Dear All, A week-long holiday called Succos/Sukkot comes right on the heels of Yom Kippur.  It will start tomorrow evening, Friday, Oct 2nd.  It commemorates the Israelites' wandering in the desert for 40 years following their escape from slavery in  Egypt.  

This holiday used to be (in the Bible) the most important of Passover/Pesach & Shavuous/Giving of hte Torah on Mt. Sinai.  All 3 were Pilgramage Festivals, going to the Temple in Jerusalem.

The sukkah is a booth with a latticed roof.  Everyone tries to eat at least one meal in the sukkah during the Festival.  Some of the Torah-True, haredi, or CHassidic Jews even sleep there.  The children decorate the sukkah with harvest themes.

We also have special prayers with "props" for this holiday.  We call these harvested plants "the 4 Species."  They are a citrus fruit called the citron, & a group of 3 types of branches that we call the lulav.  The lulav is composed of a palm branch held in a holder made of palm -- the holder contains the palm branch plus 2 willow branches & 3 myrtle branches.  Holding the citron in the left hand, we hold the lulav in our right, & say the appropriate blessing.

We read the Book of Ecclesiastes on the Sabbath that falls within Succos.

It is deemed a mitzvah/commandment to obtain the finest etrog that one can afford.  After the holiday, some gather estrogs & make delicious preserves from them.

RIght on the tail of Succos, we have 2 more holidays right in a row, Hosanna Rabbah (the great hosanna), & Simchas/Simchat Torah.  I'll write about Simchat Torah next week.  HOsanna Rabbah is the last day that the 4 Species are prayed over.

Questions?  Comments?  As always, I'm all ears!  Yours in HIm, Deb