What Do We Do On Sukkot?

Light Candles:
Women and girls light candles to usher in the holiday, please click here for candle lighting times in your city. Each girl lights one candle. Light your candle, (carefully!), then sway your hands three times around the candles and recite the following blessings:

Blessings for the nights of September 22-23, 2010:

1) Blessed are You, L-rd, our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and has commanded us to light the candle of the Holiday.

Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-hei-nu Me-lech Ha-olam Asher Ki-deshanu Be-mitzvo-tav Ve-tzvi-vanu Le-hadlik Ner Shel Yom Tov.

2) Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion.

Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-hei-nu Me-lech Ha-olam She-heche-ya-nu Ve-ki-yi-ma-nu Ve-higi-a-nu Liz-man Ha-zeh.

Blessings for the night of September 24, 2010:

1) Blessed are You, L-rd, our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and has commanded us to light the candle of the holy Shabbat.

Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-hei-nu Me-lech Ha-olam Asher Ki-deshanu Be-mitzvo-tav Ve-tzvi-vanu Le-hadlik Ner Shel Shabbat Kodesh.

Note: On the second and third nights of the holiday, candles must be kindled from a pre-existing flame, (such as from a pilot flame), as on the holiday one is not allowed to create a new flame. On the second night of the holiday candles should be lit after dark, on Friday afternoon, candles should be lit eighteen minutes before sunset.

Eat In The Sukkah
It is a mitzvah to eat in a Sukkah, during the seven days of Sukkot.

When eating a piece of bread, or cake, recite the following blessing:

Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to sit in the Sukkah.

Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-hei-nu Me-lech Ha-olam Asher Kideshanu Bemitzvotav Vetzivanu Leshev Basukkah.

Click here to find a Sukkah near you.

The Four Kinds
One of the special mitzvahs of Sukkot is The Four Kinds, we take a citron, a palm branch, three myrtle twigs and two willow branches. We hold them close together every day of Sukkot (besides Shabbat) and recite a blessing over them.

1) Blessed are You, L-rd, our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and has commanded us hold the lulav

Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-hei-nu Me-lech Ha-olam Asher Ki-deshanu Be-mitzvo-tav Ve-tzvi-vanu Al Netilat Lulav.

On the first day of the holiday (or the first time preforming this mitzvah this year), add the following blessing:

2) Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion.

Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-hei-nu Me-lech Ha-olam She-heche-ya-nu Ve-ki-yi-ma-nu Ve-higi-a-nu Liz-man Ha-zeh.