Sukkot

This exhibit shares fun facts, curriculum content, liturgy, and other resources surrounding Sukkot around the Jewish world and in various Jewish languages.

Sukkot in Yiddish, presented by The Forward

Ya Et Sukkat David, sung in Baghdadi Hebrew

Yiddish sing-along song presented by the Sholem Community

Rabbi Moshe Elefant of the Orthodox Union speaking in Jewish English, presented by Kosherdotcom

Fun Facts

Multilingual Sukkot Liturgy

This tkhine, a prayer usually read by women, was written in Yiddish for Hoshana Rabbah, the last day of Sukkot. Traditionally, the Book of Life is sealed on Yom Kippur, and the judgement is carried out on Hoshana Rabbah. In this tkhine, the woman prays for good fortune, good health, and to be sealed in the Book of Life. This blessing is carried out during the beating of the willows.

To access a Yiddish and English translation of this blessing, click here.

Yiddish tkhine for the beating of the aravos

Hoshanot, prayers for good health, fortune, blessing, etc. recited during Sukkot come from the ancient Hebrew הושע נא, meaning "bring us salvation - please".

Check out an Algerian Judeo-Arabic Hoshanot blessing here.

Hoshanot text blessings, image from Kol Aleph blog

Here's a Sukkot coloring page and handwriting guide from Tsirl Waletzky's "Mol un dertseyl." The original was published in 1963 by Bildungs-ḳomiṭet fun Arbeṭer ring (New York). You can page through the whole book here, courtesy of the Yiddish Book Center.

This exhibit would not be possible without the work of Isaac Mayer, Sarah Biskowitz, Hannah Pressman, Jonas Sibony, Eden Moyal, and others. Thank you all for your help in putting this together.

If you have information on multilingual Sukkot customs, songs, or texts that you'd like to share, please contact us so that we can continue building this resource.

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