The Jewish festival of Sukkot celebrates how God sheltered the Jewish people when they were wandering in the desert. When the Jews left Egypt, they spent forty years in the desert, before finally reaching Israel. For shelter, they built temporary houses, known as booths, tabernacles or sukkahs. Many Jewish people mark the festival by building their own sukkah, the roof of which must be made from something that grew in the ground. The sky should be visible through the roof. During the festival of Sukkot, people eat and spend time in the sukkah, sometimes even sleeping in it. Guests are invited over to share a meal.

These traditions help Jewish people to remember how God looked after their ancestors when they were in the desert. The festival is also known as the Festival of the Booths or the Festival of the Tabernacles.

Learn how Noam and his family build their sukkah.

Teaching Ideas and Resources

• Think about special places where you like to spend time with friends and family. Make a list.
• Try building a shelter outside.
• Build a model sukkah from recycled materials. Remember that the roof must be something that grew in the ground.
• Find and mark Egypt and Israel on a map.

Resources

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