The sukkah is a temporary dwelling that Jews use during the holiday of Sukkot. Sukkot (סוכות or סֻכּוֹת sukkōt, booths) or Succoth or Sukkos is a Biblical pilgrimage festival which occurs in autumn on the 15th day of the month of Tishri (early- to late-October). ...

Structure

According to Halakha, a sukkah is a structure consisting of 2½, 3, or 4 walls with a roof made of an organic material which has been disconnected from the ground (the s'chach). It should be at least three feet tall, and be positioned so that all or part of its roof is open to the sky (only the part which is under the sky is kosher.) A sukkah can be built on the ground or on an open porch or balcony. Portable sukkahs are available for those who have little space, or for those who are travelling (in order to have a place to eat one's meals). Halakha (Hebrew: הלכה; also transliterated as Halakhah, Halacha, Halakhot and Halachah with pronunciation emphasis on the third syllable, kha), is the collective corpus of Jewish religious law, including biblical law (the 613 mitzvot) and later talmudic and rabbinic law as well as customs and traditions. ... For other uses, see Life (disambiguation). ... The circled U indicates that this can of tuna is certified kosher by the Union of Orthodox Congregations. ...

A sukkah on an apartment balcony in Jerusalem

In practice, the walls of a sukkah can be built from anything ranging from wood to canvas to aluminium, and the roof material can range from pine branches to palm fronds to bamboo. The walls may also be part of a house or fence. The specific details of what constitutes a wall, how short/tall a wall can be, whether there can be spaces between the walls and the roof, and the exact material required for the s'chach can be found in various exegetical texts. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2363x1510, 812 KB) Summary I took this picture with my camera on October 23, 2005. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2363x1510, 812 KB) Summary I took this picture with my camera on October 23, 2005. ... General Name, Symbol, Number aluminium, Al, 13 Chemical series poor metals Group, Period, Block 13, 3, p Appearance silvery Standard atomic weight 26. ... Genera Many; see list of Arecaceae genera Arecaceae (also known as Palmae or Palmaceae), the palm family, is a family of flowering plants, belonging to the monocot order Arecales. ... Diversity Around 91 genera and 1,000 species Subtribes Arthrostylidiinae Arundinariinae Bambusinae Chusqueinae Guaduinae Melocanninae Nastinae Racemobambodinae Shibataeinae See the full Taxonomy of the Bambuseae. ...

S'chach

S'chach is the Hebrew name for the material used as a roof for a sukkah. S'chach has to have grown from the ground, but then must be disconnected from it. Palm leaves, bamboo sticks and pine branches and even wood as well as many other types of organic material could all be used for s'chach unless they were processed for a different use. and this is all shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit Genera Many; see list of Arecaceae genera Arecaceae (also known as Palmae or Palmaceae), the palm family, is a family of flowering plants, belonging to the monocot order Arecales. ... Diversity Around 91 genera and 1,000 species Subtribes Arthrostylidiinae Arundinariinae Bambusinae Chusqueinae Guaduinae Melocanninae Nastinae Racemobambodinae Shibataeinae See the full Taxonomy of the Bambuseae. ... Subgenera Subgenus Strobus Subgenus Ducampopinus Subgenus Pinus See Pinus classification for complete taxonomy to species level. ... Organic material or organic matter is informally used to denote a material that originated as a living organism; most such materials contain carbon and are capable of decay. ...

Decorations

Interior of a modern sukkah, with decorations hanging from the roof

Many people hang decorations such as dried or plastic fruit, streamers, shiny ornaments, and pictures from the interior walls and ceiling beams of a sukkah. Families may also line the interior walls with white sheeting, in order to recall the "Clouds of Glory" that surrounded the Jewish nation during their wanderings in the desert. The Chabad custom is not to decorate the Sukkah, as the Sukkah itself is considered to be an object of beauty.^[1] Image File history File links He_wiki_sucot. ... Image File history File links He_wiki_sucot. ...

What is done in the Sukkah?

In Israel and in temperate climates, observant Jews will conduct all their eating, studying, and sleeping activities in the sukkah. Many Jews will not eat anything except water or fruit outside the sukkah. In Israel, it is common practice for hotels, restaurants, snack shops, and outdoor tourist attractions (such as the zoo) to provide an eating sukkah for their guests. Lubavitcher and Belzer^[2] Hasidim differ from other Orthodox Jews in that they don't sleep in the sukkah due to its intrinsic holiness.^[3] Chabad Lubavitch, also known as Lubavitch Chabad, is a large branch of Hasidic Judaism. ... Belz (Ukrainian: , Polish: Bełz, Yiddish: בעלז) is a small town in the Lviv Oblast (province) of western Ukraine, near the border with Poland. ...

