Sukkot

Sukkot, also known as the Festival of Booths or the Feast of Tabernacles, is a seven-day Jewish holiday that follows Yom Kippur. It is one of the three pilgrimage festivals mentioned in the Torah. During Sukkot, Jewish people build and dwell in temporary huts called sukkot, commemorating the temporary dwellings in which the Israelites lived during their forty years of wandering in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt. The holiday also celebrates the autumn harvest.

Key observances of Sukkot include dwelling in the sukkah, taking the arba minim (four species) – a palm frond (lulav), two willow branches (aravot), three myrtle branches (hadasim), and a citron (etrog) – and reciting special blessings and prayers. The festival emphasizes themes of gratitude, community, and reliance on divine providence. The final day of Sukkot is Hoshana Rabbah, followed by Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah.