A Harvest

P3runch

Celebrate the season of abundance with friends, family and food.

STYLED AND WRITTEN BY ANNABEL COHEN I PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANGIE BRAN

Whether it's the changing weather outdoors or the celebrations with friends and family indoors, 'tis the
season of enveloping warmth. At the end of the seven-day festival of Sukkot on Oct. 4, this season of
rejoicing keeps on giving with the holiday Sh'mini Atzeret, which leads into Simchat Torah (Oct. 5).
In Israel, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are celebrated on the same day. In the United States,
however, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are two days that comprise the finale of the High Holy
Days. On the day we call the eighth day of Sukkot — Shemini Atzeret — we still eat in the sukkah.
Simchat Torah, or "rejoicing in the Torah," signals us to eat our meals indoors, a sign that the holiday is

ending and we're back to everyday living.
Like Pesach and Shavuot, this harvest festival is laden with agricultural significance. As Sukkot
became associated with the years of wandering in the desert, the sukkah became symbolic of the tempo-
rary shelters used during this nomadic experience. In keeping with this historic tradition, my own sukkah
receives a makeover each year. This year, it is all white with blue accents, with star lanterns suspended

from the open roof that reveal real stars on cloudless nights.
Simchat Torah is traditionally celebrated with vet another feast of harvest foods. Fresh fruits and veg-
etables and hearty stuffed and sweet foods remind us of the season's richness and abundance. Dig in!

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SEPTEMBER 2007 •

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