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Week of September 26, 2026

Sukkot I

חַג הַסֻּכּוֹת

This week’s parsha

This year the first day of Sukkos falls on Shabbos, and the leining is the Torah's own calendar. It opens with a newborn calf kept beside its mother, walks through Shabbos and every festival of the year in order, and arrives at today: four species in the hand, seven days of rejoicing, and a sukkah, so that every generation will know where Hashem kept us when He took us out of Egypt.

בַּסֻּכֹּ֥ת תֵּשְׁב֖וּ שִׁבְעַ֣ת יָמִ֑ים כָּל־הָֽאֶזְרָח֙ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל יֵשְׁב֖וּ בַּסֻּכֹּֽת׃

You shall dwell in the sukkos seven days, every native born Israelite shall dwell in the sukkos.

Leviticus 23:42

This week’s songs

New songs for this parsha — the words of the pesukim and the vorts of the mefarshim below, set to be sung. Paste any of them into Suno with its style line and you have the niggun.

Basukkos Teishvu

Lyrics & style line

Style for Suno

slow hartzig chassidic kumzitz niggun, nylon acoustic guitar, soft cello and strings, one answering clarinet, brushed cajon, deep warm male baritone lead with low male humming harmonies, opens almost whispered and builds to a full-voiced peak, minor key lifting to major, warm intimate live-room sound

[Intro — one male voice, spoken plainly over a single guitar chord]

חַג הַסֻּכּוֹת — day one. The leining walks the whole year, and ends under the branches.

[Chorus — everyone together, slow and warm]

בַּסֻּכֹּת תֵּשְׁבוּ שִׁבְעַת יָמִים —

seven days, sit in the sukkah.

לְמַעַן יֵדְעוּ דֹרֹתֵיכֶם —

so your children's children know

He kept us close, He keeps us close,

seven days in the sukkah.

[Verse 1 — quiet, unhurried]

כִּי בַסֻּכּוֹת הוֹשַׁבְתִּי —

in sukkos I made them dwell,

בְּהוֹצִיאִי אוֹתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם —

when I took them out of Egypt.

Rashi says, not booths of wood,

he says the clouds of Glory,

all around them in the מִדְבָּר, the desert,

sheltered on every side.

[Chorus — everyone together, slow and warm]

בַּסֻּכֹּת תֵּשְׁבוּ שִׁבְעַת יָמִים —

seven days, sit in the sukkah.

לְמַעַן יֵדְעוּ דֹרֹתֵיכֶם —

so your children's children know

He kept us close, He keeps us close,

seven days in the sukkah.

[Verse 2 — a little fuller, harmonies enter]

אֲנִי הַשֵּׁם אֱלֹקֵיכֶם —

I am Hashem, your God.

Sforno says that is the reason

He asks these deeds of us,

so that He will never, ever

turn His kind eyes away.

כָּל־הָאֶזְרָח בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל —

every one born in Yisroel,

and Rashi says the גֵּר, the convert too,

there is room for everyone inside.

[Chorus — everyone together, slow and warm]

בַּסֻּכֹּת תֵּשְׁבוּ שִׁבְעַת יָמִים —

seven days, sit in the sukkah.

לְמַעַן יֵדְעוּ דֹרֹתֵיכֶם —

so your children's children know

He kept us close, He keeps us close,

seven days in the sukkah.

[Verse 3 — softer, almost whispered]

וּלְקַחְתֶּם לָכֶם בַּיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן —

take them in your hand on the first day.

Midrash Tanchuma says the lulav is a spine,

the myrtle is the eyes,

the willow is the lips,

and the esrog is the heart,

so all of me, every bone,

says Hashem, who is like You.

[Chorus — everyone together, slow and warm]

בַּסֻּכֹּת תֵּשְׁבוּ שִׁבְעַת יָמִים —

seven days, sit in the sukkah.

לְמַעַן יֵדְעוּ דֹרֹתֵיכֶם —

so your children's children know

He kept us close, He keeps us close,

seven days in the sukkah.

[Verse 4 — full voice, then pulling back]

בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁמִינִי, עֲצֶרֶת הִוא —

the eighth day, a day held back.

Rashi says a king made a feast for his children,

and when the days were over he said,

children, please, one more day with me,

it is so hard for me to part with you.

[Chorus — everyone together, slow and warm]

בַּסֻּכֹּת תֵּשְׁבוּ שִׁבְעַת יָמִים —

seven days, sit in the sukkah.

לְמַעַן יֵדְעוּ דֹרֹתֵיכֶם —

so your children's children know

He kept us close, He keeps us close,

seven days in the sukkah.

[Outro — near silence, one voice, fading]

בַּסֻּכֹּת תֵּשְׁבוּ —

stay one more day with Me.

Usmachtem

Lyrics & style line

Style for Suno

fast freilich Jewish wedding dance tune, bright clarinet lead trading with trumpet over accordion and upright bass, tight snare with hand claps and tambourine, male tenor lead with a big male call-and-response backing choir, major key, relentless joyful drive, punchy live band sound

[Intro — one male voice, spoken quickly over a single clarinet run]

חַג הַסֻּכּוֹת — the whole year in one dance, hold on tight.

[Chorus — full male choir, everyone together, loud and bouncing]

וּשְׂמַחְתֶּם לִפְנֵי הַשֵּׁם אֱלֹקֵיכֶם —

(rejoice!) rejoice before Hashem your God!

שִׁבְעַת יָמִים —

seven days! (seven days!)

[Verse 1 — fast, driving, backing choir answering]

שׁוֹר אוֹ־כֶשֶׂב אוֹ־עֵז — (a baby!)

an ox, a lamb, a little goat,

שִׁבְעַת יָמִים תַּחַת אִמּוֹ — (seven days!)

seven days it stays beside its mother!

