The tractate Succah of the Mishnah not only discusses the laws governing the observance of Succoth, but also vividly describes how the festival—a joyous holiday of the autumn harvest—was celebrated in the days of the Temple. Some of these ceremonies, which depended upon the existence of the Temple, subsequently disappeared from Jewish ritual in the Diaspora. The excerpts from Succah that follow have been taken from Herbert Danby’s translation of the Mishnah, with some slight changes in transliterations, punctuation, and the like.—ED.

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The rites of lulav and the willow branch continue six and sometimes seven days; the Hallel and the Rejoicing, eight days; the succah and the water libation, seven days; the flute-playing, sometimes five and sometimes sax days.

“The rites of the lulav. . . . seven days”—thus if the first festival day of the Feast fell on a Sabbath the lulav is carried seven days; but if it fell on any other day it is carried six days only.

“The willow branch . . . seven days”—thus if the seventh day of the rites of the willow branch fell on a Sabbath the rites of the willow branch continue seven days; but if it fell on any other day, six days only.

How was the rite of the lulav fulfilled on the Sabbath? If the first festival day of the Feast fell on a Sabbath, they brought their lulav. to the Temple Mount and the ministers took them and set them in order on the roof of the portico, but the elders set theirs in a special chamber. The people were taught to say, “Whosoever gets possession of my lulav, let it be his as a gift.” The next day they came early and the ministers threw the lulavs down before them and the people snatched at them and beat each other. When the Court saw they incurred danger, they ordained that every one could carry his lulav in his own home.

How was the rite of the willow branch fulfilled? There was a place below Jerusalem called Motza. Thither they went and cut themselves young willow branches. They came and set these up at the sides of the Altar so that their tops were bent over the Altar. They then blew on the shofar a sustained, a quavering, and another sustained blast. Each day¹ they went in procession a single time around the Altar, saying, Save now, we beseech thee, O Lord! We beseech thee, O Lord, send now prosperity. R. Judah says:² “‘Ani vahol. save us we pray! Ani vahol. save us we pray!’ But on that day³ they went in procession seven times around the Altar. When they departed what did they say? ‘Homage to thee, O Altar! Homage to thee, O Altar!’” R. Eliezer says: “To the Lord and to thee, O Altai! To the Lord and to thee, O Altar!”

As was the rite on a weekday so was the rite on a Sabbath, save that they gathered the willow branches on the eve of the Sabbath and set them in gilded troughs that they might not wither. R. Johanan b. Baroka says: “They used to bring palm tufts and beat them on the ground at the sides of the Altar, and that day was called, ‘The day of beating the palm tufts.’”

Straightway the children used to cast away their lulavs and eat their citrons.

“The Hallel and the Rejoicing, eight days”—this is to teach us that a man is bound to recite the Hallel and observe the Rejoicing and give the honor due to the Feast on the last festival day of the Feast as on all other days of the Feast. “The succah . . . seven days”—thus, after a man has finished eating the last meal of the Feast he should not pull down the succah, but he should bring down the contents thereof only in the afternoon and later because of the honor due to the last festival day. . . .

“The water libation, seven days”—what was the manner of this? They used to fill a golden flagon holding three log.⁴ with water from Siloam. When they reached the Water Gate they blew on the shofar a sustained, a quavering, and another sustained blast. The priest whose turn of duty it was went up the Altar ramp and turned to the right where were two silver bowls. R. Judah says: “They were of plaster, but their appearance was darkened because of the wine. They had each a hole like to a narrow snout, one wide and the other narrow, so that both bowls emptied themselves together.⁵ The bowl to the west was for water and that to the east was for wine. But if the flagon of water was emptied into the bowl for wine, or the flagon of wine into the bowl for water, that sufficed.” R. Judah says: “With one log they could perform the libations throughout eight days. To the priest who performed the libation they used to say, ‘Lift up thine hand!’ for once a certain one poured the libation over his feet, and all the people threw their citrons at him.”

As was the rite on a weekday so was the rite on a Sabbath save that on the eve of the Sabbath they used to fill with water from Siloam a golden jar that had not been hallowed,⁶ and put it in a special chamber. If it was upset or uncovered, they refilled it from the laver, for wine or water which has been uncovered is invalid for the Altar.

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“The flute-playing, sometimes five and I sometimes six days”—this is the fluteplaying at the Beth ha-She’ubah, whic. overrides neither a Sabbath nor a festival day. They have said: He that never has seen the joy of the Beth ha-She’ubah has never in his life seen joy.

At the close of the first festival day of the Feast they went down to the Court of the Women where they had made a great amendment. There were golden candlesticks there with four golden bowls on the top of them and four ladders to each candlestick, and four youths of the priestly stock and in their hands jars of oil holding a hundred and twenty logs which they poured into all the bowls.

They made wick from the worn-out drawers and girdles of the priests and with them they set the candlesticks alight, and there was not a courtyard in Jerusalem that did not reflect the light of the Beth ha-She’ubah.

Men of piety and good works used t. dance before them with burning torches in their hands, singing songs and praises. And countless Levites played on harps, lyres, cymbals and trumpets and instruments of music, on the fifteen steps leading down from the Court of the Israelites to the Court of the Women, corresponding to the Fifteen Songs of Ascents in the Psalms; upon them the Levites used to stand with instruments of music and make melody. Two priests stood at the upper gate which leads down from the Court of the Israelites to the Court of the Women, with two trumpets in their hands. At cock-crow they blew a sustained, a quavering, and another sustained blast. When they reached the tenth step they again blew a sustained, a quavering, and another sustained blast. When they reached the Court of the Women they again blew a sustained, a quavering, and another sustained blast. They went on until they reached the gate that leads out to the east. When they reached the gate that leads out to the east, they turned their faces to the west⁷ and said, “Our fathers when they were in this place turned with their backs toward the Temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, and they worshiped the sun toward the east. but as for us, our eyes are turned toward the Lord.” R. Judah says: “They used to repeat the words ‘We are the Lord’s, and our eyes are turned to the Lord.’”

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¹ For the first six days.

² Instead of the repeated “We beseech thee, O Lord” (ana YHWH, which involves pronouncing the Sacred Name) they modify the sounds to ani vaho.

³ The seventh.

⁴ About one and a half pints.

⁵ Wine flowing out more slowly than water.

⁶ If it had been hallowed the water could not remain overnight.

⁷ Toward the Temple building.

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