The Jews wandered in the wilderness for 40 years before they were honored to enter the Land of Israel, and all these years they lived in huts (sukkah). The Torah says: “On the fifteenth day of the seventh month (tishrei) (from 16 to 22 October), when you harvest the fruits of the earth, celebrate the feast of the Most High for seven days … live in huts for seven days … so that your generations know that I have settled sons in huts Israel, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt … And then on the first day take the fruit of the etrog, palm branches, shoots of myrtle and willows and rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. In ancient times, this holiday was called in Israel - the Joyful time of the year. Now it is Sukkot. It falls at the time of harvest.
Harvesting is a large pile. The farmers did not have time even to return home from the field in the evening. And so people stayed overnight in the huts so that they could get back to work early in the morning. After all, if the grain is overripe, it will begin to crumble, and overripe fruits will deteriorate.
In memory of those huts, in Sukkot, light, fragile sukkis are placed near houses. They are not at all luxurious, because they are built in the likeness of the humble tents of their ancestors. But it is customary to decorate them with bouquets of flowers. In the corners they put baskets with fruits, and often huge golden pumpkins are placed. On the walls of the sukkah, plaques are hung with the names of the forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as well as the characters of the Torah, who had to wander a lot.
Both the farmer's hut and the wanderers' tents can be considered the prototype of the sukkah. Spending the night in these temporary dwellings, residents of large cities remember their ancestors and become familiar with the life of ancient Jews. The roof of the sukkah should be made of fresh green branches. This must be done so that the stars shine through them. The light of the stars reminds us that the wobbly, unreliable hut could not shelter the wanderers in the desert from robbers or wild animals. However, God protected the Jews and sent them food.
If a Jew has neither his own house nor a courtyard where a hut can be erected, he can join in the construction of a sukkah in the synagogue courtyard. On this day, a special service is held in the synagogue. During the prayer, a blessing is pronounced over the etrog and lulav. Etrog (citron) looks like a large lemon. It is a very aromatic fruit. For the festive service, only selected fruits are taken. To prevent the etrog from wrinkling and deteriorating, it is kept in special boxes. The word "lulav" in Hebrew means "palm branch". A young, unblown palm branch, long and thin, like the point of a saber, is chosen for the service. Having placed it in the center, on the one hand, three branches of myrtle are attached to it, on the other, two branches of pussy willow. The lower part of the branches folded together is braided with palm fibers.
During the prayer, those gathered swing the etrog and lulav in all four directions, as well as up and down. This very ancient custom symbolizes the omnipresence of God.
There is an interpretation that the etrog, palm branch, miter and pussy willow, gathered together, represent the people of Israel. But why? After all, they are so dissimilar … But one Jew is not like another. One studies the Torah and does good deeds, he is like an etrog that smells wonderful and is edible. The other, although not versed in the Law, lives according to the commandments of the Torah - he is like a palm tree that bears fruit, but does not smell. There are those who have studied a lot and can speak beautifully, but do little. They are like myrtle, which smells good but does not produce edible fruit. Finally, there are people who are simply ignorant and callous, not endowed with either an ardent mind or a kind heart. They look like a pussy willow, which has neither taste nor smell. But still, God united everyone in one bouquet - one people, to help each other, enlighten each other and answer for each other.
On the seventh day of the holiday, the synagogue is visited seven times. At the same time they exclaim: "Hoshana!" This word has also passed into Russian. There it sounds "Hosanna!", "Hoshana!" means "Save!" The seventh day of Sukkot is called "The Great Salvation" - "Hoshana Rabba".
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Simchat Torah
On the last day of Sukkot, the annual Torah reading cycle ends. The day when the last chapter is read is the feast of Simchat Torah, or Joy of the Torah. On this day, everyone comes to the synagogue: men, women, children. After prayer, the Torah scrolls are taken out and carried around the dais in the center of the synagogue seven times. The procession is accompanied by songs and dances.
The next day, the joyful procession with the Torah is repeated again. On this day, the last part of the Torah is read not only by adult men, but even by boys under the age of thirteen. The one who is called to read the last part of the Torah is called the bridegroom of the Torah. Immediately after the last line reading ends. They begin to read the Torah from the beginning, with the part "Bereshit" A member of the community called to read the first part is called the groom Bereshit. On the holiday of Simchat Torah, every Jewish believer is as happy as on his wedding day.
From the book: "100 Great Holidays". Elena Olegovna Chekulaeva