For Matanos L’evyonim donations Click Here

The History of Sukkot

Where did Sukkot originally take place?

Answer:


Sukkot is a 7 day festival which comes to remind us of the Sukkot in which the Israelites dwelled on their way out from Egypt. According to Rabbi Eliezer’s opinion in the Talmud, these Sukkot refer to the Clouds of the Divine Presence which surrounded the Israelites in the wilderness. These 7 Clouds protected them from enemies as well as wild animals. They also protected them from the hardships of traveling through the desert. (The Midrash says that throughout the entire fourty years in the wilderness, the shoes and clothing that they wore remained whole and clean.)



Join the Conversation

2 Comments

  1. Thank you for your well-thought response. The reason I thought Sukkoth was a place is because in Exodus 13:20 it says, “After leaving Sukkoth they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert.” Did I misunderstand?

    1. Sukkos was a place in the wilderness. Nevertheless, the festival of Sukkos is not related (at least not in a direct way) to the place called Sukkos. In fact, the place is called Sukkos on account of Jacob’s dwelling there, as recorded in the book of Genesis (33:17).

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *