After the solemnity of the ‘High Holydays’ of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the month of Tishri continues, on the 15th Tishri, with the observance of Sukkot. It is one of the shalosh regalim, the three Pilgrim Festivals of the Jewish year, the others being Pesach and Shavuot. These all originated as harvest festivals, and then were given an additional layer of Jewish historical significance.

Sukkot is the autumn harvest festival, marking the completion of the agricultural year. The word ‘sukkot’ means huts or booths, and most probably originally people lived in these booths while they gathered the harvest. The additional historical significance means that we regard these booths as being symbolic of the fact that, according to Leviticus 23, the Eternal says: ‘You shall live in booth seven days, all citizens in Israel shall live in booth, 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’.

Many try to build a sukkah in their garden, and traditionally there are very precise regulations as to how this should be done. In addition, each synagogue has a succah so that every congregant may fulfil the mitzvah, the commandment, ‘to dwell in the sukkah’, even if only for a short time. Our climate may not make it possible to sleep in the succah, nor even to eat our meals there, but it is ideally possible to celebrate Kiddush, the special blessings over wine and bread, that give a special sanctity to the festival. Succot lasts for eight days. However it is the only first and eighth day, (see Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah below) that the Reform Movement celebrate as being full festival days, with evening and morning services. The intervening days are known as chol hamoed, and have some characteristics of the festival.

From Leviticus 23, we have the instructions concerning the ‘four species’ which Jewish tradition has interpreted as being the lulav and etrog, or, more exactly, the palm branch, the myrtle, willow and a special citrus fruit. These are shaken in a prescribed manner throughout the festival.

Sukkot is a regard as z’man simchatenu, the season of our rejoicing, and is a joyful time, and yet, a time which reminds us of the fragility of life.

More Information:

Find the latest dates for upcoming-festivals in the Reform Movement Calendar.

Related Items: