Sukkah

Main article: Sukkot

For the tractate of the Talmud, see Sukkah (Talmud).

The sukkah is a temporary dwelling that Jews use during the holiday of Sukkot.

Structure

According to Halakha, a sukkah is a structure consisting of 2½, 3, or 4 walls with a roof made of an organic material which has been disconnected from the ground (the s'chach). It should be at least three feet tall, and be positioned so that all or part of its roof is open to the sky (only the part which is under the sky is kosher.) A sukkah can be built on the ground or on an open porch or balcony. Portable sukkahs are available for those who have little space, or for those who are travelling (in order to have a place to eat one's meals).

A sukkah on an apartment balcony in Jerusalem

In practice, the walls of a sukkah can be built from anything ranging from wood to canvas to aluminium, and the roof material can range from pine branches to palm fronds to bamboo. The walls may also be part of a house or fence. The specific details of what constitutes a wall, how short/tall a wall can be, whether there can be spaces between the walls and the roof, and the exact material required for the s'chach can be found in various exegetical texts.

S'chach

S'chach is the Hebrew name for the material used as a roof for a sukkah. S'chach has to have grown from the ground, but then must be disconnected from it. Palm leaves, bamboo sticks and pine branches and even wood as well as many other types of organic material could all be used for s'chach unless they were processed for a different use.

Decorations

Interior of a modern sukkah, with decorations hanging from the roof

Many people hang decorations such as dried or plastic fruit, streamers, shiny ornaments, and pictures from the interior walls and ceiling beams of a sukkah. Families may also line the interior walls with white sheeting, in order to recall the "Clouds of Glory" that surrounded the Jewish nation during their wanderings in the desert. The Chabad custom is not to decorate the sukkah, as the sukkah itself is considered to be an object of beauty.

What is done in the Sukkah?

In Israel and in temperate climates, observant Jews will conduct all their eating, studying, and sleeping activities in the sukkah. Many Jews will not eat anything except water or fruit outside the sukkah. In Israel, it is common practice for hotels, restaurants, snack shops, and outdoor tourist attractions (such as the zoo) to provide an eating sukkah for their guests. Lubavitcher and Belzer Hasidim differ from other Orthodox Jews in that they don't sleep in the sukkah due to its intrinsic holiness.

In cold climates such as the Eastern United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, full observance of the mitzvah of sleeping in the sukkah is almost impossible. Some Jews in these locales will spend some time in the sukkah eating and relaxing but go indoors to sleep. Though one need not eat or sleep in the sukkah if it is raining, Lubavitcher Hasidim will still eat there.

Symbolism

Although the festival of Sukkot is a joyous occasion, and is referred to in Hebrew as Yom Simchateinu (the day of our rejoicing) or Z'man Simchateinu, (the season of our rejoicing), the sukkah itself symbolises the frailty and transience of life. It also reminds its dwellers that true security comes from faith in God, rather than from money or possessions.

Ushpizzin

Template:Distinguish2 During the holiday, Jews invite seven spiritual "guests" (known as ushpizzin in Aramaic) to be with them in the sukkah. These ushpizzin are the seven "shepherds" of Israel. They are:

• Abraham
• Isaac
• Jacob
• Joseph (the three Patriarchs and Jacob's most famous son)
• Moses (the most influential of the Hebrew prophets)
• Aaron (Moses's brother, the first Kohen Gadol, or High Priest)
• David (a very significant king of Israel, the messiyah is said to be a descendant of David)

In recent times, there are some Jews who also add seven spiritual women or ushpizzot to join in the sukkah. [1]

According to tradition, each night a different guest enters the sukkah first and the other six follow. The custom of inviting guests to the sukkah also includes living guests; many people invite family, friends, neighbours, or people who are alone to join them for a snack or a meal. Anyone, including gentiles, are more than welcome inside a Sukkah.