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Category: Appointed Times

Build a Kosher Sukkah

Tags:  Feast of Tablernacles, sukkah, Sukkot

By Aaron Eby

Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, "On the fifteenth of this seventh month is the Feast of Booths [Sukkot] for seven days to the LORD...You shall live in booths [sukkot] for seven days; all native-born in Israel shall live in booths [sukkot], so that your generations may know that I had the sons of Israel live in booths [sukkot] when I brought them out from the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God." (Leviticus 23:34, 42)

On the holiday of Sukkot, the Bible gives us tangible and visual ways to worship God and to learn about Him. The Torah instructs us to live in a sukkah (plural, sukkot) for seven days.1

Jewish oral law defines specific and practical requirements for the building of a sukkah. The point of these traditional guidelines is not to make sukkah building difficult, but to provide instruction so that we may fulfill the commandment in the best way possible.

There are some Jewish laws about building the sukkah that are almost universally accepted, and there are other areas where Jewish authorities disagree. It is the function of local communities to determine which standards and traditions they will follow.

The commandments in the Torah surrounding the festival of Sukkot are seemingly straightforward, but some questions do arise when reading the text through our twenty-first-century filters: What exactly is a "booth" (or sukkah)? The Torah does not provide a definition; it assumes that we already know. Second, is there a proper way to construct a sukkah? The Torah does not give us a single detail. Third, what is meant by "all the native-born in Israel"? Are Jews and non-Jews who live outside the Land of Israel expected to carry out this instruction?

Sukkot Today

The sukkot that are built across the world today are small huts with plant material as roofing. Sukkot can take on many different style...

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© 2009 First Fruits of Zion. All rights reserved. We encourage you to share this material with your friends for further personal study. However, This material may not be republished, in print, electronically, or any other form without our prior permission. Adapted from Messiah Magazine #97 .

For more information about this issue, click here.

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