Anonymous asked: can you plz plz plz explain that tweet about hasidic jews? and your tag "#just shake the asparagus and smell the lemon just go with it" i am sooo christian and soooo confused! much luv man. xx
So the fact that a non jew wouldn’t get it is kind of the joke don’t feel bad! We grow up around it our whole lives so we never really realize exactly how weird our traditions are until we have to interact with other people. Right now, we’re celebrating the jewish holiday of Sukkot, which is basically our fall celebration of the beginning of the agricultural season in Israel (because it’s a massive slice of desert so it’s a pretty big deal). The bEST part of it is that we have to build what’s called a Sukkah- which is kind of like a GIANT FUCKING WOODEN FORT IT’S SO COOL with thatched roofs to see the stars through, and after the religious days have passed we’re supposed to decorate it, hang out, eat sleep and party in it! It has a lot of religious significance pertaining to dependence on god and the earth and the Exodus, in a secular way, and in the way I was raised as well, it’s a mitzvah to invite people in to celebrate with you! Jewish or not! Like the story of Abraham and the Angels.
What that tweet is referring to though is the lulav and the etrog, and that’s where things get HILARIOUS.
SO the lulav isn’t asparagus and the etrog isn’t a lemon. An etrog is a a sweet smelling citron that represents the heart because it’s most commonly found in Israel and Palestine and other significant MENA areas that many Jews are native to. Anyway the funny thing is that an etrog has to be kosher certified and meet to certain aesthetic and storing standards AND WE DON’T EVEN GET TO EAT IT DURING THE HOLIDAY. It’s sort of like a status symbol too like the family who can get the nicest, biggest etrog has something to really brag about. What we’re meant to do is entwine it with the lulav, a collection of a palm frond, myrtle, and willow, hold it in our right hands, and then… i’m not kidding.. shake it. You shake it north south east west up and down while saying the prayers to bring in blessings from every corner of the earth, especially rain. it’s basically a jewish rain dance but hey we’re the only people who have ever been able to grow tomatoes in the Negev so maybe it works. It also represents Jewish unity and unity with G-d and the world around you, so it’s an incredibly fulfilling thing to do. So back to that tweet, it’s really funny and endearing to think of a Hasidic man standing on the street with a lulav just trying to make some pals and give people the opportunity to participate with no concept of how insane we look to other people. Tbh he probably doesn’t care because it’s a rad holiday and I love it very much.
This has been your friendly jewish history lesson of the day
