Written by: Chanu and Reut/Morris

            Sukkah Hop - journeys  

Welcome to Bnei Akiva! This year we are starting snif off with a hop!  A sukkah hop is an especially fun snif, and it’s the perfect chance to make a great first impression with your chanichim.  Be friendly, enthusiastic, fun, loud...be yourselves!  The theme for this year’s Sukkah hop is ‘Mission from Mitzrayim’. We, as Bnei Yisrael did, are travelling from Mitzrayim to Sukkot to Midbar Sinai to Arvot Moav and then (phew) finally, to Eretz Yisrael.  Each group will have a map of the area, and your Roshei Snif will tell you which house is which location on the map for your group.  One sukkah will have a quiz, one will have a game, and one will have a story. 

On your way to the next sukkah, play games (icebreakers- learn everyone’s name!), get to know your chanichim, tell them facts that they haven’t heard about the location you just came from or are on your way to, ask them how their chagim were, tell short stories, quiz them about sukkot...the possibilities are endless!  Get to know them as much as possible, so that you at least know how to adjust each activity to fit your group’s knowledge, attention span, etc.  For example, maybe leave out mekorot for younger groups.  Don’t forget a ‘Leishev BeSukkah’ for any food eaten.  The facts about the different locations can either be told by madrichim on the way there, or by a person stationed at the sukkah.  Each sukkah will have a different activity, so for one group the quiz might be Arvot Moav, while for another group the quiz is Midbar Sinai.

Our first location is, of course, Mitzrayim, the snif location.  If you want to, you can make it into a secret mission (Children of Israel!  Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to escape from the land of Egypt.  Your commander, Hashem, has sent the message that the first objective is Sukkot.  He will guide you there with a pillar of smoke by day and fire by night...).

1^st Sukkah- Sukkot

-Sukkot is the very first place that Hashem took Bnei Yisrael to after Mitzrayim, even before they got to the Yam Suf. 

-At Sukkot, Bnei Yisrael baked matzot out of the dough they had brought with them out of Mitzrayim.  They had had to leave so fast that the dough didn’t even have time to rise!

-Rashi says that Sukkot was 120 km. away from Mitzrayim, several days travel, but Hashem brought Bnei Yisrael there in an hour.  How did he do it?  “On the wings of eagles”, as he tells us later (in Shmot יט).

-According to Targum Yonatan, “Sukkot” is actually referring to the Anenei HaKavod, which surrounded Bnei Yisrael on all sides like a sukkah does.  Hashem protected Bnei Yisrael from the minute they left Mitzrayim.  The Anenei Hakavod protected Bnei Yisrael from dangerous animals, extreme temperatures, and even leveled out mountains in their path.

2^nd Sukkah- Midbar Sinai

 This one is a little broad- basically, all of the wanderings of the forty years, from Sukkot to Arvot Moav.  During this period:

-Bnei Yisrael complained that the food they had brought from Mitzrayim had run out, so Hashem started providing them with Maan to eat.

-Bnei Yisrael’s water came from Be’er Miriam, the rock that Moshe hit and did not stop giving water until Bnei Yisrael were almost in the land.  

-The entire generation that had been slaves in Mitzrayim died in the desert, so that the people that entered Eretz Yisrael had never been slaves and were ready to fight the Cnaanim.

-Most importantly, Bnei Yisrael got the Torah at Har Sinai (Yes, it’s worth just a bit more than this little mention, but we thought that we’d leave that for Shavuot).

-If Hashem had wanted to (and some say that this was his original plan), he could have brought Bnei Yisrael to Eretz Yisrael in 11 days, but because of Bnei Yisrael’s sins (which maybe showed that they were not ready to enter the land), he instead led them in circles in the desert for 40 years.

3^rd Sukkah- Arvot Moav

-From Arvot Moav, Bnei Yisrael could see right into Eretz Yisrael, the place they’ve been waiting to return to for a few hundred years!  It’s across the Yarden from Yericho.

