In New York, it was the holiday when we fought over the space heater at night and counted how many bees we accumulated during the day. In Houston, it was the holiday of eat fast while you sweat and jumping on our chairs to avoid roaches in the Succah and even one year, a snake that fell from the schach.

 

And then there was Charleston, where after the intensity of the Yamim Noraim, Succot felt like a spiritual letdown that I had to drag myself through; the next cooking fest while still preparing for school, which we had during Chol Hamoed. We had nice Shul programs but as the owners of one of the four Succot downtown, it certainly didn't have the atmosphere of Chag. We used to listen to drunk college kids pass by our Succah at night and watch when they stopped and gaped at our large tent, which we certainly did not feel safe enough to sleep in. And while the first days were usually nice, there was almost always a torrential downfall during Chol Hamoed which meant that we didn't get nearly as much use out of the Succah as we would have liked.

 

Contrast to Israel: Last year, we slept in the Succah every single night and fell asleep to our neighbors singing in their neighboring Succah, while a soft breeze made sleeping in the Succah feel delightful. There are Succot EVERYWHERE, on nearly every balcony in sight. There are Lulavim and etrogim sold in random stands and at grocery stores and at big shuks (marketplaces) where people choose the ones they like best. There was a look of absolute delight on my kids' faces when they chose theirs today. And the atmosphere of Chag: The UPS man who dropped off a package at a store in the mall today and on his way out, wished the man at the counter a Chag Samayach. The excitement of seeing the lulav and etrog that lit up on the pedestrian bridge in Yerushalayim last night. Every day for the past week, Dani has woken up excited counting down to Succot and that's after last year's Succot was spent in a lockdown. This year, B'ezrat Hashem, there are countless activities and hikes to choose from over Chol Hamoed, including a very special Birkat Kohanim at the Kotel and visiting creative Succot which are a re-enactment of the discussion in the Mishna.

 

Before arriving in Israel, I never understood why Succot is called Zman Simchataynu (holiday of joy). Succot in Israel has an utterly different flavor and you can't help but feel the joy and anticipation in the air. There is no question that Succot is meant to be spent here in Israel."

 

- Ariela Davis