זֶבַח־תּוֹדָה — bring a thank-you offering, (thank You!)

and eat it up that very day!

וְנִקְדַּשְׁתִּי בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל —

I will be made holy among My people! (holy!)

[Chorus — full male choir, everyone together, loud and bouncing]

וּשְׂמַחְתֶּם לִפְנֵי הַשֵּׁם אֱלֹקֵיכֶם —

(rejoice!) rejoice before Hashem your God!

שִׁבְעַת יָמִים —

seven days! (seven days!)

[Verse 2 — same drive, clarinet answering each line]

אֵלֶּה מוֹעֲדֵי הַשֵּׁם — (here they come!)

these are the appointed times of Hashem!

First of all שַׁבָּת, שַׁבַּת שַׁבָּתוֹן, (Shabbos!)

six days of work and then you rest!

Then פֶּסַח, on the fourteenth in the afternoon, (Pesach!)

שִׁבְעַת יָמִים מַצּוֹת תֹּאכֵלוּ —

seven days you eat your matzos! (matzos!)

[Chorus — full male choir, everyone together, loud and bouncing]

וּשְׂמַחְתֶּם לִפְנֵי הַשֵּׁם אֱלֹקֵיכֶם —

(rejoice!) rejoice before Hashem your God!

שִׁבְעַת יָמִים —

seven days! (seven days!)

[Verse 3 — brighter, lifting]

עֹמֶר רֵאשִׁית קְצִירְכֶם — (the first!)

the first of the harvest goes to the כֹּהֵן, the kohen!

וּסְפַרְתֶּם לָכֶם — and count, count, count, (count!)

חֲמִשִּׁים יוֹם — fifty days, and two new loaves!

And the corner of your field, leave it there, (leave it!)

לֶעָנִי וְלַגֵּר תַּעֲזֹב אֹתָם —

leave them for the poor and for the stranger!

[Chorus — full male choir, everyone together, loud and bouncing]

וּשְׂמַחְתֶּם לִפְנֵי הַשֵּׁם אֱלֹקֵיכֶם —

(rejoice!) rejoice before Hashem your God!

שִׁבְעַת יָמִים —

seven days! (seven days!)

[Verse 4 — a breath quieter, then climbing back]

The seventh month, the first day, (listen!)

זִכְרוֹן תְּרוּעָה — remember with the shofar blast!

The tenth day, יוֹם הַכִּפֻּרִים הוּא, (the tenth!)

a day to fast, from evening to evening,

לְכַפֵּר עֲלֵיכֶם — to wipe your slate all clean!

[Chorus — full male choir, everyone together, loud and bouncing]

וּשְׂמַחְתֶּם לִפְנֵי הַשֵּׁם אֱלֹקֵיכֶם —

(rejoice!) rejoice before Hashem your God!

שִׁבְעַת יָמִים —

seven days! (seven days!)

[Verse 5 — biggest, hands in the air]

And the fifteenth day is today! (today!)

פְּרִי עֵץ הָדָר — the fruit of the beautiful tree, (esrog!)

כַּפֹּת תְּמָרִים — a branch of the palm, (lulav!)

וַעֲנַף עֵץ־עָבֹת — the thick and leafy bough, (hadas!)

וְעַרְבֵי־נָחַל — the willows of the brook! (aravah!)

בַּסֻּכֹּת תֵּשְׁבוּ — sit in the sukkah, (sit down!)

Thirteen bulls, two rams, fourteen lambs,

וְחַגֹּתֶם חַג — make it a festival!

[Chorus — full male choir, everyone together, loud and bouncing]

וּשְׂמַחְתֶּם לִפְנֵי הַשֵּׁם אֱלֹקֵיכֶם —

(rejoice!) rejoice before Hashem your God!

שִׁבְעַת יָמִים —

seven days! (seven days!)

[Outro — clarinet screaming, male choir shouting the last line, hard stop]

שִׁבְעַת יָמִים —

seven days! Hey!

Eileh Moadei Hashem

Lyrics & style line

Style for Suno

spoken-word storyteller over soft Jewish acoustic backing, fingerpicked nylon guitar, low upright bass, brushed drums, warm male narrator close to the mic, a sung male choir chorus with rich male harmony between the spoken sections, unhurried, cinematic and intimate

[Intro — male narrator, spoken warmly, guitar alone underneath]

חַג הַסֻּכּוֹת — sit down. Today the Torah reads us its calendar, the whole year, start to finish.

[Chorus — male choir, sung, warm and full]

אֵלֶּה מוֹעֲדֵי הַשֵּׁם —

these are the times of Hashem,

מִקְרָאֵי קֹדֶשׁ —

holy days, He calls them Mine,

meet Me here, year after year.

[Spoken Word 1 — warm storyteller over soft guitar]

It starts with a newborn. שׁוֹר אוֹ־כֶשֶׂב אוֹ־עֵז — an ox, a lamb, a goat, שִׁבְעַת יָמִים תַּחַת אִמּוֹ — seven days it stays with its mother. אֹתוֹ וְאֶת־בְּנוֹ לֹא תִשְׁחֲטוּ בְּיוֹם אֶחָד — it and its young, never on one day.

Then זֶבַח־תּוֹדָה, the thank-you offering. Midrash Tanchuma says one day every other offering will stop, and thank You never will.

וְנִקְדַּשְׁתִּי בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל — I will be made holy among My people, Who took you out of Egypt. Rashi says, for this.

[Chorus — male choir, sung, warm and full]

אֵלֶּה מוֹעֲדֵי הַשֵּׁם —

these are the times of Hashem,

מִקְרָאֵי קֹדֶשׁ —

holy days, He calls them Mine,

meet Me here, year after year.

