Sukkah
On Sukkos, where do we eat our holiday meals?
In a sukkah.
What am I? I am a fragrant fruit that looks a little like a large lemon. I am one of the Four Minim.
An esrog (etrog), also called a citron.
What does "Ushpizin" mean?
Guests, gifts, or branches?
Guests. The word is Aramaic.
On Simchas Torah, what do we dance with?
The Torah scrolls (Sifrei Torah).
Which Jewish day of rest begins every Friday at sunset?
Shabbos (Shabbat).
Look up! What is the special roof of a sukkah called?
Schach (also spelled s'chach or sechach).
Complete the set: Lulav, esrog, hadassim, and ______.
Aravos (willow branches). Accept aravah.
Who am I? I am famous for welcoming guests, and I lead the Ushpizin on the first day of Sukkos.
Avraham Avinu (Abraham).
What do the words "Simchas Torah" mean in English?
The joy of the Torah / rejoicing with the Torah.
Accept any clear equivalent.
Which planet is nicknamed the Red Planet?
Mars.
Choose the roof: Which can be used for schach?
A. Cut tree branches
B. A plastic sheet
C. A cloth blanket
A. Cut tree branches.
Schach must come from something that grew from the ground and has been detached.
Spot the mistake: "We take the lulav and esrog on every day of Sukkos." Which part needs fixing?
We do NOT take the Four Minim on Shabbos.
We are TWO brothers among the Ushpizin. One led the Jews out of Egypt; the other was the first Kohen Gadol. Who are we?
Moshe and Aharon (Moses and Aaron).
Moshe led the Jews out of Egypt; Aharon was the first Kohen Gadol.
What is the name for the joyful rounds of dancing with the Torah?
Hakafos (hakafot).
Name that mitzvah: You put money in a pushka to help someone in need. What is this called?
Tzedakah (giving to those in need).
Smallest sukkah challenge:
What are the minimum HEIGHT and the minimum FLOOR dimensions of a kosher sukkah? Give both in tefachim.
Minimum height: 10 tefachim.
Minimum floor: 7 by 7 tefachim.
Both measurements are needed for full points.
Match ALL FOUR minim to their taste-and-fragrance symbols:
Both / Taste only / Fragrance only / Neither
Esrog, lulav, hadas, aravah.
Esrog: both taste and fragrance.
Lulav: taste only, through the dates of its palm tree.
Hadas: fragrance only.
Aravah: neither.
All four matches are needed.
Double guest challenge: Who leads on the FIFTH day of Sukkos?
Name BOTH the Torah Ushpiz and the Chassidic Ushpiz.
Aharon Hakohen and the Tzemach Tzedek.
Accept Aaron for Aharon. Both names are needed.
Finish-and-start challenge: On Simchas Torah, what is the LAST parshah we read to finish the Torah, and what parshah do we begin immediately afterward?
Vezos Haberachah (Vezot Haberachah), then Bereishis (Bereishit/Genesis).
Both names are needed.
World map challenge: Name all FIVE oceans.
Then identify the LARGEST one.
Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern (Antarctic), and Arctic.
The Pacific is the largest.
All five names and the largest ocean are needed.
Schach puzzle: A wooden salad bowl came from a tree and is no longer attached to the ground. Why is it STILL invalid as schach? Name the rule it fails.
Schach must not be susceptible to tumah (ritual impurity).
A wooden bowl is a utensil with a receptacle, so it can become tamei and cannot be used as schach.
It is not enough that the material grew from the ground and was detached.
On the FIRST day, an adult borrows a kosher lulav set. The owner says, "It remains mine; you may use it."
Why has the borrower not fulfilled the mitzvah?
How can the owner fix this and still get the set back?
On the first day, the minim must belong to the person doing the mitzvah (lachem).
Give the set as a gift on condition that it is returned, then return it as agreed.
Simply lending it is not enough. Both the ownership rule and the conditional-gift solution are needed.
Name the SEVEN Torah Ushpizin in the order followed in Chabad.
Then name the Chassidic Ushpiz who accompanies Yosef.
Avraham, Yitzchok, Yaakov, Moshe, Aharon, Yosef, Dovid.
Yosef's Chassidic partner is the Rebbe Maharash.
Accept English names. The correct order and the Rebbe Maharash are needed.
Two schools, two dates:
A Chabad school in Boston and one in Yerushalayim celebrate Simchas Torah on different Hebrew dates.
Give BOTH dates. Which two holidays are celebrated on the same day in Israel?
Boston: 23 Tishrei.
Yerushalayim: 22 Tishrei.
In Israel, Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah are celebrated on the same day.
Both dates and the two holiday names are needed.
Solar system challenge: Name all EIGHT planets in order, starting closest to the Sun.
Then name the TWO planets that have no natural moons.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.
Mercury and Venus have no natural moons.
The correct order and both moonless planets are needed.