Jewish Heritage Online Magazine

About Sukkot

Sukkot (Feast of the Tabernacles), celebrated for seven days - from the 15-21 of Tishrei, is the first of the three festivals during which the Israelites made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in the days of the Temple; each of these festivals (Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot) marks a pivotal agricultural season and commemorates a central event in the history of the Jewish people.

"After the ingathering from your threshing floor and your vat, you shall hold the Feast of Booths for seven days....You shall hold festival for the Lord your God seven days in the place that the Lord will choose....Three times a year - on the Feast of Unleavened Bread, on the Feast of Weeks, and on the Feast of Booths - all your males shall appear before the Lord your God in the place that He will choose. They shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed, but each with his own gift, according to the blessing that the Lord your God has bestowed upon you." (Deut. 16:13-17)

As an agricultural festival, Sukkot marks the end of the autumn fruit harvest; another name for Sukkot is, in fact, Hag ha-Asif (Feast of the Ingathering). Thanksgiving for the harvest is reflected in the biblical commandment to take in hand four kinds of plants the "Four Species": lulav (palm frond), hadas (myrtle sprigs), aravah (willow branches) and the etrog (citron). The myrtle and willow are tied together around the palm frond, and all four are held closely while a blessing is recited.

Various explanation have been given for the Four Species. According to one, the etrog represents the heart, the lulav represents the spine, the myrtles suggest the eyes, and the willows symbolize the lips and mouth. In shaking all elements together and reciting the blessing, we indicate that we are serving God and expressing our gratitude, with every fiber of our being. According to another, the Four Species together represent all types of Jews who, different as they may be, are unified as one. , but each with his own gift, according to the blessing that the Lord your God has bestowed upon you." (Deut. 16:13-17)

Apart from the agricultural aspect, the holiday commemorates the Israelites' wanderings in the wilderness following their exodus from Egypt, during which time they lived in booths. The central commandment related to Sukkot is to sit in the sukkah, a temporary outdoor structure with a roof made of branches, for seven days.

"On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the yield of your land, you shall observe the festival of the Lord seven days.... On the first day you shall take the product of hadar trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days." (Lev. 23:39-40)

The following blessing is recited while holding together the four species: Barukh atah Adonai eloheinu melekh ha'olam, asher kid-shanu be'mitzvotav ve'tzivanu al netilat lulav.(Praised are You, Sovereign of the Universe, who has sanctified us with Your mitzvot and has commanded us to take the branch of a palm tree.)

The lulav and etrog are carried in a processional during morning services. In these circuits (hakkafot), special prayers of redemption, known as hoshannot, are recited.

At home

The holiday is ushered in with the lighting of two candles and reciting of the blessing.In the sukkah, the festival blessing over wine (Kiddush) is chanted, followed by the Shehe'heyanu blessing and the special blessing for dwelling in the sukkah.

"You shall live in booths seven days; all citizens in Israel shall live in booths, in order that future generations may know that I made the Israelite people live in booths when I brought them out of the Land of Egypt..." (Leviticus 23:43)

Customs in the sukkah

It is customary to decorate the inside of the sukkah with branches, flowers, fruit, plaques with biblical verses.

Another beautiful custom is to decorate the sukkah with names and depictions of the seven righteous ancestors of the Jewish nation: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph and David- who are "invited" as special guests (ushpizin) to every family's sukkah. It is also customary to recite the benediction over the "Four Species" while inside the sukkah.

It is Jewish practice to eat as many meals as possible in the sukkah and to recite the blessing over the Four Species every day in the sukkah (except on Shabbat).