- Greeting your friends
Since Hoshana Rabbah marks the time when the LORD decrees the Book of Life (and Death), a custom is to greet your friends with the phrase, “piska tava”, meaning (in Aramaic) “a good note” (referring to the final inscription and sealing in the book of Life).
- Staying up all night
It is a common practice is to stay awake all night on the night before Hoshana Rabbah. During this time the book of Deuteronomy and the entire book of Psalms is read (this is to ensure that the Torah has been read through before the beginning of Simchat Torah). It is also customary to prepare the willow branches for the next morning’s Hoshana service.
The Hoshana Rabbah Service
During the Hoshana Rabbah service, many choose to wear the white Kittel (like on Yom Kippur) during the morning prayers. In almost every congregation the leader will wear the Kittel since the day is a Day of Judgment. In the synagogue itself, the parokhet (curtain on the ark) remains white and extra candles (that remain from Yom Kippur) may be lit.
- Seven Times Around the Sanctuary
During the six previous days of Sukkot the lulav is shaken during the Hallel (praise psalms sung right after the Amidah in the morning service) as well as during the Hoshana - a hymn that begins with Hosha’ na [save us, please!] that is sung during the service. The Torah is taken from the Ark and set on the bimah [torah reading table] and the congregation circles it (once) in a processional (called hakkafah) while shaking their lulavot and carrying their etrogim.
On Hoshana Rabbah, however, instead of one Hoshana, seven Hoshanot are recited and seven hakkafot are made around the sanctuary. Normally all the Torah scrolls are taken from the Ark and put on the bema while this sevenfold processional takes place.
- The Beating of the Willows
At the conclusion of this of the Hakkafot, an additional ritual is conducted in which the branches of the willow (aravot) are struck upon the ground (or upon a chair) five times until their leaves fall off. This ceremony recalls the days of the Temple when branches were struck against the ground near the altar as a symbolic gesture of casting away of one’s sins. In like manner, the “beating of the willows” ceremony symbolizes the ridding of any remaining sins (the leaves representing these transgressions) that might yet influence God’s decision to “seal” the Book of Life with our names inscribed therein. Many Jews will keep the beaten willow branches to use when they burn the chametz (yeast) just before Passover.
- Torah Readings
There are four aliyot (separate individuals called to read from the Torah) on Hoshana Rabbah:
The Closure of Sukkot
For many Jews, Hoshana Rabbah is the last day one shakes the lulav and etrog and eats within the sukkah. Round challot are often served, as well as apples and honey (just like the evening meal of Rosh Hashanah). There is a widespread custom to eat Kreplach (Jewish ravioli, dough filled with meat) on this day.
The afternoon of Hoshana Rabbah is the winding down of Sukkot. Some people visit the Sukkah one last time to eat a snack and recite the following prayer: “May it be that we merit to dwell in the sukkah made of Leviathan,” an idea that derives from the Talmud where it is said that the LORD will slay the Leviathan in the end of days and make sukkot out of its hide for the righteous.
On the evening following Hoshana Rabbah begins the festival of Shmini Atzeret.
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