Sukkot

Match the vocabulary with the definitions:

1. commemoration a) holy religious writings

2. wander b) physically strong, robust

3. shelter c) a place for hiding

4. zenith d) someone who lives strictly according to a religion

5. gather e) fragile, easily broken/destroyed

6. scripture f) a ceremony in which a person or event is remembered

7. sage g) a wise person

8. customary h) a long leaf which has an edge divided into lots of thin parts

9. flimsy i) favorable, promising success

10. sturdy j) a point in the skies directly above the observer

11. withstand k) walk without a given direction or plan

12. auspicious l) to hold up against something strong

13. frond m) something usual for a person or community

14. pious n) collect

The festival of Sukkot

Sukkot is one of the three major festivals in Judaism, and is both an agricultural festival
of thanksgiving and a commemoration of the forty-year period during which the children
of Israel wandered in the desert after leaving slavery in Egypt, living in temporary shelters
as they traveled.

The Jewish Holiday of Sukkot begins at nightfall before the 15th of the Jewish (lunar) month
of Tishrei,1 when the moon is at its zenith. It continues for another seven days before leading
directly into the holiday of Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah.

Sukkot also has an agricultural connotation, marking the time when farmers in Israel would
gather the crops that had been drying in the fields. For this reason, scripture calls it

1
This year (2024) Sukkot is celebrated on October 16 – 23.
Chag Haasif, “The Festival of Gathering.” Sukkot is a joyous holiday—so joyous that the
sages called it simply Chag, Hebrew for “Festival.” In the liturgy, it is called Zeman
Simchatenu, “The Time of Our Rejoicing.”

The most recognizable Sukkot ritual is the construction of little huts called sukkahs (more
about them is written below). The word Sukkot in Hebrew is literally the plural of the word
sukkah. Sukkot lasts for 7 days. It’s customary to build a sukkah and spend as much time as
possible inside of it. Some folks even take all of their meals in their sukkah and sleep inside
of them.

People eat all meals, study and schmooze2 (and some even sleep) in the sukkah, where only
the flimsy sechach3 separates them from the wide, open sky. A sukkah can be erected just
about anywhere, provided that it’s under the sky.

According to a mystical tradition found in the Zohar,4 the “seven shepherds” visit the
sukkahs each day of the holiday. Known as ushpizin,5 the guests are: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,
Moses, Aaron, Joseph and David. Some people recite a special text, in which they formally
“invite” the ushpizin into their sukkahs.

Traditional specifications for building a sukkah:

1. At least one person must be able to fit inside along with a table.

2. The walls of the sukkah may be made of any material, but must be sturdy enough to
withstand an ordinary wind.

3. You have to wait until after Yom Kippur to start sukkah construction. Metaphysically-
speaking, it's considered auspicious to begin building your sukkah immediately after Yom
Kippur because building a sukkah is considered a mitzvah/a good deed, and good deeds
shouldn't be put off.

4. The roof of the sukkah must be constructed out of "detached products of the soil." In
other words: wood, branches, leaves, sticks, palm fronds, bamboo, or anything else that is
natural and comes from the ground.

5. The roof of your sukkah should provide more shade than sun, but you should still be able
to see stars at night through it.

6. Don't build your sukkah under a tree. Nothing should come in between the roof of your
sukkah and the open sky.

2
To schmooze is to “chat” or “converse.” This is an English mangling of the Yiddish word shmues (‫)שמועס‬,
which is apparently an adaptation of the Hebrew word shemuos (‫)שמועות‬, “tidings.”
3
The roof of a sukkah, made up of leaves or branches.
4
The most important medieval Jewish mystical work.
5
Aramaic word for „visitors“.
7. You can use a pre-existing wall (like from your home or garage) as one or more walls of
your sukkah, but those walls must also be covered by the natural roofing materials described
above.

8. A sukkah must have at least two full walls plus part of a third wall (the “part” needs to be
a minimum of 3.2 inches6 wide). It is preferable, however, that the sukkah have four
complete walls.

9. You don't have to build your own sukkah. You can sit in someone else's sukkah and still
complete the mitzvah and get all that good Divine energy!

Arba minim (= four kinds)

On each day of the festival (except Shabbat), Jewish people take the Four Kinds, recite a
blessing over them, bring them together and wave them in all six directions: right, left,
forward, up, down and backward.

The arba minim, literally “the four species,” are better known as the lulav and etrog, after
the two most prominent of the four: the palm branch and the citron. The other two species
are attached to the sides of the palm branch: the myrtle branches, called hadasim, and the
willow branches, called aravot.

Willow – represents the mouth, through which we speak love or hate.

Palm frond – represents the spine, with which we stand strong.

Myrtle – represents the eyes, through which we seek enlightenment.

Etrog – represents the heart that we can keep open or closed to ourselves or others.

Alternately, the four species are likened to different kinds of Jews. The etrog, which has both
taste and fragrance, represents the pious, learned Jew who combines learning with good
deeds. The lulav, which has a pleasant taste but no fragrance, represents the kind of Jew
who pursues sacred learning, but who fails to perform many positive deeds. The myrtle,
which has a delightful fragrance but no taste, represents the kind of Jew who actively does
good deeds, yet who never takes the time to study Torah seriously. Finally, the willow, which
possesses neither fragrance nor taste, is representative of the kind of Jew who combines a
lack of interest in Torah study with a lack of interest in performing good deeds. Yet the
symbolism of the lulav and etrog suggests they can still all come together in the worship of
God. The Jewish world is not complete without all types of people. All have their personal
places in God’s plan for the world, and each has something personal and irreplaceable to
contribute to its fulfillment.

6
8.128 cm.
True or false:

a) Sukkot celebrates the escape from Egypt. True False

b) Sukkot is celebrated in the same month as Rosh Hashanah. True False

c) Chag Haasif means simply “festival”. True False

d) It is mandatory to spend the whole period of Sukkot in a sukkah. True False

e) One of the guests who “visit” the Sukkah is Solomon. True False

f) You can use any material to build the roof of a sukkah. True False

g) The roof must protect you from rain. True False

h) The arba minim represents different types of Jewish people. True False

Comprehension questions:

a) How long were the Jewish people wandering in the desert?

b) Who calls Sukkot “The Festival of Gathering”?

c) Why is this festival called “Sukkot”?

d) Where can you build a sukkah?

e) Who are the ushpizin?

f) Why should a person start to work on their sukkah right after Yom Kippur?

g) How many walls are necessary for a sukkah to have?

h) What is an etrog and what does it symbolize?