Including ideas inspired by students across campuses, this is a great educational resource useful for every J-Soc and every Jewish Student on campus.

Made as a great guideline to begin discussion on Sukkot, every J-Soc can tailor it to their own community. It can inspire great discussion surrounding Sukkot and the ideas the Holy Days provoke. 

What is Sukkot?

Sukkot is a week long festival that celebrates the gathering of the harvest and the protection that G-d provided when the Jewish people left Egypt. We celebrate by living in a Sukkah, a homemade dwelling outside and by taking the Arab Minim (Four Kinds) that are four different species that represent different parts of the body, more commonly known as the Lulav and Etrog. It is a great time to appreciate the shelter of our homes and our bodies. Sukkot is alternatively known as the Feast of Tabernacles or the Feast of Boothes.

What is Shmeni Atzeret and Simchat Torah?

Shmeni Atzeret and Simchat Torah are the last two days of Sukkot. Shmeni Atzeret occurs around the world, whereas Simchat Torah only tends to take place outside of Israel as in Israel they tend to combine it into one holiday. Shmeni Atzeret translates as the ‘Eighth Day of Assembly’, showing that this is the conclusion of Sukkot. This marks the beginning of the rain season in Israel and when we start praying for rain. Simchat Torah means ‘Rejoicing in Torah’, which celebrates the conclusion of the yearly cycle of reading the Torah, where we begin reading the Torah from the beginning again. 

Build your own Sukkah!

For seven days and nights, we are encouraged to eat all our meals in the Sukkah and it is meant to be regarded as home for this period. The Sukkah is made up of at least three walls, and a roof which you can see the sky through, otherwise known as the Sechach. This is typically made out of bamboo, pine boughs or palm branches. You are encouraged to spend as much time in the Sukkah, with some people only eating in the sukkah, some sleep in the sukkah, and others tend to visit when they can. 

Sometimes it can be hard to access a sukkah on campus, or maybe you would like an alternative way to celebrate the festival – why don’t you build your own sukkah…out of sweets! This is a great way not only to learn about the different aspects of the sukkah, but also a great way to bring the whole
community together! This can be built using a range of sweets, including gummy bears, laces, wafers, liquorice, icing and anything else you can think of!

Send in your pictures to us as we would love to see them, and maybe they will even make their way to the UJS Instagram (@UJS_UK)! 

Improve Your Wellbeing

Use your senses

Sukkot is the ultimate exercise in experiential learning, which is arguably the most impactful way of engaging with the world around us. Experiential learning allows us to develop from our past to learn lessons for the future.

Sitting outside in a sukkah is an aesthetically pleasing experience, looking up through the sechach (roof made of branches) allows us to connect with the beatty of the world in a way often not felt throughout the rest of the year. Sukkot is also full of scents: the smell of the etrog, the scent of the plants and greenery around us.

Sukkot engages our sense of touch - feeling the sun’s warmth and the chill of a passing breeze - and our sense of taste and hearing as we eat and sing in the sukkah. It’s a perfect time for appreciating being Jewish whilst using all our senses.

Overall, using these experiences both enriches our wellbeing during this time, and allows us to develop ourselves as people – we are not just people who use one of our senses, but we strive to be well-rounded, using all of our senses to be fulfilled.

Time of Happiness

Sukkot is often called “Z’man Simchateinu” – a time of happiness. Many of the customs and traditions of the holiday seem uniquely joyful in comparison to other festivals: the fun meals with family, the upbeat songs and the experiences of sitting outside in a sukkah.

Moving outdoors for a week to spend time in a temporary shelter helps us to focus on what is truly important. This allows us to focus on how we can improve our mental wellbeing to make ourselves happier in ourselves. We should aim to make Sukkot our “Z’man Simchateinu” in whichever way we feel is right.

Appreciating the natural world

Sukkot allows us the perfect opportunity to spend time outdoors, which ultimately improves our wellbeing. Being outside ensures enhanced mental wellbeing and studies have found that spending more time outside has hidden benefits to our health, energy levels and mood.

Think creatively to find new ways to explore the outdoors and use Sukkot as an opportunity to explore how this festival may help you in ensuring a positive mental wellbeing.