Sukkōt is one of most
prominent and most celebrated Jewish festivals of the year. It is a biblical
holiday for our Jewish brothers. Following the more solemn Day of Atonement or
Yom Kippur, Sukkōt is the time to rejoice. It is celebrated for seven days, as
a traditional way to remember the trials and hardships the Jews brothers went
through to escape the slavery they suffered in Egypt. Their arduous journey
through the desert from Egypt to Israel took over 40 years.
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Pray with lulav during Sukkot at the Western Wall in
Jerusalem
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They traveled and
braved the harsh desert environment without any real shelter or a sturdy roof
above their heads. By some miracle, there would always be clouds in the sky,
which provided them temporary shelter from the unforgiving heat of the sun in
the desert. Jewish ancestors referred to the cloud cover as clouds of glory. And their belief in God Almighty is so strong
and they relied on that belief. Manna rained from the heavens, providing them
with food until they reached their destination.
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| Etrog, silver etrog box and lulav, used on the Jewish holiday of Sukkot |
Sukkōt, the plural of sukkah, is the Hebrew word for booth or
tabernacle. These are temporary and flimsy dwellings that the Israelites
constructed as their shelter during their exodus in the desert. These simple
booths provided them a place to stay, sleep and eat while taking a brief rest
from their trek.
Origin
The festival of Sukkōt
has agricultural origins. The Biblical name is The Feast of the Ingathering celebrated during the festival
observed in the seventh month, when the labor in the field ceases. It was
during this time that state ceremonies were conducted. During the time of
Moses, he instructed the Israelites to gather together every seventh year to
listen to the reading the Law. Other
celebrations that revolved around the observance of Sukkōt were the dedication
of the Temple of Jerusalem by King Solomon and the commemoration of their
freedom from Babylonian captivity, where Sukkōt was the first sacred event they
observed.
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Decorations in an Israeli sukkah
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In modern times, the Festival of Sukkōt commences on the Tishri 15, which is the fifth day after Yom Kippur.
Sukkōt, for the Jewish faith is a transition from celebrating a solemn holiday
to celebrating a festival of pure rejoicing. In Jewish prayers and literature,
the festival of Sukkōt is referred to as Z'man Simchateinu,
which means “The Season of our Rejoicing.”
Building a Sukkah
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View of different types of sechach (sukkah
roofs)
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A sukkah could be made from
different materials, as long as the material fits the category of a temporary
dwelling place. It could be an outdoor hut covered with leaves or plants.
However, since this is a Jewish tradition, there are stringent guidelines to be
followed. This includes the location it should be built and the process by
which it would be constructed. All these contribute to its being kosher, which in the Jewish sense means
fit for use.
A sukkah must be built
outdoors and should be easily accessible from your place of residence or work.
Some of the most common sukkah locations are rooftops, porches, lawns,
balconies, courtyards, gardens and other options. Basically, it is considered
compliant as long as the “booths” are constructed under an open sky. There
should be nothing between you and the sky – no foliage or tents to cover the
booth.
The Walls
The walls could be
made from any type of material and could be freestanding or built beside the
exterior wall of the house or a porch. It should have at least two
full walls while a partial third wall should be at least 3.2 inches wide. Some
sukkōt have four complete walls and this is also allowed for the purpose of the
celebrations. Walls should have a minimum height of 32 inches, but the entire
booth should never be more than 30 feet high. The minimum length and width
should not be less than 22.4 inches by 22.4 inches. As to maximum width
allowed, there is no limit since large families are allowed to share one
sukkah.
The Roof Cover
The roof of the sukkah should be covered with sechach – these
are raw and unfinished vegetable materials such as bamboo poles,
special mats, evergreen branches, reeds, corn stalks or narrow strips of unfinished
lumber with measurements of 1×1 inch or 1×2 inches. Living branches or trellises cannot be used as a
covering because it should already be detached from a living source.
