Celia Gurevitch Jewish Community Library

If you’ve been around Jewish books in the US, then you are familiar with Philipp Goodman‘s anthologies. He, often with his wife, had put together thick and rich anthologies on most of the holidays, including on Purim, Passover, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Hanukkah and one even on Jewish marriage. Each of these volumes is about 500 pages and covers thoroughly their topics. But today I only want to talk about “The Sukkot and Simhat Torah anthology“, also edited by him. The best way to show the breadth and depth of the work is to list its chapters:

1. Sukkot in the Bible
2. Sukkot in postbiblical writing
3. Sukkot in Talmud and Midrsah
4. Sukkot in medieval Jewish literature
5. Sukkot and Simhat Torah in Jewish law
6. Sukkot and Simhat Torah liturgy
7. Hasidic tales and teachings
8. Sukkot and Simhat Torah in modern prose
9. Sukkot and Simhat Torah in art
10. The development of the festival
11. The Sukkah
12. The four species
13. Sukkot and Simhat Torah in many lands
14. Sukkot and Simhat Torah in poetry
15. Sukkot and Simhat Torah in the short story
16. Sukkot and Simhat Torah miscellany
17. Sukkot and Simhat Torah humor
18. The festival delicacies
19. Children stories for Sukkot and Simhat Torah
20. Poems for children
21. Programs and activities
22. Dances for Sukkot and Simhat Torah
23. Music for Sukkot and Simhat Torah

Each of these chapters contains so many stories, poems, and references that it is impossible to cover the richness in a short review. Let me just give you an example that spoke to me (from page 95):

Every year Rabbi Zusya of Hanipol invited many simpletons and ignoramuses to his sukkah. When asked why he extended hospitality to such people, the sage replied, “In the future world, where the righteous will dwell in the Tabernacle of Eternal Peace, I will also want to be among them. I fear that I may not be permitted to enter the Tabernacle, because it is unseemly that a lowly person like me can be on the same level as the righteous; therefore, I am establishing a just claim for myself. If the angels ask me, ‘How can you, an ignorant man, expect to be admitted into the Sukkat Shalom?’ I will be able to reply, ‘I welcomed simple people into my sukkah.’”