Sukkot

Sukkot (????? or ??????? sukk?t, booths) or Succoth or Sukkos is an 8-day Biblical pilgrimage festival, also known as the Feast of Booths, the Feast of Tabernacles, or Tabernacles. In Judaism it is one of the most important Jewish holidays. The term also refers to a location referred to in the Hebrew Bible.

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The word sukkot is the plural of the Hebrew sukkah, meaning booth; a sukkah can specifically refer to the booth or hut constructed for the celebration of sukkot.

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In Israel (and among Reform Jews), the first day is celebrated as a full holiday. Among other Diaspora Jews, the first two days are celebrated as full holidays. The following five or six days are known as Chol Hamo'ed—weekdays that are part of the festival. The seventh day is called Hoshanah Rabbah and has a special observance of its own. The last day, the eighth (eighth and ninth outside Israel), is celebrated as a separate holiday with its own special prayers and customs (see below).

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Sukkot commemorates the life of the Israelites in the desert during their journey to the promised land, the Land of Israel. During their wandering in the desert they lived in booths (sukkot). The Torah directs Jews to use four species of plants to celebrate the holiday: the lulav (palm branch), the etrog (lemon-like citron), myrtle, and willow. The etrog is handled separately; the other three species are bound together and are collectively referred to as the lulav (thus the four are often called "lulav and etrog").

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• Hoshanah Rabbah - the seventh day of Sukkot - ?????? ???
• Shemini Atzeret - the eighth day of Sukkot - ????? ????
• Simchat Torah - the finale of Sukkot - ???? ????

In Israel (and among Reform Jews), Sukkot is eight days long, including Shemini Atzeret. Among other Jews outside Israel (the Diaspora), Sukkot (including Shemini Atzeret) is nine days long. The second day of Shemini Atzeret (ninth day total) is observed as Simchat Torah. In Israel, the festivities and customs associated with Simchat Torah are combined with the other observances of Shemini Atzeret on a single day.

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In prayer services at synagogues, the very last portion of the Torah is read on Simchat Torah. In order to teach that Torah study never ends, the beginning of the Torah (from the beginning of Genesis) is read immediately after. Services are unconventionally joyous, and humorous deviations from the standard service are allowed, and even expected.

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In the Hebrew calendar, the first day of Sukkot is on the 15th day of Tishrei, considered the first month of the Jewish year.

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Sukkot: The holiday in the Bible ►



 

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