Where is it mentioned?
Exodus 23:16 - ... and observe the Festival of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather your produce from the field. ​ Exodus 34:22 - ... and the Festival of Ingathering at the turn of the agricultural year. ​ Leviticus 23:33 - The Lord spoke to Moses: "Tell the Israelites: The Festival of Booths to the Lord begins on the fifteenth day of this seventh month and continues for seven days. ​ 35 There is to be a sacred assembly on the first day; you are not to do any daily work. You are to present a fire offering to the Lord for seven days. On the eighth day you are to hold a sacred assembly and present a fire offering to the Lord. It is a solemn gathering; you are not to do any daily work. ​ 39 You are to celebrate the Lord's festival on the fifteenth day of the seventh month for seven days after you have gathered the produce of the land. There will be complete rest on the first day and complete rest on the eighth day. ​ 40 On the first day you are to take the product of majestic trees - palm fronds, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook and rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. ​ 41 You are to celebrate it as a festival to the Lord seven days each year. This is permanent statute for you throughout your generations; you must celebrate it in the seventh month. ​ 42 You are to live in booths for seven days. All the native-born of Israel must live in booths, so that your generations may know that I made the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt; I am Yahweh your God. ​ Numbers 29:12 - You are to hold a sacred assembly on the fifteenth day of the seventh month; you must not do any daily work. You are to celebrate a seven day festival to the Lord. ​ Numbers 29:35 - On the eighth day you are to hold a solemn assembly; you are not to do any daily work. ​ Deuteronomy 16:13 - You are to celebrate the Festival of Booths for seven days when you have gathered in everything from your threshing floor and wine press. ​ Deuteronomy 16:14 - Rejoice during your Festival - you, your son and daughter, your male and female slave, as well as the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow within your gates. You are to hold a seven-day festival for the Lord your God. ​ Deuteronomy 31:10 - Moses commanded them, "At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year of debt cancellation, during the Festival of Booths, when all Israel assembles in the presence of the Lord your God at the place He chooses, you are to read this law aloud before Israel. ​ Nehemiah 8:14 - They found written in the law how the Lord had commanded through Moses that the Israelites should dwell in booths during the festival of the seventh month. 15 So they proclaimed and spread this news throughout their towns and in Jerusalem, saying, "Go out to the hill country and bring back branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, just as it is written." ​ 16 The people went out, brought back branches, and made booths for themselves on each of their rooftops, and courtyards, the court of the house of God, the square by the Water Gate, and the square by the Gate of Ephraim. ​ 17 The whole community that had returned from exile made booths and lived in them. They had not celebrated like this from the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day. And there was tremendous joy. ​ 18 Ezra read out of the book of the law of God every day, from the first day to the last. The Israelites celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day there was an assembly, according to the ordinance. ​ Ezekiel 45:25 - At the festival that begins on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, he will provide the same things for seven days - the same sin offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings and oil. ​ John 7:2-14 - The Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near, so His brothers said to Him, "Leave here and go to Judea so Your disciples can see Your works that you are doing. For no one does anything in secret while he's seeking public recognition. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world. (For not even His brothers believed in Him.) Jesus told them, "My time has not yet arrived, but your time is always at hand. The world cannot hate you, but it does hate Me because I testify about it - that its deeds are evil. Go up tot he festival yourselves. I'm not going up to the festival yet, because My time has not yet fully come." After He has said these things, He stayed in Galilee. After His brothers had gone up to the festival, then He also went up, not openly but secretly. The Jews were looking for Him at the festival and saying, "Where is He?" And there was a lot of discussion about Him among the crowds. Some were saying, "He's a good man." Others were saying, "No, one of the contrary, He's deceiving the people." Still, nobody was talking publicly about Him because they feared the Jews. When the festival was already half over, Jesus went up into the temple complex and began to teach. ​ John 7:37 - On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone is thirsty, he should come to Me and drink!"
What does it look like?
