Happy Sukkot! 

 

For forty years, as our ancestors traversed the Sinai Desert, following the  Exodus from Egypt, miraculous "clouds of glory" surrounded and hovered over them, shielding them from the dangers and discomforts of the desert. Ever since, we rememberG‑d's kindness and reaffirm our trust in His providence by  dwelling in a sukkah--a hut of temporary construction with a roof covering of branches—for the duration of the  Sukkot festival (on the  Jewish calendar  Tishrei 15-21). For seven days and nights, we eat all our  meals in the sukkah and otherwise regard it as our home.

Another Sukkot observance is the taking of the  Four Kinds: an  etrog (citron), a lulav (palm frond), three  hadassim (myrtle twigs) and two  aravot (willow twigs). On each day of the festival (excepting  Shabbat), we take the Four Kinds, recite a blessing over them, bring them together in our hands and  wave them in all six directions: right, left, forward, up, down and backward. Our sages in the  midrashtell us that the Four Kinds represent the  various types and personalities that comprise the community of Israel whose intrinsic unity we emphasize on Sukkot.

Sukkot is also called  The Time of Our Joy; indeed, a special joy pervades the festival. nightly  Water-Drawing Celebrations, reminiscent of the evening-to-dawn festivities held in the  Holy Temple in preparation for the drawing of water for use in the festival service, fill the  synagogues and streets with song, music and dance until the wee hours of the morning.

The seventh day of Sukkot is called  Hoshaana Rabbah ("Great Salvation") and closes the  period of Divine judgment begun on  Rosh Hashanah. A special observance is the  aravah--the  taking of a bundle of willow branches.

See also  How is Sukkot Observed? An Overview of Sukkot's Traditions and Customs and our  Complete Sukkot Guide

 

Click HERE to view the schedule for
Sukkot at Chabad