Sukkot: The Festival of Booths and Autumn Harvest

What Is Sukkot?

Sukkot, known in English as the Festival of Booths or the Feast of Tabernacles, is a seven-day Jewish holiday that begins five days after Yom Kippur, on the 15th of Tishrei in the Hebrew calendar, typically falling in late September or October. It is one of the three pilgrimage festivals (along with Passover and Shavuot) on which, in ancient times, Jews would travel to the Temple in Jerusalem to make offerings. Sukkot serves a dual purpose. Agriculturally, it is a harvest festival, marking the end of the autumn gathering season in the Land of Israel. Historically, it commemorates the 40 years during which the Israelites wandered in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt, living in temporary shelters under God's protection. This blend of harvest gratitude and historical memory gives the holiday its distinctive character.

Building the Sukkah

The most visible practice of Sukkot is the building of a sukkah, a temporary outdoor structure with walls and a roof made of natural materials called s'chach, typically branches, bamboo, or palm fronds. The s'chach must be thick enough to provide more shade than sunlight but sparse enough to allow one to see the stars at night. This openness to the sky is central to the holiday's meaning: the sukkah reminds its occupants of the impermanence of all shelter and the ultimate dependence on divine protection. Families build their sukkah in backyards, on balconies, or in shared community spaces. Decorating the sukkah is a beloved activity, especially for children, who hang fruits, paper chains, artwork, and lights from the walls and ceiling. Some families go to great lengths, creating elaborate structures with themed decorations that change each year. During the seven days of Sukkot, observant Jews eat their meals in the sukkah and, when possible, sleep there as well. In Israel, where the October weather is reliably mild, sleeping in the sukkah is common. In colder climates, meals in the sukkah take priority, and families bundle up with blankets and warm food to fulfill the mitzvah of dwelling in the temporary shelter.

The Four Species

The other central ritual of Sukkot involves the Four Species, known in Hebrew as the Arba Minim. These are four plants held together and waved in all directions during morning prayers: the lulav (a palm branch), the etrog (a citron fruit), hadassim (myrtle branches), and aravot (willow branches). Each species has been interpreted symbolically in various ways. One common reading associates each with a part of the body: the palm with the spine, the myrtle with the eyes, the willow with the lips, and the etrog with the heart. The waving of the Four Species is performed during the recitation of Hallel, psalms of praise, and during a processional circuit around the synagogue called Hoshanot. The act of waving in six directions, north, south, east, west, up, and down, symbolizes God's presence everywhere. Selecting the perfect etrog is a serious matter. Markets selling the Four Species spring up in Jewish neighborhoods before Sukkot, and buyers inspect each etrog carefully for blemishes, shape, and fragrance. A particularly beautiful etrog can command a high price and is a source of pride.

Simchat Beit HaShoevah

In ancient times, Sukkot was marked by the Simchat Beit HaShoevah, the Water Drawing Celebration, a joyous festival held in the Temple courtyard. The Talmud records that "whoever has not seen the Simchat Beit HaShoevah has never seen true joy." Today, many communities revive this tradition with outdoor gatherings featuring music, dancing, and feasting in the sukkah.

Hoshana Rabbah and Shemini Atzeret

The seventh day of Sukkot, Hoshana Rabbah, is considered the final seal of the judgment that began on Rosh Hashanah. On this day, seven circuits are made around the synagogue with the Four Species, and bundles of willow branches are beaten on the ground, symbolizing the casting away of sins. Sukkot is immediately followed by Shemini Atzeret, an eighth-day assembly, and Simchat Torah, when the annual cycle of Torah readings is completed and begun anew. In Israel, these are combined into a single day; in the Diaspora, they are observed on two consecutive days.

A Festival of Joy

The Torah describes Sukkot with a specific commandment: "You shall rejoice in your festival." It is, by religious mandate, a time of joy. Sitting in a fragile shelter open to the wind and rain, eating meals surrounded by family and friends, and holding branches and fruit in prayer, the observant Jew enacts a profound paradox: that true joy is found not in permanence and security but in gratitude for the present moment. Sukkot, with its open roof and starlit ceiling, teaches that the most meaningful shelters are not those that shut out the world but those that invite it in.