Historical Background of Sukkot

Also known as Hag ha'asif - Holiday of ingathering, the holiday of Sukkot is described in several places in the Torah including the book of Leviticus.

Leviticus 23:34 -36.  "Say to the Israelite people:  On the fifteenth day of this seventh month there shall be the Feast of Booths to the Lord, [to last] seven days.  The first day shall be a sacred occasion: you shall not work at your occupations; seven days you shall bring offerings by fire to the Lord.  On the eighth day you shall observe a sacred occasion and bring an offering by fire to the Lord; it is a solemn gathering: you shall not work at your occupations."

Leviticus 23:40 "On the first day you shall take the product of hadar trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days."

Leviticus 23:41-43 "You shall observe it as a festival of the Lord for seven days in the year; you shall observe it in the seventh month as a law for all time, throughout the ages.  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, I the Lord your God."

The festival of Sukkot is one of three harvest festivals celebrated throughout the year.  The first festival of the year is Passover; the second is Shavuot, and the third is Sukkot.

The commandment to gather what is known as the four species that comprise the lulav is found in Leviticus 23:40.  The product of hadar trees, also translated as the beautiful fruit of trees or the fruit of beautiful trees, is understood as the etrog.  The Babylonian Talmud, Shulchan Oruch and the Mishneh Torah all address the physical requirements of each of the four species as well as the manner in which they should be tied together and shaken.

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