Sukkot

Sukkot is one of the three pilgrimage festivals, and in the Torah it is called the Festival of Ingathering — the harvest festival of the field's produce. Toward Sukkot, all agricultural produce is gathered from the field, so the field is ready for the rainy season. The grapes are pressed in the winepresses and the wine is placed in vessels. The Festival of Ingathering is distinct from the Festival of Harvest (Shavuot), in which the wheat is reaped.

But beyond its agricultural significance, the sukkah recalls the Clouds of Glory with which God protected the children of Israel in the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt. The Torah commands: So that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. Dwelling in the temporary booth symbolizes trust in divine providence — one leaves the permanent home and sits in the shade of the Divine Presence.

The mitzvah of the Four Species — lulav, etrog, hadas, and aravah — symbolizes the unity of Israel: each species has its own taste or fragrance, but all join together in a single mitzvah. This hints that all of Israel, in all their diversity, are equal before God. The etrog has taste and fragrance, the lulav (palm) has taste but no fragrance, the hadas has fragrance but no taste, and the aravah has neither — hinting at four types of people who join together in the service of God.

Sukkot is also marked as a festival of special joy — the Sages called it the Season of Our Rejoicing. In Temple times, the Water Drawing Celebration was held on this festival — a great celebration of drawing water in the Temple, of which the Sages said: One who has not seen the joy of the Water Drawing has not seen joy in all one's days.

• Building a sukkah — a temporary dwelling with a roof of plant material (schach), in which one eats and dwells throughout the festival. The schach must be of plant material and not attached to anything beneath it.
• Taking the Four Species — lulav, etrog, three hadassim, and two aravot — each day of the festival (except Shabbat). One recites the blessing Al Netilat Lulav.
• Ushpizin — inviting seven spiritual guests (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, and David) to the sukkah, one each day. A custom originating with the Kabbalists of Safed.
• Hoshanot — circling the altar (or the bimah in the synagogue) with the Four Species each day of the festival, while reciting Hoshanot piyyutim.
• Hoshana Rabbah — the seventh day of Sukkot, the final day of judgment regarding water, with extensive prayer, seven circuits, and the beating of willow branches (chibut aravah).
• Simchat Beit HaShoevah — in Temple times, a great celebration of drawing water for the altar, on the nights of the festival, with music, dancing, and great light.
• Reading the Book of Ecclesiastes — on the Shabbat of Chol HaMoed (or on the first festival day when there is no Shabbat of Chol HaMoed), the Book of Ecclesiastes is read.
• Festive meals in the sukkah — one is obligated to eat in the sukkah throughout the festival, and on the eve of the first festival day one must eat at least an olive's worth of bread in the sukkah.

Sukkot is a biblical festival, and the prohibitions of labor apply on the first day (and in the diaspora, also the second). The remaining days are Chol HaMoed — intermediate days on which certain labors are permitted. The mitzvah of dwelling in the sukkah includes eating, drinking, and sleeping in it, and it must be built so that the schach is of plant material and not attached to anything beneath it. The sukkah must have at least three walls, and its height must be between ten handbreadths and twenty cubits. Taking the Four Species is a biblical commandment on each day of the festival (except Shabbat). The Four Species must be beautiful — a pure etrog, an unsplit lulav (palm branch), three hadassim with three leaves each on a branch, and two aravot from the brook. On the Shabbat of Chol HaMoed, the Four Species are not taken, due to a decree related to the first festival day.

Sukkot prayers include the full Hallel on all days of the festival, and the Musaf service features special additional offerings (the number of bulls decreases over the seven days, with thirteen on the first day). The liturgy includes the blessing for the sukkah and the blessing for taking the lulav. In the Temple, the altar was circled each day (Hoshanot), and on Hoshana Rabbah, seven circuits were made. The Book of Ecclesiastes is read on the Shabbat of Chol HaMoed. In the prayer for rain (Tefillat Geshem) on Shemini Atzeret, the request for rain begins. Special piyyutim are recited in the prayers, including the Hoshanot recited each day.