Sukkah

The Talmud records a dispute: according to Rabbi Eliezer these were the "clouds of glory" that protected Israel in the wilderness, according to Rabbi Akiva actual booths.²

Staying in a fragile dwelling is often interpreted as an expression of trust in God and a reminder of the transience of possessions.

A sukkah may be no higher than twenty cubits and no lower than ten handbreadths; it must have at least three walls and a roof (s’chach) of cut plant material that gives more shade than sun.^3,4

Main meals are eaten in the sukkah, and in traditional practice people also sleep in it; in rain or severe discomfort the obligation lapses.^5,6

The Book of Nehemiah describes how, after the reading of the Torah, those who returned from the Babylonian exile built sukkot on roofs, in courtyards and in squares.⁷

The sukkah is decorated with fruit, garlands and pictures. A widespread custom, which comes from kabbalistic tradition, is to invite the symbolic guests, the ushpizin (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph, David), into the sukkah.