Prayer for Spiritual Celebration, Connecting with the Essence of the Holiday of Sukkot

For Sukkot

Prayer for Spiritual Celebration, Connecting with the Essence of the Holiday of Sukkot

 Hashem, thank you for the overwhelming bounty of fruit!

We have all come full circle from the budding, sprouting shoot!

 

Don’t allow anyone this pure, holy, golden land to pollute!

That the Land of Milk and Honey belongs to us, who can refute?

 

The sweet taste of its ripe juicy plums no one can dispute!

Honeyed figs with crisp pomegranate kernels follow suit!

 

For fallen fruit I am in pursuit.

All those sunken sparks let me recruit!

 

Now is not the time to detach or uproot.

Let the grand ingathering be absolute!  

 

Throughout Jerusalem the trumpets toot!

To the Temple courtyard let us all commute!

 

We have spiraled through a life circle as the year complete,

With a fruit-filled pantry I look forward Sukkot to greet.

 

Hashem, let me become ready for the King of Kings to meet!

Guide me to immerse myself in Your Presence from head to feet!

 

In the Holy Sukkah may I take a seat?

I yearn to meet my Maker and not just to eat.

 

The bounty now is so saturated and so replete.

Is there any other holiday that feels so sweet?

 

Help me to stretch my soul as we munch on plum leather!

Let my sins become erased or be as light as a feather!

 

Hashem, please do not pour upon us soaking rainy weather!

Open our hearts to celebrate with our family together!

 

Imbue us all with a soulful voice,

to sing Your praise and truly rejoice!

 

Please let us connect with the holiday’s essence

Grace our Sukkah with the Clouds of Your Presence!

Based on the Torah reading for Shabbat Chol Hamo’ed Sukkot, Shemot Chapter 33:12–34:26

 

ספר שמות פרק לד פסוק כג שָׁלשׁ פְּעָמִים בַּשָּׁנָה יֵרָאֶה כָּל זְכוּרְךָ אֶת פְּנֵי הָאָדֹן הָשֵׁם אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל: (כד) כִּי אוֹרִישׁ גּוֹיִם

מִפָּנֶיךָ וְהִרְחַבְתִּינֶיךָ וְהִרְחַבְתִּי אֶת גְּבֻלֶךָ וְלֹא יַחְמֹד אִישׁ אֶת אַרְצְךָ בַּעֲלֹתְךָ לֵרָאוֹת אֶת פְּנֵי הָשֵׁם אֱלֹהֶיךָ שָׁלשׁ פְּעָמִים בַּשָּׁנָה:

“Three times during the year shall all your male[s] appear directly before the Master, Hashem, G-d of Israel. When I drive out nations from before you and I widen your border, no one will covet your land when you go up, to appear before Hashem, your G-d, three times each year (Shemot 34:23-24).