Sukkot

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Sukkot (סוכות or סֻכּוֹת sukkōt, booths) or Succoth or Sukkos is a Biblical pilgrimage festival which occurs in autumn on the 15th day of the month of Tishri (mid- to late-October). The holiday is also known as the Feast of Booths, the Feast of Tabernacles, Tabernacles, or the Feast of Ingathering. In Judaism it is one of the three major holidays known as the Shalosh Regalim, which mark the three times during the year that the Jewish populace travelled to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.

The word Sukkot is the plural of the Hebrew word sukkah, meaning booth or hut. During this holiday, Jews eat their meals, entertain guests, relax, and even sleep in a sukkah, a temporary structure (see below). The sukkah is reminiscent of the type of huts in which the ancient Israelites dwelt during their 40 years of wandering in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt, and reflects God's benevolence in providing for all their needs in the desert.

In Israel (and among Reform Jews), Sukkot is a 7-day holiday, with the first day celebrated as a full festival with special prayer services and holiday meals. Outside the land of Israel, the first two days are celebrated as full festivals. The remaining days are known as Chol HaMoed (festival weekdays). The seventh day of Sukkot is called Hoshanah Rabbah and has a special observance of its own.

The day immediately following Sukkot is a separate holiday known as Shemini Atzeret, "the Eighth (Day) of Assembly." In Israel, the celebration of Shemini Atzeret includes Simchat Torah. Outside the land of Israel, Shemini Atzeret is celebrated on the day after Sukkot and Simchat Torah is celebrated on the day after that, bringing the total days of festivities to eight in Israel and nine outside Israel.

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Sukkot laws and customs

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The sukkah

Image:Jerusalemsukkas.jpg The central symbol of Sukkot is the sukkah, a temporary dwelling place. According to the Torah, men and boys over the age of bar mitzvah are required by the Torah to lesheiv (לישב, meaning to "sit" or "dwell") in a sukkah during the entire 7-day holiday. (Women and girls are exempt from this mitzvah, although if they would like to eat or sleep in a sukkah, they are certainly allowed to. They will also pronounce the special blessing before eating bread or cake in a sukkah: "Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to dwell in the sukkah.") In Conservative Judaism, the mitzvah to lesheiv is incumbent on all Jews over the age of b'nai mitzvah, both male and female.

According to Halakha, a sukkah is a structure consisting of 2 1/2, 3, or 4 walls with a roof made of an organic material which has been disconnected from the ground (the s'chach). It should be at least three feet tall. Portable sukkahs are available for those who have little space, or when travelling (in order to have a place to eat one's meals). The sky should be mostly visible from the location where the sukkah is built.

In practice, the walls of a sukkah can be built from anything ranging from wood to canvas to aluminium, and the roof material can range from pine branches to palm fronds to bamboo. The walls may also be part of a house or fence. The specific details of what constitutes a wall, how short/tall a wall can be, whether there can be spaces between the walls and the roof, and the exact material required for the s'chach can be found in various exegetical texts.

S'chach is the Hebrew name for the material used as a roof for a sukkah. S'chach has to have grown from the ground, but then must be disconnected from it. Palm leaves, bamboo sticks and pine branches and even wood as well as many other types of organic material could all be used for s'chach unless they were processed for a different use.

Image:He wiki sucot.jpgMany people hang decorations such as dried or plastic fruit, streamers, shiny ornaments, and pictures from the interior walls and ceiling beams of a sukkah. Families may also line the interior walls with white sheeting, in order to recall the "Clouds of Glory" that surrounded the Jewish nation during their wanderings in the desert.

In Israel and in temperate climates, Orthodox Jews will conduct all their eating, studying, and sleeping activities in the sukkah. Many Jews will not eat anything except water or fruit outside the sukkah. In Israel, it is common practice for hotels, restaurants, snack shops, and outdoor tourist attractions (such as the zoo) to provide an eating sukkah for their guests. Sukkas can also be seen on apartment balconies. On the directive of their rebbe, Lubavitcher Hasidim differ from other Orthodox Jews in that they don't sleep in the sukkah due to its intrinsic holiness.

Image:Porchsukka.jpg In cold climates such as the Eastern United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, full observance of the mitzvah of sleeping in the sukkah is almost impossible. Jews in these locales will spend some time in the sukkah eating and relaxing but go indoors to sleep. Though one need not eat or sleep in the sukkah if it is raining, Lubavitcher Hasidim will still eat there.

Although the festival of Sukkot is a joyous occasion, and is referred to in Hebrew as Yom Simchateinu (the day of our rejoicing) or Z'man Simchateinu, (the season of our rejoicing), the sukkah itself symbolises the frailty and transience of life. It also reminds its dwellers that true security comes from faith in God, rather than from money or possessions.

