Chol Hamoed Sukkot

Chol Hamoed may look like an ordinary weekday, but it is anything but ordinary. These days are still part of the moed, the holiday itself. It's important to understand that Chachamim wanted Chol Hamoed to be treated like a full Yom Tov throughout the entire holiday, but because that would have been too difficult for people, they allowed certain weekday elements while keeping these days fundamentally holy. We dress accordingly, behave accordingly, and try to actually feel that we are still in the middle of Yom Tov. On Chol Hamoed Sukkot we continue to say full Hallel with a bracha(without a bracha for women), read from the Torah, and carry the special atmosphere of the Chag with us. In other words, Chol Hamoed may have elements of chol, but its heart and purpose is still very much more moed.

That also means these days are not meant to become a regular workweek squeezed into the middle of Sukkot. Work that can wait should be pushed off, while genuinely necessary matters, such as an actual financial loss, an urgent repair, or something needed for food and daily living, are treated differently. Consult your local orthodox rabbi to figure out whether or not it is permissible for you to work on Chol Hamoed. The goal is to free ourselves as much as possible to enjoy the holiday: to learn, rest, spend time with family, take the children out, attend Simchat Beit HaShoeva celebrations, and increase our simcha. Chol Hamoed is a gift of time, a chance to slow down from the normal routine and continue living inside the joy and holiness of Sukkot.

Laws of Chol Hamoed 

A: The days from after the first day of Sukkot until Shemini Atzeret are “Chol Hamoed.”
B: The days of Chol Hamoed are called in the Torah “Mikra’ei Kodesh.” It is forbidden to fast on them and forbidden to work or engage in commerce on them.
(Exchanging currency and trading securities are also problematic during Chol Hamoed...)
C: It is forbidden on Chol Hamoed to tell a non-Jew to perform work for a Jew that the Jew himself is forbidden to perform on Chol Hamoed.
D: It is permitted on Chol Hamoed to repair an oven, refrigerator, elevator, air conditioner (when the weather is especially difficult), and eyeglasses needed for use during Chol Hamoed, even through a professional.
E: It is permitted to repair a flat tire or another breakdown in a vehicle that broke down during Chol Hamoed when the repair is needed for travel during Chol Hamoed.
F: One may not deliberately leave routine vehicle maintenance to be done during Chol Hamoed.
G: It is permitted to tie strings of tzitzit during Chol Hamoed, even if there is already one kosher tzitzit garment.

In the Following Cases, Work Is Permitted on Chol Hamoed — After Asking a Rabbi

• An employee who would be fired if he took vacation during these days. (Rav Ovadia Yosef)
• Work needed by the public (bus drivers, government and municipal offices, taxis, postal services, etc.).
• Work and commerce needed for the holiday itself. (Food stores, etc.)
• Commerce intended to prevent a financial loss of capital.

Personal Grooming

A: It is forbidden to get a haircut, shave, or do laundry on Chol Hamoed, and one should wear festive clothing.
B: Women are also forbidden to cut the hair of the head during Chol Hamoed. (Chazon Ovadia, Yom Tov, p. 211)
C: Married women are permitted to remove hair from other areas of the body.
D: Ashkenazim do not cut their nails during Chol Hamoed, except for women for the purpose of immersion in a mikveh.
E: It is permitted to apply makeup during Chol Hamoed.
F: It is permitted to undergo medical treatments and medical examinations during Chol Hamoed.
G: During Chol Hamoed Sukkot, the custom is to hold a “Simchat Beit Hashoevah” with songs and dancing in memory of the joy that took place in the Beit Hamikdash during these days.