ABSTRACT
According to the Book of Deuteronomy, Jews are to celebrate three pilgrim festivals each year. The first of these festivals is Passover, which is celebrated for eight days from the 15th to the 22nd of Nisan. The second pilgrim festival – Shavuot – is celebrated for two days on the 6th and 7th of Sivan. The third pilgrim festival – Sukkot – is prescribed in the Bible: 'On the fifteenth day of the seventh month and for seven days is the feast of tabernacles to the Lord'. Beginning on the 15th of Tishri, it commemorates God's protection of the Israelites during their sojourn in the desert. Leviticus commands that Jews are to construct booths during this period as a reminder that the people of Israel dwelt in booths when they fled from Egypt. The symbols placed on the seder table serve to remind those present of Egyptian bondage, God's redemption, and the celebration in Temple times.
