Sukkot — the Festival of Booths — is one of the most joyful holidays in the Jewish calendar, celebrated just five days after the solemn fast of Yom Kippur. The Torah calls it z'man simchateinu, "the time of our rejoicing," and indeed, from the first moment of sukkah-building after Yom Kippur, the mood shifts dramatically from introspection to exuberant celebration.
Sukkot is a seven-day festival (eight days outside of Israel) that commemorates the forty years the Israelites spent wandering in the desert, dwelling in temporary huts protected by the divine ananei hakavod (clouds of glory). It is simultaneously an ancient harvest festival, a spiritual exercise in humility and gratitude, and a joyful communal celebration.
Chag Sukkot Sameach — "Happy Festival of Booths"
Building the Sukkah
The central mitzvah of Sukkot is dwelling in a sukkah — a temporary outdoor booth or hut. Jewish law requires that it have at least three walls and a roof of natural plant material called s'chach (unprocessed branches, reeds, or bamboo mats), through which one must be able to see the stars. The sukkah must be a temporary structure, not a permanent one.
Families begin building the sukkah immediately after Yom Kippur ends. Decorating it is a beloved family activity: paper chains, hanging fruits, drawings, and ornaments transform the simple hut into a festive home. The mitzvah is to eat all meals in the sukkah for the seven days of the holiday; some Jews also sleep in the sukkah when weather permits.
The sukkah carries profound symbolic meaning. By leaving the comfort and security of the permanent home and living in a fragile, open structure, Jews are reminded of the impermanence of material security and the need to trust in divine protection. It also cultivates gratitude for the blessings of a permanent home.
The Four Species (Arba Minim)
A central daily mitzvah of Sukkot is taking the arba minim (four species) and waving them together in all six directions — east, west, north, south, up, and down — symbolizing God's presence everywhere.
The four species are:
- Etrog (citron) — held in the left hand; has both taste and fragrance, symbolizing Jews who have Torah knowledge and good deeds
- Lulav (palm branch) — the central spine of the bouquet held in the right hand; has taste (dates) but no fragrance, representing Torah knowledge without deeds
- Hadassim (myrtle branches, three) — tied to the lulav; fragrance but no taste, representing deeds without Torah knowledge
- Aravot (willow branches, two) — tied to the lulav; neither taste nor fragrance, representing Jews with neither Torah nor deeds — yet still part of the community
Together, they represent the unity of the entire Jewish people, each type of Jew bound to the others. The fragrant etrog and the unscented willow are held together — the accomplished scholar and the simple Jew share one mitzvah.
Hoshana Rabbah: The Great Salvation
Hoshana Rabbah ("The Great Hoshana") falls on the seventh day of Sukkot — the 21st of Tishrei. It is considered the final day of the High Holiday judgment period that began on Rosh Hashanah: while the verdict is written on Rosh Hashanah and sealed on Yom Kippur, tradition holds that it is finally "sent out" on Hoshana Rabbah.
The day features an extended Hoshana (supplication) service in which the Torah scrolls are circled seven times — compared to one circle on other days of Sukkot. At the end, worshippers beat bundles of willow branches on the ground, symbolically casting off sins. Special night-time learning sessions are held on the preceding night, mirroring Tikkun Leil Shavuot.
Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah
Following the seven days of Sukkot comes Shemini Atzeret (the Eighth Day of Assembly) — a separate but connected holiday. In Israel, it is combined with Simchat Torah (Rejoicing of the Torah) into a single day. In the Diaspora, they are observed on two consecutive days.
Shemini Atzeret features the Tefillat Geshem (Prayer for Rain) — the formal resumption of mentioning rain in the daily prayers, looking ahead to the winter rainy season in Israel. Yizkor (memorial prayers) is also recited.
Ushpizin: Welcoming the Spiritual Guests
A beautiful mystical custom of Sukkot is Ushpizin — inviting seven biblical guests (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph, and David) to join the sukkah each night, one as the primary guest per day. This is accompanied by special prayers and invitations. In Kabbalistic thought, each guest represents one of the seven divine attributes (sefirot). Many communities have expanded this tradition to also invite seven great women of the Bible — the Ushpizata — including Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Abigail, Hulda, and Esther.
Sukkot and Universal Peace
Sukkot is uniquely universal in scope. In the Temple era, 70 bulls were offered over the course of Sukkot — one for each of the 70 nations of the world, as understood by the rabbis. Sukkot is thus associated not just with Jewish national celebration but with a prayer for universal peace and the wellbeing of all humanity. The prophet Zechariah envisions a future time when all nations will come to Jerusalem to celebrate Sukkot together.
"You shall dwell in sukkot for seven days... so that your generations will know that I caused the children of Israel to dwell in sukkot when I brought them out of Egypt."
— Leviticus 23:42–43
Sukkot offers a rare combination of physical joy and spiritual depth. The act of leaving the permanent home and sitting under the stars in a fragile hut is at once humbling, freeing, and deeply beautiful. It teaches that our truest security lies not in walls and roofs but in our relationship with God and with each other. Chag Sameach!