Chag Sukkot Sameach! Happy Sukkot!
Hillel Happenings @ Naz
What Is Sukkot?
On Sukkot, Jews build a temporary hut (sukkah) with an open roof made of branches to let in moonlight and an open side to welcome guests.
Sukkot is a time to host guests for meals in the sukkah. The open booth is a reminder of how the Jews slept after they fled slavery in Egypt, a connection to the story of Passover. It also resembles temporary shelters from the sun used by farmers planting out in the fields.
The origins of Sukkot are found in an ancient autumnal harvest festival. Indeed it is often referred to as hag ha-asif, “The Harvest Festival.” Much of the imagery and ritual of the holiday revolves around rejoicing and thanking G-d for the completed harvest. The sukkah represent the huts that farmers would live in during the last hectic period of harvest before the coming of the winter rains. As is the case with other festivals whose origins may not have been Jewish, the Bible reinterpreted the festival to imbue it with a specific Jewish meaning. In this manner, Sukkot came to commemorate the wanderings of the Israelites in the desert after the revelation at Mount Sinai, with the huts representing the temporary shelters that the Israelites lived in during those 40 years.
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How Nazareth College Celebrates Sukkot
On Tuesday, September 21st at 4pm we will be decorating the sukkah! The event will end with pizza in the hut! :-)
On Thursday, September 23rd at 6pm please join us for the third annual Welcoming Today's Stranger, and snacks in the sukkah.
Nazareth College Hillel
Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life
Hillel welcomes students of all backgrounds and fosters an enduring commitment to Jewish life, learning and Israel. Hillel builds connections with emerging adults and inspires them to direct their own Jewish journey.
Laura Matthews (she/her/hers)
Hillel Advisor in Center for Spirituality
Email: hillel@naz.edu
Website: https://www2.naz.edu/spirituality/religious-and-spiritual-communities/hillel-jewish-community/
Location: Nazareth College, East Avenue, Rochester, NY, USA
Phone: 585 389 2303
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NazarethCollegeHillel