Are we obligated to observe the yearly fall Festival of Yahweh? If so,
how? What are we to do? How do we know if we are doing as Yahweh
commanded? Are we learning the lessons He intended? Or are we enjoying
our "vacation"? Many are living in luxury in a rented condo or up-scale
hotel. But Yahweh said a "booth" or a "hut". How does this fit together?
What did the people of Israel do when they went to the Feast?
First, let's look at some historical background. The following quotes
are from a few commentaries and will give an overview of what the world
and Christianity sees regarding this season.
From Unger's Bible Dictionary, by Merrill F. Unger, pages 359-360 -
On the first day of the feast, booths were constructed of fresh branches
of fruit and palm trees, 'boughs of thick trees,' i.e., thick with
leaves and willows. These were located in courts, streets, public
squares, and on house roofs. In these every home-born Israelite was to
dwell during the festival, in memory of their fathers dwelling in booths
after their exodus from Egypt (Lev. 23:40; Neh. 8:15). The day was also
to be observed as a Sabbath and a holy convocation, in which no secular
work was to be done, and all able-bodied male members of the
congregation not legally precluded were to appear before the Lord. The
booth in Scripture is not an image of privation and misery, but of
protection, preservation, and shelter from heat, storm, and tempest
(Psa. 27:5; 32:20; Isa. 4:6).
"…sacrifices were offered after the regular morning sacrifice (Num.
29:12-34). Every Sabbath year the law was to be read publicly in the
sanctuary on the first day of the festival (Deut. 31:10-13). The six
following days were half festival, probably devoted to social enjoyments
and friendly gatherings, when every head of a family was to extend
hospitality, especially to the poor and the stranger (Deut. 16:14). To
these seven days there was added an eighth, the twenty-second of the
month, as the close of the feast. This day was observed with a Sabbatic
rest and holy convocation, but had only a simple sacrifice, similar to
the first and tenth days of the seventh month (Num. 29:35-38)."
"After the Babylonian captivity the Feast of Tabernacles began to be
strictly and generally kept, and more minute definitions and more
expanded applications of the concise Pentateuchal injunction were
imperatively demanded, in order to secure uniformity of practice, as
well as to infuse devotion and joy into the celebration."
From Jewish Days, by Francine Klagsbrun, page 39 -
"For the Israelites, the harvest festival, which celebrates the end of
the agricultural year in Israel, was so important that it became known
simply as HeHag, 'the festival.' But the name most often used for it is
Hag HaSukkot, the 'Feast of Booths.' It is a name that connects this
festival to the most pivotal event in Jewish history, the Exodus from
Egypt. Jews are commanded to live in booths for the seven days of the
holiday as a reminder of the makeshift huts the Israelites dwelt in when
they wandered in the desert. The word sukkah, a single booth, derives
from a Hebrew root meaning 'to cover over,' and the branches used to
form the roof of a sukkah are known as a s'khakh, a covering.
"Contemporary scholars suggest that the booths actually are unrelated to
the Exodus but reminiscent of the huts farmers built when they flocked
to Jerusalem to celebrate the harvest festival. Sukkot is one of three
pilgrimage festivals prescribed by the Bible, when people brought
sacrifices to the sanctuary (the other two are Passover and Shavuot).
Because the harvest was already in and farmers could leave their fields,
this holiday probably drew the largest crowds of pilgrims, and with them
the need for temporary housing."
From The Torah: A Modern Commentary, by W. Gunther Plaut -
From page 925 - "…in the Talmud it is called the Chag, the festival
par excellence. It marked the close of the agricultural year,
specifically of the vintage. And on the second day of the festival,
ceremonies were performed - they are not mentioned in the Bible, but
they were undoubtedly ancient - to evoke plentiful rains in the new
agricultural season about to start. The Chag was an expression of
grateful joy and a plea for continued blessing."
From page 931 - "You shall live in booths. This was understood quite
literally in Jewish tradition. One was to sleep in the sukkah for seven
nights and take all his regular meals there. Only the circumstances of
modern urban living have compelled many observant Orthodox Jews to limit
themselves to eating meals in a communal or congregation booth.
From page 934 - "Jewish homilists have also stressed the frail and
temporary character of the sukkah. We are summoned to leave our solid,
seemingly permanent dwellings and live for a time in the fragile sukkah,
that we may become mindful of our own frailty and impermanence and of
our need for divine help."
From The Life and Times of Jesus Messiah, by Alfred Edersheim, pages
576-577 -
"Early on the fourteenth Tishri (corresponding to our September or early
October), all the festive pilgrims had arrived. Then it was, indeed, a
sense of bustle and activity. Hospitality had to be sought and found;
guests to be welcomed and entertained; all things required for the feast
to be got ready. Above all, booths must be erected everywhere - in court
yards or on housetops, in street and square, for the lodgment and
entertainment of that vast multitude; leafy dwellings everywhere, to
remind of the wilderness-journey, and now of the goodly land.
"Indeed, the whole symbolism of the Feast, beginning with the completed
harvest, for which it was a thanksgiving, pointed to the future. The
Rabbis themselves admitted this. The strange number of sacrificed
bullocks - seventy in all - they regarded as referring to 'the seventy
nations' of heathendom. The ceremony of the outpouring of water, which
was considered of such vital importance as to give the whole festival
the name of 'House of Outpouring' (Sukk. 5.1), was symbolical of the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Jer. Sukk. 5.1, pp. 55a). As the brief
night of the great Temple-illumination closed, there was solemn
testimony made before Jehovah against heathenism. It must have been a
stirring scene, when from out of the mass of Levites, with their musical
instruments, who crowded the fifteen steps that led from the Court of
Israel to that of the Women, stepped two priests with their silver
trumpets. As the first cockcrowing intimated the dawn of morn, they blew
a three-fold blast; another on the tenth step, and yet another
three-fold blast as they entered the Court of the Women. And still
sounding their trumpets, they marched through the Court of the Women to
the Beautiful Gate. Here, turning round and facing westwards to the Holy
Place, they repeated: 'Our fathers, who were in this place, they turned
their backs on the Sanctuary of Jehovah, and their faces eastward, the
sun; but we, our eyes are toward Jehovah.' 'We are Jehovah's - our eyes
are towards Jehovah.' Nay, the whole of this night-and-morning scene was
symbolical: the Temple-illumination, of the light which was to shine
from out the Temple into the dark night of heathendom; then, at the
first dawn of morning the blast of the priests' silver trumpets, of the
army of God, as it advanced, with festive trumpet-sound and call, to
awaken the sleepers, marching on to quite the utmost bounds of the
Sanctuary, to the Beautiful Gate, which opened upon the Court of the
Gentiles - and, then again, facing round to utter solemn protest against
heathenism and make solemn confession of Jehovah!"
From Sacred Origins of Profound Things, by Charles Panati, pages 226-227
-
"Meaning 'tabernacles' or 'booths,' Sukkot is an autumn festival
featuring the memory of the tentlike structures in which the early
Israelites lived during their forty years wandering in the wilderness
under Moses after their dramatic exile from Egypt and slavery. Indeed,
one of the principal activities of Sukkot for a long time was dwelling
for days in 'booths' constructed of branches and boughs and hung with
fruit.
"A sukkah (singular) had to be precisely constructed. The hut had to be
no lower than five feet, no higher than thirty feet. The roof had to be
of leaves or straw, allowing some exposure to the sky above. And each
sukkah had to be constructed anew each year. In all likelihood, the
ancient Israelites wandering in the desert did not possess the materials
to construct sukkot of the kind celebrants later built. Today, many
observant Jews still build Sukkot for the feast day.
"A biblical injunction from Leviticus, to gather branches and fruits
from four species of trees and rejoice, remains essential to the Sukkot
ritual. The custom, as it developed, is to assemble a branch from a
citron tree, a palm branch, a sprig of myrtle, and a willow branch, to
shake them in all four directions, plus upward and downward. Some
authorities claim the four tree species symbolize the patriarchs
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph.
"As Sukkot evolved, it became increasingly rich in themes and symbolism.
Scripture readings from Leviticus, Ezekiel, and Ecclesiastes strike
notes of the sacredness of seasonal feasts; of the importance of rain;
of the Lord's apocalyptic war with monsters Gog and Magog; and of the
fragility of life.
From The Jewish Holy Days, by Moshe A Braun -
From page 108 - "The four kinds of plants represent the parts of the
body. The myrtle leaves, or hadas, is the eyes; the willow leaves, or
aravah, is the mouth; the citron, or esrog, is the heart; the date palm
leaves, or lulav, is the spine. When we hold these four, we consecrate
the energy of our entire body and direct it to God."
From page 123 - "The eighth day, Shemini Atzeres, is different. It is
beyond the seven natural days, and it is beyond nature. It is actually
the World to Come; the Divine nature is clear and manifest without the
slightest concealment."
From page 130 - "On the eighth day, Semini Atzeres, it is customary to
make a celebration with the Torah. Outside Eretz Yisrael, Israel, it is
celebrated on the ninth day, the last day of the holiday, commonly
called Simchas Torah.
"The Chasidic masters have celebrated it so that it corresponds to the
celebration in Israel. They celebrate both on Shemini Atzeres and the
next day of Simchas Torah."
From To Be A Jew, by Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin -
From page 250 - "Succot means 'tabernacles,' 'booths,' or 'temporary
huts,' and refers to the temporary dwelling places used by the children
of Israel in the desert during the forty-year period of their wandering
following the exile from Egypt….The festival commemorates that period
of Israel's history.
"Its significance, however, is not exhausted by or limited to the
historical commemoration. For the underlying spiritual motif of
remembering (and reenacting) the dwelling in 'temporary huts' emphasizes
the notion of trust in God's Divine protection, or bitahon. With the
desert experiences (the manna, the water, etc.) highlighting the motif,
this festival emphasizes the faith that somehow God provides for man's
needs, and that man in turn must be grateful. It is symbolized by the
succah, the hut with its exposed and insecure roof into which the Jew is
bidden to move for the week."
From page 256 - "The concluding eighth day (in the Diaspora, it is the
eighth and ninth days) of the Succot festival is not technically called
Succot, but rather Shmini Atzeret (the Eighth Day of Solemn Assembly).
It is independent of Succot.
"Although its purpose is to conclude the festival of Succot, and it is
commonly regarded as simply the final day(s) of the Succot festival,
Shmini Atzeret reflects none of the special observances related to
Succot. The Sages described the reason for the eighth day in terms of
the following parable, which is based on the other meaning of the term
atzeret. (Note: while atzeret is translated as assembly, it also has the
meaning of holding back, of stopping and waiting.)
"On Shmini Atzeret, one takes leave of the succah and returns to his
permanent dwelling, there to complete the festive week. The four species
are not used on Shmini Atzeret."
Jewish?
Most of the world though, considers this to be a strictly Jewish
festival and holiday season. So how do the Jews observe it today? Do
they follow what Yahweh said in the Torah? What does Jewish tradition
tell us? Is it what we need to be following?
From Gates of the Seasons, edited by Peter S. Knobel, pages 80-85 -
"Sukkot begins on the fifteenth of the Hebrew month of Tishri, and
concludes on the twenty-second day with Atseret/Simchat Torah. Sukkot is
the fall harvest festival. The eighth day, Atseret, functions as the
conclusion of Sukkot but is also a separate festival. Since Reform Jews
follow the calendar of the Torah and (like the Jew living in Israel) do
not add a ninth day to the Festival, they celebrate Simchat Torah and
Atseret on the same day.
