Sukkot

Sukkot ( "booths") is one of Jewish Holidays that occurs in autumn (late September to late October). The holiday lasts 7 days in Israel and 8 days outside the land of Israel. It is one of the three major holidays, when the Jewish populace traveled to the Temple in Jerusalem. During sukkot, Jews build a temporary structure in which to eat their meals, entertain guests, relax, and even sleep. The sukkah is reminiscent of the type of huts in which the ancient Israelites dwelt during their 40 years of wandering in the desert.

On each of the seven days of Sukkot, the Torah requires the Jew to take Four Species of plants and to grasp and shake them in a specific manner. This ceremony commemorates the Aravah (willow) ceremony in the days of the Temple in Jerusalem.Perhaps because of its wide attendance, Sukkot became the appropriate time for important state ceremonies. Moses instructed the children of Israel to gather for a reading of the Law during Sukkot every seventh year. King Solomon dedicated the Temple in Jerusalem on Sukkot. And Sukkot was the first sacred occasion observed after the resumption of sacrifices in Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity.

According to Zechariah, Sukkot will become a universal festival, and all nations will make pilgrimages annually to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast there. A modern interpretation of this resulted in a recent holiday celebrated in Jerusalem by non-Jews. Throughout Sukkot, the city of Jerusalem teemed with Jewish families who came on the holiday pilgrimage and joined together for feasting and Torah study.