As Leviticus 23 teaches, Sukkot was to be a time of bringing in the latter harvest. It is, in other words, the initial "Thanksgiving." In fact, it is widely believed that the Puritan settlers, who were great students of the Hebrew Scriptures, based the first American Thanksgiving on Sukkot. A secondary meaning of this holy day is found in the command to dwell in booths as a memorial of Israel's wilderness experience. We know from the Torah that God dwelt with his people in their forty-year wilderneess camping trip. Yet, as we camp in booths today, we should be reminded that this same faithful God watches over our lives. With such meaningful themes, no wonder Sukkot is known as "The Time of Our Rejoicing." The fact that God provides for us and built his habitation with mankind is something to celebrate! The Torah stipulates the fifteenth of the Jewish month of Tishri as the time when the Jewish people are to begin dwelling in the sukkah (singular for "booth") and celebrating God's provision. This holy day is so joyful, traditional Jews don't even wait for the fifteenth of Tishri to construct their sukkot. Many begin the construction give days early, immediately after the close of Yom Kippur. Essentially, it is a temporary hut in which one is to live insatead of one's permanent house. At the very least, Jews are expected to eat some meals in the sukkah as a symbol of dwelling in it. Because it is to be a temporary structure, the sukkah appears to be flimsy. It is built outisde and must have at least three walls, which may be of any material (wood, brick, tarp). If the booth is constructed next to a house, it may incorporate one or more walls of the house as its own. The most important part of the sukkah construction is the roof. The covering for the roof (called sechach) can be anything that grows from the ground, such as branches, two - by - fours and bushes. Because of the prevalence of palm branches in the Middle East, it is easily understood why this foliage took a central place in the celebration of Sukkot. To emphasize its temporary status, the roof is arranged so the stars can be seen through it on a clear night. Once the main construction of the sukkah is completed, the children contribute their part with artwork, fruit tied with string, or any other creative ideas they have. The sukkah is to be big enough to house at least one person but preferably it should be able to hold a table for meals. If the climate is mild enough, people sleep overnight in the hut. With most other Jewish holy days, the celebration starts at sundown of the first night with a festival meal. The table is set with the two candlesticks and the best dining ware. An exception is sometimes made with Sukkot since many Jewish people eat their meals out in their sukkah. In such cases, a more primitive setup is a reminder of camping in the wilderness of Sinai. In either case, the kiddush is chanted over the sweet wine; the braided challah bread is blessed and shared at the table. Each evening of the eight - day festival, special blessings are also over the lulav (palm branch) and etrog (citron, a fruit from Israel). These two items, along with the hadas (myrtle) and arava (willow), form what is called "The Four Sepcies." They are wrapped together in order to be handheld for waving in every direction, symbolizing the harvest and God's omnipresence over his world. Athough there seems to be a clear connection between the Four Species and the harvest theme of Sukkot, there are also some spiritual applications for these symbols. It is taught that each of the species represents a different kind of person. The etrog, which tastes sweet and has a delightful aroma, represents a person with knowledge of the Torah and good deeds. The lulav, which comes from a date palm, has fruit that tastes sweet, yet has no fragrance. Hence, some people have knowledge, but no good deeds. The hadas is just the opposite, having a nice fragrance yet no taste (good deeds without true knowledge). Arava, since it possosses neither taste nor smell, represents the perosn who lacks both knowledge and deeds. Perhaps this can serve as a reminder what faith without works is dead (James 2:17). It should be noted that, as with the other holy days, the synagogue plays a vital role. Many synagogues build a community sukkah to enable all worsshippers to experience this greatest symbol of Sukkot. Holy day services are held on the first and eighth days as stipulated by the Torah. Because Tabernacles is a time of joy, there are various processionals in which the congregants march around the aisles, waving lulavs and chanting Psalm 118: "Save us Lord!" Thus, with thanksgiving, the Jewish community seeks to remember the theme of this holy