2022 Dates: 10/09/2022 – 10/16/2022 (Sunset to Sunset)
Jewish Calendar Date: Tishri 15-22
Source: https://www.hebcal.com/holidays/
Feast of Booths is also known as the Feast of Tabernacles, and Sukkot. It takes place on the same month that begins with Feast of Trumpets, followed by the Day of Atonement, followed by this feast, the Feast of Booths. To truly grasp the significance of this feast, familiarize yourself with all 3 of these.
The 3 Pilgrimage Festivals
Sukkot is one of the 3 pilgrimage festivals: Passover, Shavuot, Sukkot
- A pilgrimage festival means at least the men, but likely all of Israel are to travel to Jerusalem to the temple for it. (Deuteronomy 16:16). Jesus participated as well (Luke 2:41, John 7, John 10:22)
Passover:
- Includes the first fruits of the barley harvest
- Passover is actually a sacrifice, not a holiday. It ushers in the feast of firstfruits.
- Jesus was crucified as the passover lamb and rose at the feast of firstfruits
Shavuot:
- Starts 50 days after the feast of firstfruits
- Also known as Pentecost
- Celebration of the first fruits of the wheat harvest
- When gathering from your field, leave the corners and don’t gather anything that was left behind. Leave it for the poor and the strangers.
Sukkot:
- A time of remembering the 40-year journey through the wilderness, where God provided for the people of Israel.
- Solomon’s Temple was dedicated to the Lord at this time (1 Kings 8:2)
- At this time the Israelites who had returned to rebuild the temple, gathered together to hear Ezra proclaim the word of God to them, which resulted in repentance and revival (Nehemiah 8).
- Five days after Day of Atonement.
- First fruits of the olive and grape harvests
33 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 34 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month and for seven days is the Feast of Booths to the Lord. 35 On the first day shall be a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work. 36 For seven days you shall present food offerings to the Lord. On the eighth day you shall hold a holy convocation and present a food offering to the Lord. It is a solemn assembly; you shall not do any ordinary work.
37 “These are the appointed feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim as times of holy convocation, for presenting to the Lord food offerings, burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its proper day, 38 besides the Lord’s Sabbaths and besides your gifts and besides all your vow offerings and besides all your freewill offerings, which you give to the Lord.
39 “On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the Lord seven days. On the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest. 40 And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days. 41 You shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, 43 that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”
Leviticus 23:33-43 ESV
“You are to keep the Feast of Sukkot for seven days, after gathering in the produce from your threshing floor and winepress.” So you will rejoice in your feast—you, your son and daughter, slave and maid, Levite and outsider, orphan and widow within your gates. Seven days you will feast to Adonai your God in the place He chooses, because Adonai your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hand, and you will be completely filled with joy.
Deuteronomy 16:14-16
The Theme of Sukkot
The word sukkot is the plural word for sukkah, which is a hut or booth that in this case is used as a reminder of when God brought the Israelites through the wilderness with Moses. The tabernacle/booth (sukkah) is a very big theme in scripture.
Fleeing Egypt
43 that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”
Leviticus 23:43 ESV
Back in Genesis 29, Jacob (who God renamed Israel), willingly became Laban’s bondservant for 7 years for the opportunity to marry Rachel. Laban tricks him into marrying Leah, then tells him, “complete the week of this one”, meaning the 7 days wedding ceremony (important detail), then tells him to work another 7 years for Rachel. Jacob does it, and marries Rachel as well.
In Genesis 31 Jacob (Israel) flees from Laban, Genesis 33 tells us how he journeys to a place where he makes himself a house and makes booths for his livestock. This place, as a result is called Succoth.
If we read the Exodus story, we can see that when Pharaoh lets the Israelites go, God leads them through the red sea. In chapter 13 we get the details of the areas of where they passed before entering the wilderness. One place they passed is called Succoth, which they passed before camping at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. We then read about God being their shelter as a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:20-22).
If we look at more details given to us in Numbers 33:3-5, we see that they left one of Pharaoh’s storage cities, Rameses, as God led them in a triumphant, victorious procession in the sight of the Egyptians, and camped at Succoth.
14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing,16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?
2 Corinthians 2:14-16 ESV
The Tabernacle (precursor to the Jewish Temple)
8 And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.9 Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture, so you shall make it.
Exodus 25:8-9 ESV
Article: The Tabernacle
Rebuilding Jerusalem and the Temple (Ezra and Nehemiah)
Solomon’s Temple was dedicated to the Lord on the same month of Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Sukkot (1 Kings 8:2). At this time the Israelites who had returned to rebuild the temple, gathered together during Sukkot to hear Ezra proclaim the word of God to them. It was during Sukkot, when the reading resulted in repentance and revival (Nehemiah 8:17-18).
Jesus “Tabernacles” Among Us
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son[a] from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14 ESV
- Jesus chose to “tabernacle” with us (John 1:14)
- conditions he was born in
- subjected himself to mortality and total reliance on the Father
- Jesus had his own wilderness journey, for 40 days. Kinda like the 40 years the Israelites spent.
