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{{short description|Jewish Holiday, Harvest Festival, Festival of Booths}}{{engvarb|date=August 2024}}
{{For|the biblical location|Sukkot (place)}}
{{for|the biblical location|Sukkot (place)}}
{{Redirect|Ingathering|the Ingathering of the Exiles (''Kibbutz Galuyot'')|Gathering of Israel}}
{{Redirect|Ingathering|the Ingathering of the Exiles (Kibbutz Galuyot)|Gathering of Israel|the Zenna Henderson story collection|Ingathering: The Complete People Stories}}
{{Infobox holiday
{{Infobox holiday
|image = EtrogC.jpg
| image = Image:Sukkoth - IZE10160.jpg
| caption = A sukkah (plural: sukkot) in a [[kibbutz]] in [[Gush Etzion]]
|imagesize = 300px
| holiday_name = Sukkot
|caption = From left to right, [[lulav]], [[etrog]] carrier, and etrog used on Sukkot
| official_name = {{lang-he|סוכות}} or {{Script/Hebrew|סֻכּוֹת}}<br />("Booths, Tabernacles")
|holiday_name = Sukkot
| observedby = *[[Jew]]s [one of the major holidays in [[Israel]]]
|official_name = {{lang-he|סוכות}} or {{Hebrew|סֻכּוֹת}} ("Booths, Tabernacles")
*[[Samaritans]]
|observedby = [[Jew]]s, [[Hebrews]], [[Israelite]]s, [[Messianic Judaism|Messianic Jews]], [[Samaritans]]
*{{nowrap|[[Semitic Neopaganism|Semitic Neopagans]]{{cn|date=August 2024}}}}
|beginsin = 15th day of [[Tishrei]]
| type = Jewish [primarily in Israel], Samaritan
|ends = 21st day of Tishrei (22nd outside of Israel)
| begins = 15th day of [[Tishrei]]
|date2012 = 30 September – 7 October, Karaite: 2–8 October
| ends = 21st day of Tishrei
|date2013 = 18–26 September, Karaite: 22–28 September
| date{{LASTYEAR}} = {{Calendar date/infobox|year=last}}
|date2014 = 8–15 October
| date{{CURRENTYEAR}} = {{Calendar date/infobox|year=current}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Zmanim - Halachic Times |url=https://www.chabad.org/calendar/zmanim_cdo/locationid/84/locationtype/1/tdate/10-10-2022/jewish/Halachic-Times.htm |website=www.chabad.org}}</ref>
|date2015 = September 27 - October 4 (5 outside of Israel)
| date{{NEXTYEAR}} = {{Calendar date/infobox|year=next}}
|observances = Eating in ''[[sukkah]]'', taking the [[Four Species]], ''hakafot'' in [[Synagogue]].
| date{{NEXTYEAR|2}} = {{Calendar date/infobox|year=next2}}
|significance = One of the [[Shalosh regalim|three pilgrim festivals]]
| observances = Dwelling, decorating, and eating a festive dinner inside a family-sized ''[[sukkah]]''; blessing the ''[[four species]]'', dgoing ''[[hakafot]]''; praising the good fortune with ''[[hallel]]'' prayers in [[synagogue]]s
| significance = One of the [[three pilgrimage festivals]] ''[[shalosh regalim]]''
| relatedto = [[Shemini Atzeret]], [[Simchat Torah]]
| alt =
| nickname =
| litcolor =
| celebrations =
| date = 15 Tishrei, 16 Tishrei, 17 Tishrei, 18 Tishrei, 19 Tishrei, 20 Tishrei, 21 Tishrei
| weekday =
| month =
| scheduling =
| duration =
| frequency =
| firsttime =
| startedby =
}}
}}
[[File:EtrogC.jpg|thumb|Sukkot's [[Four species|4 Holy Species]] from left to right: [[Hadass]] ([[myrtus|myrtle]]), [[Lulav]] ([[Arecaceae|palm]] frond), [[Aravah (Sukkot)|Aravah]] ([[willow]] branch), [[Etrog]] ([[citron]]) carrier, Etrog (citron) outside its carrier]]


'''Sukkot'''{{Efn|{{lang-hbo|text=חַג הַסֻּכּוֹת}} ''Ḥag hasSukkōṯ'', lit. "the [[Three Pilgrimage Festivals|pilgrimage]] of booths". Also spelled Sukkoth, Succot; [[Ashkenazi Hebrew]]: Sukkos.}} is a [[Torah]]-commanded [[holiday]] celebrated for seven days, beginning on the 15th day of the month of [[Tishrei]]. It is one of the [[Three Pilgrimage Festivals]] on which [[Israelites]] were commanded to make a pilgrimage to the [[Temple in Jerusalem]]. Originally a [[harvest festival]] celebrating the autumn [[harvest]], Sukkot’s modern observance is characterized by festive meals in a [[sukkah]], a temporary wood-covered hut, celebrating [[the Exodus]] from Egypt.
'''Sukkot''' or '''Succot''' ({{lang-he|סוכות}} or {{lang|he|סֻכּוֹת}}, ''{{transl|he|sukkōt}}''), in traditional [[Ashkenazi]] pronunciation '''Sukkos''' or '''Succos''', literally '''Feast of Booths''', is commonly translated to [[English language|English]] as '''Feast of Tabernacles''', sometimes also as '''Feast of the Ingathering'''. It is a [[Hebrew Bible|biblical]] [[Jewish holiday]] celebrated on the 15th day of the month of [[Tishrei]] (varies from late September to late October). During the existence of the [[Temple in Jerusalem|Jerusalem Temple]] it was one of the [[Three Pilgrimage Festivals]] ({{lang-he|שלושה רגלים}}, ''{{transl|he|shlosha regalim}}'') on which the [[Israelites]] were commanded to perform a pilgrimage to the Temple.


The names used in the [[Torah]] are "Festival of Ingathering" (or "Harvest Festival", {{lang-he|חַג הָאָסִיף
Sukkot has a double significance. The one mentioned in the [[Book of Exodus]] is agricultural in nature – "Feast of Ingathering at the year's end" ({{Bibleref2|Exodus 34:22}}) – and marks the end of the harvest time and thus of the agricultural year in the [[Land of Israel]]. The more elaborate religious significance from the [[Book of Leviticus]] is that of commemorating [[the Exodus]] and the dependence of the [[Israelites|People of Israel]] on the will of God ({{Bibleref2|Leviticus 23:42-43}}).
|ḥag hāʾāsif}})<ref name =com>{{Cite web |title= Sukkot {{!}} Meaning, Traditions, & Tabernacles {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sukkoth-Judaism |access-date=2022-06-22 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> and "Festival of Booths" ({{lang-he|חג הסכות|Ḥag hasSukkōṯ}}).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sukkot, The Feast of Booths (known to some as the Feast of Tabernacles) {{!}} Jewish Voice |url=https://www.jewishvoice.org/read/blog/sukkot-feast-booths-known-some-feast-tabernacles |access-date=2022-10-13 |website=www.jewishvoice.org}}</ref><ref name =com/> This corresponds to the double significance of Sukkot. The one mentioned in the [[Book of Exodus]] is agricultural in nature—"Festival of Ingathering at the year's end" ({{bibleverse|Exodus |34:22}})—and marks the end of the harvest time and thus of the agricultural year in the [[Land of Israel]]. The more elaborate religious significance from the [[Book of Leviticus]] is that of commemorating [[the Exodus]] and the dependence of the [[Israelites]] on the will of God ({{bibleverse|Leviticus|23:42–43}}).


The holiday lasts seven days in Israel and eight in the [[Jewish diaspora|diaspora]]. The first day (and second day in the diaspora) is a [[Shabbat]]-like [[Jewish holiday|holiday]] when work is forbidden, followed by intermediate days called [[Chol Hamoed]]. The festival is closed with another Shabbat-like holiday called [[Shemini Atzeret]] (two days in the diaspora, where the second day is called [[Simchat Torah]]).
The holiday lasts seven days in the Land of Israel and eight in the [[Jewish diaspora|diaspora]]. The first day (and second day in the diaspora) is a [[Shabbat]]-like [[Jewish holiday|holiday]] when [[melacha|work]] is forbidden. This is followed by intermediate days called [[Chol HaMoed]], during which certain work is permitted. The festival is closed with another Shabbat-like holiday called [[Shemini Atzeret]] (one day in the Land of Israel, two days in the diaspora, where the second day is called [[Simchat Torah]]). Shemini Atzeret coincides with the eighth day of Sukkot outside the Land of Israel.


