The last of the three great pilgrimage Feasts of the LORD comes in the fall of the year after the crops have been harvested and stored for the coming winter, While the theme of Rosh HaShanah (Feast of Trumpets) is repentance and that of Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) is redemption, the theme of Sukkot (The Feast of Tabernacles) is rejoicing.

         This Feast, like all of the others, has multiple names. First of all it is called Hag HaSukkot (Hahg Hah Sue-coat’ the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths) in both Deuteronomy and Leviticus.

         “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD. On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein.”
(Lev. 23:33-36)

         This is a festival that is to be celebrated for seven days (v.34) but the scripture mentions an eighth day as also being a Holyday. This eighth day has always been looked upon, by the Jews, as a festival separate from the Feast of Tabernacles even though it falls on the day immediately following the close of Sukkot. (The Eighth Day will be discussed in the following article.)
         The second name for this festival is Hag HaAsif (Hahg Hah Ah-seef or Feast of ingathering). This name is used in a passage from the book of Exodus.

         “...and the Feast of Ingathering, which is in the end of the year when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.”
(Ex. 23:16)

         In some passages this festival is referred to as simply Ha Hag, (Hah Hahg or “the Feast,”) [See: I Kings 8:2 and 11 Chron. 7:8] while in two others it is called Hag Adoshem (Hahg Ah-doe-shem’ or “Feast of the LORD”) [See: Lev. 23:39 and Judges 21:19].

         In the Hebrew language the festival is usually called, simply, Sukkot (Sue-coat’). This is the plural form of the word Sukkah (Sue-kah’) which means a booth or temporary dwelling.

         Like the other two pilgrimage festivals, Passover (Pesach = Pehs-ahkh) and Pentecost, (Shavu’ot = Shaw-voo oat’) Sukkot is a festival centered around the agriculture seasons of Israel. During the Passover season, the priests offered the very first of the barley harvest to the LORD before the general grain harvest began. At Shavu’ot, they brought an offering of grain from the now completed harvest, plus the first of the produce from the just beginning fruit harvest. Sukkot completes the final harvest season, for by now all of the fruit has been harvested as well.

         Like the other festivals, Sukkot has deeper meanings involved with it’s celebration other than the obvious agricultural ones. It is the purpose of this article to explore those meanings.

~ The Symbols and Their Meanings ~

         Like all of the ‘Feasts of the LORD,’ Sukkot is pregnant with symbolism and meaning. Attendance at Sukkot should not consist of merely listening to speakers expound scripture and then going out to eat lavish meals. It should also be a deep, meaningful, spiritual experience. By understanding the symbolism of the season a Believer can more fully appreciate and experience what God is teaching. Festivals are rehearsals of events past and future. It is possible to gain a more complete understanding of those great events by studying these deeper meanings.

         Several customs and ceremonies were observed during Sukkot, at the time of the second Temple, when Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah attended the Feast.

         “Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath (Heb. shabaton or high sabbath) and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath (shabaton).
         “And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month. Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: (Heb. = Sukkot) That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.”
(Lev. 23:39-43)

         This passage contains two specific instructions concerning the celebration of Sukkot; the gathering of various plant species, and the construction of a temporary dwelling, commonly called a tabernacle or booth (sukkah), from which the festival gets it’s name.

~ The Four Species ~

         The scriptures speak of four species of plant life that were to be gathered and used in some way during the festival of Sukkot. Two are named: the branches of palm trees and the willows of the brook.
         The other two species are not specifically identified, but tradition has given us their names. The word ‘boughs’ in the phrase "boughs of goodly trees," is more correctly translated ‘fruit.’ It is said to be the fruit of a citrus tree known as the etrog or citron. It is similar to a large lemon or very large lime. The phrase "boughs of thick trees" is traditionally thought to be the branches of the myrtle tree.
         The tradition is to bind the palm, myrtle and willow together into a single bouquet that can be held in the right hand. The citron, or etrog, is kept separate and is held in the left hand. The four species combined are called a Lulav (loo-lahv) which is the Hebrew word for palm, the largest of the three tree branches used. The Lulav includes seven items; 1 palm, 1 citron, 2 willows and 3 myrtle branches.
         In Temple times the priests waved the Lulav before the LORD as part of the Sukkot service. In addition, all of the people had Lulavim (Loo-lah-veem = plural form) which they carried and waved during various ceremonies.

         But what was the meaning behind all of this? The scriptures said to gather them, so there must have been some purpose for doing it, some special meaning ascribed to this practice that God wanted His people to learn.
         Again, tradition may hold some of the answers. Jewish tradition is often called the Oral Torah. This is the more detailed instructions that were believed to have been given to Moses, and others, telling them how to correctly perform certain ceremonies and what these ceremonies meant,
         In the case of the Lulav, tradition teaches that each specie represents a certain type of person, each of whom would be found among the children of Israel.

• The etrog or citron has both good tasting fruit and good aroma. It represents those people who have a thorough knowledge of the Torah and also perform good deeds for others.

• The palm has good fruit but no aroma. It represents those people who have knowledge of the Torah but do not perform good deeds.

• The myrtle has pleasant aroma but it does not bear fruit. It represents those people who perform good deeds but do not have a good foundation in the Torah.

• The willow has neither fruit or aroma. It represents those people who have no knowledge of the Torah, nor do they perform good deeds.

