Tap is Kerry Bar-Cohn, the only female chiropractor in Ramat Beit Shemesh near Jerusalem, where she lives with her husband David and four sons.
 
But that's only her day job. As "Rebbetzin Tap," she produces music and dance DVDs for children, as well as online courses and a plethora of YouTube videos, whose goal is to emphasize the “joy” component in Judaism and in life, and to teach self-esteem and empowerment.

Why Rebbetzin Tap? Because tap dancing is part of all her music videos.
She has a background in stage performance, first as a child, then attending the High School of Performing Arts in New York, and subsequently returning to performance ten years ago after making aliyah.

We'll be taking tomorrow and Tuesday off to celebrate Sukkot, and we'll be back with our usual Jewish Humor Central mix on Wednesday.

Chag Sameach!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.

Today is Hoshanah Rabbah, Last Chance for a Lulav Shake This Year, So Let's Make it a Big One!

Well, our month of holidays is finally coming to an end. Today is Hoshanah Rabbah, the fifth day of Chol Hamoed Sukkot, and the day before Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah.

Whether or not you got a chance to shake a lulav with the etrog, myrtle and willow branches this year, we thought a video of the festivities in Jerusalem yesterday would bring a satisfying closure to this holiday period.

Here's a video of the throngs gathered at the Western Wall yesterday morning to say Hallel with their Sukkot symbols.

One lulav shaker somewhere in the world (we haven't located the place yet) couldn't make it to the Western Wall and did his shaking in a synagogue. This has to be the biggest lulav and etrog that we have ever seen. We'd like to see the carrying case for this giant palm frond. Watch the short video clip below the video of the scene at the Kotel.

We'll be celebrating Sukkot and Shabbat for the next three days and we'll be back with more Jewish humor on Sunday.

Chag sameach and Shabbat shalom!


A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.

Jerusalem's Etrog Medicine Man Finds Unexpected Uses for the Sukkot Citron

Tonight is the start of the joyous Jewish holiday of Sukkot. In synagogues and homes all over the world, Jews will raise their voices in prayer while holding and waving the four species -- the lulav (date palm branch), hadasim (myrtle branches), aravot (willow branches) and the etrog -- the citron that looks like a large lemon.

If you think the only use of the etrog is to hold it and wave it on Sukkot, think again. 

Tucked away in a corner of Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda market, Uzi-Eli Hezi, a Yemenite etrog farmer, entertains and informs visitors to his booth about the healing power of his juices and lotions made from the etrogim that he grows on his farm. 

Born in Yemen in 1942, Hezi came to Israel in the Operation Magic Carpet airlift in 1950.

As Melanie Hidman wrote in a Jerusalem Post article a few years ago,

Etrog juice hasn't been clinically tested, but is used as a home remedy for centuries. Etrogim – citrons in English – can also cure morning sickness, work as an antidote to snake or scorpion bites, lower blood pressure, cure infertility, help heal burns, and reduce blood pressure, among other medical miracles - all according to Hezi.

“The etrogim keep me healthy and happy,” said Hezi. “I haven’t seen a doctor in 15 years. I pay for health insurance for nothing!” Indeed, he’s got a loyal following of people who feel the same way. Hezi sees more than 250 customers a day at his stall, though he sometimes refers to them as patients. He has hundreds of stories of helping infertile women give birth, lifting chronic depression, and healing ailments large and small through his line of etrog products.

“I can see what’s inside a man and give him a medicine that’s just what he needs,” Hezi explained.

Hezi juggles running the stall and blending the juices, while simultaneously listening attentively to the requests and questions of his customers.

He’s part therapist, part healer, part spiritual adviser, and part etrog connoisseur.

Enjoy the video. We'll be shaking our lulav etc. on Monday and Tuesday so there won't be a Joke to Start the Week tomorrow or next Monday which is another Jewish holiday, Shemini Atzeret. We'll be back this Wednesday with our usual mix of Jewish delicacies.

Chag Sukkot sameach to all our readers!