Resources for Sukkot
Spiritual care and Jewish wisdom for a new year of climate action
A Message from rabbi Laura bellows
Sukkot asks us to step outside of what feels permanent and dwell in a fragile shelter, surrounded by the rhythms of the natural world, as we tune into practices of joy. In a time of so many crises, that may feel especially difficult.
May this Sukkot help us cultivate gratitude for what sustains us, care for one another through uncertainty, and find the courage and joy to build a more livable future together.
HOLIDAY RESOURCES
HOLIDAY RESOURCES- Need some election season inspiration? Journey Through Election Season is a once / week dose of creative prompts, rituals, Jewish wisdom, and action ideas, direct to your inbox from now through election day. Sign up for weekly emails.
- Climate Torah: Cultivate Courage & Face Fear – a Rooted & Rising Climate Torah resource for Sukkot.
- A DIY Guide to Gathering Local “Lulav & Etrog” Four Species for Sukkot from Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman.
- A GOTV Playlist! Sukkot is Get Out the Vote season. Gather in a sukkah and phonebank climate-concerned voters for important elections with Dayenu through Chutzpah 2026.
Click here to browse our entire catalog of campaigns and organizing, spiritual adaptation, holiday, and torah resources.
🔥 Take Action with Dayenu
Awaken to a New Year of Climate Justice. Sukkot calls us to cultivate joy even in vulnerable times — to envision the world we want and take steps to bring it to life. Just as the shofar awakens us to renewal and responsibility, we can awaken our communities and leaders to the urgency of the climate crisis.
This holiday, join Dayenu to:
- Get out the climate vote with Chutzpah 2026 – Sign up for spirited phonebanking shifts with live music.
- Need some election season inspiration? Journey Through Election Season is a once / week dose of creative prompts, rituals, Jewish wisdom, and action ideas, direct to your inbox from now through election day. Sign up for weekly emails.
Climate Connections of SUkkot
During Sukkot, Jews around the world build and dwell in sukkot — temporary shelters open to the elements and decorated with fruits and symbols of the harvest. Spending time in the sukkah reminds us not only of our connection to and interdependence with all life and the seasonal cycles, but also of our vulnerability in the face of climate chaos and ecological instability.
Those who have experienced displacement, been forced to migrate, or been unhoused due to climate-driven extreme weather know this feeling all too well.
Yet, another name for the holiday of Sukkot is Z’man Simchateinu – the Time of Our Rejoicing. We take joy in being in the sukkah, welcoming guests, and shaking the lulav and etrog – a bundle of four plant species – as we pray for a good year for our human communities, for the land, and for all life.
In ancient times, Sukkot was one of three major pilgrimage festivals in Jerusalem. It was filled with community, music, the best of the harvest from across the land, a joyous water libation ceremony, and ritual offerings, in hopes that this growing season would be one of abundance.
Today, Sukkot challenges us to cultivate joy, gratitude, and resilience even and especially in the midst of precarious times. We anchor ourselves in the joy of community, good food, the protection of ancestors, and the beauty of the sukkah.
Another mitzvah (sacred practice and obligation) of Sukkot is to welcome Ushpizin – honored guests. We practice this through dedicating each night of Sukkot to different powerful and courageous ancestors – remembering their stories and drawing strength from their examples – and inviting in guests to share the joy of the holiday. Sukkot reminds us of our interdependence and calls us to build resilience together, ensuring safe shelter, food, and flourishing for all in a changing climate.
✨ Together, this Sukkot invites us to connect Jewish spiritual practice with climate activism: awakening to possibility; turning toward right-relationship with ourselves, the sacred, and each other; and embodying resilience and joy as we build a just and livable future.
what is sukkot?
Sukkot is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the autumn harvest and commemorates the temporary shelters associated with the Israelites’ journey through the wilderness after the Exodus. It begins on the 15th day (the full moon) of the Hebrew month of Tishrei and lasts seven days in the Diaspora. It is immediately followed by Shemini Atzeret, the Eighth Day of Assembly, a holiday in its own right that is associated with Tefilat Geshem, the prayer for rain, and the joyous dancing of Simchat Torah.
Sukkot is also known as the Festival of Booths. It is one of the three biblical pilgrimage festivals, alongside Passover and Shavuot. The holiday is characterized by joy, hospitality, harvest imagery, and connection with the natural world.
Another name for Sukkot is Zman Simchateinu, “the Time of Our Rejoicing.” Joy is central to the holiday, even as the sukkah reminds us of life’s vulnerability. Sukkot is a time for welcoming guests and sharing abundance. The holiday provides an opportunity to express gratitude and joy for food, land, water, and the natural systems that sustain all life.
The central mitzvot of Sukkot are to dwell in the sukkah and shake the Arba’a Minim (four plant species, traditionally: palm, myrtle, willow, and etrog, or citron fruit). These four species are imbued with symbolic meaning and are waved throughout the festival. There is also a tradition of inviting Ushpizin, or symbolic guests, into the sukkah, and many communities use the holiday as an opportunity to practice hospitality and generosity.
What does Sukkot Mean?
The word Sukkot is the plural of sukkah, a Hebrew word generally translated as “booth” or “shelter.” A sukkah is a temporary outdoor structure built for the holiday. Jewish tradition calls for people to dwell in the sukkah during Sukkot, eating meals and spending time there. The structure is intentionally temporary and its roof, known as s’chach, is made from plant material through which one can see the stars.
According to Rabbinic tradition, the sukkah must hold the tension of being both temporary and a dwelling place fit for eating and sleeping. Holding this tension can be instructive for our climate movement work, in which we are both aware of our own vulnerability but also ground ourselves in our traditions, communities, and relationships to the planet and to each other.
The sukkah can symbolize the temporary shelters of the Israelites during their journey through the wilderness. It also invites us to reflect on human fragility and resilience, gratitude, and the things that truly sustain us.
What is the Connection between Sukkot and Nature?
Sukkot has ancient agricultural roots and is associated with the autumn harvest. As one of the three major pilgrimage festivals, Sukkot marks the end of the fall harvest and beginning of the rainy season. The central mitzvot of Sukkot: dwelling in the sukkah and taking & shaking the four plant species (arba’a minim), as well as reciting the Tefilat Geshem prayer for rain on Shemini Atzeret (at the end of Sukkot) all underscore our connection with the Earth, the seasons, and the agricultural cycles.
Sukkot asks us to notice what sustains us. It also reminds us that human beings do not live apart from nature. We depend upon (and have an outsized impact on) healthy soil, clean water, sustainable food systems, and thriving ecosystems and forests. That makes Sukkot a particularly meaningful Jewish holiday for reflecting on climate change, environmental responsibility, ecological resilience, and our relationship with the Earth.
When is Sukkot?
In 2026, Sukkot begins at sundown on Friday, September 25 (15th day of Tishrei) and ends at nightfall on Friday, October 2 in the Diaspora. Sukkot is celebrated for seven days.
- Sukkot 2026: September 25 – October 2, 2026
- Hebrew date: 15–21 Tishrei 5787