In the Third Grade, we explore stories from the Hebrew Bible and how to make shelters. These come together in the creation of this sukkah, the ritual building that provides shelter during the Jewish Holiday Sukkot.

The week-long festival of Sukkot, described in the Biblical books of Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy, follows the turn of the year (Rosh Hashanah) and a period of deep introspection, ending in Yom Kippur.  By contrast, Sukkot is a time of joyfulness.

Like many autumnal holidays, Sukkot is a harvest festival.  Its primary symbol is this sukkah: a temporary dwelling place that recalls structures build near crops during harvest time in the ancient world.  The sukkah also looks ahead to the spring celebration of Passover as it also resembles temporary shelters used during the exodus from Egypt.  A sukkah can be built in many ways and out of all kinds of material.  One common element is to decorate the inside of the sukkah with signs of the harvest: fruit, gourds, leaves etc.

Please feel free to decorate this sukkah!

During Sukkot, the sukkah becomes a living space: for celebration, companionship, sharing meals and even sleeping in.  We hope you will take a moment to sit in the Hartsbrook sukkah to enjoy the season, the changes in light and energy that come in autumn, and the bounty of the harvest.

Warm wishes from the Third Grade!