November 30, 2009
Welcome back from Break!
Sukkot
Sukkot (סוכות or סֻכּוֹת sukkōt, booths) or Succoth is an 8-day Biblical pilgrimage festival, also known as the Feast of Booths, the Feast of Tabernacles, or Tabernacles. In Judaism it is one of the most important Jewish holidays. The term also refers to a location referred to in the Hebrew Bible.
The word sukkot is the plural of the Hebrew sukkah, meaning booth; a sukkah can specifically refer to the booth or hut constructed for the celebration of sukkot.
In Israel (and among Reform Jews), the first day is celebrated as a full holiday. Among other Diaspora Jews, the first two days are celebrated as full holidays. The following five or six days are known as Chol Hamo'ed—weekdays that are part of the festival. The seventh day is called Hoshanah Rabbah and has a special observance of its own. The last day, the eighth (eighth and ninth outside Israel), is celebrated as a separate holiday with its own special prayers and customs.
Sukkot commemorates the life of the Israelites in the desert during their journey to the promised land, the Land of Israel. During their wandering in the desert they lived in booths (sukkot). The Torah directs Jews to use four species of plants to celebrate the holiday: the lulav (palm branch), the etrog (lemon-like citron), myrtle, and willow. The etrog is handled separately; the other three species are bound together and are collectively referred to as the lulav (thus the four are often called "lulav and egrog"). Sukkot 2009 starts at sundown on October 2.
Hillel at Virginia Tech will raise and decorate the Sukkah on the Drillfield at the end of September. Check our calendar for special events in the Sukkah.