AI Summary
5 min readSukkos and Simchas Torah: A People's Holiday with a Rich, Complicated History
This re-released episode of Jewish History Soundbites weaves together stories about Sukkos and Simchas Torah that span centuries and continents—from pre-war Lithuanian yeshivas to wartime Shanghai, from the Corfu etrog controversy of the 1870s to the Yom Kippur War. The throughline is that Simchas Torah, uniquely among Jewish holidays, was not mandated from above but emerged from the people themselves. As the host puts it, "it comes from the Jewish people themselves, their desire to celebrate." This democratic origin meant the holiday was shaped by circumstance, creativity, and sometimes improvisation—and that spirit animates every story in the episode.
The Corfu Etrog Debate: Prices, Politics, and Palestine
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:00) **Introduction & Teaser for Future Episode** - Host explains this is a re-release of an old episode and previews the upcoming Corfu Esrog controversy.
- 2 (03:51) **Introduction: The History of Drinking on Simchas Torah** - Host discusses the historical tradition of drinking alcohol on Simchas Torah in the pre-war Mir Yeshiva, and offers several theories for its origin.
- 3 (10:08) **New Historical Tidbits (Not in Original Episode)** - Host shares two new stories about Sukkos that were not in the original recording.
- 4 (17:17) **Original Episode Begins: The Corfu Esrog Debate** - The original episode starts with a brief overview of the 19th-century debate over using esrogim from Corfu.
- 5 (25:04) **Dalet Minim in the Mir Yeshiva in Shanghai** - The story of how the Mir Yeshiva obtained an esrog while exiled in Shanghai during World War II.
- 6 (30:25) **The Dalet Minim Shuk in Pre-War Poland** - A description of the bustling esrog market in pre-war Polish cities like Warsaw and Krakow.
- 7 (32:15) **The Stolen Esrog of the Volozhin Yeshiva** - A dramatic anecdote from the bitter dispute over the succession of the Volozhin Yeshiva in 1891.
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Show Notes
In honor of the upcoming Sukkos & Simchas Torah holidays, here's an updated version of an old episode of Jewish History Soundbites, containing entertaining historical tales & tidbits from Jewish history. With updates and additions to enjoy.
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