Sukkot holiday and It's Meaning

The commandment to "dwell" in a sukkah can be fulfilled by simply eating all of the family meals under it; however, if the circumstances such as weather, climate, and one's health permit, the family should spend as much time in the sukkah as possible, including sleeping in it for the whole 7 days.

Building The Sukkah

The building of the Sukkah is an event that all of the family participates in. In honor to the holiday, we are required to dwell in the sukkah as our ancestors dwelled in temporary tents while in the desert for 40 years.

Arba Minim: The Four Species

Another observance during Sukkot involves what are known as the Four Species (arba minim in Hebrew) or the lulav and etrog. We are commanded to take these four plants and use them to “rejoice before the L-rd”.

Ushpizin: Welcoming Guests

Ushpizin is A ritual inviting symbolic guests into the Sukkah. According to the Zohar, on each day of Sukkot we welcome a spiritual guest into our sukkah. They are Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron and David.

Chol Ha’Moeb – Mid-Holidays

Chol Hamoeb literally, "the weekdays of the holiday" are the intermediate days of Passover and Sukkoth.They are the days sandwiched between the beginning and end holy days of both festivals.

Hoshana Raba

The last day of Sukkot is called Hoshana Raba. In Temple times, they would surround the altar with the four species every day of Sukkot, and on the last day of Sukkot a special encircling with the willow alone.

Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah

Shemini Atzeret literally means "the assembly of the eighth (day). In the old scriptures it explains the holiday this way: God is a host.He makes an invitation to the people for a limited time, then when the time comes for us to leave; He has enjoyed himself so much that He asks us to stay another day.

How To Activate Your Sukkah

You've worked hard, shlepping branches and wood to construct your Sukkah. Or perhaps you've been invited to share in someone else's Sukkah. Now you ask: How is this structure relevant to my life in the 21st century?!