The Hebrew word ''{{transl|he|sukkōt}}'' is the plural of ''[[sukkah]]'', "[[:wikt:booth|booth]]" or "[[:wikt:tabernacle|tabernacle]]", which is a walled structure covered with ''[[s'chach]]'' (plant material such as overgrowth or palm leaves). A sukkah is the name of the temporary dwelling in which farmers would live during harvesting, a fact connecting to the agricultural significance of the holiday stressed by the Book of Exodus. As stated in Leviticus, it is also intended as a reminiscence of the type of fragile dwellings in which the Israelites dwelt during their 40 years of travel in the desert after the Exodus from slavery in [[Ancient Egypt|Egypt]]. Throughout the holiday, meals are eaten inside the sukkah and many people sleep there as well.
The Hebrew word ''{{transliteration|he|sukkoṯ}}'' is the plural of ''[[sukkah]]'' ('[[:wikt:booth|booth]]' or '[[:wikt:tabernacle|tabernacle]]') which is a walled structure covered with ''[[s'chach]]'' (plant material, such as overgrowth or palm leaves). A sukkah is the name of the temporary dwelling in which farmers would live during harvesting, reinforcing agricultural significance of the holiday introduced in the Book of Exodus. As stated in [[Book of Leviticus|Leviticus]], it is also reminiscent of the type of fragile dwellings in which the Israelites dwelled during their 40 years of travel in the desert after the Exodus from slavery in [[Ancient Egypt|Egypt]]. Throughout the holiday, meals are eaten inside the sukkah and many people sleep there as well.


On each day of the holiday it is mandatory to perform a waving ceremony with the [[Four Species]].
On each day of the holiday it is a [[mitzvah]], or commandment, to perform a waving ceremony with the [[four species]], as well as to sit in the sukkah during the holiday.


==Origins==
==Origins==
[[File:Sukkah Roofs.jpg|thumb|External aerial view of [[Sukkah]] booths where Jewish families eat their meals and sleep throughout the Sukkot holiday]]
[[File:Sukkah Roofs.jpg|thumb|External aerial view of [[sukkah]] booths where Jewish families eat their meals and sleep throughout the Sukkot holiday]]
[[File:Soukkah (Sukkah) fin du XIXe siècle, Autriche ou Sud de l'Allemagne - Musée d'art et d'histoire du Judaïsme.jpg|thumb|A 19th century painted Sukkah from Austria - [[Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme]]]]
[[File:Soukkah (Sukkah) fin du XIXe siècle, Autriche ou Sud de l'Allemagne - Musée d'art et d'histoire du Judaïsme.jpg|thumb|A 19th-century painted sukkah from Austria or South Germany, Painted pine, 220 × 285.5 cm, [[Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme]]]]
[[File:A Pleasant Sukka.JPG|thumb|Sukkah in the U.S.]]
[[File:A Pleasant Sukka.JPG|thumb|Sukkah in [[New Hampshire]]]]


Sukkot shares similarities with older Canaanite new-year/harvest festivals, which included a seven-day celebration with sacrifices reminiscent of those in {{bibleverse|Num.|29:13-38}} and "dwellings of branches," as well as processions with branches. The earliest references in the Bible ({{bibleverse|Ex.|23:16}} & {{bibleverse|Ex.|34:22}}) make no mention of Sukkot, instead referring to it as "the festival of ingathering (hag ha'asif) at the end of the year, when you gather in the results of your work from the field," suggesting an agricultural origin. (The Hebrew term ''asif'' is also mentioned in the [[Gezer calendar]] as a two-month period in the autumn.)
In the Book of Leviticus, God told Moses to command the people:


The booths aspect of the festival may come from the shelters that were built in the fields by those involved in the harvesting process. Alternatively, it may come from the booths which pilgrims would stay in when they came in for the festivities at the cultic sanctuaries.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Farber |first1=Zev |title=The Origins of Sukkot|url=https://www.thetorah.com/article/the-origins-of-sukkot |website=www.thetorah.com}}</ref><ref name="encyclopedia.com">{{cite web |title=Booths (Tabernacles), Feast of |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/booths-tabernacles-feast |website=www.encyclopedia.com |publisher=New Catholic Encyclopedia}}</ref><ref name="Rubenstein1995">{{cite book |last1=Rubenstein |first1=Jeffrey L. |title=A History of Sukkot in the Second Temple and Rabbinic Periods |publisher=Brown Judaic Studies |isbn=978-1-946527-28-8 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvzpv502.7 |chapter=The Origins and Ancient History of Sukkot|year=2020 |pages=13–30 |doi=10.2307/j.ctvzpv502.7 |jstor=j.ctvzpv502.7 |s2cid=241670598 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=MacRae |first1=George W. |title=The Meaning and Evolution of the Feast of Tabernacles |journal=The Catholic Biblical Quarterly |date=1960 |volume=22 |issue=3 |pages=251–276 |jstor=43710833 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43710833 |issn=0008-7912}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Jacobs |first1=Joseph |title=TABERNACLES, FEAST OF - JewishEncyclopedia.com |url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/14185-tabernacles-feast-of |website=www.jewishencyclopedia.com}}</ref> Finally, {{bibleverse|Lev.|23:40}} talks about the taking of various branches (and a fruit), this too is characteristic of ancient agricultural festivals, which frequently included processions with branches.<ref name="Rubenstein1995"/>[https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvzpv502.7?seq=5 {{rp|17}}]
:"On the first day you shall take the product of hadar trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and [[willow]]s of the brook" ({{Bibleref2|Lev. 23:40}}), and "You shall live in booths seven days; all citizens in Israel shall live in booths, in order that future generations may know that I made the Israelite people live in booths when I brought them out of the land of [[Egypt]]" ({{Bibleref2|Lev. 23:42-43}}).


Later, the festival was historicized by symbolic connection with the desert sojourn of [[The Exodus|exodus]] ({{bibleverse|Lev.|23:42-43|HE}}).<ref name="encyclopedia.com"/> The narratives of the exodus trek do not describe the Israelites building booths,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Frankel |first1=David |title=How and Why Sukkot was Linked to the Exodus - TheTorah.com |url=https://www.thetorah.com/article/how-and-why-sukkot-was-linked-to-the-exodus |website=www.thetorah.com}}</ref><ref name="Rubenstein1995"/>[https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvzpv502.7?seq=6 {{rp|18}}] but they indicate that most of the trek was spent encamped at oases rather than traveling, and "sukkot" roofed with palm branches were a popular and convenient form of housing at such Sinai desert oases.<ref>[[Yoel Bin Nun]], ''Zachor Veshamor'' p.168; [[Noga Hareuveni]], ''Teva Venof Bemoreshet Yisrael'', p.68-70</ref>
The origins of Sukkot are both historical and agricultural. Historically, Sukkot commemorates the forty-year period during which the children of Israel were wandering in the desert, living in temporary shelters. Agriculturally, Sukkot is a [[harvest festival]] and is sometimes referred to as ''{{transl|he|Chag HaAsif}}'' ({{lang|he|חג האסיף}}, the "Festival of Ingathering"), as it celebrates the gathering of the harvest.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday5.htm|title=Judaism 101: Sukkot|work=jewfaq.org}}</ref><ref>[http://www.neot-kedumim.org.il/?CategoryID=241&ArticleID=135 Sukkot – The Festival of Booths]</ref>


==Laws and customs==
==Laws and customs==
Sukkot is an eight-day holiday, with the first day celebrated as a full festival with special prayer services and holiday meals. The seventh day of Sukkot is called ''{{transl|he|[[Hoshana Rabbah]]}}'' ("Great Hoshana", referring to the tradition that worshipers in the [[synagogue]] walk around the perimeter of the sanctuary during morning services) and has a special observance of its own. Outside Israel, the first and last two days are celebrated as full festivals. The intermediate days are known as ''Chol HaMoed'' ("festival weekdays"). According to [[Halakha]], some types of work are forbidden during ''Chol HaMoed''.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Pesach Its observance, Laws and Significance |url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=kZL9RW6q22wC&pg=PA88&dq=chol+hamoed+no+work&hl=en&sa=X&ei=GL4-VOaTOYTgOKOTgHA&ved=0CDoQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=work&f=false |editor1-last=Scherman |editor1-first=Nosson |editor2-last=Zlotowitz |editor2-first=Meir |publisher=Mesorah Publications, Ltd. |year=1994, 1995 |page=88 |accessdate=October 17, 2014}}</ref> In [[Israel]] many businesses are closed during this time.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/15795#.VEEjc1eGffY |title=True Chol Hamoed Celebration is only in Israel |publisher=Arutz Sheva |date=October 12, 2014 |accessdate=October 17, 2014}}</ref>
Sukkot is a seven-day festival. Inside the [[Land of Israel]], the first day is celebrated as a full festival with special prayer services and holiday meals. Outside the Land of Israel, the first two days are celebrated as full festivals. The seventh day of Sukkot is called ''{{transliteration|he|[[Hoshana Rabbah]]}}'' ("Great Hoshana", referring to the tradition that worshippers in the [[synagogue]] walk around the perimeter of the sanctuary during morning services) and has a special observance of its own. The intermediate days are known as ''Chol HaMoed'' ("festival weekdays"). According to [[Halakha]], some types of work are forbidden during ''Chol HaMoed''.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Pesach: Its observance, Laws and Significance |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kZL9RW6q22wC |editor-last=Scherman |editor-first=Nosson |first1=Shimon |last1=Finkelman |first2=Mosheh Dov |last2=Shṭain |first3=Moshe |last3=Lieber |publisher=Mesorah Publications |year=1994 |page=88 |access-date=29 September 2019 |isbn=9780899064475}}</ref> In Israel many businesses are closed during this time.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/15795#.VEEjc1eGffY |title=True Chol Hamoed Celebration is only in Israel |publisher=Arutz Sheva |first=Dr. Chaim Charles |last=Cohen |date=12 October 2014 |access-date=29 September 2019}}</ref>