[Spoken Word 2 — steady, a little quicker, bass enters]

Sforno says these are the dates when He shows His pleasure in our company. Treat them like a weekday, and they are only ours, not His.

First comes שַׁבָּת. שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים תֵּעָשֶׂה מְלָאכָה — six days of work, and the seventh, שַׁבַּת שַׁבָּתוֹן — a complete rest. Rashi asks what it is doing here, and answers: keep the festivals, and it is as though you kept Shabbos.

Then פֶּסַח, on the fourteenth of the first month, and חַג הַמַּצּוֹת — seven days of matzos.

In the land, the first omer of the harvest goes to the kohen, and no new grain is eaten before it.

[Chorus — male choir, sung, warm and full]

אֵלֶּה מוֹעֲדֵי הַשֵּׁם —

these are the times of Hashem,

מִקְרָאֵי קֹדֶשׁ —

holy days, He calls them Mine,

meet Me here, year after year.

[Spoken Word 3 — quieter, almost tender, drums brushed in]

וּסְפַרְתֶּם לָכֶם — count for yourselves, שֶׁבַע שַׁבָּתוֹת תְּמִימֹת — seven whole weeks, fifty days, and bring two leavened loaves.

And then, in the middle of the festivals, a farmer in his field. Do not finish the corner. Do not pick up what fell. לֶעָנִי וְלַגֵּר תַּעֲזֹב אֹתָם — leave them for the poor and the stranger.

Rashi asks, why here? Because whoever leaves them as he should, it is as though he built the Temple and brought his offerings inside.

The seventh month. Day one, זִכְרוֹן תְּרוּעָה — the shofar's remembrance.

Day ten, יוֹם הַכִּפֻּרִים הוּא — a day of fasting, מֵעֶרֶב עַד־עֶרֶב — evening to evening. The Torah says plainly that whoever ignores it is cut off. And Rashi says it atones for the one who comes back.

[Chorus — male choir, sung, warm and full]

אֵלֶּה מוֹעֲדֵי הַשֵּׁם —

these are the times of Hashem,

מִקְרָאֵי קֹדֶשׁ —

holy days, He calls them Mine,

meet Me here, year after year.

[Spoken Word 4 — opening up, fuller, joyful]

And the fifteenth day. Today. חַג הַסֻּכּוֹת שִׁבְעַת יָמִים — the festival of Sukkos, seven days.

On the first day you take פְּרִי עֵץ הָדָר — the esrog, כַּפֹּת תְּמָרִים — the lulav, וַעֲנַף עֵץ־עָבֹת — the hadas, וְעַרְבֵי־נָחַל — the willows of the brook. Midrash Tanchuma says: a spine, eyes, lips, and a heart. All of you, saying who is like Him.

בַּסֻּכֹּת תֵּשְׁבוּ שִׁבְעַת יָמִים — sit in sukkos seven days, לְמַעַן יֵדְעוּ דֹרֹתֵיכֶם — so your generations will know. Rashi says the sukkos of the desert were the clouds of Glory. Sforno says He asks this of us so His kind eyes never leave us.

Then the eighth day, עֲצֶרֶת הִוא. Rashi says: a king, a feast, and children about to go home. Stay one more day. It is hard for Me to part with you.

And Moshe told it all to the people. The maftir counts today's offerings: thirteen bulls, two rams, fourteen lambs.

[Chorus — male choir, sung, warm and full]

אֵלֶּה מוֹעֲדֵי הַשֵּׁם —

these are the times of Hashem,

מִקְרָאֵי קֹדֶשׁ —

holy days, He calls them Mine,

meet Me here, year after year.

[Outro — male choir, sung, softer each time, fading]

מִקְרָאֵי קֹדֶשׁ —

meet Me here.

meet Me here.

Lemaan Yeidu

Lyrics & style line

Style for Suno

anthemic stadium rock, driving distorted electric guitars with a big ringing delay lead, huge live drums, deep bass, male lead vocal with a massive male gang-vocal singalong choir, quiet clean-guitar verses building to an enormous soaring chorus, major key, wide arena reverb production

[Intro — one male voice, spoken low over a single clean guitar note]

חַג הַסֻּכּוֹת — walk out of your house, sit under the branches, and tell your children why.

[Verse 1 — quiet, clean guitar only, restrained]

The harvest is in, the barns are full,

and He says, leave your walls behind.

בַּסֻּכֹּת תֵּשְׁבוּ שִׁבְעַת יָמִים —

seven days, live in the sukkah,

every one of you, all of Yisroel.

[Pre-Chorus — drums enter, building hard]

כִּי בַסֻּכּוֹת הוֹשַׁבְתִּי —

in sukkos I made them dwell,

Rashi says the clouds of Glory —

and this is why —

[Chorus — everyone together, massive male gang vocals, soaring]

לְמַעַן יֵדְעוּ דֹרֹתֵיכֶם —

so your generations will know!

אֲנִי הַשֵּׁם אֱלֹקֵיכֶם —

I am Hashem, your God!

He brought us out, He held us close,

so your generations will know!

[Verse 2 — quiet again, one guitar, voice close]

Take four things in your hand today,

וּלְקַחְתֶּם לָכֶם בַּיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן —

take them on the very first day.

Midrash Tanchuma says a spine, and eyes,

and lips, and a beating heart,

all of me, saying who is like You.

[Pre-Chorus — drums enter, building hard]

וּשְׂמַחְתֶּם לִפְנֵי הַשֵּׁם אֱלֹקֵיכֶם —

rejoice before Hashem your God,

Sforno says His eyes will never leave us —

and this is why —

[Chorus — everyone together, massive male gang vocals, soaring]

לְמַעַן יֵדְעוּ דֹרֹתֵיכֶם —

so your generations will know!

אֲנִי הַשֵּׁם אֱלֹקֵיכֶם —

I am Hashem, your God!