- The word for “dwelt” in greek is skene, meaning “tabernacled”
- people have tried to tie Jesus’ birth to all 3 fall festivals
Jesus used the 7th day of Sukkot to speak about Himself
37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as[a] the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
John 7:37–39 ESV
- reference to water drawing ceremony
- Jesus is telling them that he’s the one who will be pouring out the Holy Spirit
- wells of salvation from Isaiah (Isaiah 12:3)
The Jewish Hope and Waiting for the Fulfillment
12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” 14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,
15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!”
John 12:12-15 ESV (Also Matthew 21)
They have been expecting this, because of Zechariah 9 prophesying about their Messiah, the King of Israel coming to establish his Kingdom.
Jesus was showing them He is indeed the King, but His Kingdom will be established at His second coming. The passage with Jesus riding into Jerusalem was in Matthew 21, but 2 chapters later, this is what Jesus tells Jerusalem:
37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!38 See, your house is left to you desolate.39 For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
Matthew 23:37-39 ESV
Our Current “Tabernacle” and Waiting for the Fulfillment
22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Romans 8:22-25
The Wedding Feast, Feast of Booths During the Millennial Kingdom
[Warning: Graphic Imagery]
God Personifies His People as His Bride:
2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the Lord,
“I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown.
Jeremiah 2:2
God Gathers His Elect for the Wedding Feast & Exercises Judgment
30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Matthew 24:30-31 ESV
41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers,42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
Matthew 13:41-43 ESV
12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Matthew 3:12 ESV
2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son,3 and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come.
Matthew 22:2-3 ESV
11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment.12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”
Matthew 22:11-14 ESV
17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, “Come, gather for the great supper of God,18 to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.”
Revelation 19:17-18 ESV
17 “As for you, son of man, thus says the Lord God: Speak to the birds of every sort and to all beasts of the field: ‘Assemble and come, gather from all around to the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you, a great sacrificial feast on the mountains of Israel, and you shall eat flesh and drink blood. 18 You shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth—of rams, of lambs, and of he-goats, of bulls, all of them fat beasts of Bashan. 19 And you shall eat fat till you are filled, and drink blood till you are drunk, at the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you. 20 And you shall be filled at my table with horses and charioteers, with mighty men and all kinds of warriors,’ declares the Lord God.
21 “And I will set my glory among the nations, and all the nations shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid on them. 22 The house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God, from that day forward.
Ezekiel 39:17-21 ESV
On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,
of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
Isaiah 25:6 ESV
Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”
Revelation 19:7-9 ESV
34 I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left.35 There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.”37 And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”
Luke 17:34-37 ESV
9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
Revelation 7:9-12 ESV
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
Revelation 21:1-3 ESV
16 Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths.17 And if any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, there will be no rain on them.18 And if the family of Egypt does not go up and present themselves, then on them there shall be no rain; there shall be the plague with which the Lord afflicts the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths.19 This shall be the punishment to Egypt and the punishment to all the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths.
Zechariah 14:16-19 ESV
- in the Jewish community, it’s traditional to pray for winter rains that are important for the upcoming year, making this judgment of no rain even more significant
Traditions Regarding The Sukkah
- a lot of the traditions come out of the Talmud
- it’s believed the Puritan settlers, who studied the Hebrew scriptures, based the first Thanksgiving after Sukkot
- allow starlight in
- must be more shaded than unshaded
- rain must be allowed to penetrate, but you’re not allowed to sleep in it while it’s raining
- cannot be beneath a tree, because a tree is a shelter in itself, nullifying the purpose of a sukkah
- can be used for all meals as well as sleeping, or just a place to have some meals
- decorated sukkah with fruits like oranges and pomegranates as well as artwork or other decorative touches
- work together to make the sukkah, a community effort, as well as being a shelter for community and not just ourselves
- Sukkot should remind us of our own frailty and reliance on God
- put ourselves in the shoes of the ancient Israelites, to remember God’s provision
- waving of the lulav (palm branch), usually in the synagogues, once a day while reciting Psalm 118:25-26, as well as prayers called Hoshanot
- HOSANNA = SAVE US
- eat dinner at first sundown, with the best dinnerware, and 2 candles.
- waving a bundle containing a palm branch, citron, myrtle, and willow symbolizing the harvest and God’s omnipresence over the world.
- Each of these is also said to represent a different type of person
- the citron tastes sweet and has a good aroma, symbolizing someone with knowledge of the scriptures and does good deeds
- the palm branch (from a date tree) has sweet fruit but no fragrance. They have knowledge but no good deeds
- the myrtle is the opposite of the palm branch, with a good fragrance but no taste. good deeds but without knowledge
- the willow has neither taste or smell, representing someone lacking both deeds and knowledge.
- these can be tied to James 2:17
Blessing over the Wine and Challah
Hebrew:
Baruch atah Adonai Elohenu melekh ha-olam,
asher kidshanu b’mitzvohtav
v’tzi-vanu leshev b’sukkah.
English:
Blessed are you, O Lord our God,
King of the Universe, who has set us
apart by your commandmends
and commanded us to dwell in the Sukkah.
Jewish Synagogue Readings
Day 1:
Day 2:
Other Readings