Please click on the hyperlinks to see the source sheets embedded below
In preparation for the festival, we build Succos — or booths — in remembrance of the huts in which the Israelites lived during their 40 years of wandering in the desert.
Each night of Succos, it is traditional to welcome Ushpizin, the seven exalted figures of Israel, to join us in our sukkah. It may not be possible to welcome physical guests into the sukkah this year — making this the perfect time to embrace the tradition of welcoming ushpizin, now available on Sefaria in English.
Even the succa itself can be a symbol of the divine. In Tractate Succa of the Babylonian Talmud, rabbinic commentary tells us that the Succos described in the Torah may actually be referring to the divine clouds that sheltered the Israelites. Learn more in the sheet It's a Cloud, It's a Hut...It's a Sukkah! from the Sefaria Education team.
After the seven days of Succos we’ll move from clouds to rain. The holiday Shemini Atzeret includes the year’s first prayer for rain, reconnecting us with many of the ushpizin by referencing the role that water played in their lives. One day later is Simchat Torah (literally “joy of Torah”), a chance to celebrate Torah in our lives. Reflect on what the Torah means to you with Sefaria Education’s Simchat Torah Discussion Guide for all ages.
Sefaria is here for you as you explore new ways to celebrate Succos this year. Even if you aren’t able to gather in one sukkah physically right now, we hope you feel surrounded by community and peace in your succa of learning.
Sefaria is a non-profit organization dedicated to building the future of Jewish learning in an open and participatory way. We are assembling a free living library of Jewish texts and their interconnections, in Hebrew and in translation. With these digital texts, we can create new, interactive interfaces for Web, tablet and mobile, allowing more people to engage with the textual treasures of our tradition.
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