He brought us out, He held us close,

so your generations will know!

[Bridge — near silence, one voice and a single guitar, then everything explodes]

And when the seven days are done,

עֲצֶרֶת הִוא —

He holds us back.

Rashi says a king, and his children at the door,

stay one more day with me,

it is so hard for me to part with you.

One more day! One more day!

[Chorus — everyone together, massive male gang vocals, soaring]

לְמַעַן יֵדְעוּ דֹרֹתֵיכֶם —

so your generations will know!

אֲנִי הַשֵּׁם אֱלֹקֵיכֶם —

I am Hashem, your God!

He brought us out, He held us close,

so your generations will know!

[Outro — guitars ringing out, choir dropping to one male voice, slow fade]

בְּהוֹצִיאִי אוֹתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם —

when I took them out of Egypt.

לְמַעַן יֵדְעוּ —

so they will know.

The parsha in brief

On the first day of Sukkos we do not read the parsha of the week. We open the Torah to Emor, and the leining begins in a barn. An ox, a lamb or a goat, when it is born, stays with its mother for seven days, and only from the eighth day on may it be brought as an offering. An ox or a lamb, it and its offspring, may not be slaughtered on one day. Then comes the thanksgiving-offering, eaten on the very day it is brought, with nothing left until morning, and Midrash Tanchuma says that in the future every other offering will cease, but the offering of thanks will never cease. The first aliyah ends with the reason for everything that follows: do not profane My holy Name, and I will be sanctified among Bnei Yisroel, I am Adonoy Who makes you holy, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt. Rashi says, brought you out for the sake of this.

Then Adonoy tells Moshe to teach Bnei Yisroel the appointed times, and He calls them My appointed times. Sforno says they are the dates on which He shows His pleasure in our company, and that if we treat them like ordinary weekdays they stop being His and become only ours. Before a single festival is named, the Torah names Shabbos: six days work is done, and the seventh day is a Shabbos of resting in all your dwelling places. Rashi asks what Shabbos is doing in a list of festivals, and answers that whoever keeps the festivals is regarded as though he had kept Shabbos. Then the year begins. On the fourteenth of the first month, in the afternoon, a Pesach for Adonoy, and from the fifteenth, seven days of matzos, with a holy assembly on the first day and on the seventh.

When you come into the land and reap its harvest, the first omer goes to the kohein, who waves it before Adonoy, and no bread or grain of the new crop is eaten until that day. From that day you count seven complete weeks, fifty days, and bring two leavened loaves as a first-fruit-offering, with lambs, a bullock and rams, and that day too is a holy assembly. And right there, in the middle of the festivals, the Torah stops to talk about a farmer: when you reap, do not cut the corner of your field or gather what falls; leave them for the poor and the proselyte. Rashi brings Rabbi Avdimi's question, why here, between Pesach and Shavuos on one side and Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and Sukkos on the other? To teach that whoever leaves these gifts for the poor as he should is regarded as though he had built the Beis Hamikdash and brought his offerings inside it. Sforno reads the closing words, I am Adonoy your God, as Hashem saying He is the God of the one who reaps and of the one who gathers.

The seventh month opens with a day of rest and a remembrance of the sounding of the shofar, and Rashi says the shofar recalls the binding of Yitzchak, in whose place a ram was brought. On the tenth is the day of atonement, a day to afflict yourselves, to atone for you before Adonoy your God. The Torah says plainly that a person who does not afflict himself or who works on that day is cut off from his people, and Rashi says from the first word of the pasuk that the day atones for those who repent. It is kept from evening to evening.

And then, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, today: the festival of Sukkos, seven days for Adonoy, and an eighth day of holy assembly, a day of convocation. Rashi hears in that word a king whose children came to his banquet for a set number of days, and when it was time to leave he said, children, stay one day more with me, it is so hard for me to part with you. When the produce of the land is gathered in, you take on the first day the fruit of the beautiful tree, a branch of palm trees, boughs of thick-leaved trees and willows of the brook, and you rejoice before Adonoy your God seven days. Midrash Tanchuma says the lulav is like a spine, the hadas like the eyes, the aravah like the lips and the esrog like the heart, so that all of a person says, who is like You. You shall dwell in sukkos seven days, every native born Israelite, and Rashi adds that the extra words bring in the ger as well, so that your generations will know that in sukkos He caused Bnei Yisroel to dwell when He took them out of Egypt. Rashi says those were not booths but the clouds of Glory that sheltered them, and Sforno says He asks these deeds of us so that He will never turn His benevolent eyes away from us. Moshe declared all of it to Bnei Yisroel, and the maftir adds the offerings of this very day: thirteen bulls, two rams, fourteen lambs, and one he-goat, on top of the daily offering.

At the Shabbos table

  1. For how many days do we sit in the sukkah and rejoice before Hashem?
  2. Which four things does the Torah tell us to take on the first day of Sukkos?
  3. The Torah says Hashem made Bnei Yisroel dwell in sukkos when He took them out of Egypt. According to Rashi, what were those sukkos?

Answers

  1. Seven days.
  2. The fruit of the beautiful tree (esrog), a branch of palm trees (lulav), boughs of thick-leaved trees (hadasim), and willows of the brook (aravos).
  3. Not literal booths but the clouds of Glory that sheltered them.

“We can strive to have more but we must also love what we have already. Even simple, commonplace pleasures must be highlighted.”

The whole parsha, aliyah by aliyah

All seven aliyos, in order, with the verse ranges as they are leined. The account of what happens stays to what the pesukim say; anything that explains why is quoted below.

