Sukkot
You shall dwell in booths seven days...So that your generation may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. —Leviticus 23:42-43
Message and Meaning
Five days after Yom Kippur comes one of the happiest of all festivals celebrated. It celebrates both agricultural and historical events in the long tradition of the Jewish people.
The holiday of Sukkot commemorates the departure (Exodus) of the Jewish people from Egypt and events connected with our emancipation from slavery.
The Bible tells us that, after leaving Egypt, our ancestors wandered in the desert for forty years before reaching the Promised Land, Israel. During the years of wandering, they lived in makeshift huts—homeless. The scriptures instruct us to dwell in booths symbolically each year, in remembrance of wandering and hardship.
Sukkot is celebrated in autumn, a time of harvesting crops. So Sukkot became a double celebration, expressing gratitude that we are no longer wandering in the desert and for the plentiful harvest of grain, fruits and vegetables. Sukkot became a holiday of Thanksgiving, closely connected to our own American holiday.
The Sukkah
Once the Jewish people had settled in Israel, the sukkot "booths" of their journey took on additional meaning. During harvest season, people lived in insubstantial shelters built in the fields so they wouldn't have to spend time traveling to and from their homes. Sukkot, in addition, is a pilgrimage festival, one which commanded all Jews to celebrate in Jerusalem. Travelers may have lived in booths on their journey or lodged in them during their stay in the holy city.
Today, Jewish families may build their sukkot immediately after Yom Kippur. Usually placed in the yard (or somewhere outdoors), the sukkah customarily has three "walls." The roof is not solid. Rather, it is made of leafy branches or palm fronds, so that at night, the stars shine through as in the days of old.
The sukkah is decorated with pretty pictures, New Year's cards and hanging fruits which remind us of the harvest.
Many families enjoy having their meals in the sukkah and will set a festive table with freshly baked challah, shining candles and delicious holiday foods (see the Jewish Cooking) for a Sukkot Menu.
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The Blessing of the Sukkah Baruch ata Adonai, Elohaynu melech haolam, Ashar Kidishanu B'mitzvotav Vetsivanu Leyshayv B'sukkah. Praised be You, Lord our God, ruler of the world Who makes us holy with mitzvot and commands us to dwell in the sukkah. |
The Four Kinds
During Sukkot, Jews say special prayers over the etrog, lulav, hadas and aravah. The etrog, also called a citron, is in the citrus family. It s yellow and fragrant, resembling a lemon with delicate skin. The lulav is a sheaf of long palm fronds, bound with myrtle and willow branches. The hadas is a myrtle leave; the aravah is willow leaves
The Bible tells us to take four things—the etrog, lulav, myrtle and willow—during each of the first seven days of Sukkot (except on the Sabbath) and recite a blessing. The prayer is recited while holding the lulav in the right hand and the etrog in the left. The lulav is then shaken in all directions—east, south, west, north, up and down.
One description of the symbolic meaning of these Sukkot symbols is that the etrog is like the heart, without which one cannot live. The lulav is the spine, the myrtle leaf represents the eye and the willow leaves are the lips. Together they declare that a human being should serve God with all his soul and body.
Another interpretation of the four kinds is that the etrog, with its lovely fragrance and flavors, stands for people who are educated in the Torah and do good deeds. The lulav has fruit, but no scent. It symbolizes the person who has knowledge but no good deeds. The hadas has a pleasant smell but no taste, just as some people do good deeds but are not educated. The aravah has neither taste nor fragrance and stands for the person who has no education and does no good deeds. Legend tells us that god decided they all be bound together so that the good qualities of one will make up for the shortcomings of the others.
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The Blessings of the Four Kinds Baruch ata Adonai, Elohaynu melech haolam, Ashar Kidishanu B'mitzvotav Vetsivanu al netilat lulav. Praised be You, Lord our God, ruler of the world Who makes us holy with mitzvot and commands us to wave the lulav. |
Songs for Sukkot
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To the Sukkah To the sukkah, to the sukkah To the sukkah we will go. Wave the lulav, wave the lulav Wave the lulav to and fro. We are marching to the sukkah To the sukkah, to the sukkah We are marching to the sukkah To the sukkah we will go. On This Sukkot Morning On this Sukkot morning, lovely morning On this Sukkot morning, we sing a happy song. Etrog yellow, you're so mellow Lulav, too, we love to carry you. On this Sukkot morning, lovely morning On this Sukkot morning, we sing a happy song. Fruit and flowers, we will shower Yes, indeed, on everyone in need. On this Sukkot morning, lovely morning On this Sukkot morning, we sing a happy song. |
Resources
- The Jewish Holidays: A Guide & Commentary by Michael Strassfeld
- The Book of the Jewish Year by Stephen M. Wylen
- The First Jewish Catalog by Richard Siegel et al., editors
Books for Children
- The Mystery of the Missing Pitom by Beverly Geller
- Hillel Builds a House by Shoshana Lepon
- All About Sukkot by Judyth Saypol Groner
- Tamar's Sukkah by Ellie Gellman
- Tanta Teva and the Magic Booth by Joel Lurie Grishaver