On the 15th day of the month of Tishri, a Jewish holiday called "Feast of Booths" is celebrated.Originally an agricultural festival meant to thank God for a successful harvest, sukkah is a joyful 7 to 8 day celebration with a wide variety of accompanying traditions.The construction of a sukkah (Hebrew: "booth"), a small hut representing both the dwellings that ancient farmers would live in during the harvest months and also the temporary dwellings used by the Israelites as they wander in the desert for 40 years, is one of the most notable of these
Step 1: You should get in the mindset of sukkah.
The holiday of sukkah is a time of great celebration for all Jews.Z'man Simchateinu, also known as the Season of our Rejoicing, is associated with happy emotions.Jews are encouraged to celebrate God's role in their lives and to be thankful for the good fortune of the past year during the seven days of sukkah.It's important to let go of negative thoughts and feelings before the holiday because it should be a happy time with your friends and family.Aim to be positive and thankful for the week.
Step 2: Aukkah can be built.
The building of a Sukkah is one of the most remarkable traditions of sukkah.If the booth is able to stand up to the wind, it can be made from many different types of materials.Plants are used to make the roof of the Sukkah.Sukkahs are usually decorated with drawings and religious symbols.The appropriate section contains more information on building a Sukkah.In the book of Leviticus, Jews are told to stay in the Sukkah for all seven days of the holiday.In a modern context, this means centering family gatherings around the sukkah and eating meals inside it, though some Jews will even sleep in it.
Step 3: Work should be avoided for the first two days of the festival.
The first two days of the holiday are especially blessed because it lasts for 7 to 8 days.Most forms of work are to be avoided as a show of reverence to God on these days.Cooking, baking, transferring fire, and carrying things around are all permissible on the first two days of Sukkot, but not on Shabbat.During this time, people are encouraged to spend time praying and celebrating with their families.Work can be done on the following five days.If Shabbat falls during the intermediate days, it must be observed as normal.Writing, sewing, cooking, braiding hair, and even watering plants are all forbidden on Shabbat.The complete list of banned activities can be found online.
Step 4: Hallel prays every day.
Ordinary morning, evening and afternoon prayers are supplemented with additional ones to mark the holiday.Depending on the day, the first two special days and the following five intermediate days have their own prayers.On every day of sukkah, after the morning prayer, the complete Hallel (Hebrew: "praise") prayer is offered.The text of this prayer is from the Bible.The ordinary Amidah is replaced with a special variation just for holidays on the first two days of Sukkot.There is a special "ya'aleh v'yavo" passage in the Amidah prayers on the following five days.
Step 5: Wave the lulav and etrog.
The most important holiday tradition is building and dwelling in a Sukkah.On the first day of the holiday, the observers wave a collection of branches, including the lulav and etrog.A lulav is a bouquet made from a single palm leaf, two willow branches and three myrtle branches.A citron is a lemon-like fruit.The etrog needs the stigma stem to be kosher.To perform the ritual, hold the lulav in your right hand and the etrog in the left, then shake them in six different directions, symbolizing God's presence everywhere.The lulav and etrog should be shaken in according to different religious commentators.The precise order isn't important to most people.
Step 6: There are lots of other traditions.
Building the Sukkah and performing the branch-waving ritual are important, but they're not the only ones.There are too many traditions to list here for sukkah.Feel free to research the sukkah traditions of the world as you plan your holiday, as these often vary from family to family and locale to locale.You might want to consider spending time eating meals and camping out in the Sukkah for your celebration.Tell the story of the 40 years the Israelites spent in the desert.There are many religious songs made for Sukkah.Your family is invited to join you for the celebration.
Step 7: Walls can stand up to the wind.
The sukkah is very easy to build.The fourth wall of the booth can be used as a door.The Sukkah can be passed into and out of one of the walls.Because the Sukkah will only be standing for seven days, a light material is likely to be used to build the sukkah.The walls have to be able to stand up in the wind.Even canvas stretched across a hard frame is suitable.If you have room to eat in the Sukkah, you'll want your walls to be at least far apart.Depending on the size of your family, the sukkah size can vary greatly.
Step 8: Plant matter can be used to make a roof.
Plants are usually used to make the roofs of sukkah.There are materials that can be purchased or taken from nature.According to tradition, the roof of a sukkah should be thick enough to provide shade and shelter during the day, but not so thick that you can't see the stars at night.Making a roof out of plant material is a way of remembering the people who were in the desert for 40 years after leaving Egypt.They had to live in temporary dwellings similar to the sukkah, using whatever materials were available to them for shelter.
Step 9: You can decorate yourukkah.
The show of decorating the sukkah is seen as commendable.Corn, pumpkins, and squash can be hung from the ceiling or placed in corners.Other decorations include but are not limited to: paper chains, pipecleaner constructions, religious pictures or drawings, wax paper stained glass, or anything else that you or your children feel like making.Children like to decorate theukkah.Giving your children a chance to draw on the walls of the sukkah is a great way to get them involved in the holiday from an early age.
Step 10: Alternatively, buy a ready-made sukkah from The Sukkot Project.
Don't worry, if you're in a rush or have no materials, you can buy your sukkah.The kits allow you to set up your own sukkah without having to prepare any of the materials yourself.These kits are usually easy to disassemble next year.Sukkah kits are usually cheap.Depending on the size of the finished sukkah and the materials it's made out of, a kit can cost anywhere from $50.00 to $120.00.
Step 11: The sukkah should be left up until the end of Simchat Torah.
The sukkah is a place to gather, eat, and pray during the seven day holiday.Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah were immediately after the holy days.The sukkah isn't disassembled until after Simchat Torah because they're not part of the holiday.Save your disassembled Sukkah materials so that you can use them next year.
Step 12: You can find the sources of the traditions by reading the Torah.
The modern religious version of the festival is derived from the Hebrew scriptures.According to the Torah, God instructedMoses to follow the proper traditions of the holiday when he spoke to him in the desert.It is possible to make the holiday more divine by reading the original account of the source.The book of Leviticus is where most of the biblical description of Sukkot comes from.There is an account of the meeting between God and Moses in Leviticus.
Step 13: You can attend services at the synagogue.
The construction of a sukkah with one's family is one of the traditions associated with Sukkot.The entire Jewish community is encouraged to come together in celebration of sukkah.The congregation joins in Amidah prayer and Hallel at the traditional morning services of sukkah.The congregation asks for God's forgiveness after this.The book of Ecclesiastes is what the readings come from.
Step 14: Talk to your rabbi about celebrating.
Talk to your rabbi if you have questions about the traditions associated with sukkah.He or she will be more than happy to discuss the religious and cultural sources of the holiday with you.The traditions of sukkah can vary from community to community.For non-observant Jews, it's not uncommon for someone to not know how to celebrate sukkah, while for traditional or highly Orthodox Jews it can be a major yearly event.
Step 15: There is commentary on contemporary sukkah.
Not everything written about sukkah comes from religious texts.Rabbis, religious scholars, and even lay people have written about sukkah over the years.In the modern era, many essays and opinion pieces centered on sukkah have been produced.If you want to read modern commentary that is easy-to-read and accessible, you should look up Sukkot Essays at www.chabad.org.The subjects of modern Sukkot writings are very diverse.New perspectives on the meanings of old traditions, personal experiences of authors, and instructions for making the best of the holiday are all offered by some.