"More than any other of the Pilgrimage Festivals, Sukkot has retained
its agricultural character. However, Sukkot is also the commemoration of
a significant event in the life of the Jewish people: the journey
through the wilderness toward the Land of Israel. The Torah identifies
the Sukkah (booth) with the temporary dwellings in which the Israelites
lived during that journey (Leviticus 23:42).
"The mood of Sukkot is particularly joyous. Its beautiful symbolism of
the successful harvest provides a welcome change of religious pace from
the solemn days of prayer and introspection of Rosh Hashanah and Yom
Kippur. While all of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals are times of
rejoicing, Sukkot is specifically designated as 'Zeman sinchatenu,' the
season of our rejoicing. Even while we rejoice, the Sukkah's temporary
and fragile structure reminds us how precarious life may be.
"Through the use of the Lulav and Etrog we acknowledge our dependence
upon God for the food we eat. Living in an urban environment, it is easy
to forget that both human labor and divine blessing make the world
fruitful. On Sukkot our thoughts turn to the wonder and beauty of the
world, to our responsibility as its caretakers, and to our obligation to
share, for God is the true owner of the land and its produce.
"Atseret/Simchat Torah is the day on which we finish reading the last
verses of Deuteronomy and immediately begin again with the first verses
of Genesis. The Torah scrolls are removed from the Ark and carried
around the synagogue. The celebration is one of unbridled joy as we
express our happiness at having lived to complete the reading of the
Torah yet another time and to begin reading it again.
"It is a mitzvah to take up the Lulav and Etrog and recite the
appropriate blessing at any time during the whole day of Sukkot.
"By taking up the Lulav and Etrog and waving them in all directions, one
symbolically acknowledges the sovereignty of God over all nature.
"The Lulav and Etrog are also called the four species (arba-ah Minim).
They consist of Etrog (citron), Lulav (palm), Hadas (myrtle), and Aravah
(willow). The identification of the four species is based on the
Rabbinic interpretation of Leviticus 23:40, 'On the first day you shall
take the product of the Hadar trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of
leafy trees, and willows of the brook.'
"The Etrog has maintained a separate identity. Two willow branches and
three myrtle branches are bound together around one palm branch and are
called the Lulav.
"The Book of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) is read on the Shabbat during
Sukkot. Like the Sukkah, it reminds us of the transitory nature of life.
"The intermediate days of Sukkot are known as Chol Hamoed. The mitzvot
of celebrating in the Sukkah and blessing the Lulav can be performed.
Each day can be an opportunity for rejoicing and for preserving the
festival atmosphere.
"Atseret/Simchat Torah follows the seventh day of Sukkot and is
celebrated as a day of rejoicing.
"It is a mitzvah to participate in the Torah procession honoring the
completion and beginning of the Torah-reading cycle and to hear the
reading of the end of Deuteronomy and the beginning of Genesis. Jewish
tradition has divided the Torah into weekly portions so that one reads
through the entire Torah each year. The completion of the reading of the
Torah into weekly portions so that one reads through the entire Torah
each year. The completion of the reading of the Torah is a time of
rejoicing and an opportunity to express love for Torah. Immediately
after completing the reading of the last verses of Deuteronomy, the
first verses of Genesis are read to indicate that the study of Torah
never ends. It symbolizes our obligation to observe the mitzvah of
Talmud Torah constantly."
From Judaism For Dummies, published by Hungry Minds, page 250 -
"While some teachers note that this ritual is a reminder that God is
everywhere, it also honors the unique 'energies' that each direction
symbolizes:
East is the land of the rising sun, and it symbolizes new possibilities,
beginnings, and awakenings.
North is the direction of clarity, rationality, and the coolness of
intellect.
West is the land of the setting sun and journeys completed.
South is the direction of warmth, emotion, verdant growth, and sensual
energy.
Up is the land of dreams and visions, the land of spirituality.
Down is the connection to the earth, and recognition of people's
environmental responsibilities.
"There are a number of different interpretations for why these four
plants are used in particular, including the following:
The palm frond is tall and straight like the human spine, the etrog is
like the heart, the willow leaves are like lips, and the myrtle leaves
are like eyes. Therefore, using all four species is like involving your
whole body in the ritual.
The etrog has both a pleasant taste and aroma, symbolizing a person who
is both learned and who does good deeds. The palm tree has fruit (dates)
that taste good but have no aroma, symbolizing a person who is learned
but does no good deeds.
The myrtle has a pleasant aroma but no taste, so it is like someone who
does good deeds but is not learned.
Finally, the willow has neither taste nor smell, a symbol of someone who
is neither learned nor does good deeds.
Some say that all four types of people are important in a community."
From Jewish Days, by Francine Klagsbrun -
From pages 40-42 - "The work of building a sukkah begins immediately
after Yom Kippur. The sukkah may not be higher than twenty cubits (about
ten yards) or lower than ten handbreadths (about forty inches),
dimensions that make it comfortable to live in but with a sense of
impermanence. Its three sides may be of any material, but its roof must
be of the s'khakh, whose materials were grown in the ground and then
detached from it, such as branches or cane. The s'khakh rests on the
sukkah in a way that provides more shade than sunlight, a reminder of
God's protection of the Israelites from the burning heat of the desert.
The covering should also allow occupants to see the stars at night so
that they may be aware of their vulnerability in the vast universe, and
also their closeness to the Divine.
"Worshippers carry the species to synagogue (except on the Sabbath) and
wave them while reciting Hallel, Psalms 113 to 118, praising God. The
rule is to hold the Lulav with the hadasim and aravot in the right hand
and the Etrog in the left and with hands together to shake them on
certain verses toward the east, south, west, north, above, and below -
to show that all corners of the earth belong to God. Later, congregants
walk in procession around the synagogue with the species in hand
chanting prayers for deliverance.
"…one of the most colorful Sukkot practices at the time of the Second
Temple. On the festival mornings, a procession would make its way to the
spring of Shiloah, which was probably near present-day Siloam, outside
Jerusalem. There a golden flask was filled with water. At the Temple, a
priest would transfer the water of a silver bowl from which it could be
poured on the altar as a libation.
"From the second night on, a great celebration would take place in the
women's court outside the Temple. Priests would light four huge golden
menorahs, or candelabra, and the people would revel in the holiday with
dancing, singing, acrobatics, and feats of torch-throwing that often
lasted through the night.
"It is not surprising that water should be at the heart of Temple
ceremonies. The festival of Sukkot coincides with the beginning of the
rainy season in Israel. The sages taught that the water libation was
necessary because this festival was a time of heavenly judgment for
rain, when the season's rainfalls were determined, and therefore an
occasion to ask for the blessing of water.
"Some Rabbis associated the four plant species carried during Sukkot
with the centrality of water. The palm trees from which the Lulav comes,
they said, grew in valleys where there is plenty of water. Willows and
myrtles both thrive near the water, and the etrog needs more water than
any other plant to grow.
"Modern critics connect the Temple water libations to magical rites of
other ancient peoples, who would pour water on the ground to stir the
gods to deliver rain. Regardless of their origins, however, the water
ceremonies became distinctly Jewish events, dominating the Sukkot
festival.
"Along with family and friends, a parade of spiritual guests may come to
inhabit a sukkah. These are no ordinary spirits but ancient leaders of
Israel. Nor do they slip in unobtrusively. They are invited in to grace
the sukkah, called forth with special words of greeting.
"The custom comes from the mystics, and the guests are known as
ushpizin, from an Aramaic word. Traditionally, there are seven: Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron and David.
"As desired as these invisible visitors are, the tradition encourages
Jews to supplement them with earthly guests, specifically the poor who
cannot afford their own sukkah."
From pages 45-47 - "Every day of Sukkot, worshippers march in procession
around the interior of the synagogue - in a ceremony called hoshanot -
chanting hymns that ask for God's help and salvation. After each verse
they repeat the refrain, 'Hoshana.' On the seventh and last day of the
festival, the procession makes its circuit seven times, giving the day
its name, Hoshana Rabbah, the Great Hosanna.
"Mysticism, and some magic, mark much of the Hoshana Rabbah ceremonies
and customs. The practice of circling the Temple altar during the
hoshanot may have held traces of an early use of circles to create
magical space from within which to ward off evil spirits.
"A custom peculiar to Hoshana Rabbah is 'the beating of the willows,'
again originating in Temple practices. In those days, the people would
go as a group to cut willow branches with which they decorated the
altar. At the end of the hoshanot processions they would beat a bunch of
willow sprigs against the ground, a practice that continues in synagogue
services today. The willow, which grew near water, represented fertility
to many early peoples, and beating willows may have been a ritual
designed to induce fruitfulness. In the Hoshana Rabbah service, however,
it became one more symbolic way of asking for rain, a request repeated
in many forms throughout Sukkot.
"The most blatantly superstitious of all the day's customs is the belief
that a person who stands in the moonlight on the night of Hoshana Rabbah
and does not see the shadow of his or her head will die during the
coming year.
From Festivals of the Jewish Year, by Theodor H. Gaster -
From page 82 - "This ceremony, known as the Water Libation (Nissuch
Ha-mayim) has abundant parallels in other parts of the world, and is
based on what is known as 'sympathetic magic,' that is, on the primitive
notion that things done by men may induce similar actions on the part of
nature or 'the gods.' Lucian of Samosata, writing in the second century
C.E., records an analogous practice performed twice yearly in the pagan
temple at Hierapolis (Membij), Syria; while at Ispahan, in Iran, there
is (or was) an annual ceremony of rain-making which consisted in pouring
water on the ground…"
From page 95 - "…there is one ancient 'functional' rite which has
indeed survived almost unaltered. This is the custom of 'beating
hosannas' - that is, of taking extra twigs and beating off their leaves
upon the lectern during the recital of the Hosanna litanies on the
seventh day. The conventional explanation of this practice is that it
symbolizes the frailty of human lives, which fade and fall ' thick as
autumnal leaves which strew the brooks in Vallombrosa.' The truth is,
however, that it harks back to a primitive and fairly universal belief
that the willow is a symbol of fertility and to the consequent custom of
beating people with branches of that tree in order to induce potency and
increase….In ancient Greek ritual, at the major seasonal festival,
human scapegoats were beaten with squills of willow or agnus castus in
order, at one and the same time, to beat out sterility and beat in
fecundity."
From page 99 - "The institution of Simhath Torah is not attested earlier
than the eleventh century, and appears to have originated in western
Europe. It was inspired by the fact that the annual cycle of
Pentateuchal readings in fact begins anew on the following sabbath."
Questions
What??? How much of this tradition fits with the descriptions in the
commentaries? Or the Scriptures? Don't you have some questions?
Questions such as ----
Where is "Simchat Torah" in Scripture?
Some Jews add an extra (or 9th) day to the festival. Why? Is that okay
with Yahweh?
There is nothing wrong with reading the Torah each year. But what is the
origin of the weekly portions as read in the synagogues?
What is meant by "appropriate blessing"? Where are they in Scripture?
"Building a sukkah begins immediately after Yom Kippur." Is that what
Scripture says?
Where in Scripture are the instructions for building the sukkah? Where
does it mention the dimensions, shade vs sunlight, etc?
Where in Scripture are the instructions to wave the lulav while reciting
Hallel or chanting prayers?
The lulav is waved in all directions. Where are the origins of these
symbolisms?
Who wrote the prayers in the prayer book? What authority did they
have?
Where in Scripture are the instructions to march around the room,
carrying the Torah?
Where in Scripture are we told about the "beating of the willows"?
Where in Scripture are the instructions for the Water Libation? The
sages taught that this was necessary.
Where in Scripture is "Hoshana Rabbah"?
Where in Scripture are we told to march in procession, chanting hymns
that ask for salvation?
Where in Scripture are we told about the "beating of the willows"?
Where in Scripture are we told to spend those eight days praying for
rain? Or for that matter, praying for any one specific thing?
Where in Scripture does it mention spiritual "guests" who will come to
inhabit a sukkah?
We see such things as "the sages taught", "according to prescribed
regulations", "according to Jewish tradition". What about "Yahweh your
Elohim says"?
Mysticism? Magical rites? Pagan customs? What does Yahweh have to say
about these things?
If you can't find many of these things in Scriptures, don't be
surprised. They aren't there! They are simply "Jewish tradition".
And what did Yahshua say regarding the traditions of the Jews?
Matthew 15: 3,9
But answering He said to them, why do you also transgress the command of
Yahweh on account of your tradition?
But in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the ordinances of
men.
Scriptures
Now let's look at the Scriptures that talk about the feast and see
exactly what it says. And what it does not say. Watch to see how many of
those traditions are mentioned.
Exactly what are Yahweh's commands? What is to be our focus?
Exodus 23:14-17
Three times in the year you shall make a feast to Me.
You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Hag HaMatzot). Seven days
you shall eat unleavened bread, as I have commanded you, at the set time
of the month of Abib, for in it you came out from Egypt, and they shall
not appear before me empty.
Also the Feast of Harvest (Hag HaKatsin), the firstfruits of your labor,
of what you sow in the field. Also the Feast of Ingathering (Hag
HaAwseef), at the end of the year, at your gathering your work from the
field.
Three times in the year every one of your males shall appear before the
Master Yahweh.
Let's define "feast". This is #2282 in the Strong's, the Hebrew word
chag. It means a festival, or a victim therefore - sometimes translated
as (solemn) feast (day), sacrifice, solemnity. The word "ingathering" is
Strong's #614 awseef, meaning gathered, i.e., a gathering in of crops.
Theses verses simply mention the fall Festival as appearing at the end
of the agricultural year, after the crops are gathered in. That is why
it is called the Feast of Ingathering. Three times a year is not
optional.
Exodus 34:22-23
And you shall observe a Feast of Weeks for yourself, the firstfruits of
the harvest of wheat; also the Feast of Ingathering (Hag HaAhsef) at the
turn of the year.
Three times in the year every male shall appear before the Master
Yahweh, the Elohim of Israel.
Many are quick to point out that this says males, so it isn't necessary
for all the family to go. But in later verses, the difference will be
seen. It simply means that the males must appear, whether the rest of
the family is able to or not.
These verses say basically the same thing.
Leviticus 23:33-44
And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying.
Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, in the fifteenth day of this
seventh month shall be a Feast of Booths (Hag HaSukot) seven days to
Yahweh.
On the first day shall be a holy gathering; you shall do no work of
service.
Seven days you shall bring a fire offering to Yahweh; on the eighth day
you shall have a holy gathering; and you shall burn the fire offering to
Yahweh; it is a solemn assembly; you shall do no work of service.
These are the set feasts of Yahweh which you shall proclaim holy
gatherings, to bring a fire offering to Yahweh, a burnt offering, and a
food offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, the thing of a day on
its own day.
Besides the sabbaths of Yahweh, and besides your gifts, and besides all
your free-will offerings, which you shall give to Yahweh.
Also, in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you gather in the
increase of the land, you shall keep the feast of Yahweh seven days, on
the first day a sabbath, and on the eighth day a sabbath.
And you shall take to yourselves on the first day the fruit of majestic
trees, palm branches, and boughs of oak trees, and willows of the brook,
and shall rejoice before Yahweh your Elohim seven days.
And you shall keep a feast to Yahweh seven days in a year, a
never-ending statute throughout your generations; in the seventh month
you shall keep it a feast.
You shall live in booths seven days; all who are home-born in Israel
shall live in booths.
So that your generations shall know that I caused the sons of Israel to
live in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt; I am
Yahweh your Elohim.
And Moses announced the appointed seasons of Yahweh to the sons of
Israel.
Now He gives a more specific time frame.
Before it was simply at the end of the year, after the harvest. But now
he says the festival begins on the 15th day of the 7th month. Here we
also find another name - the Feast of Booths. #5521 is the word for
booths - sukkah. It is a hut or lair - often translated as booth,
cottage, covert, pavilion, tabernacle, tent.
The word that is translated here as gathering is # 4744, miqra. It means
something called out, i.e. a public meeting (the act, the persons, or
the place); also a rehearsal. It can be an assembly, a calling, a
convocation, or a reading.
If it is an assembly, or a public meeting, it means you are to be a part
of a group. Not just you by yourself.
In verse 40, instructions were given regarding the taking of tree
branches. But it does not say what to do with them. This says nothing
about binding the branches together, carrying them around or waving
them. Also in this verse, neither of the words "lulav" or "etrog" appear
in the Hebrew.
There is one other reference to these branches, outside the book of the
Law. It certainly sounds much more reasonable than making the lulav.
Nehemiah 8:14-15
And they found written in the Law which Yahweh has commanded by Moses,
that the sons of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the
seventh month.
And that they should make heard and cause to pass the call in all their
cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, go forth to the mountain and bring
olive branches and wild olive branches, and myrtle branches, and
branches of palm, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is
written.
It states in verse 41 that this is to be a never-ending statute. So it
is still in effect today - it has not been done away.
Numbers 29:12-40 lists the offerings that the priests were to offer
during the entire feast. There were a set number of items to be offered
each day; each day was different in some respect.