Throughout the week of Sukkot, meals are eaten in the sukkah. If a [[brit milah]] (circumcision ceremony) or [[Bar and Bat Mitzvah|Bar Mitzvah]] rises during Sukkot, the [[seudat mitzvah]] (obligatory festive meal) is served in the sukkah. Similarly, the father of a newborn boy greets guests to his Friday-night [[Shalom Zachar]] in the sukkah. Males sleep in the sukkah, provided the weather is tolerable. If it rains, the requirement of eating and sleeping in the sukkah is waived, except for eating there on the first night where every effort needs to be made to at least say [[kiddush]] (the sanctification prayer on wine) and eat a piece of bread before going inside the house to finish the meal if the rain does not stop. Every day, a blessing is recited over the [[Lulav]] and the [[Etrog]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.sefaria.org/Shulchan_Arukh%2C_Orach_Chayim.658?lang=bi|title=Shulchan Orech, Orach Chayim|pages=658:1|no-pp=y}}</ref>
Throughout the week of Sukkot, meals are eaten in the sukkah and the males sleep there, although the requirement is waived in case of rain. Every day, a blessing is recited over the [[Lulav]] and the [[Etrog]].
Keeping of Sukkot is detailed in the [[Hebrew Bible]] ({{bibleverse|Nehemiah|8:13–18}}, {{Bibleverse||Zechariah|14:16–19|HE}} and {{bibleverse|Leviticus|23:34–44}}); the [[Mishnah]] (Sukkah 1:1–5:8); the [[Tosefta]] (Sukkah 1:1–4:28); and the [[Jerusalem Talmud]] (Sukkah 1a–) and Babylonian [[Talmud]] ([[Sukkah (Talmud)|Sukkah]] 2a–56b).


=== Sukkah ===
Observance of Sukkot is detailed in the Book of [[Nehemiah]] and [[Leviticus]] 23:34-44 in the [[Bible]], the [[Mishnah]] (Sukkah 1:1–5:8); the [[Tosefta]] (Sukkah 1:1–4:28); and the [[Jerusalem Talmud]] (Sukkah 1a–) and Babylonian [[Talmud]] ([[Sukkah (Talmud)|Sukkah]] 2a–56b).
{{Main|Sukkah}}
The sukkah walls can be constructed of any material that blocks wind (wood, canvas, aluminum siding, sheets). The walls can be free-standing or include the sides of a building or porch. There must be at least two and a partial wall.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Building the Sukkah - Halachipedia |url=https://halachipedia.com/index.php?title=Building_the_Sukkah |access-date=2022-10-13 |website=halachipedia.com |language=en}}</ref> The roof must be of organic material, known as [[s'chach]], such as leafy tree overgrowth, schach mats or palm fronds – plant material that is no longer connected with the earth.<ref name="build">{{cite web |title=How do we make a Sukkah? |url=http://www.beingjewish.com/yomtov/sukkos/build.html |website=BeingJewish.com |date=20 December 2017 |access-date=29 September 2019}}</ref> It is customary to decorate the interior of the sukkah with hanging decorations of the [[four species]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://judaica101.ajudaica.com/sukkot/ |title=Sukkot |website=ajudaica.com |first=Yossi |last=Belz |date=10 September 2009 |access-date=29 September 2019}}</ref> as well as with attractive artwork.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sukkah Decoration |author= |work=The Jewish Museum |date= |access-date=10 October 2022 |url= https://thejewishmuseum.org/collection/22450-sukkah-decoration}}</ref>{{clear left}}


==Building a sukkah==
=== Prayers ===
[[File:PikiWiki Israel 14882 Western Wall in Jerusalem.jpg|thumb|Sukkot prayers at the [[Western Wall]] (the Kotel)]]
The sukkah walls can be constructed of any material (wood, canvas, aluminum siding, sheets). The walls can be free-standing or include the sides of a building or porch. The roof must be of organic material, known as [[s'chach]], such as leafy tree overgrowth, schach mats or palm fronds. It is customary to decorate the interior of the sukkah with hanging decorations. the [[four species]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ajudaica.com/judaica101/jewish-holidays/sukkot/ |title=Judaica 101: Sukkot |publisher=Ajudaica.com |date= |accessdate=2012-04-03}}</ref>{{clear left}}
Prayers during Sukkot include the reading of the Torah every day, reciting the [[Jewish services|Mussaf]] (additional) service after morning prayers, reciting [[Hallel]], and adding special additions to the [[Amidah]] and [[Birkat HaMazon|Grace after Meals]]. In addition, the service includes rituals involving the Four Species. The lulav and etrog are not used on the Sabbath.<ref name="sackssiddur">{{cite book |first=Lord Jonathan |last=Sacks |title=The Koren Siddur |edition=Nusaḥ Ashkenaz, 1st Hebrew/English |year=2009 |publisher=Koren Publishers |location=Jerusalem |isbn=9789653010673}}</ref>


==Special prayers==
===''Hoshanot''===
On each day of the festival, worshippers walk around the synagogue carrying the Four Species while reciting special prayers known as ''Hoshanot''.<ref name="sackssiddur" />{{rp|852}} This takes place either after the morning's Torah reading or at the end of Mussaf. This ceremony commemorates the [[Aravah (Sukkot)|willow]] ceremony at the [[Temple in Jerusalem]], in which willow branches were piled beside the altar with worshippers parading around the altar reciting prayers.<ref name="chabad-hoshana">{{cite web |title=Honshana Rabbah |url=https://www.chabad.org/holidays/JewishNewYear/template_cdo/aid/757453/jewish/Hoshana-Rabbah.htm |website=Chabad.org |access-date=29 September 2019}}</ref>
[[File:PikiWiki Israel 14882 Western Wall in Jerusalem.jpg|thumb|Sukkot prayers at the [[Western Wall]] or ''Kotel'']]


===''Ushpizin'' and ''ushpizata''===
Prayers during Sukkot include the reading of the Torah every day, reciting the [[Jewish services|Mussaf]] (additional) service after morning prayers, reciting [[Hallel]], and adding special additions to the [[Amidah]] and [[Birkat HaMazon|Grace after Meals]]. In addition, the service includes rituals involving the Four Species. The lulav and etrog are not brought to the synagogue on Shabbat.
[[File:Sukkah Walls by Leat Silvera.jpg|thumb|150px|It is customary to decorate the interior of the sukkah to beautify the [[mitzvah]]. Pictured: {{convert|5|x|8|ft|adj=on}} wall hanging]]

A custom originating with [[Lurianic Kabbalah]] is to recite the ''ushpizin'' prayer to "invite" one of seven "exalted guests" into the sukkah.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Judaica |title=ushpizin |volume=19 |page=303}}</ref> These ''ushpizin'' ([[Aramaic language|Aramaic]] {{lang|he|אושפיזין}} 'guests'), represent the "seven shepherds of Israel": [[Abraham]], [[Isaac]], [[Jacob]], [[Moses]], [[Aaron]], [[Joseph (Hebrew Bible)|Joseph]] and [[David]], each of whom correlate with one of the seven lower [[Sephirot]] (this is why Joseph, associated with [[Yesod]], follows Moses and Aaron, associated with [[Netzach]] and [[Hod (Kabbalah)|Hod]] respectively, even though he precedes them in the narrative). According to tradition, each night a different guest enters the sukkah followed by the other six. Each of the ''ushpizin'' has a unique lesson to teach that parallels the spiritual focus of the day on which they visit, based on the [[Sephirah]] associated with that character.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tauber |first=Yanki |title=The Ushpizin |url=https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/571505/jewish/The-Ushpizin.htm |website=Chabad}}</ref>
===''Hoshanot''===
On each day of the festival, worshippers walk around the synagogue carrying their Four species while reciting Psalm 118:25 and special prayers known as ''Hoshanot''. This takes place either after the morning's Torah reading or at the end of Mussaf. This ceremony commemorates the [[Aravah (Sukkot)|willow]] ceremony at the [[Temple in Jerusalem]], in which willow branches were piled beside the altar with worshipers parading around the altar reciting prayers.


