Elon Hillel built a Sukkah in front of Colonnades D as part of the celebration of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. The small booth is a tradition during the Festival of Sukkot.
Historically, Sukkot commemorates the forty-year period during which the Israelites were wandering in the desert, living in temporary shelters. Agriculturally, Sukkot is a harvest festival. The word “Sukkot” means “booths,” and refers to the temporary dwellings that we are commanded to live in during this holiday in memory of the period of wandering.
Another observance during Sukkot is called “shaking the lulav: The lulav is made up of “Four Species”: the etrog (a citrus fruit similar to a lemon native to Israel; in English it is called a citron), a palm branch (in Hebrew, lulav), two willow branches (aravot) and three myrtle branches (hadassim). The six branches are bound together and referred to collectively as the lulav. With these four species in hand, one recites a blessing and waves the species in all six directions (east, south, west, north, up and down), symbolizing a spiritual presence in all directions.
Sukkot lasts for seven days, and the sukkah will remain standing until the end of the holiday on October 9.
Hillel invites students to bring lunch and eat in the sukkah, with fresh fruit provided by Hillel. Pizza in the Hut (in the sukkah) will be enjoyed on Monday, October 1.
