During the Feast of Sukkot, on the evening of the sixth day, the evening before the Hoshana Rabbah service, it is tradition to stay up all night and read Deuteronomy. After midnight, the entire book of Psalms is read. Apples are eaten dipped in honey for a "sweet year".
The reason for this, is because it is written that on Hoshana Rabbah, our fate for this next year has already been determined, and is being delivered to the angels for execution. How blessed we are, how much rain we get, will we live, will we die.... the verdict has been sealed and will be delivered tommorrow.
It is written that no verdict is irreversible if we will repent. This is like the LAST CHANCE FOR REAL to get right before the execution of the judgment.
According to the ancient writings, the Creator's only will is to do us good. All the chaos we find in our lives is caused by ourselves and this is what Hoshana Rabbah's verdict is all about. All the barriers, all the chaos, we created in our lives.
These feasts are "gates in time" allowing us to remove the chaos from our lives and to control them.
So that we can live the Deut. 16:15 promise: "and you shall be COMPLETELY happy" :)
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