Hoshanna Rabba (2026)

Hoshanna Rabba

Dvar Torah
Following Rosh Hashanna and Yom Kippur – the days of judgement and atonement, the Jewish People collectively come into the new year with a clean slate ready for new beginnings. Quickly, we transition from the solemnity of the High Holidays to the joy of Sukkot.

Whereas on Yom Kippur we raise ourselves upwards as close as we can to G-d, on Sukkot we work in the opposite direction, building a Sukkah where Hashem can come close to us (see Sukkah 11b). Our prayers reflect this as well, with the centerpiece of Sukkot being the daily Hoshanot, literally calling out to Hashem to come and save us, culminating with Hoshanna Rabba, where we pray for rain – or in modern terms the welfare of our economy and livelihoods.

I heard an idea once that ten days after Yom Kippur, Hoshanna Rabba is a “check-in” from Hashem to see how we’re doing. As we transition from reaching heavenwards towards bringing Hashem into our daily lives, there’s a risk that we might fall back into the dreariness of the day-to-day. Hoshanna Rabbah is a counteraction to that, it’s a day focused on praying for the success of our day-to-day. G-d “checks-in”, and we reiterate through prayer that we intend to bring the highs of the holidays into the year with us.

These past two years, this “check-in” has been palpable. A year ago, on Hoshanna Rabba all of the living hostages miraculously returned home. From the depths of October 7^th, what was once an unthinkable dream became reality. Again, just yesterday, what would have naturally been by all accounts a monumental tragedy on FZ1073, in an unbroken chain of miracles, became a day of deliverance. Hashem is knocking on the door, all we need to do is answer.

Wishing everyone a meaningful Hoshanna Rabba
Pitka Tava!

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