EREV SUCCOT On 25th of September 2026-OUR 2 DAY HOLIDAY

Nadene Goldfoot                                     

                       A Sukkah 

The command to observe Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths) is found primarily in Leviticus 23:33–43 and Deuteronomy 16:13–15. This goes back to Moses (1391-1271 BCE,  who lived about 3,300 years ago.  

In the Bible, the primary reason for Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths) is to commemorate the 40 years of divine protection and provision when God had the Israelites dwell in temporary shelters during their wilderness journey after the Exodus from Egypt.The Wilderness Journey: According to Leviticus 23:42–43, God commanded the Israelites to live in temporary booths (sukkot) for seven days so that future generations would know that God made the children of Israel dwell in booths when He brought them out of Egypt. That was their rest; their joyful time of making it to their goal that took 40 years to accomplish.  

I remember living in Israel and my husband and young neighbor built a succah.  The holiday in Safed was celebrated by having school closed for the holiday and people building a succah.  Then we would visit each other and enjoy cookies and breads in each other's succah.  Men might sleep overnight in them.  3 sides were covered with blankets.  The ceiling was to be open in order to see the sky, laced with tree or shrub branches. In the states, each synagogue has a succah for people to come and eat in for that is a mitzvah.  

These agricultural origins of  Giving Thanks: served as an agricultural thanksgiving at the end of the agricultural year, celebrating the final harvest of crops and fruits before the onset of the winter rains. It had always been considered as a joyful holiday. 

We remember that day of October 7, 2023, only 3 years ago,   when Jews in Israel celebrated Succot with dancing outside and all were attacked and killed in the gruesome and brutal manner possible. 

Civilians: 828 victims (including 36 children and 71 foreign nationals). Of these, 364 civilians were killed during the massacre at the Nova Music Festival.

Security Forces: 367 members of the military, police, and local security teams who died in combat.

      1939, Family members sitting together in their Sukkah, Jerusalem, 

A family is hanging decorations from the s'chach (top or "ceiling") on the inside of a sukkah

Who has lived and come through so many trials and tribulations as the Israelites/Jews?  Who is still capable with a memory and writing about such an accomplishment?  Only the Jews.