  1. 1.Seven days with its mother

    Leviticus 22:26-22:33

    Adonoy spoke to Moshe: an ox, lamb or goat, when it is born, shall be with its mother for seven days, and from the eighth day on it may be favorably accepted as a fire-offering. An ox or a lamb, it and its offspring, may not be slaughtered in one day. A thanksgiving-offering is to be sacrificed so that it is favorably accepted, and eaten on that same day, with none of it left until the next morning. The aliyah closes with the charge to preserve His commandments and fulfill them, not to profane His holy Name, and that He will be sanctified among Bnei Yisroel: I am Adonoy Who makes you holy, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God.

    וְלֹ֤א תְחַלְּלוּ֙ אֶת־שֵׁ֣ם קָדְשִׁ֔י וְנִ֨קְדַּשְׁתִּ֔י בְּת֖וֹךְ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אֲנִ֥י יְהוָ֖ה מְקַדִּשְׁכֶֽם׃

    You shall not profane My holy Name; but I will be sanctified among Bnei Yisroel. I am Adonoy Who makes you holy.

    Leviticus 22:32

  2. 2.First of all, Shabbos

    Leviticus 23:1-23:3

    Adonoy told Moshe to speak to Bnei Yisroel and say to them: the appointed times of Adonoy, which you shall proclaim as holy assemblies, these are My appointed times. Before any festival is named, the Torah names Shabbos. Six days shall work be performed, and on the seventh day is a Shabbos of resting, a holy assembly. You shall not do any work; it is a Shabbos for Adonoy in all your dwelling places.

    שֵׁ֣שֶׁת יָמִים֮ תֵּעָשֶׂ֣ה מְלָאכָה֒ וּבַיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י שַׁבַּ֤ת שַׁבָּתוֹן֙ מִקְרָא־קֹ֔דֶשׁ כָּל־מְלָאכָ֖ה לֹ֣א תַעֲשׂ֑וּ שַׁבָּ֥ת הִוא֙ לַֽיהוָ֔ה בְּכֹ֖ל מֽוֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶֽם׃ (פ)

    Six days shall work be performed; and on the seventh day is a Shabbos of resting, a holy assembly. You shall not do any work, it is a Shabbos for Adonoy in all your dwelling places.

    Leviticus 23:3

  3. 3.Pesach and seven days of matzos

    Leviticus 23:4-23:8

    These are the appointed times of Adonoy, the holy assemblies to be proclaimed in their appointed times. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month in the afternoon, is a Pesach for Adonoy. On the fifteenth day of that month is the festival of matzos, and for seven days matzos are eaten. The first day is a day of holy assembly on which no work of labor is done, a fire-offering is brought on each of the seven days, and the seventh day is again a day of holy assembly with no work of labor.

    וּבַחֲמִשָּׁ֨ה עָשָׂ֥ר יוֹם֙ לַחֹ֣דֶשׁ הַזֶּ֔ה חַ֥ג הַמַּצּ֖וֹת לַיהוָ֑ה שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִ֖ים מַצּ֥וֹת תֹּאכֵֽלוּ׃

    On the fifteenth day of this month is the festival of matzos, for Adonoy; for seven days you shall eat matzos.

    Leviticus 23:6

  4. 4.The omer of the first harvest

    Leviticus 23:9-23:14

    When you come into the land that I give to you and reap its harvest, you shall bring an omer of the first of your harvest to the kohein. The kohein waves the omer before Adonoy on the day after the day of rest, so that it be favorably accepted for you. On that day an unblemished yearling lamb is brought as a burnt-offering, with a meal-offering of two tenths of flour mixed with oil and a wine-offering of a fourth of a hin. Bread, parched grain and tender grain may not be eaten until that very day, until the offering is brought; it is an everlasting statute for all generations in all dwelling places.

    דַּבֵּ֞ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם כִּֽי־תָבֹ֣אוּ אֶל־הָאָ֗רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֤ר אֲנִי֙ נֹתֵ֣ן לָכֶ֔ם וּקְצַרְתֶּ֖ם אֶת־קְצִירָ֑הּ וַהֲבֵאתֶ֥ם אֶת־עֹ֛מֶר רֵאשִׁ֥ית קְצִירְכֶ֖ם אֶל־הַכֹּהֵֽן׃

    Speak to Bnei Yisroel and say to them; when you come into the land that I give to you and you reap its harvest, you shall bring an omer of the first fruits of your harvest to the kohein.

    Leviticus 23:10

  5. 5.Counting fifty days, and the corner of the field

    Leviticus 23:15-23:22

    From the day the omer is brought you shall count for yourselves seven complete weeks, until the day after the seventh week, fifty days, and then bring a new meal-offering to Adonoy. Two loaves of two tenths of flour are brought from your dwelling places, baked leavened, as a first-fruit-offering, together with seven lambs, one young bullock, two rams, a he-goat as a sin-offering and two lambs as peace-offerings, which the kohein waves with the bread. That very day is proclaimed a day of holy assembly with no work of labor. And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not cut the corner of your field completely or gather the gleanings of your harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and the proselyte.

    וּֽבְקֻצְרְכֶ֞ם אֶת־קְצִ֣יר אַרְצְכֶ֗ם לֹֽא־תְכַלֶּ֞ה פְּאַ֤ת שָֽׂדְךָ֙ בְּקֻצְרֶ֔ךָ וְלֶ֥קֶט קְצִירְךָ֖ לֹ֣א תְלַקֵּ֑ט לֶֽעָנִ֤י וְלַגֵּר֙ תַּעֲזֹ֣ב אֹתָ֔ם אֲנִ֖י יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃ (ס)

    When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not cut completely the corner of your field when you reap. You shall not gather the gleaning of your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and the proselyte, I am Adonoy, your God.