         These same four types of people can be found today in the Body of Believers.
         A further interpretation of the four species, correlates each one with an organ of the body and the characteristics that it represents.

• The etrog resembles the heart since it has that type of shape. The heart is the place of understanding and wisdom but it also is where the sins of the heart take place.

• The palm represents the spine, since it grows like a straight rib before it releases it’s branches. It can be a symbol of righteousness, or of stiff backed pride.

• The myrtle leaf is shaped like the eye, which is the organ of enlightenment, but is also the place where the lust of the eyes takes place.

• The willow symbolizes the mouth out of which we can offer prayers to God, or speak unholy words.

         One tradition teaches that the people represented by the four species are all bound together, (as symbolized by the Lulav) and because of this close attachment they will all achieve salvation. It is believed the examples of the first three specie types will help bring the ‘willows’ to a repentant desire to learn Torah (the scriptures) and perform good deeds towards other people.
         An additional ceremony at the Temple also utilized branches of the willow tree. Each day of the Feast the priests and people would encircled the altar waving their Lulavim. As they circled the altar they would recite Psalm 118:25; “Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity.” (See the section on the Water Pouring Ceremony.)
         Then on the seventh day of the Feast the people would go out to an area called Motza (about thirty minutes away) and collect willow branches. Upon returning they would decorate the altar with the branches. Then they circled the altar seven times instead of just once, as on all the other days. This was to remind them of the circling of the city of Jericho when the walls fell down and God delivered the city into the hands of the children of Israel.
         After completing this journey they would beat the willow branches five times on the ground causing some of the leaves to fall off. Since the willow represented those people who had neither good deeds or knowledge of the Torah, some believed this showed the destruction of the wicked and represented the judgment that was to befall them. Afterward, the leaves were swept up and saved to be burned in the fire that baked the matzo (unleavened bread) for Passover the following spring. However, another belief held that the beating of the willows represented the resurrection of the dead. Perhaps one can make a connection between these two, seemingly divergent, views.

~ The Sukkah ~

         The second instruction found in Leviticus deals with the building and dwelling in a Sukkah (booth or temporary dwelling) during the Feast of Tabernacles.
         This passage has caused a certain number of problems over the years because of the belief by some, that one should actually build a temporary dwelling and stay in it for the entire festival of Sukkot no matter what the weather. This is a misunderstanding. The word translated “dwell” in this passage is the Hebrew root word yashav (yah-shav’). It’s primary meaning is: “to sit down (spec. as judge, in ambush, in quiet).” One could easily translate it as follows: “sit down and be quiet.” Thus the command is really to spend some time each day of the Feast, in the Sukkah, in quiet meditation. Tradition holds that it is a good deed to partake of some food while sitting in the Sukkah.
         At the other extreme, some have tried to rationalize their lodging in expensive quarters (that may be far finer than what one lives in the rest of the year) during the Feast of Tabernacles as constituting living in a ‘temporary dwelling.’ They claim this fulfills the command found in Lev. 23. Such a view is a gross exaggeration of the context in which it is given. The word ‘booth’ (sukkah in Hebrew) is just that, a small, temporary enclosure. There is nothing wrong with staying in nice facilities while attending the Feast, if one can afford it, but we should not try and rationalize it into something which it is not.
         The scripture tells us that one of the major things to do while sitting in the Sukkah, is to be reminded that God had the children of Israel, ‘dwell’ (sit in booths as shelter from the hot sun of the desert) in booths (sukkot) when He brought them out of slavery from the land of Egypt. Some may view this as part of the harsh decree caused by their lack of faith in refusing to take the promised land as God instructed them to do. In actual fact, the Sukkot (while only temporary shelters) were a blessing to the Israelites for they provided the people with much needed shelter from the hot, mid-day heat of the sun.
         Again, the symbolism is profound. Although the primary association with coming out of Egypt is found in the spring festival of Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread, God wants to remind His people again at Sukkot, that their existence here on earth, in fleshly bodies, is but a temporary one. God’s people dwell now in physical, temporary flesh, but will one day dwell in permanent spirit.
         There are also traditions concerning the building of the Sukkah. First and foremost, it must be completely temporary. While palm branches are commonly used in Israel, one can really use whatever material is at hand where they live. In the north-woods of Wisconsin it would be appropriate to build a Sukkah using evergreen branches. Palm branches are a little difficult to come by up here.
         The roof must be constructed so that it provides an adequate amount of shade during the day, but so that the stars can be seen through it at night while sitting inside of it. Tradition does not require one to sit in the Sukkah if the weather is inclement.
         The Sukkah can be decorated with any and all kinds of fruits, nuts, vegetables, corn stalks, etc. It is the custom in many lands to decorate the Sukkah with wheat, barley, vines, figs, pomegranates, olives and honey. This practice is based on Duet. 8:8. Children should be included in the building and decorating of the Sukkah. The boys can help their fathers with the construction while the mothers and daughters can prepare the decorations and the food. Paper cutouts can be made by the younger children and also used as decorations. It is important that the children be involved.
         A few years ago we had the opportunity to build a Sukkah on the balcony of our condo at Lake Tahoe. We invited the entire congregation over for an afternoon. Sukkah party. Over one hundred people came through our small condo that day. The children went downstairs into a spare bedroom and made decorations for the Sukkah. You should have seen the joy on the faces of those young children when they brought their ‘creations’ upstairs to be hung in the Sukkah.
         Since it is difficult for someone staying in a motel room to build a Sukkah, it would be appropriate if each festival site would plan to construct one that can be used by all the people attending. A children’s decorating party could be planned for the second day of the Feast. Perhaps you will want to make this suggestion to those in charge of the festival site you are planning to attend. It could turn out to be the most popular place at the Feast, as people gather to fellowship and contemplate the temporary nature of this life.

