Sukkot

Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles/Booths)

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Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles or the Festival of Booths, is a joyful holiday that takes place in the month of Tishrei. It follows Yom Kippur and marks the beginning of a period of celebration that culminates with Simchat Torah. During the week of Sukkot, it is a mitzvah (commandment) to eat in a sukkah, a temporary outdoor structure also known as a booth. The first evening of Sukkot is especially significant for this mitzvah. It begins with reciting kiddush over wine, including the blessing over the sukkah, and saying the "motzi" blessing over two loaves of bread, followed by a festive meal.

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Before consuming bread or cake, throughout the entire week of Sukkot, one recites the special blessing for the sukkah: "Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha'olam Asher Kidshanu B'mitzvotav V'tzivanu Leshiv BaSukkah" (Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to dwell in the sukkah).

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One of the special mitzvot (commandments) of Sukkot is the mitzvah of the Four Species: etrog (citrus fruit), lulav (palm branch), hadassim (myrtle branches), and aravot (willow branches). Holding them close together, we recite a blessing and wave the lulav bundle with the etrog in all four directions, upward and downward, to symbolize God's presence everywhere.

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Joy is a central theme of Sukkot. During the time of the Temple in Jerusalem, the seven days of Sukkot were celebrated with great joy. Men and women of all ages would make music, dance, and experience intense inner joy. Today, in many Jewish communities around the world, special joyful festivities are organized during the seven days of Sukkot.

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Chol Hamo'ed Sukkot

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These are the Intermediate Days of Sukkot. On the weekdays of these Intermediate Days, the restrictions of the festival do not apply. The mitzvot of the sukkah and the lulav are observed as usual.