Download the full script and slideshow from the blue box to the right.

[slide 1]

Narrator: Hi! I’m Michael and I’d like to welcome you to my backyard. Today is the day after Yom Kippur, which means that in five days we will be celebrating the holiday of Sukkot. Unlike Yom Kippur with its seriousness, Sukkot is a very happy holiday. In my house—or, actually, in my backyard—we’re really busy getting ready for the festivities. You see, that’s my dad over there. He’s building our sukkah, or “hut” for the holiday.

Dad: Hi, Michael. How’s it going, kiddo? Who’s that you’ve got with you?

Narrator: Hey, Dad. These are my friends from school. I was just telling them about Sukkot and I wanted to show them our sukkah. Mind if we take a peek?

[slide 2]

Dad: Sure, go ahead. We build these huts to remember the temporary homes that B’nai Israel built in the desert in their forty years of travel from Egypt to Israel.

Narrator: Cool. But, Dad, why are you building the sukkah in the sun over there and not in this shady spot here on the patio?

[slide 3]

Dad: Good question, kiddo. It’s because a sukkah should be built in a spot that’s free of overhanging branches or trees. There should be no barrier between the sukkah and the sky. That shady spot there is under a tree.

Hey, Michael, can you give me a hand over here? I need you to hold these two walls straight while I attach the third one.

[slide 4]

Narrator: A sukkah has at least two and half walls made of any material that’s strong enough to stand up against ordinary wind. Right, Dad?

Dad: That’s right, kiddo. After I finish building this frame, I’m going to attach the canvas that you picked out at Home Depot. That will make nice, sturdy walls for our sukkah. Then we’re going to cover the sukkah with a roof called “s’chach” in Hebrew. It has to be made from a material that grew, such as tree branches and cornstalks, and was then cut from the earth. In other words, it can’t be built of brick or trees that are still growing.

Narrator: We have a lot of bamboo in our backyard so I’m gonna help my dad chop some down and put it on top of the sukkah. It’s gonna be hard work but it will make our sukkah look so nice.

Dad: And then, once the s’chach is up, it’ll be time to decorate the inside. We’ll hang plastic fruit and paper chains, and tape nice pictures on the walls.

[slide 5]

Narrator: My sisters and I love this part. We get to make all the decorations ourselves.

Dad: And then comes the most important part.

Narrator: What’s that, Dad?

[slide 6]

Dad: Sharing the sukkah with others by inviting guests. Every year we invite your Grandma and Grandpa over to eat a meal in our sukkah and, of course, you invite your friends, too, and Mom invites the neighbors.

[slide 7]

Narrator: And then there are the Ushpizin. According to tradition, special guests called the Ushpizin come for a visit on each of the days of Sukkot. The Ushpizin are our holy ancestors who lived during the time of the Tanach. Each night we invite one of them to come join us in our Sukkah. First on the guest list is Avraham...

[slide 8]

Avraham: My name is Avraham and I was the first Jew, and one of the three Avot, or Forefathers, of Judaism. Together with my wife Sarah, we taught hundreds of people about our religion and that we pray to one God. We were known for performing the mitzvah of hakhnasat orhim, or inviting guests to our home—a very important mitzvah to do especially during the holiday of Sukkot. Our tent where we lived was always open on all four sides to passing travelers. While Sarah prepared tasty food inside, I sat in the tent’s doorway searching for people to invite inside.

Narrator: Hey, that reminds me of Mom. She is always eager to have guests over and is always cooking delicious foods to serve to them! Next on the guest list is Yitzchak, or Isaac, the second of the Avot, or Forefathers…

[slide 9]

Yitzchak: My name is Yitzchak and I am Avraham’s son. When I was just a young man, God commanded my father to sacrifice me. Instead of running away, I remained by my father’s side, faithful that everything God does is for the good. It turned out that the whole sacrifice thing was just a test, and God let my father sacrifice a ram instead of me. Phew! I also showed courage when, as an adult, I had to leave my home and travel to a strange land during a time of famine.

