Service times for Sukkot · Lulav purchase
In memory of the unstable and precarious dwellings in which the (Jewish) people lived in the desert for forty years, Jews at Sukkot build huts following very precise and detailed rules, including the significant one of covering the roof with branches and leaves while leaving a portion uncovered so that the sky can be seen through it: a reminder to keep always in mind, wherever the vicissitudes of life may lead them, to symbolically leave in their usual homes as well a space through which the light of God enters.
The origins of the festival
Sukkot is the third of the pilgrimage festivals. Alongside their religious significance, historical and agricultural meanings are also attributed to the pilgrimage festivals. They are linked together by the historical thread of the Exodus from Egypt and the sojourn in the desert. The festival of Pesach, that is, the moment of departure from slavery, undoubtedly holds particular importance. Yet the joy was overshadowed both by the weight of the Egyptian casualties and by the uncertainty of a future that involved a long journey and a hard struggle to reach and be able to dwell free and sovereign in the land promised by God. The giving of the Torah at Shavuot had certainly left the people’s minds troubled and fearful. Indeed, it committed them to observing not only laws, but also completely new and very difficult behaviors, especially when compared to those customary among all other peoples of that era. (...)
Sukkot was the pilgrimage festival that in a certain sense symbolized the end of suffering, the acquired understanding and acceptance of the Torah, the end of the long, tiring, at times painful wandering along the harsh paths of the desert, and the attainment of the Land where at last long-matured thought would be transformed into joyful and conscious action. (...) In the land of Israel, people lived by the agricultural year. Jews were in fact a predominantly agricultural population. At Pesach the barley harvest began, but the wheat harvest was still far off. At Shavuot the wheat harvest began and the first fruits were gathered, but before the time of the grape harvest arrived, the long and often difficult summer period had to pass.
(...) Sukkot, hag ha-asif, the festival of the harvest, of the final autumn harvest, was therefore a moment of great, total joy: with storehouses filled to the brim with the freshly completed harvest, worries were left behind and people prepared to await with serenity and gladness the long period of rest until the arrival of the new sowing season.
The celebration
How a sukkah is built
The sukkah must be large enough to live in comfortably, but it must not take on the appearance of a permanent dwelling. Inside, the shade must exceed the light. Primary attention is given to the covering of the hut, through which the sky must be discernible. The walls may consist of fabric curtains. The huts must be pleasing to the eye, and are therefore adorned with garlands and ornaments. Many still hang olive branches laden with their fruit and citrons, garlands of figs and pomegranates, and bunches of grapes from the walls and ceiling. Both on the walls and on the floor, drapes, carpets, and lamps are placed to make the huts as welcoming as a home. During the days of Sukkot, every Jew must make the hut their primary dwelling, considering their own house a temporary dwelling. However, if it rains and the water coming in through the openings left in the roof risks ruining the food, the meal may be eaten indoors.
The lulav
It is written in the Torah: “And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of a beautiful tree, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days.” (Leviticus 23, 49). Based on this commandment, for Sukkot the lulav is prepared, consisting of a palm branch, three of myrtle, two of willow and, separately, a flawless citron fruit. It is customary, after the blessing in the synagogue, to wave it in four directions: north, south, east and west, so that God's blessing may reach the whole world.
Hosha'anah Rabbah
The seventh day of Sukkot is called Hosha'anah Rabbah: the great plea for salvation. It is a day when one turns with particular fervour to the mercy of the Lord.
(...) This day is in fact considered as the one in which the Lord places the final seal upon the judgment that began on Rosh Hashanah and which, according to the Zohar, a fundamental text of Qabbalah interpretation, does not conclude definitively with Kippur but, in a sort of final appeal, on the day of Hosha'anah Rabbah.
As for Kippur, selichoth (supplications) are recited to implore divine forgiveness. Furthermore, a ceremony connected with the water libation is performed: holding willow branches and the lulav, one walks around the altar seven times chanting Hosha'anah (“oh save us!”).
Shemini Atzeret
In the passage of Leviticus (23, 36) where the instruction to celebrate Sukkot is given, a contradiction appears: first the duration of the holiday is set at seven days, then an “eighth day of assembly” (Shemini Atzeret) is spoken of.
The Sages deduced an interesting teaching from this. During the seven days of Sukkot, prayers were offered to obtain rain and a prosperous harvest. (...) And lo, on the eighth day the Lord turns to the people like a father to his children, and almost pleads with them: “For seven days you have concerned yourselves with the welfare of your land, and the welfare of your brothers of the other nations. Well then: remain for yet another day and dedicate it completely to me!”.
Source: "Le pietre del tempo" by Clara and Elia Kopciowski