Sukkot

14th Tishrei – 22nd Tishrei 5786

Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles, is the third pilgrimage festival of the Jewish year, following Passover and Shavuot. The Feast of Tabernacles also originally developed from the agricultural annual cycle, which is concluded with this harvest festival. The booths initially remind us that the farmers lived and slept in huts during the harvest season. Only after the Babylonian Exile was Sukkot associated with the Exodus from Egypt and the wandering in the desert. The booths are now meant to remind us of the tents in which the twelve tribes lived. In the Talmud, an entire tractate is dedicated to the Sukkot festival, which regulates the specifics of the Sukkah and the festival, including the four species of plants for the festive bouquet. Nowadays, the Sukkah is set up outdoors, either in the yard, garden, or, very often, on the balcony. Religious Jews try to fulfill the commandment of "dwelling" in this hut for seven days by eating meals here, studying spiritual works, and sometimes even sleeping. Women and people with health impairments are exempt from this obligation. The seven days are marked by joy and sociability. Hoshanah Rabbah ("Great Salvation") and Shemini Atzeret ("the Eighth Day of Assembly") conclude the Sukkot week with their distinct meanings.