Beyond being fed incredible quantities of incredible food among a really incredibly nice family, Succot is a pretty major holiday for Jews. Succot means booths or huts. In Israel, outside of Tel Aviv, nearly every family has their own Succah (hut) and it is really a very cool thing to see. Unfortunately, the camera wasn’t working because I was again trying to take pictures at night, when the succot are at their prime –lit from within and incredibly festive. Last night, staying in the midst of a religious moshav, we were asking ourselves do people really sleep in their Succah as in days gone by …the answer to that came quite quickly as we peered out the window and down into the garden of the neighboring house. The neighbor’s family succah was just below the window and we could easily make out the prone figure of the man of the house slumbering away within it. So yes, some people do indeed sleep in theirs. While not everyone does so, just about everyone eats in theirs –a huge and festive evening meal filled with family and friends.
What does a succah look like? Well the walls are made of a festive white cloth with a decorative design on it facing outwards. The inside is hung with bright and cheerful decorations from the rafters. If you are a Christian think Christmas tree times 10 for the effect. The family succah I was privileged to dine within had room for two large tables seating about 30 people. The numerous and take-home-able children ate at their own table just outside. The food was plentiful and fantastic.
So why do we build these little huts and eat and sleep within them? First, Succot is it is one of the three major holidays known as the Shloshet ha-Regalim, when the Jewish populace travelled to the Temple in Jerusalem. Here in Israel, Succot is a 7-day holiday where you eat, entertain your guests, and relax in your Succah (in the diaspora Jews usually just celebrate the first 2 days of the holiday). Although the festival of Sukkot is a joyous occasion, and is referred to in Hebrew as Yom Simchateinu (the day of our rejoicing) or Z’man Simchateinu, (the season of our rejoicing), the succah itself symbolises the frailty and transience of life. It also reminds its dwellers that true security comes from faith in G-d and not from money or possessions.
It is part of the holiday to to take four different of plants and to wave them in a specific pattern (couldn’t tell you what this pattern is but it is done). These species are: the lulav (a date palm frond), hadass (bough of a myrtle tree), aravah (a willow branch) and the etrog (a lemony kind of thing). You do this because of a line from Leviticus says that “And you shall take for yourself on the first day the fruit of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook” and uh, wave them about.
According to the Talmud, Succot is the time that g-d judges the world to determine the rainfall for the coming year and so, especially in this dessert clime, this is an important thing. This is basically a harvest festival if you look at it in anthropological terms. Whatever terms you look at it, Succot in Israel is a really fantastic thing and really fun. It makes Succot celebrations in the diaspora into pale and insubstantial things. It is yet another reason for Jews, religious or completely secular, to live in the Jewish State. It is, in short, an awesome holiday here!
Some pictures to come tomorrow as well as more about my celebration of this holiday, labradoodles, and good friends! (Did I redeem myself Jen? 
My favorite holiday (although the cheesecake one is pretty good too).
Christians may recognize it as the Feast of Tabernacles.
Consider yourself redeemed!!
I had dinner on the first night of succot at the chabad house in town. In my years in Venezuela and Texas I forgot how cold it can be in a northern succah. It’s a good thing we had matzah ball soup to keep us warm! I hope next week you will tell us about simchat torah. That is one of my favorites. I mean, there is the dancing part, but I also really like the way we complete the cycle of reading the old testament and then start right back at the beginning again. I ‘ve never been in Israel for the chaggim so it would be nice to hear what it is like there. Chag Sameach!!
i have always wanted to go into one of those succot huts. it seems like a great fall holiday. of course, i might have a bias, having spent so many of my formative years inside of the huddle hut (an even poorer white version of waffle house, which i prefer, but i needed a hut reference and “pizza” and “jabba the” seemed to obvious).
Off topic: Has anyone heard from Frank? I miss his comments
Send me your sukkah photos for SHOW ME YOUR SUKKAH!