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The main tradition and rule of Sukkot, or the Feast of Tabernacles, is to live in a special hut, the sukkah, for seven days. This action refers to biblical events and at the same time teaches humility and the right prioritization, reminding that the spiritual is more important than the material. We tell you what other traditions and customs accompany Sukkot in 2022.
When is Sukkot celebrated in 2022
The event is celebrated at the beginning of autumn, in the month of the Jewish calendar Tishri – it falls approximately in the middle of September-October. The holiday of Sukkot in 2022 begins in the evening 9 October and will last for seven days, until October 16th. Many memorable dates in the Jewish tradition begin to be celebrated not at sunrise, but at sunset. Indeed, in the first part of the Jewish Bible – the Torah – it says: “And there was evening, and there was morning – one day.” Thus, indeed, the day for the Jews begins at sunset and ends in the evening of the next day.
Autumn among the Jews is rich in holidays and memorable dates. Some of them, such as the holidays of Shemini Atzeret, Simchat Torah, are associated with the Feast of Tabernacles.
The holiday of Shmini Atzeret, which is independent in its essence (literal translation – “stay on the eighth”) adds one more day to Sukkot, in 2022 it will be October 17th. Shemini Atzeret is the end of Sukkot, its climax. On this day, Jews light candles and leave their huts. After living in a sukkah for several days, on the holiday of Shemini Atzeret, you can get out of it and start praying for rain.
Simchat Torah also stems from the celebration of Sukkot and is considered the most joyful holiday among the Jews. In general, they know how to organize and celebrate holidays in the Jewish tradition.
History of Sukkot
The holiday of Sukkot is closely connected with the rich historical past of the Jewish people. Like the history of the Jews, Sukkot refers us to the dawn of early Christianity and the ancient biblical records. It is known that the Jews wandered in the Sinai desert for forty years after leaving Egypt. Therefore, the Jews have a special attitude to the hut-dwelling, to home comfort. The appearance of references to Sukkot in different parts of the Torah testifies that the legends about the ancient Jewish holiday were repeatedly rewritten and supplemented by various wise chroniclers of that distant time.
The ancient Hebrew sages and their chronicles conveyed to us the meaning of Sukkot. Its late tradition was formed already in the XNUMXth century of our time. A century later, the ideas contained in the celebration of Sukkot also penetrated into Our Country in the form of the Subbotnik movement. No, not those where they carry logs and ennoble the territory. Subbotniks are a religious movement associated with the rituals of Judaism and the ban on working on the Sabbath.
Sukkot has a number of other names. This time is sometimes called by the Jews the date of the harvest, the end of the wanderings in the wilderness, the feast of humanity and peace, of drawing and drinking, the time of asking for rain for the coming harvest. However, in ancient times Sukkot was also associated with similar processes.
Traditions and rules of the holiday
The part of the Bible revered by all Jews, the Torah, says: “Live in huts for seven days … so that your generations know that I settled the sons of Israel in huts when I brought them out of the land of Egypt.” The Torah pays special attention to the end of the holiday, when on its seventh day, called Hosha’na Rabbah, Jews go around the synagogue seven times. Everything related to Sukkot, the Torah serves exclusively in a cheerful, festive spirit. And even the commandments intended for the autumn holiday are imbued with joy and fun.
The most important tradition of Sukkot is living in the sukkah. Certain requirements are imposed on such a hut: it is advisable to build it with your own hands in the open air, you need to gather in the sukkah with the whole family and be sure to spend the night there. Of course, if a person has health problems, living in a hut during Sukkot can be neglected.
Another tradition is the “ascension of the lulav”, a bouquet of four types of plants. First, blessings are read over citrus and palm branches and fruits – etrog and lulav, and myrtle and willow branches also lie in sukkah. All these four plants symbolize people of Jewish nationality living on different continents. The fruit of the etrog, which has both taste and smell, is associated with the righteous who observe all the laws of the Torah and perform good deeds. The rest of the fruits and plants on the table (lulav, myrtle and willow) “belong” to people who are not up to the righteous. A bunch of these four plants, sacred to the Jews, fan the dwellings.
The welcome guests of the holiday are the souls of Ushpizins – shepherds – with the names Abraham, Yitzhak, Jacob, David, Moses, Aaron and Joseph. To invite them to the sukkah means to give the Jews the hope of delivering the people from their wanderings.