    Leviticus 23:22

  6. 6.The shofar and the day of atonement

    Leviticus 23:23-23:32

    In the seventh month, on the first of the month, there shall be a day of rest, a remembrance of the sounding of the shofar, a holy assembly, with no work of labor and a fire-offering to Adonoy. On the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement, a day of holy assembly on which you shall afflict yourselves, for it is a day of atonements, to atone for you before Adonoy your God. No work at all is done on that very day, and the Torah says plainly that a person who is not afflicted, or who works on that day, is cut off from his people. It is a Shabbos of complete rest, kept from the ninth of the month at evening, from evening to evening.

    וְכָל־מְלָאכָה֙ לֹ֣א תַעֲשׂ֔וּ בְּעֶ֖צֶם הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה כִּ֣י י֤וֹם כִּפֻּרִים֙ ה֔וּא לְכַפֵּ֣ר עֲלֵיכֶ֔ם לִפְנֵ֖י יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃

    You shall not do any work on this very day, for it is a day of atonements, to atone for you before Adonoy, your God.

    Leviticus 23:28

  7. 7.Sukkos: four species and a sukkah

    Leviticus 23:33-23:44

    On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the festival of Sukkos, seven days for Adonoy. The first day is a holy assembly with no work of labor, fire-offerings are brought for seven days, and the eighth day is a holy assembly, a day of convocation. Then the Torah returns to the fifteenth day, when you gather the produce of the land: you shall celebrate the festival of Adonoy seven days, with a day of rest on the first day and on the eighth. On the first day you take the fruit of the beautiful tree, a branch of palm trees, boughs of thick-leaved trees and willows of the brook, and you rejoice before Adonoy your God for seven days. You shall dwell in sukkos seven days, every native born Israelite, so that your generations will know that in sukkos He caused Bnei Yisroel to dwell when He took them out from the land of Egypt. And thus Moshe declared the appointed times of Adonoy to Bnei Yisroel.

    וּלְקַחְתֶּ֨ם לָכֶ֜ם בַּיּ֣וֹם הָרִאשׁ֗וֹן פְּרִ֨י עֵ֤ץ הָדָר֙ כַּפֹּ֣ת תְּמָרִ֔ים וַעֲנַ֥ף עֵץ־עָבֹ֖ת וְעַרְבֵי־נָ֑חַל וּשְׂמַחְתֶּ֗ם לִפְנֵ֛י יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֖ם שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִֽים׃

    You shall take for yourselves, on the first day, the fruit of the beautiful tree (esrog), a branch of palm trees (lulav), boughs of thick-leaved trees (hadasim), and willows of the brook (aravos), and you shall rejoice before Adonoy, your God, for seven days.

    Leviticus 23:40

  8. 8.Maftir: the offerings of the first day

    Numbers 29:12-29:16

    The fifteenth day of the seventh month shall be a sacred holiday on which no work of consequence is done, and a festival to Adonoy is celebrated for seven days. The burnt-offering of the day, a fire-offering for a pleasing aroma, is thirteen young bulls, two rams and fourteen yearling lambs, all without blemish. Their meal-offering is fine flour mixed with oil: three tenths for each of the thirteen bulls, two tenths for each of the two rams, and one tenth for each of the fourteen lambs. One he-goat is brought as a sin-offering, in addition to the constant daily burnt-offering with its meal-offering and libation.

    וּבַחֲמִשָּׁה֩ עָשָׂ֨ר י֜וֹם לַחֹ֣דֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י מִֽקְרָא־קֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ יִהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֔ם כָּל־מְלֶ֥אכֶת עֲבֹדָ֖ה לֹ֣א תַעֲשׂ֑וּ וְחַגֹּתֶ֥ם חַ֛ג לַיהוָ֖ה שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִֽים׃

    The fifteenth day of the seventh month shall be a sacred holiday to you, when you shall not do any work of consequence. You shall celebrate a festival to Adonoy

    Numbers 29:12

From the mefarshim

Every one of these is the mefaresh’s own words, fetched and checked — not a summary.

  1. 1.Midrash Tanchuma — the thank-you that never ends

    וְכִי תִּזְבְּחוּ זֶבַח תּוֹדָה. רַבִּי פִּנְחָס וְרַבִּי לֵוִי וְרַבִּי יוֹחָנָן אָמַר בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי מְנַחֵם דְּגָלִיל, לֶעָתִיד לָבֹא, כָּל הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת כֻּלָּן בְּטֵלִין, וְקָרְבָּן תּוֹדָה אֵינוֹ בָּטֵל לְעוֹלָם. כָּל הַהוֹדָיוֹת בְּטֵלִין, וְהוֹדָיַת תּוֹדָה אֵינָהּ בְּטֵלָה לְעוֹלָם, הָדָא הוּא דִּכְתִיב: קוֹל שָׂשׂוֹן וְקוֹל שִׂמְחָה, קוֹל חָתָן וְקוֹל כַּלָּה, קוֹל אוֹמְרִים הוֹדוּ אֶת ה' צְבָאוֹת. כִּי טוֹב ה' כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ, מְבִיאִים תּוֹדָה בֵּית ה' (ירמיה לג, יא), זֶה קָרְבַּן תּוֹדָה. וְכֵן דָּוִד אָמַר, עָלַי אֱלֹהִים נְדָרֶיךָ, אֲשַׁלֵּם תּוֹדוֹת לָךְ (תהלים נו, יג). תּוֹדָה אֵין כְּתִיב כָּאן, אֶלָּא תּוֹדוֹת, הַהוֹדָיָה וְקָרְבַּן תּוֹדָה.