Some streams of Reconstructionist Judaism also recognize a set of seven female shepherds of Israel, called variously {{transliteration|he|Ushpizot}} (using modern Hebrew feminine pluralization), or {{transliteration|he|Ushpizata}} (in reconstructed Aramaic). Several lists of seven have been proposed. The Ushpizata are sometimes coidentified with the seven [[Prophets in Judaism#The seven prophetesses|prophetesses of Judaism]]: [[Sarah]], [[Miriam]], [[Deborah]], [[Hannah (biblical figure)|Hannah]], [[Abigail]], [[Huldah|Hulda]], and [[Esther]].<ref>{{cite web |first=Arie |last=Hasit |date=4 October 2019 |access-date=29 September 2019 |work=Haaretz |url=https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/on-ushpizin-and-ushpizot-guests-1.5175599 |title=On Ushpizin and Ushpizot: The Guests at My Sukkah}}</ref> Some lists seek to relate each female leader to one of the [[Sephirot]], to parallel their male counterparts of the evening. One such list (in the order they would be invoked, each evening) is: [[Ruth (biblical figure)|Ruth]], [[Sarah]], [[Rebecca]], [[Miriam]], [[Deborah]], [[Tamar (Genesis)|Tamar]], and [[Rachel]].<ref>{{cite web |first=David |last=Seidenberg |date=2006 |access-date=31 May 2020 |work=NeoHasid.org |url=http://www.neohasid.org/sukkot/ushpizintext/ |title=Egalitarian Ushpizin: The Ushpizata}}</ref>
===''Ushpizin''===
A custom originating with [[Lurianic Kabbalah]] is to recite the ''ushpizin'' prayer to "invite" one of seven "exalted guests" into the sukkah.<ref>Encyclopaedia Judaica, v19, pg 303</ref> These ''ushpizin'' ([[Aramaic language|Aramaic]] {{lang|he|אושפיזין}} 'guests'), represent the seven shepherds of Israel: [[Abraham]], [[Isaac]], [[Jacob]], [[Moses]], [[Aaron]], [[Joseph (Hebrew Bible)|Joseph]] and [[David]]. According to tradition, each night a different guest enters the sukkah followed by the other six. Each of the ''ushpizin'' has a unique lesson which teaches the parallels of the spiritual focus of the day on which they visit.


==Chol HaMoed==
=== ''Chol HaMoed'' intermediate days ===
{{Main|Chol HaMoed}}
{{Main|Chol HaMoed}}
[[File:He wiki sucot.jpg|thumb|left|Decorations hanging from the [[s'chach]] (top or "ceiling") on the inside of a [[sukkah]].]]
[[File:He wiki sucot.jpg|thumb|left|Decorations hanging from the [[s'chach]] (top or "ceiling") on the inside of a [[sukkah]]]]


The second through seventh days of Sukkot (third through seventh days outside Israel) are called [[Chol HaMoed]] ({{lang|he|חול המועד}} - {{abbr|lit.|literally}} "festival weekdays"). These days are considered by [[halakha]] to be more than regular weekdays but less than festival days. In practice, this means that all activities that are needed for the holiday—such as buying and preparing food, cleaning the house in honor of the holiday, or traveling to visit other people's sukkot or on family outings—are permitted by Jewish law. Activities that will interfere with relaxation and enjoyment of the holiday—such as laundering, mending clothes, engaging in labor-intensive activities—are not permitted. Religious Jews typically treat Chol HaMoed as a vacation period, eating nicer than usual meals in their sukkah, entertaining guests, visiting other families in their sukkot, and taking family outings. Many synagogues and Jewish centers also offer events and meals in their sukkot during this time to foster community and goodwill.
The second through seventh days of Sukkot (third through seventh days outside the Land of Israel) are called [[Chol HaMoed]] ({{lang|he|חול המועד}} {{abbr|lit.|literally}} "festival weekdays"). These days are considered by [[halakha]] to be more than regular weekdays but less than festival days. In practice, this means that all activities that are needed for the holiday—such as buying and preparing food, cleaning the house in honor of the holiday, or traveling to visit other people's sukkot or on family outings—are permitted by Jewish law. Activities that will interfere with relaxation and enjoyment of the holiday—such as laundering, mending clothes, engaging in labor-intensive activities—are not permitted.<ref>''[[Shulchan Aruch]]'', ''[[Orach Chayim]]'', 530</ref><ref name="ou-moed">{{cite web |last=Krakowski |first=Rabbi Y. Dov |title=Hilchos Chol HaMoed |url=https://www.ou.org/holidays/sukkot/hilchos-chol-hamoed/ |publisher=Orthodox Union |date=10 April 2014 |access-date=29 September 2019}}</ref>


Religious Jews often treat Chol HaMoed as a vacation period, eating nicer than usual meals in their sukkah, entertaining guests, visiting other families in their sukkot, and taking family outings. Many synagogues and Jewish centers also offer events and meals in their sukkot during this time to foster community and goodwill.<ref name="com-fest">{{cite news| last=Pine|first=Dan|title=Community festivals celebrate Sukkot with food and fun|newspaper=J |url=https://www.jweekly.com/2011/10/07/community-festivals-celebrate-sukkot-with-food-and-fun/|publisher=Jweekly|date=7 October 2011|access-date=5 December 2020}}</ref><ref name="ref-sukkot">{{cite web|title=Sukkot: The Festival of Booths|url=https://reformjudaism.org/jewish-holidays/sukkot|publisher=ReformJudaism.org|access-date=5 December 2020}}</ref>
On the [[Shabbat]] which falls during the week of Sukkot (or in the event when the first day of Sukkot is on Shabbat), the [[Ecclesiastes|Book of Ecclesiastes]] is read during morning [[synagogue]] services in Israel. (Diaspora communities read it the second Shabbat {eighth day} when the first day of sukkot is on Shabbat. This Book's emphasis on the ephemeralness of life ("Vanity of vanities, all is vanity...") echoes the theme of the sukkah, while its emphasis on death reflects the time of year in which Sukkot occurs (the "autumn" of life). The penultimate verse reinforces the message that adherence to God and His [[Torah]] is the only worthwhile pursuit. (Cf. [[Ecclesiastes|Ecclesiastes 12:13,14]].)


On the [[Shabbat]] which falls during the week of Sukkot (or in the event when the first day of Sukkot is on Shabbat), the [[Ecclesiastes|Book of Ecclesiastes]] is read during morning [[synagogue]] services in the Land of Israel. (Diaspora communities read it the second Shabbat {eighth day} when the first day of sukkot is on Shabbat.) This Book's emphasis on the ephemeralness of life ("Vanity of vanities, all is vanity...") echoes the theme of the sukkah, while its emphasis on death reflects the time of year in which Sukkot occurs (the "autumn" of life). The penultimate verse reinforces the message that adherence to God and His [[Torah]] is the only worthwhile pursuit. (Cf. [[Ecclesiastes|Ecclesiastes 12:13,14]].)<ref name="Kohelet">{{cite web |last=Schlesinger |first=Hanan |title=Ecclesiastes (Kohelet) |url=https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/ecclesiastes-kohelet/ |website=MyJewishLearning.org |date=15 September 2002 |access-date=29 September 2019}}</ref>
==Hakhel==

=== ''Hakhel'' assembly ===
{{Main|Hakhel}}
{{Main|Hakhel}}
[[File:Sukkot Prayer2.jpg|alt=Jewish Prayer-Yehi Ratson, Fürth, 1738|thumb|Jewish Prayer-Yehi Ratson, 1738]]
In the days of the [[Temple in Jerusalem]], all Israelite, and later Jewish men, women, and children on pilgrimage to [[Jerusalem]] for the festival would gather in the Temple courtyard on the first day of Chol HaMoed Sukkot to hear the Jewish king read selections from the [[Torah]]. This ceremony, which was mandated in [[Deuteronomy]] 31:10-13, was held every seven years, in the year following the [[Shmita]] (Sabbatical) year. This ceremony was discontinued after the destruction of the Temple, but it has been revived in Israel on a smaller scale.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishfederations.org/page.aspx?id=18388 |title=Hakhel Ceremony To Be Held in Jerusalem on 10/4 |publisher=Jewishfederations.org |date= |accessdate=2012-04-03}}</ref>
In the days of the [[Temple in Jerusalem]], all Israelite, and later Jewish men, women, and children on pilgrimage to [[Jerusalem]] for the festival would gather in the Temple courtyard on the first day of Chol HaMoed Sukkot to hear the Jewish king read selections from the [[Torah]]. This ceremony, which was mandated in [[Deuteronomy]] 31:10–13, was held every seven years, in the year following the [[Shmita]] (Sabbatical) year. This ceremony was discontinued after the destruction of the Temple, but it has been revived in Israel since 1952 on a smaller scale.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Appel |first=Gershion |title=A Revival of the Ancient Assembly of Hakhel |journal=Tradition: A Journal of Orthodox Jewish Thought |date=Fall 1959 |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=119–127 |jstor=23255504}}</ref>


==Simchat Beit HaShoevah==
=== ''Simchat Beit HaShoevah'' water-drawing celebration ===
{{Main|Simchat Beit HaShoeivah}}
{{Main|Simchat Beit HaShoeivah}}
During the intermediate days of Sukkot, gatherings of music and dance, known as ''Simchat Beit HaShoeivah'' (Celebration of the Place of Water-Drawing), take place. This commemorates the drawing of the water for the water-libation on the Altar, an offering unique to Sukkot, when water was carried up the [[Jerusalem pilgrim road]] from the [[Pool of Siloam]] to the [[Temple in Jerusalem]].