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Ushpizzin

Many Jews observe the custom of inviting seven spiritual "guests" (known as ushpizzin) to be with them in their sukkah. These ushpizzin are the seven "shepherds" of Israel. They are:

According to tradition, each night a different guest enters the sukkah first and the other six follow him. The custom of inviting guests to the sukkah also includes living guests; many people invite family, friends, neighbours, or people who are alone to join them for a snack or a meal. These guests may be Jews or gentiles.

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The Four Species

Image:Fourspecies.jpg On each of the seven days of Sukkot, the Torah requires the Jew to take Four Species of plants and to wave them in a specific pattern. These species are: the lulav (date palm frond), hadass (bough of a myrtle tree), and aravah (willow branch)—which are bound together and collectively referred to as the lulav—and the etrog (a citron, a lemon-like citrus fruit). These plants are usually sold in religious communities during the days preceding the festival. However, in some Reform communities where these plants are not available locally, other plants such as reeds are substituted for one or more of the four species.

The Four Species are waved as follows: The first three species are held in the right hand, while the etrog is held in the left hand. The user holds his or her hands apart while saying the special blessing, "Blessed are You, God our Lord, King of the Universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to take the lulav". Then the user brings his or her hands together so that the etrog touches the lulav bundle, and points and gently shakes the Four Species three times in each of the four directions, as well as up and down. Symbolically, this ceremony is a prayer for adequate rainfall for all the vegetation of the earth in the coming year.

In Orthodox circles, the mitzvah of waving the lulav and etrog is mandatory each day of Sukkot (except Shabbat) for men and boys over the age of bar mitzvah. Women are not obligated to wave the lulav and etrog, but they may do so if they choose. In Conservative and Reform circles, all Jews over the age of b'nai mitzvah perform the waving ceremony.

The waving ceremony is usually done in the synagogue during the daily prayer services, although it can also be done in the privacy of one's home or sukkah. During the first six days of Sukkot, all the worshippers in the synagogue leave their seats and make a complete circuit around the sanctuary in a procession with their lulavs. The lulav and etrog are shaken during the recital of Hallel. On the seventh day of the holiday, known as Hoshanah Rabbah, the worshippers make seven circuits around the sanctuary.

The mitzvah derives from the commandment in the Book of Leviticus: "And you shall take for yourself on the first day the fruit of goodly (meaning of Hebrew uncertain, but modern Hebrew "citrus") trees, branches of palm trees, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook" (Lev. 23:40). The use to which these species are to be put is not indicated; this gave rise to divergent interpretations at a later time. Two breakaway sects, the Sadducees and the Karaites, maintained that they were meant for building the sukkah, as would appear from Neh. 8:14-18, while their opponents contended that they were to be carried in the synagogue procession.

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Chol HaMo'ed

The second through seventh days of Sukkot (third through seventh days outside the land of Israel) are called Chol HaMo'ed (חול המועד - lit. "festival weekdays"). These days are considered by Halakha to be more than regular weekdays but less than festival days. In practice, this means that all activities that are needed for the holiday—such as buying and preparing food, cleaning the house in honor of the holiday, or traveling to visit other people's sukkahs or on family outings—are permitted by Jewish law. Activities that will interfere with relaxation and enjoyment of the holiday—such as laundering, ironing and mending clothes, engaging in labor-intensive activities, or performing business activities—are not permitted. Orthodox Jews typically treat Chol HaMo'ed as a vacation period, eating nicer than usual meals in their sukkah, entertaining guests, visiting other families in their sukkahs, and taking family outings. Nightly Simchat Beit HaShoeivah celebrations round out the holiday schedule.

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Simchat Beit HaShoeivah

In the days of the Temple in Jerusalem, a unique service was performed every morning throughout the Sukkot holiday: the Nisuch HaMayim (נסוך המים—lit. "pouring of the water") or Water Libation Ceremony. According to the Talmud, Sukkot is the time of year in which God judges the world for rainfall; therefore this ceremony, like the taking of the Four Species, invokes God's blessing for rain in its proper time. The water for the libation ceremony was drawn from the pool of Shiloah in the City of David, and the joy that accompanied this procedure was palpable. (This is the source for the verse in Isaiah: "And you shall draw waters with joy from the wells of salvation" (Isa. 2).

