As John Wayne might have said it: "Chag Sameach and Shabbat Shalom, Pilgrim." This Friday night we celebrate not only Shabbat, but also the beginning of the first of our three...
festivals: Sukkot - the week- long celebration of the fall harvest. The other Chaggim (festivals) are Shavuot and passover. Chaggim are not like the other holidays on the Jewish calendar. So what makes one Jewish holiday a Yom Tov/holy day (like Rosh HaShana) and another a Chag/festival (like Sukkot) and another just a holiday (like Chanukka or Purim)? Glad you asked....
One important idea embedded in a Chag/Festival is the real meaning of Chag: Pilgrimage. In Biblical times, the ancient Israelites would literally pack themselves for a long journey to Jerusalem where they would remain for the entire week of the Sukkot festival. You may be familiar with the annual rite in the Moslem tradition of going to Mecca. Making that trip is called Haj. Haj and Chag both have the same meaning: to make a pilgrimage.
Perhaps you are thinking that for the past few weeks you have been making several pilgrimages to Or Chadash for the High Holydays. Those were merely journeys. Now, during this fall festival of Sukkot, you, too, have an opportunity to be a real pilgrim. See you in the Sukkah!
Rabbi Joseph M. Forman
OR CHADASH 
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