Today is Sh’mini Atzeret.Although Sukkot is only celebrated for seven days, the Book of Leviticus ordains an eighth day as a day of assembly: “Mark, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered the yield of the earth, you shall celebrate a festival of Adonai for seven days, with complete rest on the first day and on the eighth day" (Lev 23:39).The day is not mentioned at all within the Book of Deuteronomy, which describes Sukkot as a seven-day holiday without mentioning any subsequent observance. Nor does Leviticus provide information regarding the rituals to be observed during the day other than rest, assembly (atzeret), and sacrifice. The day is mentioned in the first book of Kings, as well as Nehemiah, but in each instance, we only learn that, “an assembly— atzeret” was held on the eighth day.Though atzeret means gathering or assembly, the famous Medieval commentator, Rashi, reminds us that [...]

Today is the 7th day of Sukkot. The seventh day of Sukkot is also known as Hoshana Rabbah, the Great Prayer for Deliverance, which is one of Judaism’s least renowned traditions. Traditionally, worshippers make seven circuits around the synagogue with the four species, emulating the practice of the Temple period, as described within the Mishnah, which prescribes one circuit for each day of Sukkot, until the seventh day, when seven circuits are performed. Afterward, special piyyutim—poems—are recited, followed by the beating of five willow branches, hoshanot. Several scholars have compared the practice to the conquest of Jericho, when God orders Joshua to complete one circuit around the city walls for six days, followed by seven circuits on the seventh day. After the seventh circuit, the priests blew the shofar, the soldiers shouted, and the fortification walls came tumbling down. Just as Joshua conducts the ritual to summon Divine assistance in [...]

Today is the 6th day of Sukkot. One of the most meaningful ways to celebrate Sukkot is to invite guests to enjoy a meal in our Sukkot. Commonly associated with the tradition of inviting ancestral ushpizin, guests, to the Sukkah, inviting living guests to share in the bounty of the harvest represents an evocative way to imbue our Sukkot celebrations with the mitzvah of hachnasat orchim, hospitality toward guests. According to the Talmudic sage, Rabbi Judah, showing hospitality toward guests is even more important than welcoming God into our midst. As proof, he recalls the tale of Abraham, suggesting that Abraham abandons the Divine Presence to approach three strangers and invite them to his tent for a meal. Meanwhile, the Book of Jubilees, an ancient Jewish text left out of the Hebrew Bible, suggests that this tent was, in fact, the very first Sukkah, reminding us of the need to open [...]

Today is the 5th day of Sukkot. Although the festival of Sukkot has evolved throughout the millennia, its significance to the Jewish household has waned with the passing of time. Surveys reveal that Jews across the world, including those in Israel, observe festivals such as Passover, Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur, or Hanukkah far more widely than Sukkot. This may have to do with the festival’s agrarian, rather than narrative, origins. Though Sukkot has evolved over time, it has always been a harvest festival looking for religious and national significance. The book of Leviticus makes a half-hearted claim that Sukkot represents a reenactment of the Israelite journey through the wilderness, even though every other mention of Israelite desert dwellings refers to their abodes as tents, not booths. Significant ritual events, including the dedication of the first and second Temples, as well as the first public reading of the Torah, were scheduled [...]