Libi Astaire's Blog - Posts Tagged "crypto-jews"
Sukkot Under the Nose of the Spanish Inquisition
I often write about the Anusim, the Jews of Spain and Portugal who were forced to convert to Christianity during the Middle Ages. You can read some of the articles I've written about them in Day Trips to Jewish History,, my book of essays about some lesser known topics in Jewish history. My historical novel Terra Incognita is also about the crypto-Jews of Spain. Yet I always assumed that Sukkos was one of the Jewish holidays that dropped off the radar, so to speak, for these communities.
A sukkah is by nature a public affair. It has to be built in an open place where one can see the stars through the schach (the branches that serve as the sukkah's roof). The mitzvah (commandment) is to dwell in the sukkah for all the days of the holiday - eat your meals there, entertain visitors there, sleep there - so how could an Anusim family do all that without suspicious neighbors or servants noticing and reporting back to agents of the Spanish Inquisition?
This year, I discovered a fascinating answer to that question. If you'd like to know more about it, please visit the Aish.com website and my article Under the Nose of the Spanish Inquisition.
Chag Sameach!
A sukkah is by nature a public affair. It has to be built in an open place where one can see the stars through the schach (the branches that serve as the sukkah's roof). The mitzvah (commandment) is to dwell in the sukkah for all the days of the holiday - eat your meals there, entertain visitors there, sleep there - so how could an Anusim family do all that without suspicious neighbors or servants noticing and reporting back to agents of the Spanish Inquisition?
This year, I discovered a fascinating answer to that question. If you'd like to know more about it, please visit the Aish.com website and my article Under the Nose of the Spanish Inquisition.
Chag Sameach!
