Sukkot is one of Judaism’s most joyful and hands-on holidays. Discover the meaning behind the sukkah, the Four Species, harvest traditions, and simple ways families can celebrate this beautiful festival together.
Just days after the introspection of Yom Kippur, the Jewish calendar takes a remarkable turn.
The solemnity gives way to celebration. Families gather outdoors. Children decorate temporary shelters with colorful artwork and hanging fruits. Meals are shared under the stars. A bundle of plants is held together and waved in celebration.
This is Sukkot, one of Judaism’s most joyful and experiential holidays.
Known as the Festival of Booths or Feast of Tabernacles, Sukkot invites us to celebrate the harvest, remember the Israelites’ journey through the wilderness, and reflect on some of Judaism’s most enduring values: gratitude, hospitality, community, and the temporary nature of life.
In 2026, Sukkot begins at sundown on Friday, September 25, and concludes at nightfall on Friday, October 2, corresponding to 15–21 Tishrei 5787.
For families in Aventura, North Miami Beach, and throughout South Florida, Sukkot offers countless opportunities to bring Jewish tradition to life.
What Is Sukkot?
Sukkot is a seven-day Jewish holiday that begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, just five days after Yom Kippur.
The holiday has two major historical associations.
First, Sukkot celebrates the autumn harvest. In ancient Israel, it was a time to gather crops and give thanks for the food and abundance that sustained the community.
Second, Sukkot commemorates the Israelites’ 40-year journey through the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt. According to Jewish tradition, they lived in temporary shelters during this period.
These two themes—harvest and wandering—come together in the sukkah, the temporary structure that gives the holiday its name.
If you’re following the Jewish calendar through the entire season, our 2026 Family Guide to the Jewish High Holy Days provides an overview of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah.
When Is Sukkot in 2026?
Because Jewish holidays follow the Hebrew calendar, their dates on the Gregorian calendar change from year to year.
For 5787 / 2026, Sukkot falls on:
Sukkot begins: Friday, September 25 at sundown
First day: Saturday, September 26
Final day / Hoshana Rabbah: Friday, October 2
Sukkot ends: Friday, October 2 at nightfall
Hebrew dates: 15–21 Tishrei 5787
In the Diaspora, including the United States, Sukkot is traditionally observed for seven days, followed immediately by Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. In 2026, those holidays begin at sundown on October 2.
The Sukkah: A Temporary Home
The most recognizable symbol of Sukkot is the sukkah, a temporary outdoor shelter where families are encouraged to eat, gather, and spend time together during the holiday.
A sukkah can be simple or elaborate. Some families build one in their backyard. Others create one on a patio, balcony, synagogue campus, or community space.
The walls can be made from a variety of materials, but the roof—known as the schach—must allow those inside to see the sky while providing enough shade to create a meaningful shelter.
The temporary nature of the sukkah is part of the lesson.
We spend much of our lives trying to create permanence: bigger homes, more possessions, more security, more certainty. Sukkot asks us to step outside that mindset.
For one week, we intentionally inhabit something temporary.
We look up at the sky.
We eat together.
We welcome people in.
And we remember that many of the things we take for granted are gifts.
Decorating the Sukkah
For children, one of the best parts of Sukkot is decorating the sukkah.
Families often hang artwork, paper chains, fruits, leaves, lights, photographs, and other decorations from the walls and roof.
This is an opportunity to make Jewish tradition creative and hands-on.
Children can create decorations representing what they are grateful for, draw pictures of their family, make paper fruits representing the harvest, or create signs welcoming guests into the sukkah.
At Temple Sinai, the nature-rich campus provides a particularly fitting environment for experiencing a holiday centered around the outdoors, harvest, and connection to the natural world.
Families can learn more about Temple Sinai’s campus and the community spaces where Jewish life and learning take place throughout the year.
The Four Species: Lulav and Etrog
Another central Sukkot tradition involves the Four Species, known in Hebrew as Arba’at HaMinim.
They are:
- Lulav — a palm branch
- Hadass — a myrtle branch
- Aravah — a willow branch
- Etrog — a citron fruit
The three branches are bound together and held alongside the etrog. During Sukkot, they are traditionally waved in different directions as part of the holiday ritual.
There are many interpretations of the symbolism of the Four Species. One particularly well-known interpretation connects the different plants with different qualities of a person—including wisdom, good deeds, and other aspects of Jewish life.
The ritual is also a reminder that we are part of something larger than ourselves: a community made up of many different people, experiences, and perspectives.
Sukkot Is About Hospitality
One of the most beautiful ideas associated with Sukkot is ushpizin, the tradition of symbolically welcoming honored guests into the sukkah.
