Sukkot
Sukkot (Hebrew: סוכות or סֻכּוֹת, sukkōt, or sukkos, Feast of Booths, Feast of Tabernacles) is a Biblical holiday celebrated on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei (late September to late October). It is one of the three biblically mandated festivals Shalosh regalim on which Jews were commanded to make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem.
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Haftarah:
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About Sukkot
Beyond the pilgrimage framing, Sukkot carries a dual meaning that gives the holiday its emotional texture. Historically and theologically, it commemorates the temporary dwellings (sukkot) in which the Israelites lived during their forty years of wandering in the wilderness after the Exodus, recalling God's protection during that journey (Leviticus 23:42-43). Agriculturally, it is the festival of the autumn harvest and ingathering — "Chag HaAsif," the Festival of Ingathering at the year's end (Exodus 34:22) — a season of thanksgiving for the year's crops. The fragile sukkah itself, with its temporary walls and a roof loose enough to glimpse the stars and let in the rain, is traditionally understood to teach that true security comes from trust in God rather than from sturdy structures. Sukkot is also known as "Z'man Simchateinu," the Season of Our Rejoicing, marking it as the most joyful of the pilgrimage festivals.
When it’s observed
Sukkot begins on 15 Tishrei and runs through 21 Tishrei, falling in late September to late October on the Gregorian calendar (in 2026, from sundown on 25 September through nightfall on 2 October). Observance differs by location: in Israel the first day (15 Tishrei) is a full festival day (Yom Tov) with work restrictions, followed by five intermediate days of Chol HaMoed (16-20 Tishrei), with the seventh day being Hoshana Rabbah (21 Tishrei). In the Diaspora, both the first and second days (15-16 Tishrei) are observed as full Yom Tov before Chol HaMoed begins — the same seven calendar days, but with two festival days at the start instead of one. Sukkot is immediately followed by the separate holiday of Shemini Atzeret (22 Tishrei); in the Diaspora a second day of Shemini Atzeret (23 Tishrei) is observed as Simchat Torah, while in Israel the two are combined into a single day. Some Reform and other communities observe a single festival day rather than two; check your community's calendar for exact observance.
The readings & trope
On the First Day of Sukkot the Torah reading is Leviticus 22:26-23:44, with the maftir drawn from Numbers 29:12-16 (the festival's mussaf sacrifices); when the first day falls on Shabbat, the passage is divided into additional aliyot. In the Diaspora, the Second Day repeats the same first-day Torah reading. The intermediate days (Chol HaMoed) read the relevant daily-sacrifice portions from Numbers 29, and Shabbat Chol HaMoed reads Exodus 33:12-34:26. The First-Day Haftarah is Zechariah 14:1-21, the eschatological vision in which all nations come up to celebrate Sukkot in Jerusalem; the Second-Day (Diaspora) Haftarah is generally 1 Kings 8:2-21, Solomon's dedication of the Temple at the festival (drawn from standard lectionary practice — confirm against your community's chumash). The Megillah of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) is read in its entirety on Shabbat Chol HaMoed, before the Torah reading, reflecting the holiday's theme of life's transience and impermanence. Kohelet is one of the Five Megillot; where it is chanted with cantillation, it commonly uses the shared "Three Megillot" pastoral melody also used for Song of Songs and Ruth — distinct from the joyful Esther trope of Purim and the mournful Eicha trope of Tisha B'Av. Practice varies widely, however, and many congregations read Kohelet with little or no elaborate trope. TropeTrainer lets you hear and practice these cantillation melodies — including the festival Torah and Haftarah readings and the Megillah trope — at your own pace.
Customs
The central mitzvah is building and dwelling in a sukkah — a temporary booth with at least three walls and a roof of s'chach (cut organic plant material such as palm fronds or leafy branches, loose enough to see the stars) — in which meals, and traditionally sleeping, take place throughout the seven days. Each day of the festival except Shabbat, worshippers take up the Four Species (Arba Minim): the lulav (palm branch), etrog (citron), hadassim (myrtle), and aravot (willow), held together and waved in all directions with a blessing. The Kabbalistic (Lurianic) custom of Ushpizin symbolically invites one of seven spiritual guests — Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph, and David — into the sukkah each night (some communities also invite the matriarchs). Hoshanot are processional prayers circling the synagogue bimah with the Four Species while reciting "Hoshana" (save us) supplications; on Hoshana Rabbah, the seventh day, there are seven circuits and the beating of willow branches, a day regarded as the final sealing of the year's judgment begun on Rosh Hashanah. The festival also recalls the joyous Temple-era Simchat Beit HaShoeivah water-drawing celebrations.
Frequently asked questions
What is Sukkot?
Sukkot (the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles) is a weeklong biblical pilgrimage festival with a dual meaning: it commemorates the temporary dwellings in which the Israelites lived during their forty years in the wilderness after the Exodus (Leviticus 23:42-43), and it celebrates the autumn harvest and ingathering of crops (Exodus 34:22). It is one of the three Shalosh Regalim pilgrimage festivals, alongside Passover and Shavuot, and is known as Z'man Simchateinu, the Season of Our Rejoicing.
When is Sukkot?
Sukkot is observed on 15-21 Tishrei, which falls in late September to late October on the Gregorian calendar. In 2026 it runs from sundown on 25 September through nightfall on 2 October. Israel observes one day of Yom Tov followed by Chol HaMoed, while the Diaspora observes two days of Yom Tov (15-16 Tishrei) before Chol HaMoed; some Reform and other communities observe a single festival day.
What is read on Sukkot?
The First-Day Torah reading is Leviticus 22:26-23:44 with maftir Numbers 29:12-16, and the First-Day Haftarah is Zechariah 14:1-21. In the Diaspora the second-day Haftarah is generally 1 Kings 8:2-21. The intermediate days read the daily-sacrifice portions of Numbers 29, and Shabbat Chol HaMoed reads Exodus 33:12-34:26. The Megillah of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) is read on Shabbat Chol HaMoed, reflecting the holiday's theme of life's transience.
What are the main customs of Sukkot?
The two central mitzvot are dwelling in a sukkah — a temporary booth roofed with s'chach (cut plant material) loose enough to see the stars — where meals and traditionally sleeping take place for seven days, and taking the Four Species (lulav, etrog, hadassim, and aravot) with a blessing each day except Shabbat. Other customs include Ushpizin (symbolically inviting seven spiritual guests into the sukkah), Hoshanot processions around the bimah, and the seventh-day observance of Hoshana Rabbah.
Where to go next
Open a sample reading with Hebrew text, trope marks, and audio to see how TropeTrainer works.
How the Haftarah, the Five Megillot, and the High Holiday Torah readings are chanted.
Guided lessons on Torah cantillation, from the basic symbols to advanced phrases.