Feast-of-Tabernacles
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Remember the following truth from our
beloved Torah!
“Ye shall NOT ADD TO THE WORD which I command you, NEITHER SHALL YE DIMINISH FROM IT, that ye may
keep the commandments ofיְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloleichem,
which I command you”. Davarim -
Deuteronomy 4:2. (JPS-1917).
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With Rabbi,
Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
What does the Torah
say about the ‘Feast of Tabernacles’, being a Torah based holiday, also known
of course as ‘Sukkot?’ This study takes a look at various passages to see the
instructions given for ‘the Feast of Tabernacles’ such as ‘who is it for’, ‘how
long is it’, ‘what do we do at this set apart time’, ‘why is it celebrated’,
and how it is observed in these latter days. Below there are scripture passages
that will give us a practical insight into this wonderful feast and ideas for
how we can honour it!
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Things Scripture
tells us about the Feast of Tabernacles:
It is for all
generations. (Leviticus 23:39-44).
39. “Howbeit on the fifteenth day of the
seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruits of the land, ye shall keep
the feast of יְהוָה - the LORD seven days; on the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on
the eighth day shall be a solemn rest. 40 And ye shall
take you on the first day the fruit of goodly trees, branches of palm-trees, and
boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook, and ye shall rejoice before יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם -
the LORD your Eloheichem (God) seven days. 41 And ye
shall keep it a feast unto יְהוָה - the LORD seven days in the year; it is a statute for ever in your generations;
ye shall keep it in the seventh month. 42 Ye shall
dwell in booths seven days; all that are home-born in Israel shall dwell in
booths; 43 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 יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם -
the LORD your Eloheichem. 44 And Moses declared unto the
children of
This is not just a holiday for our people who lived in times of the Torah/Tanakh times, for it is for all of us to this very day! No matter what part of the world we
Hebrews live in, יְהוָה - the LORD
wants you to set apart this very special feast!
1. It clearly states, there are eight days of festivities, and you do not work on the first or last day. (Leviticus 23:35-36, 39).
Have you ever gone
on vacation and your itinerary was so full that you came home exhausted? I think our
Creator saw that tendency coming, and
thus He purposefully set aside two
special days of rest during this special feast. For during six days of Sukkot we are permitted to undertake ‘you regular work’, ‘errands’, and ‘whatever
else needs done’. However on the
first and last day we are asked to completly set those things aside in order to have like a
Shabbas rest and focus entirely on יְהוָה - the LORD, יְהוָה בָּרוּךְ - Bless the LORD!
2. We should dwell in booths during the entire time of Sukkot. (Leviticus 23:43).
The Hebrew word for
booths is ‘sukkah’, the plural of that is ‘Sukkot’ which is
where we get the name for this Yom Tov. And we are asked to build a
sukkah in your back yard and yes, there
is room for self-expression. Thus the ‘Feast of Tabernacles’ is stepping out of our normal dining arrangement, as you will eat your meals within
it, etc.
3. We should rejoice. (Leviticus 23:40).
“40. … and ye shall rejoice before יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloheichem seven days”.
Like the ancient Israelites rejoiced in
Nehemiah when they celebrated the ‘Feast
of Tabernacles’ for the first time in
generations after rediscovering Scripture’s
instructions, we should be overjoyed that we have instruction direct
from our beloved אֱלֹהִים - Elohim on how we are to live! And you know what
else? This holiday is not a burden or drudgery, it is
actually fun! It is nice to be able to take off
from work and spend time outdoors in your sukkah. It is also a time when we can build
up more joy and happiness within
ourselves. Keeping אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s blessed instructions
regarding this beloved Yom Yovim (Feast) and the
Sabbath should make us all more
joyful in our daily life.
4. It is a reminder that יְהוָה -
the LORD made us, the Children of Israel dwell in booths when he
brought us out of Egypt. (Leviticus 23:43).
“43. that your
generations may know that I made the children of
Another reason we
keep the Feast of Tabernacles is commemorate the history of us יְהוָה -
the LORD’s people, and learn more of our
blessed Torah. Our hands-on method of learning the Torah can help cement all those wonderful
truths which should be in our hearts.
Going into living history teaches
us and our children more about the ways of the
past, than just reading about it. By
camping out during the ‘Feast of
Tabernacles’, we learn a little bit what
it was like to journey towards the ‘Promised Land’.
This time calls to mind the miraculous stories of יְהוָה -
the LORD’s provision for our people, and it
teaches us to trust Him more!
5. We should guard the Feast of Tabernacles.
We must never approach this time haphazardly, for celebrating this special feast always seem to work out very well. Be proactive and intentional about setting aside the time and resources needed to keep Torah’s instructions, and always guard what is important in our lives!
6. We should not
appear before יְהוָה -
the LORD empty-handed, but we should present an
offering according to what he has given us. Deuteronomy 16:16-17
“16. Three times in a year shall all
thy males appear before יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֶיךָ -
the LORD thy Eloheicha in the place which He shall
choose; on the feast of ‘unleavened bread’, and on the ‘feast of weeks’, and on
the ‘feast of tabernacles’; and they shall not appear before יְהוָה -
the LORD empty; 17 every man shall give as he is able,
according to the blessing of יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֶיךָ -
the LORD thy Eloheicha which He hath given thee”.
Although, there no longer a בית
המקדש - the
7. It will be celebrated in these later days. (Zechariah 14:16).
“16. And it shall come to pass, that
every one that is left of all the nations that came against Jerusalem shall go
up from year to year to worship the King, יְהוִה
הַצְּבָאוֹת - the LORD of Tz’va’ot (Hosts), and to keep the ‘Feast of
Tabernacles’”.
In these days, and what comes in the future, the ‘Feast of Tabernacles’ will be kept annually. This shows how important this blessed feast is! אֱלֹהִים - Elohim gives blessings to all who will faithfully uphold His Yom Tovim!
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