Today - Friday - is Hoshana Rabba, the last day of the holiday of Succot and one of the most mysterious days on the Jewish calendar. Mysterious, that is, because so few people seem to grasp its significance or appreciate its ritual.
 
Take a peek into any synagogue this morning, and you will witness quite a scene, as a line of worshippers, each one bearing the traditional Four Species in his hands, encircles the podium seven times to recall the rite that was performed in the Temple long ago.
 
The solemnity of the procession quickly gives way to a spirited outburst, as those present each take a bundle of willows and beat them on the floor. Leaves fly off the branches, until the sound of swatting reaches a crescendo that fills the room.
 
It is, admittedly, quite a sight, not one you would ordinarily associate with a house of worship. Grown men thrashing a bunch of twigs on the floor, making a ruckus as well as a mess. What could this possibly have to do with life in a modern Jewish state?
 
The answer, in fact, is quite a lot. For Hoshana Rabba contains within it a message that couldn?t be more timely for Israel in its current plight....

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Michael Freund served as Deputy Director of Communications & Policy Planning in the Israeli Prime Minister's Office under former premier Binyamin Netanyahu. He is Founder and Chairman of Shavei Israel (www.shavei.org), which reaches out and assists "lost Jews" seeking to return to the Jewish people.