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Let's face it, when it comes to the kid-friendly quotient, not
every Jewish holiday was created equal. Take Yom Kippur,
a serious, synagogue-centered affair that, aside from blow-
ing the shofar, can't exactly compete with the indulgence of
Chanukah or the sheer insanity of Purim.
Fortunately, just over the atonement horizon is sunny
Sukkot — a weeklong, fun-filled fete seemingly designed with
kids in mind. Loosely translated as the Festival of Booths,
SHARON DUKE
ESTROFF
Sukkot celebrates our liberation from slavery and reminds us
of the temporary huts our ancestors lived in for 40 years while wandering the
desert.
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Thou Shalt ... Build
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It's tough to celebrate Sukkot without a sukkah. True, building an ancient booth
in the back yard can seem a daunting task, but it's also a surprisingly manageable
one — especially when the whole family gets in on the job! If you have a handy
person in residence, try building a sukkah from scratch. Several Web sites provide
the nuts and bolts of kosher sukkah assembly: wwwMyJewishLearning.com and
www.aish.com . You can even download a detailed blueprint for creating a PVC-
piped sukkah at www.holidays.net . Or consider purchasing a prefab sukkah. The
options run the gamut from sparse to posh.
Thou Shalt Adorn
It is customary to jazz up one's sukkah with inviting decor. Stringing fruit (real
or artificial) from the rafters is a traditional favorite, as is hanging up Rosh
Hashanah greeting cards. Because Sukkot is also a celebration of the fall harvest,
gourds, cornucopias and colorful Indian corn create a perfect ambience. But it's
fun to make your own sukkah decorations as well. Find cool, kid-friendly Sukkot
craft ideas at www.babaganewz.com or get a head start with ready-made Sukkot
craft kits at www.jewishcrafts.com .
Thou Shalt Invite
Entertaining friends and relatives in the sukkah is not only a mitzvah, it's an
ideal means of involving your children. From helping in the preparation of spe-
cial Sukkot dishes (anything made of fruits and vegetables), to designing holiday
placemats, to putting on an open-air performance for guests, Sukkot is full of
bite-sized responsibilities perfectly proportioned for budding hosts and hostesses.
There is also a mystical custom of welcoming biblical ancestors — called ushpizin
— into the sukkah.
Thou Shalt Dwell
Bill Yerke, 4th generation owner of Yerke Floors, demonstrates that
sanding with the "Atomic" system is a clean and classy act.
Yerke Floors is proud to be the first retailer in the area to offer this
advanced "truck mounted" dust containment system.
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B 2 4 •
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To kids, there is something exciting — even reckless — about doing the same old
thing in new surroundings. Their regular daily drill can feel fresh and whimsical
when done in the sukkah. But fulfilling the commandment of spending a week
hanging out in a biblical but is more than just fun. With its tangible reminders of
the fragility of life and its immersion in the magnificence of nature, sukkahs are
also remarkably spiritual. It's easy to see why kabbalist teachings hold that when
Jews dwell in the sukkah, the presence of God dwells with them.
Thou Shalt Bond
Given the pace and pressures of modern family life, we rarely get around to just
hanging out with our kids, jabbering about nothing. During Sukkot, we have a
rare and precious opportunity to steal away from the pace and pressure of 21st-
century family life and simply snuggle up with our kids in the sukkah.
■
Sharon Duke Estroff is the Atlanta-based author of "Can I Have a Cell Phone
for Hanukkah."