~ The Sukkah in Scripture ~

         If one is to really understand the meaning behind the Feast of Tabernacles, it is imperative to explore the usage of the words sukkah and sukkot in the scriptures.

         The first time the word Sukkot (Succoth) is mentioned in scripture is in Genesis.

         “And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him an house, and made booths (Sukkot) for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.”
(Gen. 33:17)

         Just prior to this event, Jacob (Ya’akov) had spent a night alone at a place he named Peniel (Peh’-nee-el = the face of God) where he had wrestled with a ‘a man’ until dawn. As a result of this struggle, Ya’akov’s name was changed to Israel (a prince of God) and his thigh was put out of joint. The next morning, Ya’akov went on to meet Esau, his brother, whom he had tried to appease with a multitude of gifts.

         “And he (Ya’akov) passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. And Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.”
(Gen. 33:3-4)

         After their meeting, Esau journeyed on to Seir while Ya’akov went to the place that was to be named Sukkot. Both of these place names are significant. Sukkot is the name used for the great fall festival that pictures living in temporary dwellings under the protection of God. Seir is also a significant name. It is a mountain in the land of Edom (another name for Esau) where Esau and his descendants lived. The place name Seir is derived from the Hebrew word saiyr (sah-ear) which means a shaggy he-goat. (Remember that Esau was a very hairy man and that Ya’akov was able to deceive his blind father into believing that he was Esau by putting goat skins on the backs of his hands.) The interesting thing about the word saiyr is that it is only used when describing the two goats offered on the Day of Atonement, and for goats used for the sin offering. Other Hebrew words are used for all other occurrences of the English word goat in the Old Testament. Thus, the place name Seir is directly related to sin, and the need for redemption through the Day of Atonement. This is in keeping with Jewish tradition which holds that Esau represents sin and temptation.

         “The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi.
         I have loved you saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob, and I hated Esau, ...”
(Mal. 1:1-3)

         So when Sin, (which God hates) pictured by Esau, departed to go to Seir, (Atonement) then Israel (a prince of God) was able to journey on to Succoth (Feast of Tabernacles) where he built booths (sukkot) for his cattle. Then Ya’akov built a house for himself, which is a picture of the Eighth Day, Shemini Arzeret. (More about that in the following article.)
         Scripture mentions several uses of sukkot as shelter. First of all they were erected and used by the field-hands during the grape harvest as protection from the hot midday sun. Since there was no danger of rain at this time of year, some workers would sleep in them until harvest had finished, despite their flimsy construction. Isaiah uses this picture to describe the situation in which the house of Judah found themselves at the time he began his prophesying..

         “And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage (sukkah) in a vineyard, ..”
(Isa. 1:8)

         It was common for soldiers to erect sukkot to rest in between battles. David mentions the sukkah of darkness that God provided for him while he was hiding from King Saul.

         “And he made darkness pavilions (sukkot) round about him, dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies.”
(II Sam 22:12)

         Aside from the physical protection that the sukkot provided the people, a more important usage of the term is to be found in the sukkah of protection that God provides for His people.

         “Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion (sukkah) from the strife of tongues.”
(Psalm 3 1:20)

         “And the LORD will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory (mar. = above) shall be a defense (mar. = a covering). And there shall be a tabernacle (sukkah) for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a covert from storm and from rain.”
(Isa. 4:5-6)

         Several scriptures (including the one above) connect the sukkah with the Tabernacle (or Tent of Meeting) in the Wilderness and ultimately with the Temple. Here we see God Himself dwelling with the children of Israel in a temporary structure.

         “For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion (sukkah) in the secret of his tabernacle (ohel = tent) shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.”
(Psalm 27:5)

         “In Salem (Jerusalem) also is his tabernacle, (soch = a companion word to sukkah) and his dwelling place in Zion.”
(Psalm 76:2)

         The first Temple was intimately associated with the festival of Sukkot, for Solomon dedicated it during the Feast of Tabernacles.

         “And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark.”
(II Kings 8:2-3)

         In Jewish teaching, Sukkot was always known as the festival that represented God dwelling with His people. Dwelling in booths was a reminder, not of hard times in the wilderness, but of God's care and protection for His people in the desert of life.
         Not only was the Temple to be a house for God and a place of prayer for Israel, in keeping with the universal theme of Sukkot, it was to be a house of prayer for all people. It is a little know fact that uncircumcised Gentiles were allowed to bring offerings to the Temple for sacrifice, if their motives were pure.

         “Even them (gentiles) will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.”
(Isa. 56:7)

         So God came and dwelt with Israel in the Tabernacle and the Temple through His Shekinah glory. But only Moses was allowed to speak with Him face to face. The High Priest had to communicate with Him through the Urim and Thummim (Ooreem and Two-meem). Then it was given to the Son of Man, to come and tabernacle with humans in the flesh, and thereby communicate with all men.

         “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
(John 1:14)

         The word ‘dwelt’ is from the Greek word skenoo which is from another Greek word skenos, which means “a hut or temporary residence.” Paul, in turn, correlates this word to the earthly body of each Believer. (See 11 Cor. 5:1,4; where the word is translated as ‘tabernacle.’)
         Now we have Yeshua, the Son of God, dwelling in the same tabernacle (sukkah) in which we dwell, that is, human flesh. He is born of a fleshly, Jewish mother, Miriam (Mary) but His Father is God. He experiences all of the pains, trials, joys and sorrows that befall all men.

         “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”
(Heb. 4:15)

         But there is an even more profound connection between the festival of Sukkot and our Saviour, Yeshua HaMashiach. This involves His birth.

         “And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.”
(Luke 2:7)

         Most people picture the baby Jesus being laid in a type of feeding trough. While this may be the case, it is only by conjecture and is incidental to what God wants to communicate to us in this passage. The Greek word for manger is phatne. Other than the three usage’s in Luke 2, the word is used in only one other place in scripture:

         “... Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, (phatne) and lead him away to Watering?”
(Luke 13:15)

         The context here is not important for our purposes, but the word ‘stall’ is. One would not tie an ox or an ass to a feeding trough. No, you put your animals in a stall, inside a barn or shelter of some type, and they eat out of a feeding trough. In other words, our Saviour, Yeshua, was born in a sukkah. Probably similar to the ones that Ya’akov made for his cattle at a place called Succoth.
         Here we see the hand of God, as He weaves this beautiful tapestry called the Festival of Sukkot. All the way from Ya’akov leaving behind sin in the person of his brother Esau, and going on to the joyful festival of Sukkot, down to the very birth of our Messiah, Yeshua.

~ A Sacrifice for the Nations ~

         In the days of the Temple, there were sacrifices that had to be offered during Sukkot. In fact, Sukkot required far more animal sacrifices than all of the other festivals combined.

         "And on the fifteenth day of the seventh month ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work, and ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days;
         "And ye shall offer a burnt offering, a sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD; thirteen young bullocks, two rams, and fourteen Lambs of the first year; they shall be without blemish: And their meat (meal) offering shall be of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals unto every bullock of the thirteen bullocks, two tenth deals to each ram of the two rams, And a several tenth deal to each lamb of the fourteen lambs; And one kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, his meat (meal) offering, and his drink offering."
(Num. 29: 12-16)

         As can be seen, this was quite a large offering for just one day. But it did not stop with the first day. Each of the seven days saw similar offerings, the only change being that on each successive day of the festival one less bullock was offered. Thirteen the first day, twelve the second day, eleven the third day and so on, until the seventh day of Sukkot when seven bullocks were offered. The other special sacrifices remained the same during the entire seven days. If you add up the total number of bullocks offered during Sukkot you will find it amounts to seventy animals.
         The offering of seventy bullocks during the seven days of Sukkot has special significance that brings additional understanding to this season. According to tradition, when God divided the languages, at the time of the tower of Babel, He made seventy different nations, each with it's own language. The seventy bullocks offered during Sukkot represent those seventy nations. Thus, Sukkot becomes a festival that has universal implications. It pictures a time when all the nations of the world will come under the rule of King Messiah in the Kingdom of God, and when peace will reign over all the earth.
         It is also believed that each nation will be represented by one of the seventy descendants of Jacob, (Ya'akov = Yah-ah-cove) for when Jacob went down into Egypt he had a total of seventy offspring.

         "And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already."
(Ex. 1:5)

         In was also tradition to pray for rain, not only for Israel but also for the seventy nations of the world, during the festival of Sukkot. Israel was considered to be a nation that was required to intercede with God on behalf of the other nations, since the nations were cut off from God because of their idolatrous practices. The connection between Sukkot and the nations of the world is evident from the following passage:

         "And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
         "And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. This shall be the punishment (margin = sin) of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles."
(Zech. 14:16-19)

         There can be no doubt that the festivals will be observed during the reign of King Messiah, and that Sukkot will play an important part for the nations of the world.
         Some might ask if it is now appropriate to obtain a Lulav and build a Sukkah, since those instructions fall in the same passage with the sacrifices? Is it also then appropriate to offer the various bullocks, rams, and lambs?
         The answer to these questions is twofold. First of all, there is no longer a physical Temple where animal sacrifices can be legally offered to the God of Israel. That does not, by It's self, negate the other instructions. However, there is a more profound reason why animal sacrifices are no longer necessary. They have all been replaced by the one sacrifice of Yeshua HaMashiach.

         "But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us."
(Heb. 9:11-12)

         The fact of the matter is, when you accept Yeshua as your perfect sacrifice, you no longer need to offer animals on the altar. But, in actual fact, you do bring a sacrifice every day, as long as you continue to accept His blood in payment for your sins The Messiah's sacrifice does not prevent you from fulfilling the other instructions that are given for the festivals. You can gather and wave the four species, construct a booth, rejoice and bring a sacrifice. That sacrifice is Yeshua HaMashiach.

~ The Placing of God's Name ~

         “Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, ... in the place which the LORD shall chooses: ...”
(Deut. 16:13,15)

         Much has been made in the past about observing the Feast of Tabernacles in the place where “...God hath chosen to place his name...” It is interesting to note that this often quoted passage really pertains to Pentecost, not the Feast of Tabernacles. (See Deut. 16:11)
         In the past, God did place his name in only one location at a time. That place was wherever the Tabernacle was pitched in the wilderness (or in Israel after they came into the land) and, later, where the Temple stood in Jerusalem. During the time of the Judges of Israel, this location was in Shiloh, and it was there that the festival of Sukkot was held each year.

