Judaism 101
Judaism 101
Please note that this page contain the name of God.
If you print it out, please treat it with appropriate respect.If you do not have experience reading transliteration
please see the Guide to Transliteration.
There are a number of different prayers and blessings on this page that are recited at various times during this seven-day holiday. To help you see how all the pieces fit together, here is a breakdown by day:
When the first night of Sukkot occurs on Shabbat, as it does in 2023 (September 29) and 2026 (September 25), some text is added to candlelighting and Kiddush in honor of the Sabbath. This text is highlighted in yellow and should only be read on Shabbat. The toggle below can hide the Shabbat text to reduce confusion if your browser supports the toggle feature.
This is the same candlelighting blessing that is recited on most holidays. On the first night, candles should be lit no later than 18 minutes before sundown. On the second night, candles should be lit immediately after nightfall, kindled by an existing flame. For the candle lighting time in your area, consult the list provided by the Orthodox Union or any Jewish calendar.
The words highlighted in yellow should be read only on Shabbat.
Kiddush is recited on the first and second nights of Sukkot while holding a cup of wine or other liquid, no less than 3.3 ounces. If wine or grape juice is not used, you should substitute shehakol nih'yeh bid'varo (by whose will all things come to be) for borei p'ri hagafen (who creates the fruit of the vine).
This kiddush is very similar to the one used on Passover and Shavu'ot with slight variations specific to the holiday. The parts that are different for Sukkot are highlighted in silver to help you see what is special about this kiddush. The rest is basically the same as the kiddush for other holidays.
When the first night occurs on Friday night (Shabbat), we insert the first paragraph of Shabbat kiddush highlighted in yellow below. There are also a few other bits added for Shabbat, reminding us that it is Shabbat as well as Sukkot. Because of the way Rosh Hashanah is calculated, the second night never occurs on Shabbat.
Do not drink the wine until after completing Shechecheyanu below.
If you would like to hear the festival kiddush, check out this MP3 of the Passover Kiddush, which is exactly the same as Sukkot kiddush with two exceptions: chag ha-Sukkot instead of chag ha-matzot, and z'man simchateynu instead of z'man cheyruteynu. Audio courtesy of Cantor Sam Weiss of the Jewish Community Center of Paramus New Jersey.
if using wine or grape juice
if using other liquids
Don't drink the wine yet! There are two more blessings!
This blessing should be recited at any time you are fulfilling the mitzvah of dwelling in the sukkah, for example, before you eat a meal in the sukkah. It doesn't have to be recited every time you go in and out, just when you begin a new session of dwelling in the sukkah.
Drink the Kiddush wine after the Shehecheyanu blessing.
One of the commandments of Sukkot is to take the arba minim (four species) and wave them each day of the holiday (except Shabbat). This is normally done during morning services in synagogue, before the Hallel prayers, but I like to do it in my sukkah in the morning before going to synagogue. Both customs are common and acceptable.
Stand facing the east (or whatever direction is toward Jerusalem from where you are).
Take the etrog in your left hand with the stem (green tip) up and the pitam (brown tip) down. Take the lulav (including the palm, myrtle and willow branches bound together) in your right hand. Bring your hands together and recite the blessing below.
After you recite the blessing, turn the etrog so the stem is down and the pitam is up. Be careful not to damage the pitam! With the lulav and etrog together, gently shake forward (East) three times, then pull the lulav and etrog back in front of your chest. Repeat this to the right (South), then over your right shoulder (West), then to the left (North), then up, then down.
Some explanation of this unusual blessing is in order: The Talmud teaches that when the messiah comes, the righteous will come to Jerusalem and the Leviathan (a giant sea creature created on the fifth day, Genesis 1:21) will be slain. Its skin will be used to make the walls of a giant sukkah, and the righteous will dine on the flesh of the Leviathan in that sukkah (Bava Batra 75a 4-6). Thus, the essence of this farewell prayer is the hope that the messiah will come within the next year.
Sukkot
Common Prayers and Blessings
Prayers and Blessings
Jewish Liturgy