During the intermediate days of Sukkot, gatherings of music and dance, known as ''[[Simchat Beit HaShoeivah]]'' (Celebration of the Place of Water-Drawing), take place. This commemorates the celebration that accompanied the drawing of the water for the water-libation on the Altar, an offering unique to Sukkot, when water was carried up the [[Jerusalem pilgrim road]] from the [[Pool of Siloam]] to the [[Temple in Jerusalem]].<ref name="shoeva">{{cite web |last=Prero |first=Rabbi Yehudah |title=Simchas Bais HaShoeva – A Happiness of Oneness |url=https://torah.org/learning/yomtov-sukkos-vol3no21/ |website=Torah.org |date=4 April 2016 |access-date=29 September 2019}}</ref>
==Hoshana Rabbah==

=== ''Hoshana Rabbah'' (Great Supplication) ===
{{Main|Hoshana Rabbah}}
{{Main|Hoshana Rabbah}}
The seventh day of Sukkot is known as ''Hoshana Rabbah'' (Great Supplication). This day is marked by a special synagogue service in which seven circuits are made by worshippers holding their Four Species, reciting [[Psalms|Psalm]] 118:25 with additional prayers. In addition, a bundle of five [[Aravah (Sukkot)|willow branches]] is beaten on the ground.


The seventh day of Sukkot is known as ''Hoshana Rabbah'' (Great Supplication). This day is marked by a special synagogue service in which seven circuits are made by worshippers holding their Four Species, reciting additional prayers. In addition, a bundle of five [[Aravah (Sukkot)|willow branches]] is beaten on the ground.<ref name="sackssiddur" />{{rp|859}}<ref name="chabad-hoshana" />
==Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah==

=== Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah ===
{{Main|Shemini Atzeret|Simchat Torah}}
{{Main|Shemini Atzeret|Simchat Torah}}

The holiday immediately following Sukkot is known as ''Shemini Atzeret'' ({{abbr|lit.|literally}} "Eighth [Day] of Assembly"). Shemini Atzeret is usually viewed as a separate holiday.<ref>See ''[[Rosh Hashanah (Talmud)|Rosh Hashanah]]'' 4b for rare cases where it is viewed as part of the Sukkot holiday.</ref> In the [[Diaspora]] a second additional holiday, ''Simchat Torah'' ("Joy of the Torah"), is celebrated. In the Land of Israel, Simchat Torah is celebrated on Shemini Atzeret. On Shemini Atzeret people leave their sukkah and eat their meals inside the house. Outside of Israel, many eat in the sukkah without making the blessing. The sukkah is not used on Simchat Torah.<ref>See [http://www.chabad.org/holidays/JewishNewYear/template_cdo/aid/1288162/jewish/A-Deeper-Look-at-Shemini-Atzeret-Simchat-Torah.htm A Deeper Look at Shemini Atzeret / Simchat Torah] Retrieved 2014-10-14</ref>
The holiday immediately following Sukkot is known as ''Shemini Atzeret'' ({{abbr|lit.|literally}} "Eighth [Day] of Assembly"). Shemini Atzeret is usually viewed as a separate holiday.<ref>See ''[[Rosh Hashanah (Talmud)|Rosh Hashanah]]'' 4b for rare cases where it is viewed as part of the Sukkot holiday.</ref> In the [[Diaspora]] a second additional holiday, ''Simchat Torah'' ("Joy of the Torah"), is celebrated. In the Land of Israel, Simchat Torah is celebrated on Shemini Atzeret. On Shemini Atzeret people leave their sukkah and eat their meals inside the house. Outside the Land of Israel, many eat in the sukkah without making the blessing. The sukkah is not used on Simchat Torah.<ref>{{cite web |title=A Deeper Look at Shemini Atzeret / Simchat Torah |url=https://www.chabad.org/holidays/JewishNewYear/template_cdo/aid/1288162/jewish/A-Deeper-Look-at-Shemini-Atzeret-Simchat-Torah.htm |website=Chabad.org |access-date=29 September 2019}}</ref>

== Sukkot in the generations of Israel ==
=== Jeroboam's feast ===
According to {{bibleverse|1|Kings|12:32–33|CJB}}, King [[Jeroboam]], first king of the rebellious [[Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)|northern kingdom]], instituted a feast on the fifteenth day of the [[Cheshvan|eighth month]] in imitation of the feast of Sukkot in Judah, and pilgrims went to [[Bethel]] instead of Jerusalem to make thanksgiving offerings. Jeroboam feared that continued pilgrimages from the northern kingdom to Jerusalem could lead to pressure for reunion with Judah:
{{blockquote|1=If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn back to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam king of Judah.|source={{bibleverse|1|Kings|12:27|NKJV}}}}

=== Nehemiah ===
{{Expand Hebrew|section=yes|topic=culture|סוכות#גילוי החג בימי נחמיה|date=May 2023}}

=== Hannukah ===
{{Expand Hebrew|section=yes|topic=culture|סוכות#חנוכה|date=May 2023}}


==In Christianity==
==In Christianity==
{{Further|Christian observances of Jewish holidays}}
{{Further|Christian observances of Jewish holidays}}

Sukkot is celebrated by a number of [[Christian denominations]] that observe holidays from the [[Old Testament]]. These groups base this on the fact that [[Jesus]] celebrated Sukkot (see the [[Gospel of John]] 7). The holiday is celebrated according to its [[Hebrew calendar]] dates. The first mention of observing the holiday by Christian groups dates to the 17th century, among the sect of the [[Subbotniks]] in [[Russia]].{{Citation needed|date=December 2013}} In the [[Orthodox Church]], the holiday is said to correspond to the new covenant [[Feast of the Transfiguration]].
Sukkot is celebrated by a number of [[Christian denominations]] that observe holidays from the [[Old Testament]]. These groups base this on the belief that [[Jesus]] celebrated Sukkot (see the [[John 7|Gospel of John 7]]). The holiday is celebrated according to its [[Hebrew calendar]] dates. The first mention of observing the holiday by Christian groups dates to the 17th century, among the sect of the [[Subbotniks]] in [[Russia]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Understand the Feast of Tabernacles From a Christian Viewpoint |url=https://www.learnreligions.com/feast-of-tabernacles-700181 |access-date=2022-04-20 |website=Learn Religions |language=en}}</ref>


==Academic views==
==Academic views==
De Moor has suggested that there are links between Sukkot and the [[Ugaritic]] New Year festival, in particular the Ugaritic custom of erecting two rows of huts built of branches on the temple roof as temporary dwelling houses for their gods.<ref>Title = New Year with Canaanites and Israelites. Author = Johannes Cornelis De Moor (1972) | pub = Kok pg 6-7</ref><ref>Title=Origin and Transformation of the Ancient Israelite Festival Calendar, Author=Jan A. Wagenaar, pub=Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, 2005, pg 156</ref>
De Moor has suggested that there are links between Sukkot and the [[Ugarit]]ic New Year festival, in particular the Ugaritic custom of erecting two rows of huts built of branches on the temple roof as temporary dwelling houses for their gods.<ref>{{cite book |title=New Year with Canaanites and Israelites |first=Johannes Cornelis |last=De Moor |year=1972 |publisher=Kok |pages=6–7}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Origin and Transformation of the Ancient Israelite Festival Calendar |first=Jan A. |last=Wagenaar |publisher=Otto Harrassowitz Verlag |year=2005 |page=156 |isbn=9783447052498}}</ref>


