It is incontrovertible that the phrase in the Torah pri etz hadar refers to the etrog which must be owned and taken on the holiday of Sukkot mi-di-Orayta. But how exactly do we know this—and what could it mean for our understanding of mesorah?
My translation of a passage from Pesikta de-Rav Kahana wich presents a beautiful mashal that emphasizes the Divine
closeness we experience on Shmini Atzeret.
The season of judgement is usually thought of as the period from Rosh Hashana through the ten days of repentance to Yom Kippur. But is Hoshana Rabba really Yom ha-Din (the Day of Judgement)?
Simchat Torah has ancient roots, but has evolved and developed substantially from the Gaonic period until modernity. It is uniquely shaped by the conditions of diaspora but continues to be a beloved occasion in modern Israel.