Two holidays are set in the Torah to celebrate the exodus: Passover (Pseach) and Sukkot. Passover concentrates on the Israelite’s hardship under the Egyptian rule and their exit of the Land of Egypt. Sukkot commemorates the Israelites travels in the desert on their way to Israel. In Passover we eat Matzah to commemorate the unleavened bread the Israelites ate as the hurried to leave. In Sukkot we eat in the Sukkah,  a temporary booth similar to the ones the Israelites lived in during their time in the desert. While the four walls of the Sukkah can be made of any material (traditionally it is either cloth or wood), as long as it is secure and doesn’t fall apart in the wind,  the roof must be made from organic materials such as branches, or bamboo mats.

Sukkot is celebrated for seven days and is followed by Shmini Atzeret/Simacht Torah.

When is Sukkot celebrated in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015?

2012:   September 30 (at sundown) – October 7
2013:   September 18 (at sundown) – 25
2014:   October 8 (at sundown) – 15
2015:   September 27 (at sundown) – October 4

The next posts will discuss the following Sukkot related traditions and terms:

• The Four Species
• Sukkot other names:
  • The Harvest Festival
  • The time of our Joy
• Hoshana Rabbah
• Hakafot
• Simchat Torah
• Shmini Atzeret

And we close with  a YouTube video demonstrating Sukkot’s main customs to the sounds of traditional Israeli Sukkot songs.