Sukkot means either "booths" or "huts" in Hebrew. Sukkot (also transliterated from Hebrew as: Succoth, Sukkoth, Sukkos, Succot, and Succos) is the third of three yearly "Shalosh Regalim" ("Pilgrim Festivals" in Hebrew) in the Hebrew/Jewish calendar. The first two are Pesach/Passover, and Shavuot/Shavuoth/Shavuos in that order. The festival of Sukkot primarily commemorates the preservation of the Hebrews in the wilderness, that is, in the Sinai Desert, by G-d after the Exodus from Egypt. G-d helped the Hebrews to survive in the Sinai Desert by enabling them to build Sukkot, or temporary booths or huts, to shelter them, and provided them with manna or food, and water.
On Sukkot, as on Pesach/Passover and Shavuot/Shavuoth/Shavuos, Hebrews/Jews travelled to the Temple in Jerusalem as pilgrims, hence the name "Pilgrim Festivals" to describe these three religious events. In the case of Sukkot, the Hebrews/Jews came to Jerusalem to offer a portion of the fruits of the land from the autumn harvest to G-d as a thank you offering which was accepted by the priests in the Temple in Jerusalem. After offering a part of this portion to G-d, the priests took the remaining portion of this offering for themselves. Thus, Sukkot was originally an agricultural festival, and was originally known as "The Feast of Ingathering" (of the fruits of the autumn harvest) (Exodus 23:16, Exodus 34:22). Exodus 23:16 also generally states the time of year or season and the occasion for the celebration of Sukkot: "At the end of the year when you gather in your labors out of the field...".
So how did Sukkot get its name? In Vayikra or Leviticus 23:33-34, it states: "G-d spoke to Moses, telling him to speak to the Israelites, as follows: The 15th of this seventh month shall be the festival of Sukkoth to G-d, (lasting) seven days". Furthermore, in Vayikra or Leviticus 23:42, it states that G-d said of the Festival of Sukkot: "During (these) seven days you must live in thatched huts (or booths; in other words, Sukkot). Everyone included in Israel must live in such thatched huts (or booths)". In the next verse, in Vayikra or Leviticus 23:43, G-d states the reason why the Hebrews are to live in Sukkot for the seven appointed days (from the 15th of Tishri or Tishrei until the 21st day of Tishri or Tishrei inclusive): "This is so that future generations will know that I had the Israelites (Hebrews) live in huts (or booths) when I brought them out of Egypt. I am G-d your L-rd". Thus, the festival of Sukkot became a commemoration and reminder of the protection that G-d gave the Hebrews in the Sinai Desert through shelter in the booths or huts (Sukkot) and the giving of food ("manna" in Hebrew) and water for sustenance. In fact, the central symbol of Sukkot is the Sukkah ("booth" or "hut", the singular form of Sukkot in Hebrew), and, as just mentioned by G-d (through my typing!), one is commanded by G-d to dwell in a Sukkah for seven days; specifically the seven days from the 15th of Tishri or Tishrei up to and including the 21st day of Tishri or Tishrei.
How long did G-d protect the Hebrews with food, water, and Sukkot (the booths or huts, meaning a temporary dwelling) in the Sinai Desert after the Exodus from Egypt? The Hebrews wandered in the Sinai Desert for just over 40 years. This is calculated from the Exodus from Egypt as 7 days of wandering after the Exodus from Egypt until the Hebrews reached the "Yam Suf" or "Sea of Reeds" or the "Red Sea" in Hebrew, plus 42 more days of wandering after reaching the Yam Suf until the Hebrews reached Mount Sinai, whereupon they received the Torah from G-d via Moses on the following day (this totals seven weeks and one day from the Exodus from Egypt), and then 120 days at Mount Sinai, and finally, 40 years of wandering in the Sinai Desert until the Hebrews reached the Land of Canaan, totalling 40 years and 170 days between the Hebrews' Exodus from Egypt and their reaching the Land of Canaan. Are there any other reasons for celebrating Sukkot other than the mitzvah ("commandment" in Hebrew, as in a commandment from G-d) to celebrate Sukkot as a commemoration of G-d and the various methods that G-d used to protect the Hebrews during their wanderings in the wilderness? In short, yes. The beginning of Sukkot is also a time of rejoicing after the sealing and ending of the judgment that was rendered by G-d five days earlier on Yom Kippur. However, in Kabbalistic Judaism (Jewish mysticism), the Zohar - a major literary work of Kabbalism - states that rather than Rosh Hashanah being the time when judgment is made by G-d on each human being and Yom Kippur being the day when each of those judgments are sealed in either the Book of Life or Book of Death and then delivered, Rosh Hashanah (1st day and 2nd day of the seventh Hebrew/Jewish month of Tishrei or Tishri - the counting of the months begin on a different month than the counting of the years in the Hebrew/Jewish calendar) is the day of judgment, Yom Kippur (10th day of Tishrei or Tishri) is the day when that judgment is written down either in the Book of Life or Book of Death, Hoshanah Rabbah (21st day of Tishrei or Tishri; it is the day which is 11 days after Yom Kippur and is also the seventh and final day of Sukkot) is the final day for changing that judgment through sincere and wholehearted repentance whereupon the judgment is sealed on Hoshanah Rabbah, and on the next day, known as Shemini Atzeret, each judgment for each human being is delivered.
More Sukkot Information
What is Sukkot ?
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Sukkot E-Cards
Customs of Sukkot
Sukkah or Succah
Sukkot Readings From Scripture
Hol HaMoed Sukkot
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