-This is where Yehoshua gets reassured by Hashem that he will be as great a leader as Moshe was.

-Bnei Yisrael entered Eretz Yisrael with a complete Nes Galui: The Cohanim carrying the Aron stepped into the Yarden, and the water parted right away.  As soon as Bnei Yisrael had finished crossing, the Cohanim stepped out and the water returned to its place.

The Chanichim return to snif, which has now become Eretz Yisrael.  The Maan stops, and Bnei Yisrael begin conquering Eretz Yisrael.  Mission Accomplished!  

Sukkah Hop Quiz

required for this activity: Nothing.  Optional: candies to give out to chanichim/teams who answer questions or win the competition.

Suggestions:

-Divide your kids into two teams, and have them buzz in for the right to answer each question.  They can consult with their teams for the answers, and a wrong answer passes the question to the other team.

-For a small group of kids, let each one answer individually.

Be sure to choose questions based on the group.  Feel free to add some of your own, make up a new quiz game, be crazy and creative!

1) How many days is Rosh Hashana here, and in Israel?

-it is two days both in Israel and here.

2) On what day do we say Kol Nidrei?  At what time of day?

-the first evening of Yom Kippur.

3) What are the shalosh regalim?

-Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot.

4) Which holidays have Chol HaMoed?

-Sukkot and Pesach

5) What are the Arba Minim?

- Lulav, Etrog, Hadas, Arava

6) On what days do we blow the shofar?

-Rosh Hashana, the end of Yom Kippur. (Also during Ellul and Ashkenazim do during the week of Selichot)

7) How many walls must a Sukkah have to be kosher?

-at least 2 and a half

8) What phrase do we add to our Amidah starting from Shmini Atzeret?

-‘Meishiv haruach umorid hagashem’

9) In what year was the Yom Kippur war?

-1973

10) In connection to what event in Jewish history do we celebrate Sukkot?

-Yetziat Mitzraim.

11) Until what day can you do Tashlich?

-Hoshana Rabah

12) In Israel, how many days long is Sukkot?  How many days are Yom Tov and how many are Chol Hamoed?

-7 days; 2 are Yom Tov and 5 are Chol Hamoed.

13) Name (4 of) the Ushpizin (visitors to our Sukka’s each night).

- Avraham, Yitzchak, Yakov, Moshe, Aharon, Yosef, and David.

14) What are 3 names for Sukkot?

-Chag HaSukkot (festival of Booths), Chag HaAsif (Festival of Gathering), and Zman Simchateinu(Time of Rejoicing).

15) In which case do we not blow the shofar on Rosh Hashana?

- When it falls on Shabbat.

16) In a kosher lulav, there are 3 elements.  One            , two branches of            , and three branches of              

- One lulav, 2 branches of Arava, and 3 of Hadas.

17) Name (3 of) the holidays during Tishrei.

-Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shmini Atzeret, Simchat Torah.

18) After the chagim in Tishrei, what is the next Chag?

-Channuka

19) Name (5 of) the Shvatim who escaped from Egypt.

- Reuven, Shimon, Levi, Yehuda, Yissachar, Zevulun, Dan, Naftali, Gad, Asher, Yosef, Benyamin.

20) What are (3) other names for Rosh Hashana?

- Yom Truah, Yom Zichron Truah, Yom HaZikaron, Yom HaDin.

21) How many brachot are added after kiddush on the first day of Sukkot, and What are they?

-2; Shehechiyanu and Leishev BaSukkah

22) Name (6 of) the months of the Jewish year.

- Tishrei, Cheshvan, Kislev, Tevet, Shvat, Adar, Nissan, Iyar, Sivan, Tamuz, Av, Ellul.

23) What is Neilah?

-It is the last tefillah on Yom Kippur (לנעול- to ‘lock’-the gates of heaven)

24) Can I use the overhanging branches of my tree as schach for my Sukka?

-No.  Only branches that are detached from the ground can be used as schach.

25) Finish the sentence: “LeShana HaBa..                                                                                                                - BeYerushalayim Habnuya”