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Sukkah 
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"One should make the sukkah your principal abode and your house a temporary dwelling" Mishnah Sukkah 2:9 |
| The full moon of the month of Tishri brings Sukkot, called "Zeman Simchatenu", The Season of our Joy. Released from the introspection of the Days of Awe, we now are able to use our physical energy to construct a sukkah, that fragile hut that commemorates the journey of Israel through the wilderness after the Exodus. The Torah commands us to dwell in such a structure during the week long festival, which can be minimally fulfilled by taking a meal there. Building a sukkah is not hard and is best done with friends and family. The materials include wood, canvas or your sheets for the sides, ropes, hammers, nails, and perhaps concrete blocks to stabilize the wood frame. There are plans and kits available in books, the internet, and the First Jewish Catalog, which includes helpful suggestions and drawings. |  |
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The sukkah should be sturdy enough to withstand winds and not collapse, yet still convey that it is the fragile, temporary structure it is meant to commemorate. It should not be built directly under a tree, must be no more than 20 cubits (approximately 10 yards) nor less than 10 handbreadths (approximately 3 feet) high and must have at least three walls. The roofing of the sukkah, called s'cach, green leafy branches, is arranged so that one can view the sky and stars through the roof. It is customary to decorate the sukkah with fruits of the season, and with gourds, cornstalks, and other plants that grow here. |
| The sukkah is meant to
be enjoyed, to share meals in with friends, family and
perhaps others who could use the companionship and the
chance to participate in a mitzvah. There is also a
tradition from the mystics of Safed, that on each of the
seven nights of Sukkot, one of the heroes or heroines of
our history are symbolically invited to sit in the
sukkah. The custom is called ushpizin, and these
invisible guests provide a link with Jewish history. After entering the sukkah, it is customary to partake of food and wine, reciting the blessing over the wine, a festival Kiddush, and including on the first night a Sheh-hechianu, praising God for giving us life and enabling us to reach this moment. The following blessing is also said: |
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Baruch
atah Adonai, eloheynu melech ha-olam a-sher kid'shanu
b'mitzvotav v'tzi-vanu leysheyv ba-sukkah. |
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Religious Objects is produced by Steve
Butterfass and Eric Bonnell
