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Sukkot: The Land of Israel and Rain

  • Grades: 9-12
  • Lesson Plan

Introduction

Sukkot completes the cycle of the Yamim Nora’im (High Holidays). The Yamim Nora’im is a time of judgment. Israel’s economic prosperity and indeed, life itself, are tied to the country’s rainfall. Israel’s lack of natural water resources and its limited rainfall have tremendous political implications for it and its neighbors and can be a matter of life and death. It is no surprise that every year, even during wartime, the media reports on the level of water in the Kinneret. It is also not surprising that we insert a brief prayer for rain in the Shemonah Esrei’s blessing of “mechayei hameitim” – “the sustainer of life” – for, without water, life cannot be sustained. This prayer is inserted from Shemini Atzeret until Pesach, which is Israel’s rainy season.

The focus is on rain and the water rituals during Sukkot, a “nature-centric” (the sukkot booths and the arba minim – the four species), with the hoshana “rain ceremonies,” the Simchot Bet Hashoevot (the Rejoicing of the Water Drawing), Hoshanna Rabba (an additional day of judgment) and its extensive use of the “river willow”, and finally “tefillat geshem” (prayer for rain) said on Shemini Atzeret. On Shemini Atzeret we also begin the daily prayer for rain, saying in our prayers “mashiv haruach umorid hageshem” (“return the wind and the rain”).

It may be hard for students who live outside of Israel, especially those who live in regions where it rains regularly to appreciate this goal of the Yamim Nora’im. Therefore, it’s important for the teacher to create a biblical and geographical framework for the students to feel comfortable with. This lesson tries to do this but the teacher may prefer to expand on it.

 

Cross-curricular Activities:
You may want to coordinate this lesson with the geography teacher in order to chart rainfall, investigate landscape, irrigation, etc.

Lesson objectives

The student will be able to:

  1. Describe the historical and contemporary reliance of the Land of Israel on rainfall as opposed to some other countries
  2. Describe the connection between rainfall and the Yamim Nora’im (High Holidays), specifically Sukkot
  3. Based on the sources, explain why God chose the Land of Israel to be the Promised Land

Skills

The student will:

  1. Engage in textual analysis.
  2. Demonstrate understanding of the connection between texts and concepts
  3. Demonstrate map-reading skills
  4. Demonstrate an understanding of the connection between topography, weather and economic realities
  5. Reflect on the connection between Jews living outside of Israel and the Land of Israel and the people living there

Values

The student will demonstrate an understanding of:

  1.  The relationship between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel
  2. The importance of water in sustaining civilization
  3. The reliance on God for survival

Resources & Equipment needed

Procedure

Trigger:

You may want to examine the second paragraph of the Shema with students. God promises that as a reward for listening to His commandments, He will: “give the rain of your land in its season, the early and late rains…” At the same time for disobedience, He will: “stop the heavens and there will be no rain…” (Devarim 11:13-17). You may want to ask the students why rain is considered to be the ultimate reward; with its lack thereof as the ultimate punishment. Perhaps you should ask the students what they would like to have as a reward for listening to God.

In an in-person class, hand out the worksheet (attached below) to work through either on their own, with a hevruta, or as a class, depending on what the teacher chooses. Students should cite from text wherever possible on their worksheets. In an online class, send students links to texts and maps as relevant.

Question 1

a. Israel is: “a land of hills and valleys.” Have students explore maps of both biblical and modern Israel. Note how the coast (from modern-day Tel Aviv towards the south) is a flat area of land. Most of this area was not in Israel’s control during the Biblical period. Make sure to mention that this lesson is not focused on the politics of the region, but rather, on geographic realities.

Biblical Israel is considered to be the mountainous central region of the country (i.e. Judea in the south, Samaria in the north, and the Ever Hayarden – Trans Jordan – on the east bank of the river) and the deep valley along the River Jordan, in between the two mountainous regions. The River Jordan flows from four streams that commence on the slopes of Mount Hermon in the north close to the border with Lebanon and Syria (referred to as “Aram” or “Damesek” in the Tanakh). It flows in a southern direction for 45 kilometers to the northern shore of the Kinneret. Then from the southern shore of the Kinneret, it snakes its way south to the Dead Sea, a total distance of 250kms You could point out that there is such a huge drop between the mountains of the Judean Desert to the Jordan Valley (the Dead Sea is the lowest point on Earth), and that when it rains, dangerous flash floods develop, with the water rushing down the sides of the chalky mountains and collecting in the valleys (known as wadis). This explains how an oasis (such as Ein Gedi) can exist in the middle of the desert. The mountains are a desert as the water cannot settle there whilst the Jordan Valley is Israel’s most fertile region. However, this only occurs when rain falls. If no rain falls, the area remains arid. For those students who have been to Israel, you can discuss the difficulties of walking around Jerusalem (especially the Old City) as you continuously go up and down mountains. Those students who have been to Jericho (an oasis town) can testify to the stunning views to the east of it – a huge mountain ridge begins immediately to the west of it, whilst it sits at much lower at the bottom of the valley.

b. “…the land, which you are going over to possess, is, and drinks water as the rain of heaven comes down.” In the summer, Israel is a very hot and dry country, but it has a rainy season that lasts from Tishrei to Nissan (Sukkot to Pesach). Egypt, on the other hand, “you watered it with your foot, as a garden of herbs”. Egypt has a deluge of the Nile, but Israel is dependent on the rainfall. c. “…the eyes of the Lord your God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year unto the end of the year.” God decides whether to bring the rain or not. God looks at the behavior of the inhabitants of this land and decides whether they are worthy of receiving life. On a side point, you should show that this source teaches that the beginning of the rainy season (i.e. Tishrei) is “the beginning of the year.”

