hoshana rabbah
Hoshana Rabbah is the fifth and final of the intermediate days of Sukkot. This day is traditionally viewed as Yom Kippur part deux, a "sequel" to the days of awe. It is widely believed that the three books which are traditionally opened on Rosh Hashana are sealed not on Yom Kippur but on Hoshana Rabbah.
On each of the first six days of Sukkot, during the morning service, it is customary to remove one Torah scroll from the ark and to make one procession (Hoshana) around the sanctuary. On Hoshana Rabbah, however, we remove all the Torah scrolls from the ark and make seven processions around the sanctuary. Following these processions, we do a very bizarre thing. We take the aravot (willows) from the lulav and beat them against the ground or other solid object. This odd custom is explained in the following way: These branches, when struck, lose their leaves one by one. They are symbolic of all trees, the lives of which are renewed each year by God via rain and heat. Our lives are similar. The struggle for life reduces our strength and our health, but faith in God renews our strength and restores us to "fresh" life.
This page was originally created by John Davis and Michael Kay, and can be found at http://www.people.cornell.edu/pages/jdd16/guide/.
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