    (Lev. 22:29:) “And when you sacrifice an offering of thanksgiving to the Lord.” R. Pinhas, R. Levi, and R. Johanan said in the name of R. Menahem of Galilee, “In the future to come, all [other] offerings shall cease, but the sacrifice of thanksgiving shall not ever cease.74Lev. R. 27:12; PRK 9:12; M. Pss. 56:4. All [prayers] shall cease, but the [prayer] of thanksgiving shall not ever cease. Thus it is stated (in Jer. 33:11), ‘The sound of joy and the sound of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who say, “Give thanks to the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good, for His mercy endures forever”; [as they bring thanksgiving to the house of the Lord].’ ‘Give thanks to the Lord,’ this refers to the prayers; ‘as they bring thanksgiving,’ this refers to the sacrifice of thanksgiving.” And so David said (in Ps. 56:13), “Your vows, O God, are upon me; I will repay You with thanksgivings.” "Thanksgiving" (in the singular) is not written here, but “thanksgivings” (in the plural), [i.e., both] the thanksgiving prayer and the sacrifice of thanksgiving.

    Midrash Tanchuma, Emor 14:1

  2. 2.Rashi — what He took us out of Egypt for

    המוציא אתכם. עַל מְנָת כֵּן:

    המוציא אתכם THAT HATH BROUGHT YOU OUT [OF THE LAND OF EGYPT] — for the sake of this (that you should hallow His name).

    Rashi on Leviticus 22:33:1

  3. 3.Sforno — His appointed times, or only ours

    אלה הם מועדי, “these are the appointed dates on which I will demonstrate My pleasure in your company.” If you were to treat these dates as ordinary days, week days, they would turn from being מקראי קודש to מקראי חול assemblies devoted exclusively to the transient life on earth and the physical pleasures people want to experience in this life. They would then not be מועדי, “My appointed times,” but would turn into מועדיכם שנאה נפשי, “your appointed times, the ones My soul detests.” (same chapter in Isaiah 1,14)

    Sforno on Leviticus 23:2:2

  4. 4.Rashi — keep a Yom Tov and it is as if you kept Shabbos

    ששת ימים. מָה עִנְיַן שַׁבָּת אֵצֶל מוֹעֲדוֹת? לְלַמֶּדְךָ שֶׁכָּל הַמְחַלֵּל אֶת הַמּוֹעֲדוֹת מַעֲלִין עָלָיו כְּאִלּוּ חִלֵּל אֶת הַשַּׁבָּתוֹת, וְכָל הַמְקַיֵּם אֶת הַמּוֹעֲדוֹת מַעֲלִין עָלָיו כְּאִלּוּ קִיֵּם אֶת הַשַּׁבָּתוֹת (שם):

    ששת ימים SIX DAYS [MAY WORK BE DONE BUT THE SEVENTH DAY IS THE SABBATH OF STRICT REST] — What relation is there between the Sabbath (the day that is invariably fixed by God as the holy day) and the festive seasons (the times of which are variable, being dependent upon the proclamation of the Sanhedrin)? But by putting both into juxtaposition Scripture intends to teach you that he who desecrates the festivals is regarded as though he had desecrated the Sabbath, and that he who keeps the festivals is regarded as though he had kept the Sabbath (Sifra, Emor, Section 9 7).

    Rashi on Leviticus 23:3:1

  5. 5.Rashi — why the poor man's corner sits in the middle of the festivals

    ובקצרכם. חָזַר וְשָׁנָה, לַעֲבֹר עֲלֵיהֶם בִּשְׁנֵי לָאוין; אָמַר ר' אַבְדִּימֵי בְּרַבִּי יוֹסֵף, מָה רָאָה הַכָּתוּב לִתְּנָהּ בְאֶמְצַע הָרְגָלִים — פֶּסַח וַעֲצֶרֶת מִכָּאן וְרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה וְיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים וְחַג מִכָּאן — ? לְלַמֶּדְךָ שֶׁכָּל הַנּוֹתֵן לֶקֶט שִׁכְחָה וּפֵאָה לֶעָנִי כָּרָאוּי, מַעֲלִין עָלָיו כְּאִלּוּ בָּנָה בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ וְהִקְרִיב קָרְבְּנוֹתָיו בְּתוֹכוֹ (ספרא):

    ובקצרכם AND WHEN YE REAP [THE HARVEST OF YOUR LAND, THOU SHALT NOT MAKE CLEAR RIDDANCE OF THE CORNER OF THE FIELD] — Scripture repeats the prohibition here (although it has already been mentioned above, 19:9) in order to make one who transgresses this law infringe two negative commands. R. Abdima the son of R. Joseph said: What reason had Scripture to place it (the law concerning the corner of the field) amidst those regarding the festival-sacrifices — those of Passover and Pentecost on this side of it, and those of the New Year, Day of Atonement and “the Feast” (Tabernacles) following on that side of it? To teach you that he who leaves the gleanings, the forgotten sheaf and the corner of the field to the poor as it ought to be, is regarded as though he had built the Temple and offered his sacrifices therein (cf. Sifra, Emor, Chapter 13 11).

    Rashi on Leviticus 23:22:1

  6. 6.Sforno — the God of the one who reaps and the one who gathers

    אני ה' אלוקיכם, the many faceted functions of G’d are alluded to here, i.e. that G’d’s supervision is needed at all stages of the growing of the crop,; He is the G’d of the reapers, the G’d of the collectors. G’d says that “My regulations are designed to be beneficial for you the grower, for the poor who collects the gleanings. I will deal beneficially with those who have already demonstrated their concern for others by complying with the legislation set forth here.”

    Sforno on Leviticus 23:22:2

  7. 7.Rashi — what the shofar brings to mind

    זכרון תרועה. זִכְרוֹן פְּסוּקֵי זִכְרוֹנוֹת וּפְסוּקֵי שׁוֹפָרוֹת (ספרא: ראש השנה ל"ב) לִזְכֹּר לָכֶם עֲקֵדַת יִצְחָק שֶׁקָּרַב תַּחְתָּיו אַיִל:

    זכרון תרועה [THERE SHALL BE UNTO YOU] A זכרון OF SOUNDING THE CORNET — a mention (זכרון) of Biblical verses which speak of the Divine remembrance and Biblical verses which have reference to the blowing of the Shofar (a ram’s horn) on the occasion of important historical events (Sifra; Rosh Hashanah 32a) that I may recall to memory (זכרון) for you the offering (lit., the “Binding”) of Isaac in whose stead a ram was offered (cf. Rosh Hashanah 16a) having been caught by its horn (שופר‎).

