What is Sukkot?
Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles) is a joyful weeklong festival that begins on the fifteenth of Tishrei, just days after Yom Kippur. Jews build and dwell in a temporary hut called a sukkah and wave the "four species" (lulav and etrog), recalling the Israelites' journey through the wilderness and giving thanks for the harvest. After the intensity of the High Holy Days, Sukkot is called Zman Simchateinu — "the season of our joy."
What are the main customs of Sukkot?
- The sukkah — a temporary booth with a roof of natural materials, where meals (and sometimes sleep) happen all week, recalling the fragile dwellings of the wilderness years.
- The four species — the lulav (palm), hadas (myrtle), aravah (willow), and etrog (citron), held and waved together during the holiday.
- Hospitality and joy — welcoming guests into the sukkah is central.
How does Sukkot fit the holiday season?
Sukkot completes the autumn cycle: Rosh Hashanah's judgment, Yom Kippur's atonement, and then Sukkot's joy and gratitude. It runs for seven days and flows directly into Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, when the annual Torah-reading cycle is completed and begun again (what is Simchat Torah?).
In short: Sukkot is the weeklong "season of our joy" — dwelling in the sukkah and waving the four species in gratitude, right after the High Holy Days.
Learn the festivals with Derekh Learning
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