Hoshanah Rabbah observances include:
1. Tikkun – Night Learning
It is customary to stay awake on the night of Hoshanah Rabbah and study Torah. We recite the entire Book of Dvarim (Deuteronomy) and the Book of Psalms (Tehillim). In many congregations, it is also customary for the Gabbai to distribute sweet apples to the congregants, signifying a “sweet year.”
2. Tehillim, Chapter 27
The Psalm “L’David Hashem Ori,” which has been added to our daily prayers since the 1st of Elul, is recited today for the final time during Shacharit and Mincha.
3. Willow and Hoshaanot
In addition to the Four Kinds taken every day of Sukkot, there is an ancient custom dating back to the times of the Prophets to take an additional bundle of aravot (willows) to the shul on the 7th day of Sukkot.
The Rebbe explains:
– The very fact that this custom is not an explicit mitzvah in the Written Torah indicates that its spiritual source is so lofty it cannot be openly revealed. This is why the Jewish calendar is structured so that Hoshana Rabbah never falls on Shabbat, ensuring we never miss the opportunity to strike the aravah.
The custom of striking the aravah emphasizes that one reaches the highest spiritual levels specifically through the greatest descent. The aravah is the plainest of the Four Kinds, possessing neither fragrance nor taste. Yet, in his commentary, Rashi (Shabbat 20B) refers to it as achvinah (from the root achvah, meaning friendship or brotherhood) because willows naturally grow closely together in clusters.
While each of the Four Kinds expresses the concept of unity, the prominent qualities of the other three (their taste, fragrance, or both) tend to overshadow their unifying aspect. The aravah, by contrast, has no special traits, allowing its essence of unity to shine forth completely. This is why the unifying element of the other three kinds is explained only in Chassidus (the inner, esoteric dimension of Torah), whereas the “friendliness” of the aravah is explicitly recorded in the revealed part of Torah, as seen in Rashi’s explanation.
Furthermore, the aravah we strike on Hoshana Rabbah is not the same one we used throughout the week for the mitzvah of the Four Kinds; a separate, new bundle is required. If we were to use the original aravah, the very fact that it had already been used for a mitzvah would give it a special distinction, which would obscure its absolute simplicity. A new aravah, completely untouched by a prior mitzvah, emphasizes its pure, unadorned nature.
Now we can understand why striking the aravah reflects the idea of an ascent following a descent. Through the lowly aravah – a new one, devoid of any special distinction – we perform the unique service of Hoshana Rabbah. And this “custom of the prophets” is drawn from the most incomprehensible, highest levels of Torah… (From the Rebbe’s talk on Hoshana Rabbah, 5744)
4. Willow branches
In the times of the Beit HaMikdash in Yerushalayim, large, 18-foot willow branches were set around the altar. Today, we carry the Four Kinds and make seven circuits around the reading table in the synagogue while reciting the “Hoshaanot” prayers. At the conclusion of these prayers, we strike the ground five times with the bundle of willows, symbolizing the “tempering of the five measures of harshness.”
From the Rebbe’s explanation:
– The prayer we recite after striking the aravah includes a request for the “sweetening of the five severities” (hamtakat chamesh gevurot). Chassidus explains a profound concept: the spiritual source of a “sweetened” severity is actually much higher than the source of revealed kindness (chesed)! This perfectly mirrors the theme mentioned earlier – it is specifically through a descent that we reach the ultimate heights.
The primary severity that needs sweetening is galut (exile), which represents the greatest of all descents. However, the deeper the descent, the greater the subsequent ascent. By passing through the profound darkness of exile, we reach infinite heights where all severities are ultimately sweetened. In the era of Redemption, the Jewish people will say, “I thank You, Hashem, for You were angry with me” (Yeshayahu 12:1). People will literally give thanks for the exile, because only then will they fully realize the greatness that resulted from it. (From the Rebbe’s talk on Hoshana Rabbah, 5744)
5. Festive Meal
A festive meal is eaten in the Sukkah. We dip the bread in honey (as we have done at every festive meal since Rosh Hashanah) for the final time. Today is also the last day of the year on which we recite the special blessing for eating in the Sukkah.
The next holidays, beginning tonight:
- in the Land of Israel – Shemini Atzeret – Simchat Torah (22 Tishrei),
- outside the Land of Israel: Shemini Atzeret (22 Tishrei) and Simchat Torah (23 Tishrei).
Please note: Outside the Land of Israel, we are still required to recite Kiddush and eat in the Sukkah during the holiday of Shemini Atzeret on 22 Tishrei (but not during Simchat Torah on 23 Tishrei). However, the blessing “leishev basukkah” is not recited in the Diaspora on Shemini Atzeret.