         “Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly...”
(Judges 21:19)

         Later on, the Ark of the Covenant was moved to Jerusalem where Solomon built a house (temple) for God. From that time forth until the destruction of the second Temple, Jerusalem became the place where ‘God placed His name.’

         “Then there shall be a place which the LORD your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command you: .... and you shall reloice before the LORD your God, ... Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest; But in the place which the LORD shall choose in one of thy tribes, ... there thou shalt do all that I command thee.”
(Deut. 12:11-14)

         “But I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be there; and have chosen David to be over my people Israel..”
(II Chron. 6:6)

         The Temple no longer stands in Jerusalem and the sacrifices ended over 1900 years ago. One, all encompassing sacrifice has taken the place of all the sacrifices. That one sacrifice was the offering of God's own perfect Son, Yeshua when He offered up Himself.

         So where does ‘God place His name’ today? Not with any single religious group, or in a specific location. Rather, He has placed His name in each individual person whom He has called into His Family.

         “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in (Greek = into) the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:...”
(Matt. 28:19)

         According to E.W. Bullinger, in his notes to the Companion Bible, (KJV), the word ‘in’ found in Matt. 28:19 should be translated as ‘into.’ This means each baptized Believer has been immersed ‘into’ the name of God Almighty (El Shaddai = Ehl Shad-die’). Therefore, God has ‘placed’ His name in each one of us. So then, wherever you celebrate Sukkot, (be it with other brethren at a festival site, or in a Sukkah in your own backyard) God has placed His name there.

         Eventually Yeshua will have a new name given to Him, and when that occurs He will placed that name on us.

         “...and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.”
(Rev. 3:12)

         Do not let anyone trouble you about where you should keep the Feast. Wherever you are, God will be with you, especially if you are gathered with one or more other Believers. This is not to discourage people from attending one of the many festival sites that are available, it is merely to comfort those who might not be able to attend because of special circumstances.

~ Rejoicing ~

         The theme of Sukkot is rejoicing within God's shelter. It is known as “The Season of Our Joy.” God commands His people to rejoice at the Feast.

         “...and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.”
(Lev. 23:40)

         “Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days ... and thou shalt rejoice in thy feast ... therefore thou shalt surely rejoice.”
(Deut. 16:13-15)

         The only other festival at which one is commanded to rejoice is Shavu’ot (Pentecost) where the command is given only once. Sukkot receives a three-fold command to rejoice. Some translations render Deut. 16:15 as “... and you will have nothing but joy.”

         Why is it so important to rejoice at the Feast of Tabernacles? The most apparent reason is because it pictures that time in human history when God will rule all the earth, when Yeshua HaMashiach returns as King of kings and Lord of lords. It looks forward to a time of complete peace and total prosperity. Just what our politicians like to promise us, but can never deliver. It will be a time when little children will always be safe because no one will even want to harm them. It will be a time when people will walk the streets of the cities and in the forest and the field at any time of day or night and never be afraid. It will be a time when:

         “And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
(Jer. 31:34)

         For Believers it will be especially sweet, for death will no longer have a grip on those who are resurrected or changed at the coming of Messiah.

         “...and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. ...This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”
(Rev. 20:4-6)

         We can be sure that in Yeshua’s time, the people of Judea looked forward to the very same thing that we do today; the coming of King Messiah and the establishment of the Kingdom of God upon the entirety of the earth. Jewish literature is full of writings about the coming thousand year reign of the Messiah and they linked the Festival of Sukkot to that awaited time.
         For this reason, rejoicing at Sukkot is a time honored tradition. It is said that anyone who has never experienced the rejoicing that took place at the Temple during Sukkot does not have any idea what it means to truly rejoice.
         The festivities began after sundown on the first day. During each of the intermediate days of the festival the rejoicing began immediately following the evening (we would call it afternoon) sacrifices. The rejoicing would continue throughout the night.

         The Court of the Woman was the site for these evening celebrations. Four huge candlesticks were erected for illumination. Each candlestick had four large golden bowls at its peak. Four ladders extended to each bowl which was filled with ten gallons of the fines: oil. The wicks for these candlesticks were made out of the used undergarments of the priests. It is said that the entire city of Jerusalem was illuminated, to some degree, by these great lights. It was also said that the lights represented the Shekinah (shkee’-nah) glory that once filled the Tabernacle and the Temple.
         There was music; singing and the playing of instruments. The Levitical choir stood on the fifteen steps leading up to the great golden gates called the Nicanor gates. People would leap, dance, clap their hands and slap their thighs to songs and hymns of praise. (Note well, the festivities were centered around the worship of God.) The greatest rejoicers of all were the great men; the pious men, the priests, Levites and Rabbis.
         The celebration went on all night long. Two priests stood at the top of the stairs near the Nicanor gates with trumpets in their hands. When dawn arrived, they blew their trumpets. Then they proceeded down the steps to the eastern gate, called the Gate Beautiful, blowing the trumpets at various times along the way. Once they were through the gate, along with a large group of followers, they turned to the west, facing the Temple and said; “Our ancestors, when they were in this place, turned with their backs unto the Temple and their faces towards the east and they prostrated themselves eastward toward the sun, but as for us our eyes are turned to the Eternal.” (Edersheim p. 285). This was a direct reference to a passage in Ezekiel:

         “And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD’s house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east."
(Ezek. 8:16)

         It was said that anyone who refused to rejoice deserved to be punished.

         “Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things, Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee...”
(Deut. 28:47-48)

         It is said that “...joyfulness follows as a by-product of holiness.” This being so, we as Believers have every reason to rejoice at the Feast, for the great light of the world, Yeshua HaMashiach, now illuminates our lives, and His righteousness, sets us apart, that is, makes us holy. In addition, His Father (God) is also our very own Father. While the Jews had a vision for the ‘great light’ and therefore rejoiced, we have the reality and should be able to rejoice even more. Sukkot is a time for rejoicing. It is a time to sing and a time to dance before God. King David danced before the LORD when the Ark of the Covenant was brought to Jerusalem. He danced in reverence and celebration. It is not wrong to dance as an act of worship, where one dances to express their joy at being called of God, and to show Him their love and gratitude. Such dancing is not to show off in front of other people to gain attention but, like David, to express ones joy by dancing before the LORD. Dancing at the Feast of Tabernacles is an ancient tradition. The following passage in the book of Judges shows the custom of the young maidens dancing during Sukkot.
         This custom is mentioned in scripture because of a special situation that had taken place with the tribe of Benjamin. Because of a terrible sin and slaughter within Israel, only a remnant of men from Benjamin were left and they had no native maidens left to marry. So the elders of the congregation came up with a plan so that the tribe would not die out.

         “Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly ... Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards; And see. And, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.”
(Jg. 21:19-21)

         Some modern congregations are learning to dance before the LORD as a part of their worship. It is a legitimate, scriptural method of worship, if it is done in the proper spirit of joy and humility. This is definitely not the kind of secular dancing common in the western world today.

~ The Water Pouring Ceremony ~

         There was another ceremony that took place during Sukkot that was considered very important by the Rabbis and the general public. It was the Water Pouring Ceremony.
         Rain is a critical commodity in the often dry land of Israel. We have already seen the connection between Sukkot and the coming year's rain, during the Millennium, as spoken of by Zechariah. Thus, the festival of Sukkot was a time when the Israelites beseeched God to send them the needed rain for the coming year. This was played out in the Water Pouring Ceremony.
         Each day of the feast, except for the first day and the weekly Sabbath, a procession would begin at the Temple and proceed to the pool of Siloam. The designated priest would carry a golden pitcher. He was accompanied by a group of Levitical flute players and a large group of worshippers carrying their Lulavim. Upon reaching the Pool of Siloam, the priest filled the golden pitcher with water. The entire procession returned to the Temple, entering through the Water Gate (so named because of this ceremony).
         As the entourage arrived at the altar, the trumpets and shofars were sounded. They proceeded to the south side of the altar where two silver basins were placed on the southwest corner. One basin was to receive the wine of the drink offering, while the other was to receive the water. The two basins then drained out into one pipe which carried the entire mixture into the Kidron Valley.
         When the priest finished pouring the water, the crowd would shout; “Raise your hands, raise your hands,” to make sure the water had been poured properly into the basin. This practice resulted from an event that had taken place, during this ceremony, about ninety years before the birth of Yeshua. The sect of the Sadducees, (which was made up primarily of priests and Levites) did not support the Water Pouring Ceremony because they could not find any scriptural support of its practice. (They accepted only the Torah as scripture.) The sect of the Pharisees (the Rabbis who ran the Synagogues) insisted that the ceremony be performed. They claimed that it was an oral tradition that had been given by God to Moses. Since most of the common people followed the teachings of the Pharisees rather than the Sadducees, the priests felt it was the better part of wisdom to perform the ceremony.
         One year, an especially wicked and disliked High Priest named Alexander Jannaeus, poured the water out on his feet instead of into the basin. The crowd became angry and began to pelt him with the citrons they were carrying as part of their Lulavim. Jannaeus called in the troops to stop the riot, and six thousand Jews were killed in the resulting melee.
         Following the pouring of the water, the priests would lead the people in a march around the altar as they sang verses from Psalm 118. (See below.)

~ Hoshana Rabbah ~

         The seventh day of Sukkot is known as Hoshana Rabbah (Hohshah’-nah Rah-bah) or the Great Hosanna. Hoshana literally means “save now” and Rabbah means “great.” Thus, it could mean ‘Great Salvation.’ To the Jews, the seventh day would be the ‘great day of the Feast.’

         “In the Last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)”
(John 7:37-39)

         There is some controversy over whether the day mentioned in the above passage is the seventh day of the festival, or the Eight Day, which is in actuality a separate observance. One argument for it being the seventh day is that the Water Pouring Ceremony was not performed on the Eighth Day. However, Josephus and the apocryphal book of 2 Maccabees both speak of Sukkot as being an eight day festival. Regardless of which day it took place, the important thing is to remember what Yeshua taught concerning the ‘living waters’ pictured by this ceremony.
         It may come as a surprise to some Christians, but the term ‘living water’ is not an exclusively Christian term and it did not originate with Yeshua. Living water in Hebrew is mayim hayim (my-eem hah-eem) and denotes water that is not drawn from a well. A certain prescribed amount of water in the ritual immersion bath (mikvah = meek-vah) had to be ‘living water.’ So Yeshua, as he so often did, was using terms that were familiar to the Jewish people and had special significance to them. He is telling them they will no longer need the Water Pouring Ceremony, for He will supply them with the ‘living water’ they need for salvation.
         As mentioned previously, the Water Pouring Ceremony took place on each of the six intermediate days of Sukkot. However, the ceremony on the seventh day was much more spectacular. Prior to the drawing of the water, the people went out to Motza to gather extra willow branches. Each person took one willow branch for his own use, while the rest were used to decorate the altar. Then the usual ritual procession took place with all of the musicians and people accompanying the High Priest to the Pool of Siloam. After the water and wine had been poured out at the altar, the people circled the altar seven times (on the other days they circled only one time) with the priests leading the procession and singing:

         “O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever. O Lord, do save, we beseech Thee; O Lord, we beseech thee, do send prosperity. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.”
(Psalm 118:1,25,29)

         It was during this last ceremony that the people would beat their willow branches five times on the sides of the altar or the ground, causing marry of the leaves to fall off. Some saw the willows as a useless plant that squandered precious water resources. Others said the willows represented the resurrection of the dead and the final judgment. Still others interpreted the fallen leaves of the willows as the shedding of the sins of the people.
         It is believed that Hoshana Rabbah is to be the final day of judgment. On Rosh HaShanah the people are judged, and are written into the Book of Life, the Book of Death or the Book of the Intermediates (those who’s final judgment is postponed). On Yom Kippur the ‘Intermediate’ people are judged and the extent of their punishment is determined. It is said that on Hoshana Rabbah the extent of the blessing is determined. Others simply said the judgment decreed on Yom Kippur was finalized on Hoshana Rabbah.

         It was because of the Water Pouring Ceremony on the seventh day, when they circled the altar and sang the verses from Psalm 118 seven times as they beat the willows, that this day came to be known as Hoshana Rabbah, the Great Hosanna day of the Feast.
         It is apparent from the gospel of John that Yeshua made a connection with the ‘living waters’ that were to flow from Him and His people, with the Holy Spirit that was yet to be given. However, this concept of connecting the ‘living waters’ with the Holy Spirit was one that had been made by the Jews for many centuries. Again, we do not have new concepts being taught by Yeshua, rather we have the old understandings now being revealed in their fullness. The following scriptures were all associated with the Water Pouring Ceremony and the ‘Great Save Now’ day of the Feast in Yeshua’s day.

         “Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.”
(Isa. 12:3)

         “For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: and they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses.”
(Isa. 44:3-4)

         “In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.”
(Zech. 13:1)

         “Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, wilt I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”
(Ezek. 36:25-27)

         All of these scriptures must have been in Yeshua's mind as He proclaimed to the people that the ceremony they had been performing all of those years was merely a shadow, a rehearsal, a type of the great cleansing of ‘living water’ that they could receive through Him.

         “Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”
(John 4:13-14)

         While Yeshua's references to the `living water' are perhaps the most profound to be associated with Hoshana Rabbah, there are other connections to be made with this day, through the giving of rain.

         “Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain (margin = a teacher of righteousness) moderately, (margin = according to righteousness) and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.”
(Joel 2:23)

         It is significant to note that Jewish teaching always proclaims these prophecies concerning the former and latter rains as being symbolic of the harvest of souls.
         Now, compare this righteous rain, to be given to the people of God, to the fierce rain of fire and brimstone that will be given to those who make war against Him.

         “And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.”
(Ezek. 38:22)

         Let us accept the ‘living water’ that Yeshua offers, so that we do not need to experience the rain of fire and brimstone.

~ The Wedding Festival ~

         A little known aspect of Sukkot is the meaningful way in which it pictures a wedding feast. The entire annual cycle of the ‘Feasts of the LORD’ can be seen as a picture of the ancient Israelite wedding, from start to finish. (God willing, this topic will be fully dealt with in a future Hebrew Roots article.) Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread signify the match of Groom to Bride and the paying of the Bride price. Pentecost is the actual betrothal ceremony. Feast of Trumpets pictures the fetching of the Bride by the Groom, the Days of Awe (the days between Trumpets and Atonement) picture the time when the Bride and Groom are in the wedding chamber, (Huppa = Hoop-ah’) Day of Atonement is when the Bride and Groom are revealed to the world, and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) pictures the celebration of the wedding by the wedding party and invited guests.
         It must be remembered that all of the festivals have multiple meanings. One cannot expect every aspect of a festival to perfectly fit every analogy pictured by a festival. The primary aspects of Sukkot that make it a wedding festival are it's length, (seven days) the command to rejoice, the temporary dwelling (after the wedding feast the Bride and Groom go to their own house to live) and the fact that Sukkot is a festival for all the people of the world (those still remaining) who will constitute the guests.

