Every Jewish holiday has its own taste, feel, smell, and sound. And perhaps this is felt most strongly on Sukkot, when we take the Four Kinds in our hands, luxuriate under the sukkah’s protective shade, and feast together in G-d’s embrace.
It’s a beautiful time to be a Jew, and it’s best enjoyed together. So if you have a sukkah of your own, invite fellow Jews to join you. If you don’t have a sukkah, please let us know, and we’ll do our best to connect you to a Chabad Center who can host you.
Happy Sukkot!
Your friends @ Chabad.org
10 things to do
before Sukkot
1
Brush Up on Sukkot
Need a refresher course on this holiday, its meaning, and observances? We’ve got you covered!
For the duration of Sukkot, we enjoy our meals and otherwise “dwell” in the sukkah, a shelter with a roof of unprocessed plant material. Build your own sukkah or make arrangements to use a friend’s.
Both holiday nighttime meals are enjoyed in the glow of our candles. Get ready to light candles in the sukkah (weather permitting), before Shabbat on Friday and after Shabbat ends the following night. Print candle lighting times, as well as when Shabbat and the holiday begins and ends in your area.
With at least 14 meals in the sukkah (16 in the diaspora), there are plenty of occasions to enjoy holiday favorites, as well as to try out some new ones.
Sukkot is rich with meaning, symbolism, and inspiration. Unpack and internalize what it means to you, as well as how it became the holiday we know and love today.
In ancient times, Sukkot was celebrated with all-night dancing, singing and celebrating in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. We’ve published a DIY guide for your Sukkot celebration.
That diffident child peering through the fence at her neighbors never dreamed that when she grew up, she would one day have the joy of sitting in her own sukkah year after year.
The Yom Kippur fast begins before sunset on September 20, 2026, and ends the following night.
Dear Mr. Mcentire,
Yom Kippur is a day packed with emotion, memories, and reflection. And it’s also a joyous day, one of the two happiest days on the calendar (along with 15 Av).
Unencumbered by the trappings of mundane life, we soar upward to a place where we are one with G-d, one with our souls, and one with each other. Light and free, we see the bigger picture, where we can more easily recognize G-d’s kindness, our innate value as G-d’s creations, and His hand in directing events large and small toward the very best possible outcome.
May we all be blessed with the very best in this year ahead!
Wishing you a meaningful, easy—and joyous!—fast,
Your friends and family @ Chabad.org
13 things to do
before Yom Kippur
1
Brush Up on Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the Jewish year with unique observances. How much do you know about this all-important fast day, when returning to G-d and repairing and resetting our relationship with Him is paramount?
In times gone-by, we would send postcards to family and friends, wishing them a good year. Today, a phone call does the trick. This is the time to wish them a shanah tovah (“good year”) and also ask for forgiveness for anything hurtful you may have done or said.
Before major holidays and festivals, the Rebbe would issue pastoral letters addressed to the “Sons and Daughters of Our People Israel, Everywhere.” That includes all of us!
There is a custom to symbolically beg for honey cake, expressing our wish that if it had been decreed, G‑d forbid, that this year we will resort to a handout, let this be it.
On the afternoon leading up to Yom Kippur, it is customary to eat two square meals, each one beginning with challah dipped in honey. Since you will have another festive meal after the fast ends the following night, make sure to make extras that you can whip out of the fridge as soon as the fast ends.
This year, Yom Kippur starts before sundown on Sunday, September 20, and ends the following night after nightfall. Make sure to take note of the times the fast starts and ends in your area:
The days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are an opportune time to return to G-d and strengthen our connection to Him. One way to do this is through caring for His children. Donate to a charity of your choice, especially one that provides holiday foods and other essentials for those in need.
Early in the morning before Yom Kippur, it is customary to perform Kapparot, either with a chicken, which is then subsequently donated to the poor, or with money, which is similarly designated for charity.
Even though no meals are held, Yom Kippur is a holiday, and our tables are draped in white, and holiday candles are lit right before the onset of the fast with a special blessing (we also light 24-hour candles, which you can read about here).
It is an ancient Jewish custom to visit the resting places of the righteous at this time of year. This year, the Ohel has drawn former hostages and their families, leaders from across the political spectrum, and thousands of “ordinary” people. If you cannot make it in person, you can also send a note to be placed there.
The joyous holiday of Sukkot comes just 5 days after Yom Kippur. Now is the time to make sure that you will have a lulav and etrog to wave and a sukkah to dwell in.
