Sukkot I Festival of Booths, Day 1 סוּכּוֹת א׳
2026-09-26 10:00 - 13:00 (Europe/Helsinki) | Jan & Martie, 65 JS Marais Street, Kleinmond, Western Cape, 7195, South Africa
Portion Summary

Five days after the Day of Atonement, the Festival of Booths begins. The festival starts with a yom tov Sabbath on the fifteenth day of the seventh month and continues for seven days. The Hebrew name of the festival is Sukkot, a word often translated into English as “tabernacles” or “booths.” The name is derived from the commandment that requires Jewish people to dwell in temporary shelters for the duration of the festival as a reminder of the post-exodus years when Israel lived in huts and booths in the wilderness.
The rabbis who ordained the reading cycle prescribed Zechariah 14 for Haftarat Sukkot because it explicitly mentions the Festival of Sukkot. Another tradition notes that the war of Gog and Magog described in Zechariah 14 will come to its culmination during the Festival of Sukkot. The haftarah also preserves the Temple’s ritual associations between Sukkot and annual rainfall.

Vezot ha’Bracha And This Is the Blessing וְזֹאת הַבְּרָכָה
2026-10-03 10:00 - 13:00 | Ha Tikvah, Hatikvah, Tesselaarsdal, Western Cape, South Africa
The fifty-fourth and last reading from the Torah begins with the words Vezot ha’Bracha, which means “and this is the blessing.” These are the first words of Deuteronomy 33:1. This Torah portion is ordinarily read on the day of Simchat Torah (“Rejoicing of the Torah”) in conjunction with the beginning of the book of Genesis to mark the conclusion of one year’s Torah cycle and the beginning of the next. The portion contains Moses’ final blessings over the twelve tribes, his ascent up Mount Nebo to overlook the land of Canaan, and his death and burial.

New Moon - 8 - Cheshvon
2026-10-11 17:30 - 20:00

New Moon - 9 - Kislev
2026-11-10 18:00 - 20:30 | Barry & Sue Joy, 27 Keurboom Ave, Kleinmond, Western Cape, 7195, South Africa
