Sukkots

Sukkots, sometimes transliterated Sukkot, is a Jewish festival also known as the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths. It begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei and lasts seven days in Israel, with an additional day or days observed in the diaspora. The festival combines thanksgiving for the harvest with reflection on the Israelites’ 40 years of wanderings in the wilderness.

The festival's central symbol is the sukkah, a temporary booth constructed from natural materials. Families eat in the sukkah during the week and some sleep there as well. The roof, made of s’chach, must provide shade but allow a view of the sky. The command to dwell in booths is cited in Leviticus 23, linking the harvest celebration to historical remembrance.

A key ritual involves the Four Species: the lulav (palm branch), etrog (citron), hadassim (myrtle branches), and aravot (willow branches). These are bound together and waved with prayers on festival days, a practice that varies by tradition but is a distinctive feature of Sukkots.

Other customs include festive meals in the sukkah, inviting guests (ushpizin) to symbolize hospitality, Torah readings, and special prayers. The seventh day, Hoshana Rabbah, closes the outdoor dwelling period with practices focused on prayer for rain in certain communities. The holiday culminates with Shemini Atzeret, and, in many places outside Israel, Simchat Torah is celebrated on the following day, marking the completion and restart of the Torah readings.

In modern practice, Sukkots remains a time of communal and family celebration, emphasizing gratitude for the harvest, hospitality, and gratitude for protection and shelter.