Just on the heels of packed Rosh Hashana observances and while preparing for overflowing Yom Kippur services, Chabad-Lubavitch centers worldwide are also gearing up for the busy holiday season yet to follow — only four days after the full-day fast of Yom Kippur!

Sukkot, the "Holiday of Booths," celebrated this year from September 25 through October 3, will be marked across the globe by Chabad-Lubavitch institutions with children's workshops, communal celebrations, Sukkah Mobiles, house-by-house visits, and lots of lessons and actual help in erecting Sukkahs.

Sukkot is one of the most important Jewish holidays, commemorating the protective Clouds of Glory that surrounded the Jewish people from their exodus from Egypt through their 40-year sojourn through the desert.

For more than a week Jews eat and drink in temporary booths beneath the open sky, in keeping with the biblical injunction, "In Sukkahs (booths) you shall dwell seven days (Leviticus 23: 42)." Another special observance of Sukkot is the shaking together of the "Four Species" - the Etrog - citron, Lulav - palm branch, three Hadassim — myrtle branches, and two Aravot — willow branches.

The holiday culminates with the holiday of Simchat Torah when Jews dance with the Torah, virtually becoming the Torah's "feet" to celebrate the relationship with G‑d and the Jewish people.

While statistics show that many Jews are aware of and observe Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) during the first, second and tenth days of the Jewish month of Tishrei, Sukkot, which begins on the fifteenth of the month, is less known and less observed. A surprising phenomenon, some observers point out, given the fact that Sukkot is considered the most joyous of Jewish holidays.

The Chabad-Lubavitch movement's worldwide outreach efforts have done much to considerably increase observance of these holy days, but movement leaders agree that there is much more to be done.

"On Sukkot we celebrate unity," says Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky at the Lubavitch World Headquarters, pointing out that the Sukkah literally encompasses people of all physical and spiritual types, "and there is no better way of observing this holiday than by reaching out to the entire community and bringing them the spirit and joy of the holiday as experienced through the mitzvahs of Sukkah and the Four Species.

"Our experience has shown that, given the opportunity and provided with the meaning and practical know-how, Jews fall in love with the joyousness of the holiday."

NEARLY FLOODED BY FLOYD
Here's an interesting e-mail we received from a reporter in the Bahamas during this week's Hurricane Floyd:

"We weathered the storm fairly well... the damage down here to the building itself is minimal, to the pool, decks and gardens the destruction is formidable! I think I was most scared around 5 in the morning when I could hear things being torn down and ripped apart... I just kept praying that it would end soon.

"I can't begin to tell you my thoughts when I looked out after the storm had passed. Where the gardens and the pool deck were on Monday - there was only jagged and buckled concrete... the pool is full of concrete pieces. It has to be seen to be believed... trees down, parts of the building and some of my neighbors' white cars are now a bilious yellow where they were pelted with black olive tree debris and sap.... our apartment is on the third floor - the verandah lost its railings, the doors leaked, so did the roof - but the windows were boarded and they withstood what turns out to have been 140 mph winds!

"Someone upstairs was watching out for us, that's for sure!

"Now it's clean up time.

"Every now and then there's a reminder that it really is GOOD to be alive. And to have it happen during the Ten Days of Awe... there's a message in there for us.

"Better yet, as far as we know, no one was killed"

GOOD NEWS ALERT
Nine new schools were just opened by Chabad-Lubavitch throughout the Former Soviet Union!

We hope to bring you more information about them in the near future.

May your fast be easy and meaningful, may your Sukkah be solid and your Four Species fragrant! Shabbat Shalom and a Happy Holiday Season!