Afterwards, every night in the outer Temple courtyard, tens of thousands of spectators would gather to watch the Simchat Beit HaShoeivah (Rejoicing at the Place of the Water-Drawing), as the most pious members of the community danced and sang songs of praise to God. The dancers would carry lighted torches, and were accompanied by the harps, lyres, cymbals and trumpets of the Levites. According to the Mishnah tractate Sukkah, "He who has not seen the rejoicing at the Place of the Water-Drawing has never seen rejoicing in his life." Throughout Sukkot, the city of Jerusalem teemed with Jewish families who came on the holiday pilgrimage and joined together for feasting and Torah study.

Nowadays, this event is recalled via a Simchat Beit HaShoeivah gathering of music, dance and refreshments. This event takes place in a central location such as a synagogue, yeshiva, or place of study (refreshments are served in the adjoining sukkah). Live bands often accompany the dancers. The festivities usually begin late in the evening, and can last long into the night.

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Hoshanah Rabbah

The seventh day of Sukkot is known as Hoshanah Rabbah (הושענא רבא, Great Supplication). This day is marked by a special synagogue service in which seven circuits are made by the worshippers with their lulav and etrog. In addition, a bundle of five aravah branches is taken and beaten against the ground, accompanied by a series of liturgical verses ending with, "Kol mevasser, mevasser ve-omer" (A voice brings news, brings news and says)—expressing hope for the speedy coming of the Messiah. The reasons for the latter custom are rooted in Kabbalah.

Abudarham speaks of the custom of reading the Torah on the night of Hoshanah Rabbah, out of which has grown the modern custom of meeting socially on that night and reading from Deuteronomy, Psalms, and passages from the Zohar; reciting Kabbalistic prayers; and eating refreshments. In Orthodox Jewish circles, men will stay up all night learning Torah.

Among Sephardic Jews, prayers known as "Selihot" (forgiveness) are recited before the regular morning service (these are the same prayers recited before Rosh Hashanah). In Amsterdam and in a few places in England, America, and elsewhere, the shofar is also sounded in connection with the processions. The latter practice reflects the idea that Hoshanah Rabbah is the end of the high holiday season, when the world is judged for the coming year.

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Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah

The holiday of Shemini Atzeret (שמיני עצרת - lit. "the Eighth [day] of Assembly") is a separate festival that follows immediately after Sukkot, on the eighth day (eighth and ninth days outside the land of Israel). The family returns indoors to eat and sleep in their house, special synagogue services are held, and holiday meals are served.

In Israel, Shemini Atzeret lasts for one day and the festivities of Simchat Torah (שמחת תורה) coincide with it. Outside of Israel, Shemini Atzeret lasts for two days and the festivities of Simchat Torah fall on the second day. Simchat Torah (lit. "the joy of the Torah") is an especially happy day on which the very last portion of the Torah is read in the synagogue during morning services and, in order to convey the idea that Torah study never ends, the very first portion of the Torah (the beginning of Genesis) is read immediately after. All the men and boys over the age of bar mitzvah are called up to the Torah for an aliyah, and all the children under the age of bar mitzvah are also given an "aliyah" called Kol HaNa'arim (all the children)—the youngsters crowd around the reader's table while men hold up a large tallit to include them all in the aliyah.

Both during the night service and the morning service in Orthodox synagogues, all the Torah scrolls are removed from the ark and all the worshippers engage in rounds of spirited dancing. Seven official circuits around the reader's table (called "hakafot") are made, although the dancing can go on for hours.

In the Former Soviet Union, Simchat Torah was the day on which Jews gathered in the street outside the synagogue to dance and proclaim their Jewishness openly. Refuseniks were often inspired by that Simchat Torah celebration to pursue other Jewish religious practices in secret, despite Communist oppression.

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The holiday in the Bible

In the Hebrew Bible, Sukkot is called:

  • “The Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths)” (Lev. 23:34; Deut. 16:13, 16; 31:10; Zech. 14:16, 18, 19; Ezra 3:4; 2 Chron. 8:13)
  • “The Feast of Ingathering” (Ex. 23:16, 34:22)
  • “The Feast” or “the festival” (1 Kings 8:2, 65; 12:32; 2 Chron. 5:3; 7:8)
  • “The Feast of the Lord” (Lev. 23:39; Judges 21:19)
  • “The festival of the seventh month” (Ezek. 45:25; Neh. 8:14)
  • “A holy convocation” or “a sacred occasion” (Num. 29:12)

In later Hebrew literature it is called “chag,” or "[the] festival."

Sukkot was agricultural in origin. This is evident from the name "The Feast of Ingathering," from the ceremonies accompanying it, and from the season and occasion of its celebration: "At the end of the year when you gather in your labors out of the field" (Ex. 23:16); "after you have gathered in from your threshing-floor and from your winepress" (Deut. 16:13). It was a thanksgiving for the fruit harvest (compare Judges 9:27). And in what may explain the festival’s name, Isaiah reports that grape harvesters kept booths in their vineyards (Isa. 1:8). Coming as it did at the completion of the harvest, Sukkot was regarded as a general thanksgiving for the bounty of nature in the year that had passed.