Narrator: I had to leave my home when I went to sleep away camp. Boy was I homesick, and that was only for a month! Anyway, just like Yitzchak had to leave the comfort of his house, on Sukkot, we Jews leave our permanent homes for our temporary sukkah structures. Anyway, next on the Ushpizin guest list is Yaakov, son of Yitzchak, and the third of the Avot, or Forefathers of Judaism…

[slide 10]

Yaakov: I am Yaakov. I was a very calm and righteous individual. Like my father Yitzchak, I too had to leave home at a young age when my brother Esav got angry at me for taking a blessing from my father that he thought should be his as the first born. I then worked fourteen long, oppressive years for my mean uncle Lavan to marry Rachel, the woman that I loved. All this time, I knew that I was not alone—that God would guide me and protect me.

Narrator: Hey, that’s another theme of the Sukkot holiday—the sukkah symbolizes God’s protection of us. Next let’s meet Moshe our teacher, Ushpizin number four…

[slide 11]

Moshe: After being separated from my Jewish family as a baby, I grew up in an Egyptian palace as the grandson of Pharoah. Still, I did not give up my Jewish heritage, but instead became the greatest leader of the Jewish people. With the help of God and my brother Aaron, I took the Jewish people out of Egypt and led them to the land of Israel. I helped give the Jewish people strength and courage in the desolate desert, where we built these sukkot, or temporary huts, each time we camped. 

Narrator: I love eating in my sukkah for this eight-day holiday, but I don’t think I could live in one for forty years in the desert as my ancestors did! Aaron, our next special guest, was also in the desert with Moshe…

[slide 12]

Aaron: I am Aaron, Moshe’s brother. God appointed me the Kohen Gadol, or High Priest. I had the holy job of being in charge of all that went on in the Mishkan, or Tabernacle, while the Jews were in the desert. In that way, I was always prepared to receive the Divine Presence, as we do in the sukkah, because I was in the Mishkan—God’s earthly dwelling place—for much of the day. I was also known for my dedication for keeping peace among the Jews. Whenever the Jewish people fought amongst themselves, I stepped in to try to resolve the situation.

Narrator: I wish I could help keep the peace between my friends when we sometimes have an argument. Maybe I will have to take a tip from Aaron. Next guest is Yosef, or Joseph…

[slide 13]

Yosef: I am Yosef, son of Yaakov and founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. After growing up in a comfortable home in Canaan with my beloved father and family, my brothers betrayed me and sold me into Egyptian slavery. From such a lowly position, through my strength and trust in God, I managed to become the second in command to Pharaoh in Egypt. After years of being away from my family, I finally was able to reveal my secret identity to my brothers, and forgive them for the suffering they caused me. Because of my important status in society, I had enough wealth to bring my family to Egypt to live in peace and security.  

Narrator: Wow. With God’s help, Yosef raised himself from being a poor slave to the viceroy of Egypt! Which brings us to our final guest, the last on the list of the traditional Ushpizin—King David…

[Slide 14]

David: I am King David. I was the greatest ruler of the Jewish people. During my reign I suffered a lot of hardship, including a father who hated me, enemies who sought to kill me, and a former king who wanted me overthrown. Instead of wallowing in sadness, I composed the Book of Psalms—a compilation of poetic verses of my talking and praying to God. Today, reading verses from Psalms is considered a powerful tool in connecting to and asking things of God. According to tradition, the Messiah, who will eventually come and unite the Jewish people and bring a permanent peace to the whole world, will be one of my direct descendants. Then, the whole world will be enveloped together under one large sukkah, called Sukkat David.

Narrator: Wow, these are some pretty heavy hitters who will visit our sukkah next week. I can’t wait to finish building, decorating, and inviting so we can begin the celebration already. For now, I have to go—Mom is calling me in for dinner.

[slide 15]

Have a hag sameah, a happy Sukkot, and come visit us again. As you heard, we love having guests!