Sukkot, which begins on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Tishrei, is one of the three major pilgrimage festivals in Judaism. Along with Passover and Shavuot, Sukkot commemorates a key event in the history of the Jewish nation. Specifically, Sukkot celebrates God sheltering the Israelites as they traveled in the desert after being freed from slavery in Egypt.
The most important tradition of Sukkot involves building and dwelling in a sukkah, a temporary outdoor hut with at least three walls and roof coverings made from branches or sticks. This represents the type of shelters the ancient Israelites lived in as they wandered the desert for 40 years before entering the Promised Land. Here are some tips for preparing your sukkah before the weeklong celebration begins:
Select a Site
Ideally, build your sukkah outdoors in a yard, porch, courtyard, or balcony with exposure to open skies. It should be large enough to fully contain a table and chairs for meals. The site should get plenty of sunshine during the day but also be shaded from harsh sunlight in the afternoon.
Obtain Materials
A sukkah requires at least two-and-a-half walls made from any material like wood, brick, canvas, metal, or nylon netting. The skhakh (roof covering) should be made from materials grown from the ground that have been detached, like bamboo sticks, evergreen branches, reeds, or even loose corn stalks. Avoid materials that are mekabel tumah - susceptible to ritual impurity - like glass.
Build the Structure
The walls should be secure and strong enough to withstand normal winds in your climate. The skhakh should provide more shade than sunlight in the daytime but allow you to see the stars at night. A sukkah can have any shape but is commonly built in a rectangle or square floorplan. Decorate the interior walls festively with streamers, strings of dried fruit, artwork, greenery, and the seven “Ushpizin” symbolic guest plaques.
Furnish the Interior
Since the sukkah is used for eating meals, praying, and even sleeping, furnish it accordingly. Set up a table, chairs, benches, cushions, rugs, lamps, and ritual objects you may need. You can also hang artwork, flowers, fruits, and greenery from the interior walls and skhakh to beautify your booth. Some electric lighting is permitted but cannot serve as the primary illumination.
Invite the Ushpizin
According to kabbalah Jewish mysticism, there are seven “ushpizin” (Aramaic for “guests”) from the Bible who visit each sukkah. Invite them in by hanging plaques with their names - Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, and David. You can also designate a special chair or bench for them.
Perform Rituals
On each day of Sukkot, gather family, friends, food, and supplies for special meals, prayers, and perhaps sleeping within the sukkah. Wave the “Four Kinds” of plants - citron, palm, myrtle, and willow branches - to represent nature’s bounty. These rituals allow you to commemorate your ancestors’ desert journey under sheltering booths on the way to the Promised Land.
With sturdy construction, comfortable furnishings, festive decorations and hospitality to guests including the symbolic ushpizin, your sukkah creates an open-air sacred space for connecting with Jewish history. From selecting a site to gathering materials to setting up furniture, preparing every detail helps kick off a joyous Festival of Booths.
Wishing you a wonderful day filled with peace!
See you in the upcoming post,
Tohar Liani