Some have pointed out that the original [[Thanksgiving]] holiday had many similarities with Sukkot in the Bible.<ref>{{cite web |title=Thanksgiving's Sukkot Roots |url=https://jewishjournal.com/culture/lifestyle/celebrations_simchas/8736/ |date=20 November 2003 |access-date=29 September 2019 |first=Linda |last=Morel |publisher=Jewish Journal}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Did Sukkot Shape Thanksgiving? |url=https://www.algemeiner.com/2013/09/17/did-sukkot-shape-thanksgiving/ |date=17 September 2013 |access-date=29 September 2019 |first=Robert |last=Gluck}}</ref>
==Books==
*[http://www.succosinspired.com Succos Inspired] by Rabbi Moshe Gersht (Published by Mosaica Press 2015)
*Succos Secrets by Rabbi Dovid Meisels (Published by Israel Bookshop Publications)


==See also==
==See also==
* [[Harvest festival]]
* [[Feast of Wine]]
* [[Jewish holiday]]
* [[List of harvest festivals]]
* [[List of harvest festivals]]
* [[Palm Sunday]]
* [[Sukkah City]] - a 2010 public art and architecture competition planned for [[New York City]]'s [[Union Square Park]]
* [[Sukkah City]] – a 2010 public art and architecture competition planned for [[New York City]]'s [[Union Square Park]]
* [[Ushpizin|''Ushpizin'' (film)]], 2004
* ''[[Ushpizin]]'', 2004 film
* [[Shkinta]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist|30em}}


==Further reading==
==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last=Chumney |first=Edward |year=1994 |title=The Seven Festivals of the Messiah |publisher=Treasure House |isbn=978-1-56043-767-3 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/sevenfestivalsof00chum}}
* {{cite book
* {{cite book |last=Howard |first=Kevin |year=1997 |title=The Feasts of the Lord God's Prophetic Calendar from Calvary to the Kingdom |publisher=Nelson Books |isbn=978-0-7852-7518-3}}
|last = Chumney
|first = Edward
|year = 1994
|title = The Seven Festivals of the Messiah
|publisher = Treasure House
|isbn = 1-56043-767-7
}}
* {{cite book
|last = Howard
|first = Kevin
|year = 1997
|title = The Feasts of the Lord God's Prophetic Calendar from Calvary to the Kingdom
|publisher = Nelson Books
|isbn = 0-7852-7518-5
}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons category|Sukkot}}
{{Commons category|Sukkot}}


'''Jewish'''
===Jewish===
:'''General'''
:*[http://jewishholidaysonline.com/sukkos This year's secular date for Sukkot]
:*[http://www.localsukkah.org/ Local Sukkah - worldwide listing of Sukkahs available for public use]
:*[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/holiday5.html Sukkot - Jewish Virtual Library]
:*[http://www.myjewishlearning.com/holidays/Jewish_Holidays/Sukkot/Sukkot_101.shtml?HYJH Sukkot 101 - My Jewish Learning]
:*[http://www.holidays.net/sukkot/ Sukkot on the Net]


====General====
:'''By religious movement'''
* [https://www.thetorah.com/holidays/sukkot Thetorah.com - Sukkot]
:*[http://www.chabad.org/holidays/JewishNewYear/template_cdo/aid/4126/jewish/Sukkot.htm Sukkot page] from the [[Chabad Lubavitch]] movement, a branch of [[Chassidic Judaism]]
* [https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sukkoth-Judaism Encyclopædia Britannica - Sukkot]
:*[http://www.yeshiva.co/collection/default.aspx/Sukkot Sukkot page] from the [[Yeshiva.co]] site.
* [http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/14103-sukkot-feast-of Jewish Encyclopedia - Sukkot]
:*[http://www.uscj.org/JewishLivingandLearning/ShabbatandHolidayInformation/Holidays/JewishHolidays/HighHolyDays/Sukkot.aspx Sukkot page] from the United Synagogue of [[Conservative Judaism]]
* [https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/sukkot/ Jewish Virtual Library – Jewish Holidays: Sukkot]
:*[http://urj.org//holidays/sukkot/index.cfm? Sukkot page] from the Union for [[Reform Judaism]]
* [https://www.myjewishlearning.com/category/celebrate/sukkot/ My Jewish Learning: Sukkot 101]
:*[http://www.karaite-korner.org/sukkot.shtml Page on Hag Ha-Sukkot] (Holiday of Sukkot) from Karaite Korner ([[Karaite Judaism]])


====By branch of Judaism====
'''Christian'''
* [https://www.reformjudaism.org/jewish-holidays/sukkot/ Reform Judaism: Sukkot] [[Reform Judaism]]
*[http://season-of-our-joy.com/ The Season of our Joy Feast of Tabernacles, observed each year in the United States]
* [https://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/jewish-law/holidays/sukkot/ The Rabbinical Assembly: Sukkot] [[Conservative Judaism]]
*[[Christian observances of Jewish holidays#Feast of Tabernacles|Christian observances of Jewish holidays: Feast of Tabernacles]]
* [https://www.ou.org/holidays/sukkot/ Orthodox Union – Jewish Holidays: Sukkot] [[Orthodox Judaism]]
*[http://www.godsholydays.com/ghdtabernacles.html God's Holy Days: Tabernacles]
* [https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/4126/jewish/sukkot.htm/ Chabad.org: Sukkot & Simchat Torah] [[Hasidic Judaism]]
*[http://www.herbert-w-armstrong.org/ Literature about the Feast of Tabernacles]
* [https://www.reconstructingjudaism.org/jewish-time-shabbat-and-holidays/sukkot/ Reconstructing Judaism: Sukkot] [[Reconstructionist Judaism]]
*[http://www.feastgoer.org/ List of locations to Keep the Feast of Tabernacles]
* [https://shj.org/category/sukkot/ Sukkot – Society for Humanistic Judaism] [[Humanistic Judaism]]
*[http://bibleteachingonline101.net/Feast_of_Tabernacles.html Introduction to the Feast of Tabernacles]
* [https://www.karaites.org/sukkot.html/ The Karaite Jews of America: Sukkot] [[Karaite Judaism]]


===Christian===
* [https://www.sooj.org/ Sukkot: The Season of our Joy – The Feast of Tabernacles]

{{Jewish and Israeli holidays}}
{{Sukkot}}
{{Sukkot}}
{{Jewish holidays}}


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Sukkot| ]]
[[Category:Autumn festivals]]
[[Category:Autumn festivals]]
[[Category:Autumn holidays]]
[[Category:Autumn traditions]]
[[Category:Autumn traditions]]
[[Category:Hallel]]
[[Category:Hallel]]
[[Category:Harvest festivals]]
[[Category:Harvest festivals]]
[[Category:Jewish holy days]]
[[Category:Three Pilgrimage Festivals]]
[[Category:Sukkot| ]]
[[Category:September observances]]
[[Category:September observances]]
[[Category:October observances]]
[[Category:October observances]]
[[Category:Tishrei observances]]
[[Category:Hebrew words and phrases in the Hebrew Bible]]
[[Category:Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish law]]

Latest revision as of 23:57, 13 August 2024

Sukkot
A sukkah (plural: sukkot) in a kibbutz in Gush Etzion
Official nameHebrew: סוכות or סֻכּוֹת
("Booths, Tabernacles")
Observed by
TypeJewish [primarily in Israel], Samaritan
SignificanceOne of the three pilgrimage festivals shalosh regalim
ObservancesDwelling, decorating, and eating a festive dinner inside a family-sized sukkah; blessing the four species, dgoing hakafot; praising the good fortune with hallel prayers in synagogues
Begins15th day of Tishrei
Ends21st day of Tishrei
Date15 Tishrei, 16 Tishrei, 17 Tishrei, 18 Tishrei, 19 Tishrei, 20 Tishrei, 21 Tishrei
2023 dateSunset, 29 September –
nightfall, 6 October
(7 October outside of Israel)
2024 dateSunset, 16 October –
nightfall, 23 October
(24 October outside of Israel)[1]
2025 dateSunset, 6 October –
nightfall, 13 October
(14 October outside of Israel)
2026 dateSunset, 25 September –
nightfall, 2 October
(3 October outside of Israel)
Related toShemini Atzeret, Simchat Torah
Sukkot's 4 Holy Species from left to right: Hadass (myrtle), Lulav (palm frond), Aravah (willow branch), Etrog (citron) carrier, Etrog (citron) outside its carrier

Sukkot[a] is a Torah-commanded holiday celebrated for seven days, beginning on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei. It is one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals on which Israelites were commanded to make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem. Originally a harvest festival celebrating the autumn harvest, Sukkot’s modern observance is characterized by festive meals in a sukkah, a temporary wood-covered hut, celebrating the Exodus from Egypt.