day: God dwells with his people. Take heed in the freedom to construct this booth as you see fit. As with all biblical holy days and customs, the sukkah is a "shadow" of the greater lessons of the coming Messiah (Colossians 2:17). The outer frame can be assembled from various materials which, in turn, can be fortified with the traditional palm branches or leaves. For this reason, Sukkot is a great time to trim up the yard as well! Children will love to add their cut out paper fruit, leaves, or Bible verses. Many Jews and Gentiles follow the custom of constructing the sukkah by inviting people over for a "Sukkah Decorating Party." As the fifteenth day of Tishri begins, a holiday dinner is prepared. As with all the Jewish holy days, the traditional blessings are said. The first day of the festival is also welcomed with the blessing in order to thank God for bringing us this joyful celebration. Some distinctive blessings chanted for this particular holy day are said over the sukkah as well as the Four Species. After the blessing for the wine and challah, the following can be recited: "Blessed art Thou, O LORD our God, King of the universe, who has set us apart by thy commandments and commanded us to dwell in the Sukkah." This is usually said only on the first night of the holy day whenever the wine and challah are blessed. However, the blessing over the Four Species is recounted every evening of Sukkot. The lulav is picked up in the right hand, and the etrog in the left. Holding the two together, the following is recited: "Blessed art Thou, O LORD our God, King of the universe, who has set us apart by thy commandments and commanded us to take up the lulav." Now it is time to eat. Depending upon availability in your area, local messianic congregations may have evening services to celebrate the joy found in the message of Sukkot, where a special emphasis will be the processionals, in which congregants march around the sanctuary waving the lulav and recounting the Hallel or Praise Psalms (113-118). The major elements of the dinner in the sukkah continue for the eight days of the festival, while the synagogue services are usually convened only on the first two. As we reach the eighth day, we come to a special holiday, "the Eighth Day of Assembly." As mentioned in Leviticus 23:36, this day is to be set apart as a Shabbat and a holy assembly. Most traditional synagogues have special services to remember this time. Messianic Jews and Gentiles are constantly looking for the higher spiritual lessons of God's appointed times. Why would God command a special memorial on the eighth day of Sukkot? Besides being the close of the festival, the day may contain a connection to the life of Messiah. If our theory that Yeshua's birth took place on the first day of Sukkot is correct, was there anything that took place on the eighth day? Any good Jewish parent could tell you! On that day, Jewish baby boys take the sign of the Abrahamic Covenant through circumcision (Genesis 17). So, too, with Yeshua. "On the eighth day, when it was time for his brit-milah, he was given the name Yeshua, which is what the angel had called him before his conception" (Luke 2:21). Believers in the Messiah have good cause to remember Shmeni Atzeret. Truly Yeshua "became a servant of the Jewish people in order to show God's truthfulness by making good his promises to the Patriarchs" (Romans 15:8). If these festivities are not enough, the Jewish community has added an additional ninth day to Sukkot called "Rejoicing in the Law." As its name implies, this day celebrates the revelation of God as symbolized in the Torah scroll. It is a time of tremendous joy, with dancing and lively music. A central part of the service is the reading from the last chapters of Deuteronomy and the start of the yearly cycle all over again with the first chapters of Genesis. Although this holiday was created in the Middle ages by rabbinic Judiasm, believers in Yeshua can surely affirm the idea behind it. God's Word is good. It is to be revered. It is even to be joyously celebrated! How much more so for followers of Yeshua Ha Mashiach, the Word who became flesh at this time of year! With the close of Simchat Torah, we reach the end of the high holy day season. What a wonderful truth is evident! What a complete picture of the latter-day plan of God for this world. Sometime soon the shofar will sound to announce the regathering of believers. This is to be followeed by the solemn Day of Atonement when Yeshua will return for a second time to the earth. This, in turn, will lead all believers into that joyful celebration of the Kingdom of God at Sukkot! May we be redy to dwell in that holy habitation of our heavenly father.
Why should I care?