    Rashi on Leviticus 23:24:1

  8. 8.Rashi — Yom Kippur atones for those who come back

    אך. כָּל אַכִין וְרַקִּין שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה מִעוּטִים — מְכַפֵּר הוּא לַשָּׁבִים וְאֵינוֹ מְכַפֵּר עַל שֶׁאֵינָם שָׁבִים (ספרא):

    אך — The words אך and רק wherever they occur in Scripture have a limitative force; here the word implies: it (Yom Kippur) makes expiation for those who repent, but it does not make expiation for those who do not repent (אך... יום הכפורים הוא — in a limitative sense it is Yom Kippur) (Shevuot 13a; cf. Rashi on Exodus 34:7).

    Rashi on Leviticus 23:27:1

  9. 9.Rashi — stay with Me one more day

    עצרת הוא. עָצַרְתִּי אֶתְכֶם אֶצְלִי; כְּמֶלֶךְ שֶׁזִּמֵּן אֶת בָּנָיו לִסְעוּדָה לְכָךְ וְכָךְ יָמִים, כֵּיוָן שֶׁהִגִּיעַ זְמַנָּן לִפָּטֵר, אָמַר, בָּנַי בְּבַקָּשָׁה מִכֶּם עַכְּבוּ עִמִּי עוֹד יוֹם אֶחָד, קָשָׁה עָלַי פְּרֵדַתְכֶם:

    עצרת הוא — The word is derived from the root עצר “to hold back” and suggests: I keep you back with Me one day more. It is similar to the case of a king who invited his children to a banquet for a certain number of days. When the time arrived for them to take their departure he said, “Children, I beg of you, stay one day more with me; it is so hard for me to part with you!” (cf. Rashi on Numbers 29:36 and Sukkah 55b).

    Rashi on Leviticus 23:36:1

  10. 10.Midrash Tanchuma — the lulav, the hadas, the aravah and the esrog are you

    וּלְקַחְתֶּם לָכֶם. זֶה שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב: כָּל עַצְמוֹתַי תֹּאמַרְנָה ה' מִי כָמוֹךָ (שם לה, י). יָפֶה אָמַר דָּוִד שֶׁאָמַר הַפָּסוּק הַזֶּה. תֵּדַע לְךָ, שֶׁהַלּוּלָב הַזֶּה דּוֹמֶה לְשִׁדְרָה שֶׁל אָדָם, וְהַהֲדַס הַזֶּה דּוֹמֶה לָעֵינַיִם, וְהָעֲרָבָה דּוֹמָה לַשְּׂפָתַיִם, וְהָאֶתְרוֹג דּוֹמֶה לַלֵּב. אָמַר דָּוִד, אֵין לְךָ אֵיבָר אַחֵר גָּדוֹל מֵאֵלּוּ. שְׁקוּלִין הֵן כְּנֶגֶד הַגּוּף. הֱוֵי, כָּל עַצְמוֹתַי.

    (Lev. 23:40:) “And you shall take for yourselves.” This text is related (to Ps. 35:10), “All my bones shall say, ‘Lord, who is like you?’” David has stated this verse beautifully.92Lev. R. 30:14. You yourself know that the lulav is like a human spine, the myrtle is like the eyes, the willow is like the lips, and the ethrog is like the heart. David said, “I have no greater organs than these, [since] they correspond to the [whole body (in importance)].” Ergo (in Ps. 35:10), “All my bones [shall say, ‘Lord, who is like you?’]”

    Midrash Tanchuma, Emor 19:1

  11. 11.Rashi — the ger sits in the sukkah too

    האזרח. זֶה אֶזְרָח, בישראל — לְרַבּוֹת אֶת הַגֵּרִים (ספרא):

    האזרח THE NATIVE — Since this word means native-born, the word בישראל, ANYONE IN ISRAEL, serves to include the proselytes (cf. Sifra, Emor, Chapter 17 9).

    Rashi on Leviticus 23:42:1

  12. 12.Rashi — which sukkos were they?

    כי בסכות הושבתי. עַנְנֵי כָבוֹד (שם; מכילתא י"ב):

    כי בסכות הושבתי THAT I MADE [THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL] ABIDE IN BOOTHS — This does not mean literally “booths” but, “the clouds of Glory" by which they were sheltered (cf. Onkelos; Sifra, Emor, Chapter 17 11; Mekhilta; Sukkah 11b).

    Rashi on Leviticus 23:43:1

  13. 13.Sforno — why He asks these things of us

    אני ה' אלוקיכם, the meaning of the statement, repeated again and again, is that the reason that G’d requests these symbolic deeds from us is that by performing them we insure that He will not ever turn His benevolent eyes away from us.

    Sforno on Leviticus 23:43:1

Vorts & shmuessen on this parsha

Good vorts and shmuessen on this parsha from around the Torah world — a taste of each, and the link to learn it properly. Every excerpt is verbatim, checked against the page itself.

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Texts from Sefaria — Midrash Tanchuma -- Torat Emet (Public Domain) · Townsend 1989 translation of Midrash Tanhuma, S. Buber Recension, edited and supplemented by R. Francis Nataf (CC-BY) · Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934 (Public Domain) · Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash (CC-BY) · Tanach with Ta'amei Hamikra (Public Domain) · Metsudah Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009 (CC-BY)