Building and decorating ideas that will
leave everyone with lots of pleasant Jewish memories-and
not too many sore muscles! The seven-day holiday
of Sukkot is Judaism's harvest festival. It's a mitzvah
to "dwell" (at least to eat, maximally to
sleep) in one's sukkah (booth) during the entire week,
barring inclement weather.
My family built its first sukkah when I was a
teenager. My parents rigged walls out of colorful,
batik-style cloth from K-Mart, and we hung the leafy roof
with fresh fruit. I ate all my meals in our sukkah,
including breakfast on some uncharacteristically frosty
Texas mornings.
Since then, I've enjoyed many diverse and wonderful
sukkot (plural), including a simple wilderness sukkah
made of fallen branches; a penthouse sukkah overlooking
the Mediterranean; and a romantic, candlelit sukkah on a
hillside deck. Looking back, our first sukkah was a
turning point in my family's Jewish life, a sign of
intensified interest and involvement in our Jewish roots.
Building that first sukkah is a hands-on, holistic Jewish
experience that creates magic and memories for the entire
family.
1. Simple Sukkah Setup | 2. The Roof | 3. Decorations | 4. Mobiles |
5. Put out the Welcome Mat | 6. Mystical guests 7. Go regional | 8. Go Israeli |
9. Indulge Your Childhood Christmas Tree Frustrations | 10. Light Up the Night-Safely