Question 2

Ancient Egypt was irrigated very simply, “with your foot” (Devarim 11:10). Although Egypt is a huge country with a large surface area, it is only inhabited along the banks of the River Nile, all the way from north to south. The rest of the country is an inhospitable desert, almost incapable of sustaining human life as Egypt receives virtually no rainfall. Historically, Egypt and its people relied completely on the Nile. Each year, the river overflows (called the deluge) and floods all the fields like “a garden of herbs” (Devarim 11:10). The ancient Egyptians built a series of canals with locks that allowed the water to flow directly to their farms, avoiding their homes. The Egyptians directed the canals by opening and closing the locks with their feet. With this in mind, it is understandable how the Nile was worshipped and considered a god. It also explains why Egypt was a very wealthy country and an ancient superpower.

Question 3

We will examine this source in greater detail in question 5. For now, it is important to see that Egypt is so “well-watered” and fertile, that is compared to the “garden of the Lord” (Bereshit 13:10), i.e. the Garden of Eden, a very lush area that could sustain all vegetation.

Question 4

This is a “do you think” question, therefore any answer the students bring is correct as long as they back it up. The students may have a strong bias toward Israel and may not be able to overcome their modern-day perceptions of Egypt being a poor, third-world country to answer this question properly.

You may prefer to ask about a modern equivalent to Egypt such as the United States. You could also point out that as well as being a “land flowing with milk and honey” (Bemidbar 13:27), Israel is also known as a “land that devours its inhabitants” (ibid. 32). It is a challenging country to tame. It is therefore not surprising that despite being slaves, the Israelites often expressed the desire to return to lush Egypt. (You may want to discuss water-saving methods the government recommends in order to preserve the country’s water supply). If this is the case, we must examine why God gave His chosen people such a challenging country.

Question 5

a. “…the whole plain of the Jordan”. It should be noted that the Jordan valley was well watered by the Jordan “before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah”. After the destruction, the land became infertile and it appears that the flow of the Jordan must have altered making the area wholly dependent on rainfall.

b. “The Garden of the Lord” (Bereshit 13:10), i.e. the Garden of Eden.

c. “The land of Egypt.”

Question 6

Each of these areas was serviced by rivers that gave an “endless” supply of water.

a. The Garden of Eden (“The Garden of the Lord”) has four rivers: the Pishon, the Gihon (widely accepted as the Nile), the Tigris, and the Euphrates. This area has not been adequately identified so I have not brought maps. It may not be obvious to the students that the “Garden of the Lord” is “The Garden of Eden”. The Ramban accepts it as such (see the Ramban on Bereshit 13:10, k’gan hashem k’eretz mizrayim).

b. Sedom (The Jordan Valley): We cannot identify Sedom precisely as it was destroyed, but it was in the Jordan Valley, near the Dead Sea. Its source of water was the Jordan River. As we explained earlier, God destroyed the area and it is no longer fertile. The Jordan is certainly no longer a river in the same class as the Nile and the Euphrates. You could use a quote from Naaman (“Are not Amanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean?” Melakhim Bet 5:12) to show the Jordan is no longer a powerful river.

c. Egypt: As explained earlier, Egypt survives because of the Nile. You may want to discuss some Biblical incidents, such as the Pharaoh’s dream or the plague of blood, to show how central the Nile is to Egypt.

Question 7

a. In the Garden of Eden, man did not have to work. Food was provided in abundance. Eventually, Adam and Eve violated God’s command not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. As a punishment to Adam, God said: “Through the sweat of your face you shall eat bread,”(Bereshit 3:19) meaning that a person’s livelihood will not be guaranteed. In the future, God’s help will be necessary for survival. You may want to add that the Garden of Eden is ideal for a humanity that has an enormous amount of self-discipline and is capable of being faithful to God despite the lack of a need to rely upon Him.

b. The fertility of Sedom and its lushness of water led to a high standard of living for a society that became corrupt. When Sedom became a bastion of immorality, God destroyed it.

c. There are many Biblical examples that you may prefer to bring in order to illustrate Egypt’s immorality. In this example, the Egyptians are described as not hesitating to kill a man in order to take his wife to be a concubine for Pharaoh.

Question 8

The land of Israel is a land where: “the eyes of the Lord your God are always upon it”. God wants Israel to be “a kingdom of priests and a holy people” (Shemot 19:6). He, therefore, chose a land where the people need to look to God for guidance. Water is not guaranteed in Israel, the people must constantly satisfy God, so that He provides them with their rainfall and hence, life.

You could also argue that the abundance or lack of rain (reward and punishment) is an educational tool being used by God regarding Israel. His use of disciplinary measures means that He cares about His people’s moral development.

Question 9

The Yamim Nora’im is a time of judgment when we pray and reflect, seeking to improve ourselves in order to guarantee our future. We can now understand the importance of rainfall in this context and why Sukkot has so many “water” traditions.