Judaism in Kerala

Four offerings

The same sentiment of thanksgiving is shown at the Jewish place of worship, the synagogue, where Jews make offerings of four objects from Nature: a citrus fruit, a leaf from the date palm (lulav), myrtle and willow branch.  Each is prized for its special quality – the citrus fruit is beautiful to look at, smells sweet and is tasty to eat; the date palm has no smell but tastes sweet; the myrtle smells sweet but has no taste to speak of, and the willow has no specialty at all. They represent different kinds of human beings: those who are gifted and helpful; those who despite being knowledgeable are deficient in sympathy; those who are good at heart but not very intelligent; and those who have no noteworthy traits. As the four natural products are bunched together into a bouquet, they represent all types of human beings and suggest that it takes all kinds of people to make a community, where each has a distinct place of her own. 

As the prayers are recited in the synagogue the bouquet is pointed in all four directions as well as upwards and downwards in order to convey that the Almighty’s blessings have come from everywhere. The worshippers then form a solemn procession, headed by a person who carries the sacred book, the Torah, taken from the Ark where it is usually placed in the synagogue, and walk around the pulpit and the synagogue, singing the prayers in unison.  

Seven days of festivity and prayer end in Simhat Torah or the Joy of the Torah. A procession is taken out and the Torah is ceremonially carried around the synagogue. One elderly man of the congregation is proclaimed the Hatan Torah or the Bridegroom of the Torah. The final paragraph of the Torah (representing the Bride) is read out to him. Thereafter, a young married man is made Hatan Bereshit or the Bridegroom of the Beginning, and the first verses of the Torah are read out to him.

The festivities come to an end, and every Jew goes back home, his heart full of hope that the Almighty will protect him and his family through the dark months of winter that are about to follow.