In cold climates such as the Eastern United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, full observance of the mitzvah of sleeping in the sukkah is almost impossible. Some Jews in these locales will spend some time in the sukkah eating and relaxing but go indoors to sleep. Though one need not eat or sleep in the sukkah if it is raining, Lubavitcher Hasidim will still eat there. Red shows states east of the Mississippi River, pink shows states not fully eastern or western The U.S. Eastern states are the states east of the Mississippi River. ... Mitzvah (Hebrew: מצווה, IPA: , commandment; plural, mitzvot; from צוה, tzavah, command) is a word used in Judaism to refer to (a) the commandments, of which there are 613, given in the Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) or (b) any Jewish law at all. ...

Symbolism

Although the festival of Sukkot is a joyous occasion, and is referred to in Hebrew as Yom Simchateinu (the day of our rejoicing) or Z'man Simchateinu, (the season of our rejoicing), the sukkah itself symbolises the frailty and transience of life. It also reminds its dwellers that true security comes from faith in God, rather than from money or possessions.

Ushpizzin

During the holiday, Jews invite seven spiritual "guests" (known as ushpizzin in Aramaic) to be with them in the sukkah. These ushpizzin are the seven "shepherds" of Israel. They are: Sukkot (סוכות or סֻכּוֹת sukkōt, booths) or Succoth or Sukkos is a Biblical pilgrimage festival which occurs in autumn on the 15th day of the month of Tishri (mid- to late-October). ... Aramaic is a group of Semitic languages with a 3,000-year history. ...

• Abraham
• Isaac
• Jacob
• Joseph (the three Patriarchs and Jacob's most famous son)
• Moses (the most influential of the Hebrew prophets)
• Aaron (Moses's brother, the first Kohen Gadol, or High Priest)
• David (a very significant king of Israel, the messiyah is said to be a descendant of David)

In recent times, there are some Jews who also add seven spiritual women or ushpizzot to join in the sukkah. [1] The angel prevents the sacrifice of Isaac (Rembrandt, 1634) Abraham (Hebrew: , Standard Avraham Ashkenazi Avrohom or Avruhom Tiberian  ; Arabic: ,  ; Geez: , ) is a figure in the Bible and Quran who is by believers regarded as the founding patriarch of the Israelites and of the Nabataean people in Jewish, Christian and... An angel prevents Abraham from sacrificing Isaac Tedla in this illumation from a 14th century Icelandic manuscript. ... Jacob Wrestling with the Angel – Gustave Doré, 1855 Jacob or Yaakov, (Hebrew: יַעֲקֹב, Standard  Tiberian ; Arabic: يعقوب, ; holds the heel), also known as Israel (Hebrew: יִשְׂרָאֵל, Standard  Tiberian ; Arabic: اسرائيل, ; Struggled with God), is the third Biblical patriarch. ... Joseph interprets the dream of the Pharaoh. ... The Patriarchs, known as the Avot in Hebrew, are Abraham, his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob. ... Moses with the Tablets, 1659, by Rembrandt This article is about the Biblical figure. ... Aaron (אַהֲרֹן, a word meaning bearer of martyrs in Hebrew [perhaps also, or instead, related to the Egyptian Aha Ra, Warrior Lion], Standard Hebrew (w/o vowels) AHRvN, Tiberian Hebrew (), was one of two brothers who play a unique part in the history of the Hebrew people. ... It has been suggested that Aaronites be merged into this article or section. ... David and Goliath by Caravaggio, c. ... A monarch (see sovereignty) is a type of ruler or head of state. ...

According to tradition, each night a different guest enters the sukkah first and the other six follow. The custom of inviting guests to the sukkah also includes living guests; many people invite family, friends, neighbours, or people who are alone to join them for a snack or a meal. Anyone, including gentiles, are more than welcome inside a Sukkah. A Gentile refers to a non-Israelite; the word is derived from the Latin term gens (meaning clan or a group of families) and is often employed in the plural. ...

References

1. ^ How To Build Your Sukkah
2. ^ Nitei Gavriel, Hilchos Rosh Hashanah Ch. 29 note 9 (5754 Edition)
3. ^ The Sukkah and Sleeplessness