The names used in the Torah are "Festival of Ingathering" (or "Harvest Festival", Hebrew: חַג הָאָסִיף, romanizedḥag hāʾāsif)[2] and "Festival of Booths" (Hebrew: חג הסכות, romanizedḤag hasSukkōṯ).[3][2] This corresponds to the double significance of Sukkot. The one mentioned in the Book of Exodus is agricultural in nature—"Festival of Ingathering at the year's end" (Exodus 34:22)—and marks the end of the harvest time and thus of the agricultural year in the Land of Israel. The more elaborate religious significance from the Book of Leviticus is that of commemorating the Exodus and the dependence of the Israelites on the will of God (Leviticus 23:42–43).

The holiday lasts seven days in the Land of Israel and eight in the diaspora. The first day (and second day in the diaspora) is a Shabbat-like holiday when work is forbidden. This is followed by intermediate days called Chol HaMoed, during which certain work is permitted. The festival is closed with another Shabbat-like holiday called Shemini Atzeret (one day in the Land of Israel, two days in the diaspora, where the second day is called Simchat Torah). Shemini Atzeret coincides with the eighth day of Sukkot outside the Land of Israel.

The Hebrew word sukkoṯ is the plural of sukkah ('booth' or 'tabernacle') which is a walled structure covered with s'chach (plant material, such as overgrowth or palm leaves). A sukkah is the name of the temporary dwelling in which farmers would live during harvesting, reinforcing agricultural significance of the holiday introduced in the Book of Exodus. As stated in Leviticus, it is also reminiscent of the type of fragile dwellings in which the Israelites dwelled during their 40 years of travel in the desert after the Exodus from slavery in Egypt. Throughout the holiday, meals are eaten inside the sukkah and many people sleep there as well.

On each day of the holiday it is a mitzvah, or commandment, to perform a waving ceremony with the four species, as well as to sit in the sukkah during the holiday.

Origins

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External aerial view of sukkah booths where Jewish families eat their meals and sleep throughout the Sukkot holiday
A 19th-century painted sukkah from Austria or South Germany, Painted pine, 220 × 285.5 cm, Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme
Sukkah in New Hampshire

Sukkot shares similarities with older Canaanite new-year/harvest festivals, which included a seven-day celebration with sacrifices reminiscent of those in Num. 29:13–38 and "dwellings of branches," as well as processions with branches. The earliest references in the Bible (Ex. 23:16 & Ex. 34:22) make no mention of Sukkot, instead referring to it as "the festival of ingathering (hag ha'asif) at the end of the year, when you gather in the results of your work from the field," suggesting an agricultural origin. (The Hebrew term asif is also mentioned in the Gezer calendar as a two-month period in the autumn.)

The booths aspect of the festival may come from the shelters that were built in the fields by those involved in the harvesting process. Alternatively, it may come from the booths which pilgrims would stay in when they came in for the festivities at the cultic sanctuaries.[4][5][6][7][8] Finally, Lev. 23:40 talks about the taking of various branches (and a fruit), this too is characteristic of ancient agricultural festivals, which frequently included processions with branches.[6]: 17 

Later, the festival was historicized by symbolic connection with the desert sojourn of exodus (Lev. 23:42–43).[5] The narratives of the exodus trek do not describe the Israelites building booths,[9][6]: 18  but they indicate that most of the trek was spent encamped at oases rather than traveling, and "sukkot" roofed with palm branches were a popular and convenient form of housing at such Sinai desert oases.[10]

Laws and customs

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Sukkot is a seven-day festival. Inside the Land of Israel, the first day is celebrated as a full festival with special prayer services and holiday meals. Outside the Land of Israel, the first two days are celebrated as full festivals. The seventh day of Sukkot is called Hoshana Rabbah ("Great Hoshana", referring to the tradition that worshippers in the synagogue walk around the perimeter of the sanctuary during morning services) and has a special observance of its own. The intermediate days are known as Chol HaMoed ("festival weekdays"). According to Halakha, some types of work are forbidden during Chol HaMoed.[11] In Israel many businesses are closed during this time.[12]

Throughout the week of Sukkot, meals are eaten in the sukkah. If a brit milah (circumcision ceremony) or Bar Mitzvah rises during Sukkot, the seudat mitzvah (obligatory festive meal) is served in the sukkah. Similarly, the father of a newborn boy greets guests to his Friday-night Shalom Zachar in the sukkah. Males sleep in the sukkah, provided the weather is tolerable. If it rains, the requirement of eating and sleeping in the sukkah is waived, except for eating there on the first night where every effort needs to be made to at least say kiddush (the sanctification prayer on wine) and eat a piece of bread before going inside the house to finish the meal if the rain does not stop. Every day, a blessing is recited over the Lulav and the Etrog.[13] Keeping of Sukkot is detailed in the Hebrew Bible (Nehemiah 8:13–18, Zechariah 14:16–19 and Leviticus 23:34–44); the Mishnah (Sukkah 1:1–5:8); the Tosefta (Sukkah 1:1–4:28); and the Jerusalem Talmud (Sukkah 1a–) and Babylonian Talmud (Sukkah 2a–56b).

Sukkah

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The sukkah walls can be constructed of any material that blocks wind (wood, canvas, aluminum siding, sheets). The walls can be free-standing or include the sides of a building or porch. There must be at least two and a partial wall.[14] The roof must be of organic material, known as s'chach, such as leafy tree overgrowth, schach mats or palm fronds – plant material that is no longer connected with the earth.[15] It is customary to decorate the interior of the sukkah with hanging decorations of the four species[16] as well as with attractive artwork.[17]

Prayers

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Sukkot prayers at the Western Wall (the Kotel)

Prayers during Sukkot include the reading of the Torah every day, reciting the Mussaf (additional) service after morning prayers, reciting Hallel, and adding special additions to the Amidah and Grace after Meals. In addition, the service includes rituals involving the Four Species. The lulav and etrog are not used on the Sabbath.[18]

Hoshanot

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On each day of the festival, worshippers walk around the synagogue carrying the Four Species while reciting special prayers known as Hoshanot.[18]: 852  This takes place either after the morning's Torah reading or at the end of Mussaf. This ceremony commemorates the willow ceremony at the Temple in Jerusalem, in which willow branches were piled beside the altar with worshippers parading around the altar reciting prayers.[19]

Ushpizin and ushpizata

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It is customary to decorate the interior of the sukkah to beautify the mitzvah. Pictured: 5-by-8-foot (1.5 m × 2.4 m) wall hanging

A custom originating with Lurianic Kabbalah is to recite the ushpizin prayer to "invite" one of seven "exalted guests" into the sukkah.[20] These ushpizin (Aramaic אושפיזין 'guests'), represent the "seven shepherds of Israel": Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph and David, each of whom correlate with one of the seven lower Sephirot (this is why Joseph, associated with Yesod, follows Moses and Aaron, associated with Netzach and Hod respectively, even though he precedes them in the narrative). According to tradition, each night a different guest enters the sukkah followed by the other six. Each of the ushpizin has a unique lesson to teach that parallels the spiritual focus of the day on which they visit, based on the Sephirah associated with that character.[21]

Some streams of Reconstructionist Judaism also recognize a set of seven female shepherds of Israel, called variously Ushpizot (using modern Hebrew feminine pluralization), or Ushpizata (in reconstructed Aramaic). Several lists of seven have been proposed. The Ushpizata are sometimes coidentified with the seven prophetesses of Judaism: Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Abigail, Hulda, and Esther.[22] Some lists seek to relate each female leader to one of the Sephirot, to parallel their male counterparts of the evening. One such list (in the order they would be invoked, each evening) is: Ruth, Sarah, Rebecca, Miriam, Deborah, Tamar, and Rachel.[23]

Chol HaMoed intermediate days

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Decorations hanging from the s'chach (top or "ceiling") on the inside of a sukkah

The second through seventh days of Sukkot (third through seventh days outside the Land of Israel) are called Chol HaMoed (חול המועדlit. "festival weekdays"). These days are considered by halakha to be more than regular weekdays but less than festival days. In practice, this means that all activities that are needed for the holiday—such as buying and preparing food, cleaning the house in honor of the holiday, or traveling to visit other people's sukkot or on family outings—are permitted by Jewish law. Activities that will interfere with relaxation and enjoyment of the holiday—such as laundering, mending clothes, engaging in labor-intensive activities—are not permitted.[24][25]

Religious Jews often treat Chol HaMoed as a vacation period, eating nicer than usual meals in their sukkah, entertaining guests, visiting other families in their sukkot, and taking family outings. Many synagogues and Jewish centers also offer events and meals in their sukkot during this time to foster community and goodwill.[26][27]

