The holiday of Sukkot is celebrated two weeks after Rosh Hashana and lasts eight days. This holiday represents the journey of the Israelites through the desert after the exodus from Egypt. During this time, people lived in booths (in Hebrew: "sukkot"). It is therefore customary to build a sukkah (booth) like the one in the picture above (well, sort of!) before this holiday and to eat and even sleep in the sukkah during the eight days. The building of the sukkah normally begins immediately following Yom Kippur. The walls may be of almost any material (cement, wood, cloth, etc.), but the roof is traditionally covered with branches, in order to let the stars shine through (see the stars?). One essential element of the holiday of Sukkot is "ushpizin", hospitality. Guest should be invited to sit in the sukkah and share a meal. The final day of Sukkot is a holiday called Simhat Torah, rejoicing with the Torah. On this day, the Torah scrolls (which contain the text of the five books of Moses, the first five books of the Bible) are taken out and carried through the synogogue. There is singing and dancing and an overall joyous mood. Note that like most Jewish holidays, Sukkot has agricultural roots, as well. It celebrates the final gathering of fruits of the year.

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