Sukkot Begins Monday Night: Joy, Shelter, and Unity Under the Sukkah
We step beyond our walls to remember G-d’s shelter, gather in gratitude, and open to healing on every level.
The Flow of the Days
• Yom Tov (First Two Days): From sundown Monday, Oct 6, to nightfall Wednesday, Oct 8 (Diaspora) are full festival days—meals in the sukkah, candle-lighting, joyous prayer, and taking the Four Kinds.
• Chol HaMoed (Intermediary Days): The following days, from Wednesday night, October 8, through Sunday, Oct 12, continue the mitzvot of the sukkah and the Four Kinds in a more weekday rhythm—filled with family, connection, and gratitude.
• Hoshana Rabbah → Shemini Atzeret & Simchat Torah: On Monday, Oct 13, we reach Hoshana Rabbah—the final day of Sukkot—before moving into Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah beginning that evening.
What Is Sukkot?
Sukkot is the festival of joy that comes shortly after the Day of Atonement. We commemorate both the harvest and the Divine protection our ancestors experienced in the desert by dwelling in a sukkah (a foliage-covered booth) and by uniting the Four Kinds—lulav (palm), hadassim (myrtle), aravot (willow), and etrog (citron).
This transition—from the solemnity of Yom Kippur to the overflowing joy of Sukkot—reminds us to bring our inner work into celebration. Holiness isn’t exclusively confined to moments of prayer; it’s woven through daily life, in simple meals, laughter, and gratitude.
How We Celebrate
Dwell in the Sukkah
We eat (and many also sleep) in the sukkah throughout the week. In leaving the comfort of brick and mortar, we affirm that true shelter comes from G-d.
Take the Four Kinds
Each day of Sukkot (except Shabbat), we shake the lulav, hadassim, aravot, and etrog and wave them in all directions—expressing that G-d is everywhere, and we are one people with many voices.
Rejoice
Sukkot is known as Zeman Simchateinu —“the time of our joy.” After the introspection of the High Holy Days, we open our hearts to lightness and celebration.
Welcome the Ushpizin
Each night we “host” seven spiritual guests - Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Moshe, Aharon, Yosef, and David, inviting their qualities of kindness, faith, and leadership into our homes and hearts.
A Message Aligned with Soul Link’s Mission
Sukkot invites us to live joyfully—not just in ritual, but in the spaces of our lives that are still in process. After the High Holy Days, when we journeyed inward, this holiday is a time to expand outward.
SoulLink’s mission, to improve the health and well-being of individuals, families, and communities, resonates deeply with this holiday message. In the same way the sukkah opens us to shelter beyond walls, SoulLinks opens us to integration beyond the visible: harmonizing mind, body, and soul. As we wave the Four Kinds in all directions, we also affirm that every part of us (and every person) belongs.
Let this Sukkot be a time when your inner work and outer joy become one. As you sit in the sukkah, eat meals, invite guests, and rejoice, consider how you might also align with your greater mission:
Allow your soul to feel safe and expansive.
Bring gratitude into simple moments.
Share that joy with your loved ones and community.
Root your daily rhythms in what sustains you deeply.
May your sukkah be full, your spirit light, and your heart open to new levels of healing and unity. Chag Sameach!