Q. When is the festival of Sukkot?
A. Sukkot is a seven day holiday starting on the fifteenth of Tishrei and followed by Shemini Atzeret, which is a separate festival with different customs. Sukkot is referred to in the prayers as Zeman Simkhateinu, the Season of our Rejoicing.
Q. What does Sukkot mean?
A. The word “Sukkot” means “booths,” and refers to the temporary dwellings that we are commanded to live in during this holiday. These dwellings commemorate the temporary dwellings which the Jews lived in during the forty-year sojourn in the desert, and also commemorate the clouds of glory which surrounded the desert camp during those forty years.
However like Pesach and Shavu’ot, Sukkot has a dual significance: both historical and agricultural. Sukkot is also a harvest festival, and is sometimes referred to as Chag Ha-Asif, the Festival of Ingathering, as it is the period when a person is harvesting all the crops of the entire year. This is one of the reasons that it is a time of rejoicing.
Q. Is labor permitted on Sukkot?
A. According to the Torah’s prerogative (Vayikra 23:33), the first day of Sukkot is a festival when no labor can be performed except for that which enables preparation of food. Thus, cooking on a pre-lit stove is permitted, as is carrying in public, but lighting fire afresh (not from an existing flame) is prohibited. During the rest of Sukkot, known as The Intermediate Days, most labor is permitted, although certain forms of labor are still prohibited.
Q. What should one do in the Sukkah?
A. We are commanded to dwell in the sukkah in the same way we would in our houses, The commandment to “dwell” in a sukkah can be fulfilled by simply eating all of one’s meals there; however, if the weather, climate, and one’s health permit, one should live in the sukkah as much as possible, including sleeping in it, as this is the way one lives in one’s house. If however a person would be distressed by dwelling in the Sukkah, he is absolved of the obligation to dwell there.
Q. What should a sukkah look like?
A. A sukkah must have at least three walls covered with a material that will not blow away in the wind. Canvas covering tied or nailed down is acceptable, although it is preferable to use a proper wall of wood or other substances.
· A sukkah may be any size, so long as it is large enough for you to fulfill the commandment of dwelling in it, which is a minimum of about 56*56cm.
· The roof of the sukkah must be made of material referred to as sechach (literally: covering). To fulfill the commandment, sekhakh must be something that grew from the ground and was cut off, such as tree branches, corn stalks, bamboo reeds, sticks, or any other plants.
· Sekhakh must be left loose, not tied together or tied down. However if the sechach will blow away one may tie it to wooden slats placed on it.
· Sekhakh must be placed sparsely enough that rain can get in, and preferably sparsely enough that the stars can be seen, but not so sparsely that more than ten inches is open at any point or that there is more light than shade. The sekhakh must be put on last, so one may not place it on a frame and then add walls.
Q. Can I add decorations to the Sukka?
A. It is common practice, and highly commendable, to decorate the sukkah. One can decorate it with pictures, hanging fruits and paper chains, although it is preferable not to use the same decorations which were made to decorate Christmas trees.
Q. Can I eat outside the Sukka?
A. If a person is travelling and is not in the proximity of a Sukkah he may eat outside the Sukkah. Similarly one may eat items which are not from the five species of grains outside the Sukkah. However it is commendable to eat all of one’s meals in the Sukkah. On the first night of Sukkot one is obligated to eat at least an olive-bulk of bread in the Sukkah
Q. What happens when it rains?
A. One is not obligated to sit in the Sukkah if the rain is heavy enough to affect the food in the Sukkah. If one has left the Sukkah during the night due to rain one is not obligated to go back in as soon as the rain ceases.
The four species will be discussed separately.