Deuteronomy 14:23-29
And you shall eat before Yahweh your Elohim in the place that He shall
choose to cause to dwell His name there, the tithe of your grain, of
your wine, and of your oil, and the firstlings of your herd and of your
flock; that you may learn to fear Yahweh your Elohim all your days.
And if the way is too long for you, so that you cannot carry it, because
the place is too far from you which Yahweh your Elohim shall choose to
set His name there, when Yahweh your Elohim shall bless you.
Then you shall give it for silver, and bind up the silver in your hand
and you shall go to the place which Yahweh your Elohim shall choose.
And you shall pay the silver for whatever your soul desires, for oxen,
or for sheep, or for wine, or for fermented drink, or for whatever your
soul desires and you shall eat there before Yahweh your Elohim, and you
shall rejoice, you and your household.
And you shall not forsake the Levite who is within your gates, for he
has no portion nor inheritance with you.
At the end of three years, even the same year, you shall bring forth all
the tithe of your increase, and shall lay it up within your gates.
And the Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and
the alien, and the fatherless, and the widow who are within your gates
shall come and shall eat and be satisfied; so that Yahweh your Elohim
may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.
Yahweh wanted them to be at a specific place for this specific time. By
having them keep a tithe for themselves for this purpose, they were able
to finance the trip and the stay at that place. They did not have to
scrape up the money at the last minute. They had a year in which to
accumulate the finances.
In verse 24 Yahweh gave them instructions on what to do if the trip were
a long one with the amount of animals and produce they would have. They
were to sell some - exchange the things for money. He did not say that
if it was a long way they could just stay home; that they were excused
from the ordinance.
We found it interesting that although the word "desires" appears twice
in that verse, it is actually two different Hebrew words. The first time
it is #183, avah, meaning to wish for. The translators were the ones who
put into our Scriptures the words "covet", "desire", "long for", or
"lust after". The second time the word appears, it is #7592 sha'al. That
means to inquire; by implication to request or to demand.
Over the years, there have been people who take verse 26 and interpret
it to mean that they can use it to buy things that have absolutely
nothing to do with the feast. But is that what Yahweh had in mind? It
was to be used for things they needed during that time. And what things
were listed as examples for them to desire and buy? The same things they
had sold to get the money they needed! They were simply replacing those
items! These were items involved in meals. Near the end of that verse it
says, "whatever your soul desires and you shall eat there". You cannot
eat a new computer or a car or such.
These verses also tell us that it is important that we take care of the
needy - those who may need help in order to be able to go at all. We are
to share what we have. Like the tribes in the desert shared the food,
shelter, etc. If we have more money than we actually need, we can help
provide a place for someone to stay, the means to travel to the place,
or food for their families. Why? "So that Yahweh your Elohim may bless
you in all the work of your hand which you do."
There is a purpose behind all of His commands.
Deuteronomy 16:13-17
You shall keep the Feast of Tabernacles (Hag HaSukot) seven days, after
you have gathered in from your threshing-floor and from your wine
press.
And you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son, and your
daughter, and your male slave, and your slave-girl, and the Levite, and
the alien, and the fatherless, and the widow that are inside your
gates.
You shall keep a solemn feast seven days to Yahweh your Elohim in the
place which Yahweh shall choose; for Yahweh your Elohim shall bless you
in all your produce, and in every work of your hands, and you shall be
altogether joyful.
Three times in a year shall all your males appear before Yahweh your
Elohim in the place which He shall choose: in the Feast of Unleavened
Bread, and in the Feast of Weeks, and in the Feast of Tabernacles, and
they shall not appear before Yahweh empty.
But each with his gift of his hand, according to the blessing of Yahweh
your Elohim, which He has given you."
We had seen earlier that the males were to appear, but this is clear
that the whole family is to be included.
Some have found it interesting the way that verse 14 is worded: it
doesn't mention the wife. The "you" in that sentence is a masculine,
single word. So where is the wife? She's there, too, of course. Yahweh
said in Genesis 2:24 that at marriage, the man and woman would become
one. Then when Yahweh spoke to the man, He was actually including the
two of them. All the family is to be there - as well as any others who
are not exactly family members.
Are there any other instructions regarding what is to be done at
Yahweh's Feast?
Deuteronomy 31:9-13
And Moses wrote this Law, and delivered it to the priests, the sons of
Levi, those bearing the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, and to all the
elders of Israel.
And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of seven years, in the
appointed time, the year of release, in the Feast of Tabernacles,
when all Israel comes in to see the face of Yahweh in the place which He
chooses, you shall proclaim this law before all Israel, in their
ears.
Assemble the people, men and women, and the little ones, and your alien
who is within your gates, so that they may hear, and so that they may
learn, and may fear Yahweh your Elohim, and take heed to do all the
words of this law,
and their sons, who have not known, shall hear, and shall learn to fear
Yahweh your Elohim all the days which you live on the land where you are
crossing over the Jordan to possess it.
Those who claim that the Law was done away with the death of Yahshua,
say that there is no need to keep these days. But, after the Messiah
returns and His feet touch down on the earth (Zech 14:4), the Feast of
Tabernacles will be kept by everyone.
Zechariah 14:16-19
And it shall be, everyone who is left from all the nations which came up
against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King,
Yahweh of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
And it shall be, whoever will not go up from the families of the earth
to Jerusalem to worship the King, Yahweh of hosts, there shall even be
no rain on them.
And if the family of Egypt does not go up, nor come in, then the rain
shall not be on them: but the plague with which Yahweh shall strike the
nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
This shall be Egypt's offense, and the offense of all nations who do not
come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
The quotes that follow may seem out of place at first. But notice again
how much "food" and/or "eating" are mentioned in the feast descriptions.
This man points out just how important these things were in Bible times.
One More Source
From The Frugal Gourmet Keeps The Feast, by Jeff Smith -
From page 3 - "The Bible is filled with Food Talk, but the Bible is not
talking about food. It is talking about theology, or God Talk."
"The word faith is used about 275 times in the Bible…but the verb to
eat is used some 800 times."
"Jesus never says, 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone
should open the door, I will enter and discuss existential theology with
him.' No. Jesus says, 'I will sup with him'."
From pages 8-9 - "Ben Sirach, in the Apocrypha,…tells us that the
normal diet of the peoples of ancient Palestine consisted of bread,
salt, olive oil, olives, wine, and on a good day some dried fish. Red
meat was eaten only on High Holy Days or special feasts."
"The Psalmist claims that bread is to strengthen our hearts. Since bread
was the most common part of the meal every day we can be sure that he is
talking about something other than just plain bread."
"Bread was so important in the Old World that it was used as the word
for 'life'. Indeed, the Hebrew word for bread, Lechem, means food in
general and thus life itself. Without bread you were dead."
" 'Do not harvest the whole of the field, but leave the corners for the
wandering hungry that will come by' (Deut. 24:19). So why is the farmer
responsible for the hungry? Because he has grain, and he must not keep
it all for himself. Bread teaches us that we must feed each other or
some of us will die."
"Can we decide not to eat bread? No, if we do not eat we die, and thus
we confess that we are not God. We are totally, totally dependent upon
the Creator. Without bread we are not."
From pages 10-12 - "In Latin the term for 'companion' (companio) refers
to bread. Com (with) and panis (bread) means 'The person with whom I
break my bread. My companion.' From this concept we gain insight into
the New Testament phrase 'He was known in the breaking of the Bread'."
"Biblical talk about bread is not about bread at all, but rather about
our total dependence upon the Creator and upon one another."
"The Jews spent many generations in the desert literally starving to
death, so fatness became a symbol of joy."
"Proverbs offers 'Blessed [read happy] is he who drips with fatness.'
This line refers to the end of hunger, not just physical hunger but
spiritual hunger as well."
"In Biblical times an oily face was a symbol of joy. It meant that you
were well fed and quite pleased with yourself. When these early peoples
went to a party they rubbed olive oil upon their faces so that they
might look shiny and happy. Oil on the face reflects light, and since
light has its source in the Creator, by rubbing oil upon your face you
would increase your countenance and your ability to reflect light."
"The Biblical writers chose wine as the classic symbol of joy. Wine is
to make our hearts glad, and it works very well."
From page 15 - "The ancient Hebrews were nomads, following the herds and
living off the foods that grew wild in the desert. Because of this
precarious life and the dangers of wandering in the desert, nomads
traveled in groups; each person would help protect the next for the sake
of the survival of the tribe. Everything was shared, everything. Out of
sheer necessity that sharing involved food. As a matter of fact one
could not own food in the very early days as all food was used for the
sake of the whole of the community. If one person were to own the food
and hold out on the rest of the tribe he would soon find himself alone
in the midst of the wilderness."
From page 17 - "The Rule of the Desert is simple. If you are in camp on
the desert and a stranger wanders into your camp he must be fed, no
matter how little food you have. But if he is an enemy, he eats by
himself in the corner!"
"In short, the Rule of Hospitality means that whenever you were at table
there could be no enemies present. Not one. So eventually being at table
with another person meant that you were saying to that person that you
could not and would not ever see him or her as an enemy. The table
became the place for the celebration of all pacts, promises, and real
intimacy. To be at table with someone in Biblical times was to be more
intimate than being with them in bed! Eating together was the fullest
and most important symbol of intimate sharing."
From pages 22-23 - "In the Bible the table is regarded as the most
serious place for significant relationships. Since no enemies could be
present at the table, taking one's place at the table was itself a
commitment to peace."
"The Lord prepares a table in the presence of our enemies and thus we
are all obligated to sit with one another, to pass over our
difficulties, since we are all the beloved of God….the Holy One
demands that we get along with one another."
"The Feast was so necessary to the forming of common bonds and
agreements that we see a tie between the meaning of the term Feast and
the term Covenant. Never was a covenant formed in Biblical times without
a feast to seal it."
"Who was the enemy in Biblical times? It was anyone who stood against
the Laws and Will of Yahweh, the Lord of Israel. It was anyone who was
of a foreign tribe who did not take to the Covenant or to the Laws of
Moses. It was anyone who had become a tax collector or a prostitute or
an adulterer. In short, it could very well be most of the people that
you knew. All must be brought to a common table and thus to a common
feast. There could be no enemies there."
From pages 51-52 - "Jesus understood very well the rule about not eating
with one's enemies, and since he was a devout Jew the enemies were very
plain."
"Jesus, however, begins to preach to and teach these very people who are
estranged; he is even seen eating with them."
"In John's gospel, John claims that Jesus explains that anyone who eats
and drinks with him, 'abides in me and I in him'.
From page 54-55 - "The Parable of the Prodigal Son … there is a major
point made in this parable that most of us miss, and it concerns a
feast, of course."
"The parable certainly points to the fact that God the Father is
awaiting our return…. It was not the custom to have meat regularly in
Biblical times as meat was eaten only on High Holy Days. What was this
father doing with a fatted calf when there was no holiday in sight? In
ancient Israel it was impossible to offer thanksgiving without a feast,
and so this expectant old man, always waiting for God to pull off some
wonderful thing, kept a fatted calf ready, just in case, just in case a
thanksgiving feast should be necessary!"
From page 57-58 - "In those days some Jews returned to collecting taxes
for the Roman Empire…. Zaccheus was a thoroughgoing traitor, and he
was the enemy."
"Jesus called up into the tree and told Zaccheus that he was to go home
and prepare lunch. Jesus would be by in a few minutes to eat."
"This understanding of history showed a new and wonderful intention of
the Law, a new understanding of the Law. In order to make this new
inclusiveness known, this acceptance of the fact that we must accept our
enemies, Jesus ate with them, and not just as an example. He actually
ate with them!"
"Jesus ate with Zaccheus the tax collector, the Samaritan woman, Mary
Magdalene, and he even invited one of the thieves who was crucified with
him to feast with him in Paradise."
" 'Someone is going to betray you? Is it I, Lord, is it I?' … Judas
asks that abominable question. Lord, you are not to feed the enemy at
your table. But Jesus did. He always did."
"He ate with all of the wrong people!"
"It is perfectly understandable, then, that all of the Resurrection
appearances occurred at meals, all of them except that one at the tomb.
The appearance in the Upper Room at another meal, the Road to Emmaus,
the claim that he was the Bread and Wine of Life, and certainly the
great fish fry."
New Testament
Let's look at a few verses in the New Testament. Keep in mind the things
we have just seen from this book, and compare them with some of
Yahshua's words.
Luke 4:4
And Yahshua answered to him, saying, it has been written, man shall not
live on bread alone, but on every word of Elohim.
Luke 22:19-20, 29-30
And taking a loaf, giving thanks, He broke, and gave to them, saying,
this is My body being given for you; do this for my remembrance.
In the same way the cup also, after having supped, saying, this cup is
the new covenant in my blood, which is being poured out for you.
And I appoint a kingdom to you, as My Father appointed to Me.
That you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom and you will sit on
thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
John 6:35, 53-56
Yahshua said to them, I am the bread of life; the one coming to Me will
not at all hunger, and the one believing into Me will never ever thirst.
Then Yahshua said to them, truly, truly, I say to you, except you eat
the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, you do not have life
in yourselves.
The one partaking of My flesh and drinking of My blood has everlasting
life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
For My flesh is truly food, and My blood is truly drink.
The one partaking of My flesh and drinking of My blood abides in Me, and
I in him.
Yahshua is definitely referring to more than just physical food. This is
about spiritual food.
Revelation 19:9
And he says to me, write: blessed are the ones having been called to the
supper of the marriage of the Lamb; and he says to me, these words of
Yahweh are true.
Think about this. Get out your own Bible and search the four gospels.
Look for how many references that are made to food, eating or feasting.
Warnings
Yahweh does give us some warnings to keep in mind.
We've seen that the Jews do the waving of the lulav in various
directions. They attach symbolism to that.
Ezekiel 8:15-16
And He said to me, have you seen, son of man? Yet turn again; you shall
see greater abominations than these.
And He brought me into the inner court of the house of Yahweh, and,
behold, at the opening of the temple of Yahweh, between the porch and
the altar were about twenty-five men with their backs to the temple of
Yahweh, and their faces eastward; and they bowed themselves eastward to
the sun.
Some of the traditions and practices of the Jews have come from
practices of magic or mysticism. Some of them they copied from the
peoples around them.
Deuteronomy 12:30-31
Take heed to yourself that you not be snared to follow them after they
have been destroyed before you; and that you not inquire after their
gods, saying, how did these nations serve their gods? And I shall do so,
even I.
You shall not do so to Yahweh your Elohim; for everything hateful to
Yahweh, which He detests, they have done to their gods, for they have
even burned their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods.
Deuteronomy 18:9-12
When you come into the land which Yahweh your Elohim is giving to you,
you shall not learn to do according to the hateful acts of those
nations.
There shall not be found in you one who passes his son or his daughter
through the fire, one that uses divination, an observer of clouds, or a
fortune-teller, or a whisperer of spells.
Or a magic-charmer, or one asking of familiar spirits, or a wizard, or
one inquiring of the dead.
For all doing these things are an abomination to Yahweh, and because of
these filthy acts Yahweh your Elohim is expelling these nations before
you.
We also need to be careful about any traditions we claim to have
regarding the Feast. What "baggage" do we bring with us to this
discussion?
Deuteronomy 4:2
You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, to
keep the commandments of Yahweh your Elohim which I command you.
Today?
So where does this leave us today at Feast time? In individual places,
sometimes far apart? To nice, though separate, restaurants for meals?
Each going our own direction? Or should we be in close proximity? The
Israelites would have been shoulder to shoulder in the old city of
Jerusalem. Their booths would have been close together and not
soundproof. The people wandered up and down the streets, sharing food
and drink and stories. The children were busily playing, making new
friends and watching the example their parents were setting.
What if we made some changes today? Rather than eating out, what if we,
as a group, prepared and enjoyed a meal? Shared in the preparation, the
work, and even the clean-up? Most people, especially the women, don't
want to think about doing such things on their "vacation". But what did
the Israelites do? Restaurants weren't available to the extent they are
today. Besides, the restaurant owners would also have been in their
booths, eating with family and friends and rejoicing before Yahweh; not
preparing meals for sale.
When we just talk a few minutes before and after services, or between
interruptions by a waiter, we don't really get to know and understand
another person. There isn't enough time. By living and working together
for several days and sharing activities (such as preparing or cleaning
up a meal, enjoying sing-alongs, discussing Yahweh's word in impromptu
studies, roasting hot dogs over a campfire, having a fish fry, and such)
we can see how a person works, how they interact with others, etc. We
come closer to knowing the real person - as Yahweh wants us to do - and
be a part of a much larger family.
It is time for the people of Yahweh to "get back to their roots". We
need to find a way whereby we can experience these days of Yahweh as a
group, not as individual families scattered across a large metropolitan
area, with all the worldly distractions between us. We need to spend
time together - outside of any services - singing, rejoicing, laughing,
eating, talking, working, taking walks, examining Yahweh's creation and
nature, etc. Not looking for the nearest shopping mall, restaurant,
local attraction or amusement park.
After several years in motels, condos or homes, some of us will return
to tents this year.
Information on where and how to keep The Feast together is available by
contacting us. We look forward to hear from you!
The TRUE Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day