Traditionally, Jewish families invoke biblical figures such as Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob, Rachel, Joseph, and Moses as spiritual guests.
The larger idea is simple:
A sukkah isn’t complete if it isn’t a place of welcome.
Families are encouraged to invite friends, neighbors, relatives, and community members to share a meal or spend time together.
This makes Sukkot an especially social holiday. The temporary structure becomes a reminder that our homes—and our lives—are enriched when we make room for other people.
For Temple Sinai, that idea of welcome extends well beyond the holiday. The congregation describes itself as a community where people worship together, celebrate together, learn together, and mourn together, with opportunities for participation across generations.
Sukkot and Gratitude
At its heart, Sukkot is a holiday about gratitude.
After the reflection and self-examination of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Sukkot asks us to recognize what we have.
We have food.
We have shelter.
We have family and friends.
We have community.
We have another year.
And we have the opportunity to share those blessings with others.
That makes Sukkot a natural time for families to practice gratitude together.
At the dinner table, parents might ask:
What are you grateful for this year?
Who helped you this year?
What is something you have that someone else might not have?
How can we share what we have with others?
These conversations help transform Sukkot from a holiday children simply participate in into a holiday they understand.
Making Sukkot Meaningful for Children
Sukkot is particularly well suited to family participation because so much of the holiday is tangible.
Children can:
- Help build or decorate a sukkah
- Make holiday decorations
- Eat meals outdoors
- Help prepare a special Sukkot meal
- Learn about the Four Species
- Shake the lulav and etrog
- Invite friends or relatives into the sukkah
- Create gratitude cards
- Participate in a community Sukkot celebration
- Learn about the harvest and the natural world
For younger children, the goal doesn’t need to be explaining every historical or theological dimension of the holiday.
Instead, give them something to build, touch, taste, create, and share.
That is often how Jewish traditions become lasting memories.
Families looking for Jewish learning opportunities throughout the year can explore Gan Sinai, Learning Lab, and the broader range of programs available through I AM Sinai.
Sukkot and the Natural World
There is something particularly meaningful about celebrating Sukkot in South Florida.
The holiday asks us to step outdoors and pay attention to the natural world—to trees, plants, weather, sunlight, and the changing seasons.
Here in South Florida, the landscape doesn’t necessarily look like the traditional autumn imagery associated with Sukkot in other parts of the country. There may be no changing leaves or crisp fall mornings.
But the underlying lesson remains just as relevant.
Sukkot asks us to recognize our dependence on the natural world and appreciate the food, water, shelter, and resources that sustain us.
For families, that can be as simple as spending an evening outside together, talking about where food comes from, planting something, or taking a moment to notice the environment around us.
From Yom Kippur to Sukkot
The placement of Sukkot immediately after Yom Kippur is not accidental.
Yom Kippur asks us to look inward.
Sukkot asks us to look outward.
After spending a day focused on repentance, forgiveness, and our individual relationships, we move into a holiday centered around hospitality, gratitude, nature, and community.
It is almost as though the Jewish calendar says:
Now that you’ve reflected on yourself, go build something together.
That transition is one of the reasons Sukkot can feel so joyful.
It reminds us that personal growth isn’t the destination. What we do with that growth—how we treat other people, how we build community, and how we share what we have—is equally important.
Sukkot at Temple Sinai
Sukkot is a holiday best experienced together.
A sukkah becomes more meaningful when people gather inside it. A meal becomes more festive when it is shared. A holiday tradition becomes more powerful when children see parents, grandparents, friends, and community members participating alongside them.
Temple Sinai offers opportunities throughout the Jewish year for families and individuals to worship, learn, celebrate, and connect.
You can also explore Temple Sinai’s upcoming events as Sukkot approaches and discover opportunities to celebrate the holiday with the community.
And for families looking to build Jewish traditions into everyday life—not just the holidays—I AM Sinai provides a connected range of educational and enrichment programs for children and teens.
A Holiday About What We Have—and What We Share
Sukkot reminds us that life is temporary, our possessions are not permanent, and none of us thrives entirely on our own.
For seven days, we leave the security of our ordinary homes and enter something temporary.
We eat together.
We welcome guests.
We give thanks.
We celebrate the harvest.
We look at the sky.
And we remember that a meaningful life isn’t measured only by what we accumulate, but by what we experience and what we share with others.
As families across Aventura and the South Florida Jewish community gather this fall, Sukkot offers a simple invitation:
Build a shelter. Invite someone in. Give thanks for what you have. And celebrate the people who make life meaningful.
Chag Sukkot Sameach!
May your Sukkot be filled with joy, gratitude, good food, and good company.
