Prayers for the Sukkah

Prayer upon entering the Sukkah

When one returns from synagogue, stand at the entrance of the Sukkah on the outside and say:

Enter, exalted and holy guests,

enter, exalted holy forefathers,

to be seated in the shadow of the supreme faith,

in the shadow of the Holy Blessed One.

Let Abraham enter, and with him Isaac and Jacob,

Moses, Aaron, Joseph, and David.

Afterward say:

I am ready and prepared to fulfill the commandment of the sukkah

as the Creator, blessed be His name, has commanded me:

"You shall dwell in sukkot for seven days;

all the native-born in Israel shall dwell in sukkot,

so that your generations may know

that I caused the children of Israel to dwell in sukkot

when I brought them out of the land of Egypt."

Be seated, be seated, exalted guests,

be seated, be seated, holy guests,

be seated, be seated, guests of faithful trust.

Blessed is the portion of Israel,

as it is written: "For Adonai's portion is His people;

Jacob is the measure of His inheritance."

For the sake of the unification of the Holy Blessed One and His Shekhinah,

to unite the name Yud-Heh with Vav-Heh

in perfect union,

through that hidden and transcendent One,

in the name of all Israel.

May the graciousness of Adonai our God be upon us;

may He establish the work of our hands for us,

the work of our hands — may He establish it.

When entering the Sukkah for the first time on the festival of Sukkot, say:

May it be Your will, Adonai my God and God of my forefathers,

that Your Shekhinah dwell among us,

and that You spread over us the sukkah of Your peace,

by the merit of the commandment of the sukkah that we are fulfilling,

to unite the name of the Holy Blessed One and His Shekhinah,

in awe and in love,

to unite the name Yud-Heh with Vav-Heh

in perfect union,

in the name of all Israel,

and to surround them with the radiance of Your holy and pure glory,

stretched over their heads from above,

as an eagle stirs its nest,

and from there may the flow of life be poured upon Your servant [Name, son/daughter of Name, Your handmaid],

and by the merit of my going forth from my house,

along the path of Your commandments I run.

May this be counted for me as though I had journeyed far away,

and wash me clean of my iniquity, and from my sin purify me.

From the exalted guests, the guests of faithful trust,

may Your ears be attentive to abundant blessing,

and to those who are hungry and thirsty

give their bread and their faithful waters.

Grant me the merit to sit and take shelter

in the shelter of the shadow of Your wings at the hour of my departure from the world,

and to take shelter from flood and from rain,

for upon the wicked You rain down coals.

May this commandment of the sukkah that I fulfill be regarded

as if I had fulfilled it in all its details,

precisions, and conditions,

and all the commandments that depend upon it.

May You seal for us a good decree,

and grant us the merit to dwell many years upon the earth,

the holy land,

in Your service and in awe of You.

Blessed is Adonai forever — Amen and Amen.

It is proper to say this brief prayer each time one enters the Sukkah for a meal:

Master of all worlds,

may it be Your will

that this commandment of dwelling in the sukkah be considered before You

as if I fulfilled it in all its details and precisions,

and all 613 commandments that depend upon it,

and as if I had directed all the intentions

that the members of the Great Assembly directed in it.

On the first night, when entering the Sukkah

before reclining to eat,

and each day before the meal, say this:

I invite to my table the exalted guests:

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph, and David.

On the first day of Sukkot say:

I beseech you, Abraham, my exalted guest,

that all the exalted guests dwell with me and with you:

Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph, and David.

On the second day of Sukkot say:

I beseech you, Isaac, my exalted guest,

that all the exalted guests dwell with me and with you:

Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph, and David.

On the third day of Sukkot say:

I beseech you, Jacob, my exalted guest,

that all the exalted guests dwell with me and with you:

Abraham, Isaac, Moses, Aaron, Joseph, and David.

On the fourth day of Sukkot say:

I beseech you, Moses, my exalted guest,

that all the exalted guests dwell with me and with you:

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Aaron, Joseph, and David.

On the fifth day of Sukkot say:

I beseech you, Aaron, my exalted guest,

that all the exalted guests dwell with me and with you:

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joseph, and David.

On the sixth day of Sukkot say:

I beseech you, Joseph, my exalted guest,

that all the exalted guests dwell with me and with you:

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, and David.

On the seventh day of Sukkot say:

I beseech you, David, my exalted guest,

that all the exalted guests dwell with me and with you:

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, and Joseph.

Prayer upon leaving the Sukkah:

At the nightfall of Hoshana Rabbah,

before leaving the sukkah and returning home for the festival of Simchat Torah, say:

May it be Your will, Adonai our God and God of our forefathers,

that just as I have fulfilled and dwelt in this sukkah,

so may I merit in the coming year

to dwell in the sukkah made of the skin of the Leviathan.

Then pray this prayer:

Master of the world,

may it be Your will before You

that those holy angels who are appointed over the commandment of the sukkah

and the commandment of the four species —

lulav and etrog, myrtle and willow —

observed during the festival of Sukkot,

that they accompany us as we go out from the sukkah

and enter with us into our homes

for life and for peace,

and that there always rest upon us a supreme protection from Your holy dwelling,

and that You save us from all sin and iniquity,

from all evil encounters,

and from all evil times that threaten to come upon the world.

Pour upon us a spirit from on high,

and renew our innermost being to serve You in truth, in love and in awe,

and may we persevere greatly in the study of Your holy Torah, to learn and to teach.

May the merit of the four species and the commandment of the sukkah stand for us,

that You lengthen Your patience

until we return to You in complete repentance before You,

and repair all that we have damaged,

and may we merit both tables — material and spiritual — without sorrow or grief,

I and the members of my household and all who come forth from my loins,

and may we all be tranquil and at peace,

nourished and flourishing,

and servants of God in absolute truth,

according to Your good will,

together with all the children of Israel.

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

find favor before You,

Adonai, my Rock and my Redeemer.