This Friday evening will begin the holiday of Sukkot. It is a multifaceted holiday that connects us to the environment, to our history and heritage, and to the joy of our spiritual tradition. It’s known as Chag HaAssif, the Harvest Festival, because it’s celebrated during autumn (in the Northern Hemisphere), which is the time of year in Israel when the final harvest is brought in from the fields. In ancient times, farmers would build Sukkot in their fields during the harvest to maximize the time they put into completing the harvest. The Sukkahs we build for the holiday also remind us of the temporary dwellings our ancestors lived in during the 40 years that we wandered in the Sinai desert following our liberation from slavery in Egypt. Traditionally, we eat our meals in the Sukkah, and there are some who even sleep in their Sukkahs. There’s just something special about eating outdoors, which connects us to nature in ways that we may have simply lost touch with over the course of our busy lives. This is another possible reason why Sukkot is referred to in our liturgy as Z’man Simchateinu, the Season of our Joy. About Sukkot, the Torah says: