Sukkot Story

In handwork we often create an item which celebrates a festival or season and, living in a muti-cultural society, we will have a stories and crafts relating to religions other than our own. For tomorrow's lesson, we are using black card, tracing paper and coloured fleece to create a star of david suncatcher and I will be telling a story relating to Sukkot. I have done my research for the story but am aware that the internet is not infallible so feel free to leave a comment.

Sukkot Story Have you ever shared a meal beneath the stars? Have you ever slept under the stars? This story is about these things . . . Ben and Ruth held the wooden post steady as their father drove into into the ground. They were building a shelter for Sukkot, as they always did at this time of year. Ruth liked to think about all the other Jews throughout the world who right now would be doing the same thing and she looked forward to spending her time sharing meals in this shelter with friends and relations and listening to the stories of her religion. Ben looked tentatively up at the sky. He hoped it would not rain. Last year it had rained and only his father had spent the week sleeping underneath the stars. His mother had told him that this year - if it stayed warm enough and the rain kept off - then he too could camp out. But he didn't trust the Manchester weather and expected that he would have to go back into the house after the last prayers of the day. Why can't we just put a plastic sheet over the roof?” He had asked his mother and she had smiled and told him that the sukkah must be made of natural things that had grown from the earth, just as the original Hebrew shelters had been. “Besides,” his father added “a plastic sheet would block out the stars and it's important that we can see the wonders of creation”. When all the posts had been put into the ground, the children helped to attach the canvas that was to be the walls. Then they ran to fetch to branches that they had collected on their Summer walks so that they could begin to build the roof. As they laid the branches across, their father reminded them of the story of their Ancestors. They had been slaves in Egypt but God had freed them and Moses had led them out into the wilderness where they lived for forty years until they reached their new home in Israel. All that time their people would build temporary homes out of dry palms and branches. “We are so lucky,” Ruth said “to have our safe, warm homes”. “You are right,” agreed her father “and that is why Sukkot is so important, it reminds us of all that God has blessed us with. Now, let's go and get a biscuit, all this hard work has made me hungry!”