As the apostle John relates to the special background of Messiah, he openly declares the divine nature of Yeshua. The Word not only was with God in the beginning, but this Word is the very manifestation of God himself (John 1:1)! Yeshua of Nazareth is more than just a good rabbi or an intriguing philosopher. According to the Bible, he is the visible manifestation of the God of creation! Yet, did you notice the metaphor John employs to describe the incarnation of the Messiah? The Word "dwelt" among his people. The Greek word skene is a rich word derived from "tabernacle." In other words, as John sought to describe the Messiah's first coming to his people, the most obvious picture was the holy day Sukkot, the holy day that celebrates the dwelling of God! There is, of course, some controversy concerning the actual date of Yeshua's birth in Bethlehem. Many believers say that since there is no definitive statement on the matter, the date can not be set with certainty. The Western Church, since the fourth century C.E., has adopted December 25 as the official day to acknowledge the incarnation of Messiah. However, most historians admit that this was more in concession to the pagans of the Roman Empire than to the Holy Scriptures. As has often been the case, the early Church "christianized" existing pagan days and festivals to accommodate the many new converts. December 25 is a classic case in point. It happened to be an ancient feast to celebrate the return of the sun after the winter solstice. It had nothing to do with the birth of Yeshua but was adopted nonetheless. It seemed to later believers that there was no real evidence indicating a better date. Unfortunately, many overlook the important evidence Sukkot provides. When the apostle John describes the birth of the Messiah, he paints it in terms of Tabernacles. The simplicity of this logic is almost astounding. God's plan of salvation is illustrated through the holy days he revealed to Israel. Critical events regarding God's plan are consistently fulfilled on these special days. Not surprisingly, we find Messiah dying on the cross as our Passover lamb on the very day of Pesach. The pouring out of the firstfruits of god's Holy Spirit likewise takes place on the appropriate holy day of Shavuot. Would such an important event as the birth of the Messiah go unheralded by one of these biblical feasts? Of all the feasts of the LORD, Sukkot best illustrates the fact that God would dwell in the midst of his people through the presence of the Messiah. He may have literally fulfilled his promise on the very day of Tabernacles. That the birth of Yeshua took place on Sukkot is corroborated by other evidences pointed out by Christian theologians. Some have noted that the chronological calculations in the Gospels lead us to place the birth of Messiah in the late fall. Most agree that Yeshua's earthly ministry lasted three and one-half years. Since we know he died on Passover (March/April), by backtracking we arrive much closer to Sukkot (September/October) than to the December 25. Others have pointed out the inconsistency of shepherds watching the flocks in the fields during the dead of winter. The Mishna states that, because of winter weather, the flocks around Bethlehem were normally brought into a protective corral called a "sheepfold" from November through February. Hence the December date seems unlikely. A final clue surrounding the details of Messiah's birth has to do with the exceptional crowd seeking housing with the result that there was "no room in the inn" (Luke 2:7). While it is true that much of this congestion would have been related to the census taken by the Romans at that time, there sems to be more to it. The Romans were known to take their censuses according to the prevailing custom of the occupied territories. Hence, in the case of Israel, they would opt to have people report to their home provinces at a time that would be convenient for them. There is no apparent logical to calling the census in the middle of winter. The more logical time of taxation would be after the harvest, in the fall. If this coincided with one of the major Jewish festivals, Passover, Pentecost, or Tabernacles, we would expect the entire area of Jerusalem and Bethlehem to be overrun with pilgrims. More than likely, the nativity accounts in the Gospel took place during one of the major Jewish holy days, and not during December. The only major holy day that takes place in the fall is Sukkot. It seems that there is indeed a holy day pointing to the birth of Messiah. Messiah has "tabernacled" in the midst of his people as perfectly typified in Sukkot! God will ultimately build his habitation with his people when the kingdom is established under Messiah's rulership. What joy this thought brings to our hearts! It is significant to note that at this time of year, prayers were chanted to thank God, in faith, for the upcoming winter rains essential to replenish the land. The Talmud tells of a custom that developed in the second Temple period which was created to illustrate this truth. At that time, during this holy day, a priest would take a water pitcher down to the Pool of Siloam, dip it in the water and carry it