The Jewish holidays of Sukkot and Simchat Torah

The Mat-Su Jewish Center Chabad will be celebrating the holidays of Sukkot and Simchat Torah in the coming days following the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

The holiday of Sukkot, or the Feast of the Tabernacles, begins Monday October 6 at sundown and ends at nightfall on October 13.

The seven-day holiday is celebrated by eating, drinking and celebrating in a sukkah, or a temporary outdoor hut with a ceiling made of branches, twigs and leaves. The purpose of the sukkah is to recreate the similar living conditions that Jewish ancestors lived in and commemorates the protection and safety that God provided the Jewish people when they left Egypt and wandered the desert for 40 years.

The holiday is purposely held in the cooler months when the weather is poor to commemorate God’s miracle and his protection over the Jewish people. The holiday is also one of unity, bringing people together to dwell in the same sukkah.

“In order to commemorate that holiday, we dwell in the sukkah,” Rabbi Mendy Greenberg of the Mat-Su Jewish Center Chabad said. “The idea that every year we remember that even though we live inside nice, beautiful homes and we’re taken care of, the real protection is coming from God above us.”

Another Sukkot tradition is the “four kinds,” or the assembling of the branches of a palm, a myrtle, a willow and that of a citrus fruit. The branches are held together to perform a blessing that symbolizes the concept of complete unity of a Jewish nation, despite what external differences each person may have.

The Mat-Su Jewish Center Chabad will host a large sukkah for people to visit and celebrate within, as well as the four kinds for their ceremony. A Sukkot celebration and festival will be held on October 9 starting at 5:30 p.m. This year’s annual festival will feature a fresh apple cider press, a hot soup buffet, full dinner, music and activities for the entire family to enjoy.

The holiday of Simchat Torah follows the Holiday of the Sukkot and begins on the evening of October 14 and ends on October 15. Portions of the five books of Moses, or Torah, are read every week for an entire year and the holiday of Simchat Torah celebrates the conclusion of the yearly cycle. It is celebrated by dancing with the Torah Scrolls, which Rabbi Greenberg mentioned is a very joyous celebration.

The Mat-Su Jewish Center Chabad will host a Simchat Torah celebration on October 14 at 6 p.m. The event will include a charcuterie board with cocktails and guest singers and songwriters from New York.

“The entire holiday is considered the season of our rejoicing, so it’s the time to rejoice and celebrate what it means to be Jewish, our mission and purpose in this world and our connection with God and connection with others, with other people and love and unity with other people,” Rabbi Greenberg said.

Anyone is welcome to participate and are encouraged to connect with the Mat-Su Jewish Center Chabad to secure a spot at the event. The previous celebration at the Jewish Center for Rosh Hoshanah welcomed over 100 people and the event of Yom Kippur is anticipated to bring in a similar crowd.