The-Feast-of-Sukkot
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like it once was pre the “Masoretic Text”.
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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 of אֱלֹהֵיכֶם יְהוָה - the LORD your Eloleichem, which I command you”. Davarim -
Deuteronomy 4:2. (JPS-1917).
With Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
Brief Introduction:
This is a scriptural study of our much loved festival of “Sukkot” - סֻכּוֹת
or the “Feast of Tabernacles” - אֶת-חַג
הַסֻּכּוֹת,
for it has been compiled from the JPS-1917 edition of the Tanakh, and we are focusing solely on
the words given to Moshe - Moses!
1. The Timing and the Name:
The
Torah commands this festival to be kept in the autumn, marking both an
agricultural milestone and a historic memorial.
Let us read Leviticus 23:34:
“Speak
unto the children of
Also Deuteronomy 16:13:
“Thou
shalt keep the Feast of Tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered
in from thy threshing-floor and from thy wine-press”.
2. The Command to Dwell in Temporary Booths
The core symbol of Sukkot is a special physical structure, which serves
as a literal reminder of ‘the fragile’, ‘temporary shelter’ provided during the
journey through the wilderness.
Leviticus 23:42-43:
“Ye
shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are home-born in Israel shall dwell
in booths; 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
אֱלֹהֵיהֶם - the LORD your Eloheihem”.
3. The Four Species:
The text commands the gathering of specific natural elements to rejoice
before the Creator, representing the harvest of the land.
Leviticus 23:39-40:
“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. 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
אֱלֹהֵיהֶם - the LORD your Eloheihem seven days”.
4. The Mandate of Pure Joy:
Sukkot is unique because the text explicitly commands ‘rejoicing’,
acknowledging that true gladness rests in the Divine blessing of our efforts
and sustenance.
Deuteronomy 16:13-15:
“Thou
shalt keep the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered
in from thy threshing-floor and from thy winepress. And thou shalt
rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant,
and thy maid-servant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and
the widow, that are within thy gates. Seven days shalt thou keep a feast unto יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֶיךָ - the LORD thy Eloheicha in the place which יְהוָה - the LORD shall choose; because יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֶיךָ - the LORD thy Eloheicha shall bless thee in all thine
increase, and in all the work of thy hands, and thou shalt be altogether
joyful”.
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Key Takeaways from the Text:
1.
Divine Shelter in Frailty: The booths are a testimony that when the Children of Israel had no permanent
‘homes’, ‘cities’, or ‘stone walls’ in the desert, the shelter of the Almighty
was entirely sufficient to sustain them.
2.
Universal Rejoicing:
The commandment demands including everyone ‘the family’, ‘the worker’, ‘the
stranger’, and ‘the lonely.’ Joy is meant to be shared by all.
3.
Gratitude for the Journey: Sukkot connects the physical harvest of the earth with the spiritual
memory of deliverance.
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In conclusion:
Let
us now briefly look at Zechariah chapter 14:16-19 regarding Sukkot:
“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, צְבָאוֹת-יְהוָה - the LORD of Tzva’ot, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot).
And it shall be, that whoso of the families
of the earth goeth not up unto
This chapter describes a future prophetic vision where all
surviving nations will go up to
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Elohim, blessed be He, said the following through a number of our prophets...
“The More Torah, the More Life”,
For Elohim is the One who
gave us our ... “Life!”
May the שָׁלוֹם - Shalom = Peace
of צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה= the LORD of hosts, be with
you, and please always uphold our blessed שַׁבָּת - Shabbat, as well as
the מוֹעֲדִים - Mo’a’dim -
Feasts, and continue saying your daily תְּפִלָּה - Tefeelah’s - Prayers and
regular בְּרָכָה - Be’ra’chah’s - blessings before food
and drinks, etc!
שָׁלוֹם
עֲלֵיכֶם - Shalom
Aleichem - Peace be with you!
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