The roof or covering
of your sukkah should be able to provide shade from the harsh noonday sun. It
should also be spread out to cover as much area of the booth as possible, and
there should be no gap on the roof measuring wider than 9.6 inches.
Additionally, it is
also a requirement that a new sukkah roof or covering be made every year. The
structure itself can be recycled from year to year but the covering, which is
what the festival is all about, should be new.
Chairs and Tables:
The requirement for the observance of sukkōt is that people dwell
inside the sukkah for the days of the festival so it is a must to decorate the
booth with even the barest of necessities. Chairs and tables as well as dining
ware must be placed in order to be able to take you meals there (they don't
necessarily have to be prepared inside the sukkot, just consumed there). It is
also a common practice to invite guests inside your sukkah and ask them to
share a meal with you. Decorating the inside of the sukkah with vegetables and
drawings done by children are allowed and encouraged.
The Celebration
Sukkōt is the last of
three Jewish pilgrimage festivals and has a dual significance similar to that
of Passover and Shavu'ot. In Jewish history, the
festival of Sukkōt came
into being as a memorial for the 40-year period in which the Israelites
wandered in the desert, with only temporary shelters that was also called
sukkōt. The other meaning for the festival is similar to the Thanksgiving
celebrations of the Western cultures – a festival of gratitude for
a bountiful harvest of fruits, grains and vegetables.
While sukkot literally mean booths or tabernacles, in the context of
its celebration, Jews are required to dwell
or live inside a temporary shelter or sukkah that they themselves built.
The requirements in building the sukkah are very strict and must be followed to
the letter; not doing so would be considered a religious offense. The
festivities last for seven days, with the first two being considered holy days
wherein no work or commerce is allowed. Jewish people could go back to work the
rest of the remaining days, which is called Chol
Hamoed, which translates to “intermediate days” in Hebrew. During the rest
of the days in observance of the festival, women and younger girls light
candles nightly and recite the proper blessings before sharing the meal with
their family.
However, they should eat their meals inside the sukkah or opt to sleep
inside during the duration of the festival. Every day, they should also recite
a blessing over the egrog and the lulav or the Four Kinds. The items
that are blessed are very specific. The Rabbinic Jews use three types of
branches and one fruit for this. For the egrog,
the citron fruit is used. The three special branches include two aravah, which are the leafy branches of
the willow tree; three leafy branches from the myrtle tree form the hadass and the lulav is one green yet still closed frond coming from the date
palm. Collectively the different tree branches and the palm frond are called
the lulav. These items represent the
different ethnic communities comprising Israel and the special unity and bond
they share.
Every morning the Torah is read, and people recite the Hallel (Psalms 113-118), the Mussaf (additional prayers) and the Hoshanot (poetical prayers with Hoshana expression).
After the daily morning blessing of the Four Kinds (Arba Minim) during
the length of the festival these items are held in both hands and waved in six
directions – to the right, to the left then brought forward before being waved
up, then down and lastly waved behind.
On the seventh day, which is the last day of the Sukkōt, is the Great
Salvation or the Hoshanah Rabbah. The
people circle around the synagogue reading table or the bimah seven times. Holding
the Four Kinds in their hands, our Jew brothers offer special prayers wishing
for prosperity for the year. Another tradition practiced during the culmination
of Sukkōt is beating the ground five times with five willow branches.
Sukkot is a centuries old tradition that is carried by the Jewish
people close to their hearts. It speaks of faith in a God that they could not
see but believed in – the One who promised to deliver their people from slavery
and deliver them to the promised land. It is a bittersweet story that
transcends forty years and several generations of Israelites.
Sukkot is a thread that figures brightly in the tapestry of Judaism.
It embodies communal celebration, respect for tradition and personal faith. The
prayers are poetic languages and expressions of supplication and celebration.
They rejoice as a people because they have triumphed as one, two millennia ago.
We don't have to be Jewish to appreciate what they are celebrating. In
our own personal lives we have been given days of darkness in order for us to
rejoice in the coming of the dawn.
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