![]() ![]() In a welcoming ceremony called ushpizin, ancestors are symbolically invited to partake in the meals with us. Weather permitting, meals are eaten in the sukkah, and the hardier among us may also elect to sleep in the sukkah. It is traditional to decorate the sukkah and to spend as much time in it as possible. The sukkah is a flimsy structure with at least three sides, whose roof is made out of thatch or branches, which provides some shade and protection from the sun, but also allows the stars to be seen at night. As soon after the conclusion of Yom Kippur as possible, often on the same evening, one is enjoined to begin building the sukkah, or hut, that is the central symbol of the holiday. Many of the most popular rituals of Sukkot are practiced in the home. When is Sukkot 2023? Click here to find out. ![]() In this manner, Sukkot came to commemorate the wanderings of the Israelites in the desert after the revelation at Mount Sinai, with the huts representing the temporary shelters that the Israelites lived in during those 40 years. As is the case with other festivals whose origins may not have been Jewish, the Bible reinterpreted the festival to imbue it with a specific Jewish meaning. The sukkah represent the huts that farmers would live in during the last hectic period of harvest before the coming of the winter rains. ![]() Indeed it is often referred to as hag ha-asif, “The Harvest Festival.” Much of the imagery and ritual of the holiday revolves around rejoicing and thanking God for the completed harvest. The origins of Sukkot are found in an ancient autumnal harvest festival. The festival of Sukkot is one of the three great pilgrimage festivals ( chaggim or regalim) of the Jewish year. According to rabbinic tradition, these flimsy sukkot represent the huts in which the Israelites dwelt during their 40 years of wandering in the desert after escaping from slavery in Egypt. My Jewish Learning is a not-for-profit and relies on your help Donateīeginning five days after Yom Kippur, Sukkot is named after the booths or huts (sukkot in Hebrew) in which Jews are supposed to dwell during this week-long celebration. ![]()
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