Khag haSukot  חַג הַסֻּכּוֹת

The feast of Tabernacles - The feast of Sukkot is the third pilgrimage feast. We celebrate Sukkot on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, as it is written:

Speak unto the children of Israel, saying: On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto יהוה. (3M 23:34)

The feast of Sukkot lasts eight days, the first and the eighth day of the feast is a worship (holy) Assembly Mikra Kodesh מִקְרָא קדֶשׁ, from the second till the seventh day have the status of semi-feast Khol hamoed חל הַמּעֵד.

During the first and eighth day all work is forbidden, except the preparation of food for these days. During the semi-feasts it is permitted to do work if it is necessary.

Howbeit on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruits of the land, ye shall keep the feast of יהוה seven days; on the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest. (3M 23:39)

The feast is also known as the Feast of gathering Khag haasif חַג הָאָסִיף. At the end of the grain harvest and the gathering of fruits, the people of Israel brought their gifts to Jerusalem and celebrated together; they drank, ate and were merry. Sukkot was one of the merriest feasts, the ancient Israelites built booths / tabernacles Sukkot סֻּכּוֹת, and they lived in them for a whole week. They decorated the tabernacles with various plants and fruits. The Law commands us to dwell in booths for seven days as reminder of the fact that our ancestors lived in booths when they left Egypt, as it is written:

And ye shall take on the first day the fruit of goodly trees, branches of palm-trees, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook, and ye shall rejoice before יהוה your God seven days. (3M 23:40)

Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are home-born in Israel shall dwell in booths; that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am יהוה your God. (3M 23:42-43)

The first seven days of this feast are called the Feast of Tabernacles Khag haSukot חַג הַסֻּכּוֹת, the eighth day is called the day of the assembly Shemini Atzeret שְׁמִינִי עֲצֶרֶת, because in this day the people of Israel used to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to hear the reading of the Torah, that was read and explained to the people by priests Kohanim כּהֲנִים.

Kohanim - The descendants of Aaron were priests in the Tent of Meeting and later in the Temple, they taught people the Torah and the laws. Other members of the tribe of Levi served in the Tent of Meeting and later in the Temple, the whole tribe of Levi became a kind of caste serving God and living on the gifts brought by the other Israelites and on the tithes. Members of the tribe of Levi received no land. The descendants of Aaron, the forefather of the Kohanim כהנים are still living among us, it is customary that they recite the priestly blessing Brakha kohanim ברכה כהנים, and that they read the Torah first.

The Feast of Tabernacles is different from the common day in special (compiled) prayers תְּפִלַּת חַג הַסֻּכּוֹת Tefilat khag haSukkot. Currently we build only one collective booth at the kenasa which decorated with plants and fruits, we read in the booth for seven days of the feast. After morning and evening worship, we read the short prayers as a reminder of the custom to live in booths for seven days.m

The feast of Assembly Atzeret עֲצֶרֶת differs in addition to length of the festive prayers תְּפִלַּת שְׁמִינִי עֲצֶרֶת Tefilat shemini atzeret. This feast ends the one-year cycle of reading the Torah, and begins the new cycle of reading. This means that we read from the first passage Parashah פָרָשָׁה of the First book of Moses Parashat Bereshiit פָרָשַׁת בְּרֵאשִׁית.

On the eighth day ye shall have a solemn assembly: ye shall do no manner of servile work. (4M 29:35)