back to the Temple. Crowds of people would form a huge processional behind the priest, dancing, singing and chanting the Hallel Psalms (113-118) as they entered the Temple mount. For each of the first six days of Sukkot, the processional would circle the Temple alter one time, and on the seventh day (Hoshana Rabbah) there would be secen processionals to magnify the joy. The highlight of the ceremony came when the priest dramatically poured the water at the alter of the Temple. The response of the multitudes was so immense that the Talmud says whoever has not been in Jerusalem for this ceremony has not even experienced real joy! Hense, it became known as "the Rejoicing of the House of Drawing Water." Why all the rejoicing at this water pouring ceremony? Obviously, it had to be more than the rejoicing in the ipe of future winter rains for Israel, as important as that might be. Talmudic rabbis speak of deeper truths from Isaiah 12:3 in regard to the ceremony: "With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation" (Salvation in Hebrew is yeshua, the name of the Messiah). More than the outpouring of temporal water in Israel, the ceremony was to prophetically illustrate the days of messianic redemption when the water of the Holy Spirit would be poured out upon all Israel. With this historical background, we can more fully appreciate the events recorded on one particular Sukkot celebration in the New Testament. "Now on the last day of the festival, Hoshana Rabbah, Yeshua stood and cried out, 'If anyone is thirsty, let him keep coming to me and drinking. Whoever puts his trust in me, as the Scripture says, rivers of living water will flow from his inmost being.' (Now he said this about the Spirit, whom those who trusted in Him were to receive later - the Spirit had not yet been given, because Yeshua had not yet been glorified" (John 7:37-39). Imagine the setting! Sukkot was in full swing. The joy of the first six days was exuberant. On the great final day (Hoshana Rabbah), the crowds were filled with expectation for the Messiah and the Holy Spirit he would bring. At the very tim eof the water drawing ceremony, Yeshua made a bold proclamation. Do you truly want the living waters of the Holy Spirit? Does anyone understand the true significance of this ceremony? If anyone desires what it sy,bolizes, let him believe in me. I am the Messiah who will pour out the Holy Spirit on Israel! These were indeed radical statements; and they created quite a stir in the Temple on that occasion. "On hearing his words, some people in the crowd said, 'This is the Messiah.' But others said, 'How can the Messiah come from the Galilee?'" (John 7:40-41). That Yeshua of Nazareth claimed to be the promised Messiah of the Jewish Scriptures should be uncontested. However, the controversy surrounding the response of the people is still manifest to this day. When properly understood, the holy day Sukkot should lead us to believe, like many in that first-century crowd. Yeshua is who he claimed to be: God dwelling in our midst! The incarnation of Messiah. What a joy to experience the living waters of his Holy Spirit as seen in the holy day Sukkot. There is still a future element remaining to be fulfilled by the Feast of Tabernacles. The apostle John tells us in his vision of final things that the reality of Sukkot will be obvious to all: "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. Also I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud voice from the throne say, 'See! God's Sh'khinah is with mankind, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and he himself, God-with-them, will be their God'" (Revelation 21"1-3). Sukkot was always known as the holy day that commemorates God dwelling with with his people. How fitting for the Kingdom of God, when it fully comes to the redeemed earth, to be consdiered the ultimate fulfillment of this holy day. God himself will ifnalyl dwell with his people in all his fullness. The Sukkah of God will be among men when Messiah Yeshua dwells as the ruler of the 1000-year Messianic Kingdom! All the Feasts of the LORD have their own particular lessons to teach. Yet, because of its latter day fulfillment, Sukkot seems to be the apex of all the other appointed times of God. The goal of God's plan is ultimately the establishment of his Kingdom of the earth. This best explains why, of all the biblical holy days, Sukkot is said to be the premier celebration of the Milennium. As the prophet Zechariah predicted: "Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, The LORD Almighty, they will have no rain (Zechariah 14:16-17). It is worthy to note that the judgment for not celebrating Sukkot in the Messianic Kingdom will be the withholding of rain. Since Sukkot celebrates the fall harvest, it is traditional in the Jewish community to begin the prayers for the winter rains essential for the upcoming year at this time. When Yeshua returns to establish the long-awaited Kingdom, all people who have been redeemed by his sacrifice will gladly celebrate Sukkkot in all its fullness. When a celebration there will be as his people, both Jews and Gentiles, wave the lulav and chant, "LORD, do save us!" Amen. Come, LORD Yeshua!
