The United Synagogue

Succot

This festival commemorates the wanderings of the Jews in the wilderness after their Exodus from the hands of the Egyptians, when they had to dwell in makeshift booths or huts (Leviticus: Chapter 23 Verse 24).

It is also the time of the fruit harvest when we thank God for giving us such bountiful produce. Succot is known as the holiday of joy. We build booths of wood and branches, and decorate them with pictures and hanging fruit.

What does Succot mean?
There are three main names for this festival:

Chag HaSuccot - The Festival of Booths

Chag Ha'Osif - The Festival of Ingathering

Zeman Simchosaynu - The Season of Our Rejoicing

What are the customs of Succot?
The Sukkah
This is a temporary structure especially built either in the back yard, the garden, or as an attachment to the house. It is customary for pious Jews to drive the first nail for the erection of the sukkah at the end of the Day of Attonement.

In essence a sukkah is a four-walled building with "schach" (leaves and branches) as a covering. Schach is any plant material which grew from the ground, such as tree branches or corn stalks. It must be separated from the ground before being placed on the sukkah. The material used for schach may not have a bad odour.