Sukkot 5787

The term Sukkot refers to a pilgrimage festival that lasts seven days in Israel, but eight outside of it. The first two and last two are Yom Tov. It is also known as the Feast of Tabernacles.
The most characteristic precept of Sukkot is the tabernacle, the sukkah. There must be no gap between the roof of the sukkah and the sky. The roof of the sukkah must be made of plant material detached from the ground (branches, leaves, reeds for roofing, etc.). The sky must be visible through the roof.
The sukkah must have at least three walls, which can be made of any material (including masonry).
During the festival, the sukkah should become the permanent residence until the day of Osha’anah Rabbah; weather permitting, this means that at least meals must be consumed there. It is a mitzvah to eat bread in the sukkah on the evenings of the first and second days. The blessing Leshev basukkàh (sitting in the hut) is said only when eating bread or at least 240 g of sweets made from flour. If it rains heavily, one is not required to reside in the sukkah.
The second characteristic of the holiday is the bouquet of the four species, which is composed of a palm branch (lulav), two willow branches (‘aravah), three myrtle branches (hadas), and a cedar branch (etrog). On Sukkot (not on the Sabbath), the lulav is held in the right hand and the cedar branch in the left, and they are waved in the four cardinal directions, up and down, after reciting the respective blessing.
On the second night of Sukkot, candles are lit using a pre-lit fire.