Sukkot became one of the most important feasts in Judaism, as indicated by its designation as “the Feast of the Lord” (Lev. 23:39; Judges 21:19) or simply “the Feast” (1 Kings 8:2, 65; 12:32; 2 Chron. 5:3; 7:8). Perhaps because of its wide attendance, Sukkot became the appropriate time for important state ceremonies. Moses instructed the children of Israel to gather for a reading of the Law during Sukkot every seventh year (Deut. 31:10-11). King Solomon dedicated the Temple in Jerusalem on Sukkot (1 Kings 8; 2 Chron. 7). And Sukkot was the first sacred occasion observed after the resumption of sacrifices in Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity (Ezra 3:2-4).

In the time of Nehemiah, after the Babylonian captivity, the Israelites celebrated Sukkot by making and dwelling in booths, a practice of which Nehemiah reports: “the Israelites had not done so from the days of Joshua” (Neh. 8:13-17). In a practice related to that of the Four Species, Nehemiah also reports that the Israelites found in the Law the commandment that they “go out to the mountains and bring leafy branches of olive trees, pine trees, myrtles, palms and [other] leafy trees to make booths” (Neh. 8:14-15). In Leviticus, God told Moses to command the people: “On the first day you shall take the product of hadar trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook” (Lev. 23:40), and “You shall live in booths seven days; all citizens in Israel shall live in booths, 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” (Lev. 23:42-43). Numbers, however, indicates that while in the wilderness, the Israelites dwelt in tents (Num. 11:10; 16:27). Some scholars consider Leviticus 23:39-43 (the commandments regarding booths and the four species) to be an insertion by a late redactor. (E.g., Richard Elliott Friedman. The Bible with Sources Revealed, 228-29. New York: HarperSanFrancisco, 2003.)

Jeroboam son of Nebat, King of the northern Kingdom of Israel, whom Kings describes as practicing “his evil way” (1 Kings 13:33), celebrated a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, one month after Sukkot, “in imitation of the festival in Judah” (1 Kings 12:32-33). “While Jeroboam was standing on the altar to present the offering, the man of God, at the command of the Lord, cried out against the altar” in disapproval (1 Kings 13:1).

According to Zechariah (Zech. 14:16-19), Sukkot in the messianic era will become a universal festival, and all the surrounding nations will make pilgrimages annually to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast there. (A modern interpretation of this resulted in a recent holiday celebrated in Jerusalem by non-Jews, "The Feast of Tabernacles".) Sukkot is here associated with the granting of rain, an idea further developed in later Jewish literature.

Observance of Sukkot is detailed in Mishnah and Talmud tractate Sukkah, part of the order Moed (Festivals).

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Sukkot as a place name

The name Sukkot appears in a number of places in the Hebrew Bible as a location:

  • It is the first encampment of the Israelites after leaving Ra'amses (Exodus 12:37); the civil name of Pithom.

Template:ExodusStation

  • It is a city east of the Jordan river, identified with Tel Dar'ala, a high mound, a mass of debris, in the plain north of Jabbok and about one mile from it (Josh. 13:27). This is where Jacob, on his return from Padan-aram after his interview with Esau, built a house for himself and made sukkot (booths) for his cattle (Gen 32:17, 30; 33:17).
  • The princes of Succoth (Sukkot) refused to afford help to Gideon and his men when they followed one of the bands of the fugitive Midianites after the great victory at Gilboa. After routing this band, Gideon on his return visited the rulers of the city with severe punishment. "He took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth" (Judg. 8:13-16).
  • At this place were erected the foundries for casting the metal-work for the temple (1 Kings 7:46).
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See also

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Reference

  • Kitov, Eliyahu (1978). The Book of Our Heritage. Jerusalem: Feldheim Publishers. ISBN 0-87306-152-7.
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External links


Jewish holidays
Shabbat | Rosh Hashanah | Fast of Gedalia | Yom Kippur | Sukkot, Hoshanah rabbah and Shmini Atzeret | Simchat Torah | Hanukkah | Tenth of Tevet | Tu Bishvat | Fast of Esther &  Purim | Fast of the firstborn | Pesach (Passover) | Counting of the Omer | Lag Ba'omer | Shavuot | 17th of Tammuz, The three weeks & The nine days | Tisha B'Av | Tu B'Av
National holidays of Israel
Yom HaShoah | Yom HaZikaron | Yom Ha'atzma'ut | Yom Yerushalayim
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