On the Shabbat which falls during the week of Sukkot (or in the event when the first day of Sukkot is on Shabbat), the Book of Ecclesiastes is read during morning synagogue services in the Land of Israel. (Diaspora communities read it the second Shabbat {eighth day} when the first day of sukkot is on Shabbat.) This Book's emphasis on the ephemeralness of life ("Vanity of vanities, all is vanity...") echoes the theme of the sukkah, while its emphasis on death reflects the time of year in which Sukkot occurs (the "autumn" of life). The penultimate verse reinforces the message that adherence to God and His Torah is the only worthwhile pursuit. (Cf. Ecclesiastes 12:13,14.)[28]

Hakhel assembly

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Jewish Prayer-Yehi Ratson, Fürth, 1738
Jewish Prayer-Yehi Ratson, 1738

In the days of the Temple in Jerusalem, all Israelite, and later Jewish men, women, and children on pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the festival would gather in the Temple courtyard on the first day of Chol HaMoed Sukkot to hear the Jewish king read selections from the Torah. This ceremony, which was mandated in Deuteronomy 31:10–13, was held every seven years, in the year following the Shmita (Sabbatical) year. This ceremony was discontinued after the destruction of the Temple, but it has been revived in Israel since 1952 on a smaller scale.[29]

Simchat Beit HaShoevah water-drawing celebration

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During the intermediate days of Sukkot, gatherings of music and dance, known as Simchat Beit HaShoeivah (Celebration of the Place of Water-Drawing), take place. This commemorates the celebration that accompanied the drawing of the water for the water-libation on the Altar, an offering unique to Sukkot, when water was carried up the Jerusalem pilgrim road from the Pool of Siloam to the Temple in Jerusalem.[30]

Hoshana Rabbah (Great Supplication)

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The seventh day of Sukkot is known as Hoshana Rabbah (Great Supplication). This day is marked by a special synagogue service in which seven circuits are made by worshippers holding their Four Species, reciting additional prayers. In addition, a bundle of five willow branches is beaten on the ground.[18]: 859 [19]

Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah

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The holiday immediately following Sukkot is known as Shemini Atzeret (lit. "Eighth [Day] of Assembly"). Shemini Atzeret is usually viewed as a separate holiday.[31] In the Diaspora a second additional holiday, Simchat Torah ("Joy of the Torah"), is celebrated. In the Land of Israel, Simchat Torah is celebrated on Shemini Atzeret. On Shemini Atzeret people leave their sukkah and eat their meals inside the house. Outside the Land of Israel, many eat in the sukkah without making the blessing. The sukkah is not used on Simchat Torah.[32]

Sukkot in the generations of Israel

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Jeroboam's feast

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According to 1 Kings 12:32–33, King Jeroboam, first king of the rebellious northern kingdom, instituted a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month in imitation of the feast of Sukkot in Judah, and pilgrims went to Bethel instead of Jerusalem to make thanksgiving offerings. Jeroboam feared that continued pilgrimages from the northern kingdom to Jerusalem could lead to pressure for reunion with Judah:

If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn back to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam king of Judah.

Nehemiah

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Hannukah

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In Christianity

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Sukkot is celebrated by a number of Christian denominations that observe holidays from the Old Testament. These groups base this on the belief that Jesus celebrated Sukkot (see the Gospel of John 7). The holiday is celebrated according to its Hebrew calendar dates. The first mention of observing the holiday by Christian groups dates to the 17th century, among the sect of the Subbotniks in Russia.[33]

Academic views

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De Moor has suggested that there are links between Sukkot and the Ugaritic New Year festival, in particular the Ugaritic custom of erecting two rows of huts built of branches on the temple roof as temporary dwelling houses for their gods.[34][35]

Some have pointed out that the original Thanksgiving holiday had many similarities with Sukkot in the Bible.[36][37]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Biblical Hebrew: חַג הַסֻּכּוֹת Ḥag hasSukkōṯ, lit. "the pilgrimage of booths". Also spelled Sukkoth, Succot; Ashkenazi Hebrew: Sukkos.

References

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  1. ^ "Zmanim - Halachic Times". www.chabad.org.
  2. ^ a b "Sukkot | Meaning, Traditions, & Tabernacles | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
  3. ^ "Sukkot, The Feast of Booths (known to some as the Feast of Tabernacles) | Jewish Voice". www.jewishvoice.org. Retrieved 2022-10-13.
  4. ^ Farber, Zev. "The Origins of Sukkot". www.thetorah.com.
  5. ^ a b "Booths (Tabernacles), Feast of". www.encyclopedia.com. New Catholic Encyclopedia.
  6. ^ a b c Rubenstein, Jeffrey L. (2020). "The Origins and Ancient History of Sukkot". A History of Sukkot in the Second Temple and Rabbinic Periods. Brown Judaic Studies. pp. 13–30. doi:10.2307/j.ctvzpv502.7. ISBN 978-1-946527-28-8. JSTOR j.ctvzpv502.7. S2CID 241670598.
  7. ^ MacRae, George W. (1960). "The Meaning and Evolution of the Feast of Tabernacles". The Catholic Biblical Quarterly. 22 (3): 251–276. ISSN 0008-7912. JSTOR 43710833.
  8. ^ Jacobs, Joseph. "TABERNACLES, FEAST OF - JewishEncyclopedia.com". www.jewishencyclopedia.com.
  9. ^ Frankel, David. "How and Why Sukkot was Linked to the Exodus - TheTorah.com". www.thetorah.com.
  10. ^ Yoel Bin Nun, Zachor Veshamor p.168; Noga Hareuveni, Teva Venof Bemoreshet Yisrael, p.68-70
  11. ^ Finkelman, Shimon; Shṭain, Mosheh Dov; Lieber, Moshe (1994). Scherman, Nosson (ed.). Pesach: Its observance, Laws and Significance. Mesorah Publications. p. 88. ISBN 9780899064475. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  12. ^ Cohen, Dr. Chaim Charles (12 October 2014). "True Chol Hamoed Celebration is only in Israel". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  13. ^ Shulchan Orech, Orach Chayim. 658:1.
  14. ^ "Building the Sukkah - Halachipedia". halachipedia.com. Retrieved 2022-10-13.
  15. ^ "How do we make a Sukkah?". BeingJewish.com. 20 December 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  16. ^ Belz, Yossi (10 September 2009). "Sukkot". ajudaica.com. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  17. ^ "Sukkah Decoration". The Jewish Museum. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  18. ^ a b c Sacks, Lord Jonathan (2009). The Koren Siddur (Nusaḥ Ashkenaz, 1st Hebrew/English ed.). Jerusalem: Koren Publishers. ISBN 9789653010673.
  19. ^ a b "Honshana Rabbah". Chabad.org. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  20. ^ "ushpizin". Encyclopaedia Judaica. Vol. 19. p. 303.
  21. ^ Tauber, Yanki. "The Ushpizin". Chabad.
  22. ^ Hasit, Arie (4 October 2019). "On Ushpizin and Ushpizot: The Guests at My Sukkah". Haaretz. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  23. ^ Seidenberg, David (2006). "Egalitarian Ushpizin: The Ushpizata". NeoHasid.org. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  24. ^ Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim, 530
  25. ^ Krakowski, Rabbi Y. Dov (10 April 2014). "Hilchos Chol HaMoed". Orthodox Union. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  26. ^ Pine, Dan (7 October 2011). "Community festivals celebrate Sukkot with food and fun". J. Jweekly. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  27. ^ "Sukkot: The Festival of Booths". ReformJudaism.org. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  28. ^ Schlesinger, Hanan (15 September 2002). "Ecclesiastes (Kohelet)". MyJewishLearning.org. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  29. ^ Appel, Gershion (Fall 1959). "A Revival of the Ancient Assembly of Hakhel". Tradition: A Journal of Orthodox Jewish Thought. 2 (1): 119–127. JSTOR 23255504.
  30. ^ Prero, Rabbi Yehudah (4 April 2016). "Simchas Bais HaShoeva – A Happiness of Oneness". Torah.org. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  31. ^ See Rosh Hashanah 4b for rare cases where it is viewed as part of the Sukkot holiday.
  32. ^ "A Deeper Look at Shemini Atzeret / Simchat Torah". Chabad.org. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  33. ^ "Understand the Feast of Tabernacles From a Christian Viewpoint". Learn Religions. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  34. ^ De Moor, Johannes Cornelis (1972). New Year with Canaanites and Israelites. Kok. pp. 6–7.
  35. ^ Wagenaar, Jan A. (2005). Origin and Transformation of the Ancient Israelite Festival Calendar. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. p. 156. ISBN 9783447052498.
  36. ^ Morel, Linda (20 November 2003). "Thanksgiving's Sukkot Roots". Jewish Journal. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  37. ^ Gluck, Robert (17 September 2013). "Did Sukkot Shape Thanksgiving?". Retrieved 29 September 2019.

Further reading

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Jewish

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General

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By branch of Judaism

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Christian

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