         One must not confuse the ancient wedding with a modern western wedding. In our society, the wedding is set months in advance. Much work and planning go into it’s preparation and it is all over within a few hours on a single day. The same is true of a modern Jewish wedding. Although today’s Jewish wedding does retain certain symbols from the ancient traditions, the full impact of the ancient wedding just does not exist in the modern version, either Jewish or Christian.
         In the ancient wedding, the fathers of the Bride and Groom were responsible for matching the two participants. At the appropriate time a formal covenant was made which was sealed by the drinking of wine. The Bride price was paid (or in the case of a poor man, promised in case he was ever to divorce her). The couple were now Betrothed, that is they were officially married and the union could only be broken by a bill of divorcement called, in Hebrew, a get. However, the couple did not live together or have sexual relations. (This was the state in which Joseph and Mary found themselves when they discovered that Mary was with child by the Holy Spirit.) At this point the groom goes back to his father's house to prepare the Huppa (the wedding chamber). Neither the Bride nor the Groom know when the wedding will take place. That decision is up to the father of the Groom. When he feels the Huppa is ready, he sends his son to fetch the Bride. They have a very brief ceremony and then the couple retire into the Huppa for seven days. It is during this time that the wedding is consummated. At the end of seven days they emerge from the Huppa. The Bride is now unveiled so that everyone knows who she is. Then the wedding feast begins. It lasts for another seven days. At the end of the wedding feast, the happily, fully married couple move into there own home to spend the rest of their lives together and raise a family.

         It is evident, just from this brief synopsis, that the Festivals of God can be considered a wonderful picture of the greatest wedding that will ever take place; that of the Messiah, Yeshua, to His bride, the congregation of Believers.

         All the aspects of the Wedding Feast exist in the picture of Sukkot that God has set forth for us. The wedding feast is a temporary event, hence the dwelling in booths. It also reminds us of the days we spend here on earth in our own temporary shelters, our physical bodies. But after the taking of the Bride, and the Wedding of the Messiah, we will no longer be in our physical, temporary shelters. Now we will be ready for our permanent homes, in spirit. The many sacrifices at Sukkot picture the abundance of food and drink that will be available for this greatest of weddings. The Lulav pictures all the different kinds of people who will be invited to attend. The Water Pouring Ceremony tells us that now the Holy Spirit will indwell all the people who live on the earth and attend the wedding festival. And then, of course, there is the rejoicing. What better time to rejoice than when the focal point of all human history has been reached. Now the Bride and her Husband are one, just as the Husband and His Father have always been one.

~ Summary ~

         The Feasts of the LORD are given to teach us the plan and ways of our Creator God. There is so much information contained in these festivals that one could spend their entire lifetime and still not plumb all that God has laid out for us.

         “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!”
(Rom. 11:33)

         This is indeed the ‘Season of Our Joy.’ It is a Feast of Tabernacles, a Feast of Ingathering and a Feast of the LORD. The symbols of the Four Species and the Sukkah are profound.

         We see the birth of our Saviour, the sacrifice for all nations and peopIe, and the giving of the Holy Spirit all within the symbolism of this festival. It is a wedding festival picturing the greatest wedding ever to be hekl. And on that last day, the great day of the Feast, it leads us right into the next phase of God’s plan for His children.

         LETS US ALL REJOICE and be glad. For God has called us into His Family and is working a great work here on earth.

         It is evident from all of the above material that the festival of Sukkot is another profound season that our loving Father has given us so that we might “... grow in grace and knowledge...” This article is only an introduction to the meanings of this festival. We encourage each of you to explore all of the Festivals more deeply, to study the scriptures, and to study other material that gives enlightenment to the meaning of these days. Above all, keep the Feast. It is only by actually experiencing the Festivals in their entirety that the real spiritual and emotional meanings, that God has in store for you, can be realized.

         Have the best Feast ever.

                  DEW

~ Sources ~

Bloch, Abraham, P., The Biblical and Historical Background of Jewish Customs and Ceremonies, Ktav Publishing House, Inc., New York, 1980
Bullinger, E.W, The Companion Bible, Zondervan Bible Publishers, Grand Rapids, 1974.
Edersheim, Alfred, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, 1971.
Glaser, Mitch & Zhava, The Fall Feasts of Israel, Moody Press, Chicago, 1967.
Goodman, Philip, The Sukkot/Simhet Torah Anthology, The Jewish Publication Society, PhiladelphIa, 1973.
Holy Bible, The, King James Version, Oxford, University Press, London.
The Jewish Encyclopedia, 12 vols., Funk & Wagnalls Co.. New York & London. 1901.
Kasden, Barney, God's Appointed Times, Lederer Messianic Publications, Baltimore, 1993.
MacDonald, Robert, An Overview of God's Feasts and Festival Seasons, Manuscript, Pasadena, CA, 1996.
Neusner, Jacob, The Mishnah, A New Translation, Yale University Press, New Haven & London, 1968.
Peterson, Galen, The Everlasting Tradition, Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, 1995.
Strassfeld, Michael, The Jewish Holidays, A Guide & Commentary, Harper & Roe, New York, 1965.
Strong, James, S.T.D., L.L.D., Strong's New Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, World Bible Publishers, Inc., Iowa Falls, 1966.
Tanakh - The Holy Scriptures, The Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia/New York, 1968.
Tregelles, Samuel Prideaux, LL.D., Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, 1979.
Trepp, Leo, The Complete Book of Jewish Observance, Behrman House/Summit Books, New York, 1960.
Weissman, Rabbi Moshe, The Midrash Says, Vol. 1, Benei Yakov Publications, Brooklyn, 1960;
Wigram, George V., The Englishman's Hebrew and Chaldee Concordance of the Old Testament, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, 1980.
Wylen, Stephen M., The Jews in the Time of Jesus, Paulist Press, New York, 1996.
Zimmerman, Martha, Celebrate the Feasts, Bethany House Publishers, Minneapolis, 1981.

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