This year the KKSY community will celebrate Succoth from Wednesday evening, October 16th, until Wednesday evening, October 23rd. For the Jews of ancient Israel this joyous festival came at the time of the grape harvest when farmers lived temporarily in harvest huts in their fields. Many KKSY congregants are themselves farmers. They commemorate those early farmers’ huts and the huts used by Jews as they wandered in the desert after the Exodus by eating in a Sukkah during the holiday. A sukkah is a small dwelling with a foliage roof of leaves or branches. One of the first tasks for community members after Yom Kippur is to build and decorate such a dwelling so that it will be ready for the new holiday.

Families take their meals in the sukkah. As on Shabbat, the woman of the house lights candles in the sukkah before meals to welcome the holiday and enhance the festive setting. 

In synagogue (except on the Sabbath), Congregants wave the lulab, a cluster of palm, myrtle and willow. They display the Etrog. Using these four plant products at one time emphasizes Jewish unity; Judaism has many communities but all need to work together for the common good.

Special prayers are said for rain. Interestingly, these prayers for rain are said all over the world—whether or not a given community needs rain at that time. The prayer is directed for rain in Israel and reminds every Jewish community that all Jews have a stake in the health of Israel.  

The festivities do not end with the seven days of Sukkot itself. On the eighth and ninth days, Jews celebrate Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, which this year occur on Thursday, October 24th and Friday, October 25th. Once again the congregation recites the Hallel, a prayer of thanks. The final day of this celebration period is called Simchat Torah, or the joyous day of the Torah. In synagogue a reader finishes the last chapter in Deuteronomy and then immediately begins the first chapter of Genesis. For KKSY as for all Torah true Jewish communities learning the lessons of the Bible never stops.