"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, and on the eighth day shall be a Sabbath. 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...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." Read Leviticus
23
Sukkot is primarily an
agricultural festival, like the first two major
festivals: (Passover celebrates the first spring harvest
of barley; Shavuot or Pentecost celebrates wheat
harvest), fifty days later. Sukkot or the
Feast
of Ingathering occurs at the time of the major harvest of
crops. An abundant harvest and living in temporary
shelters are the two profoundly symbolic themes of the
festival.
In Temple times, during
Sukkot, the priestly ritual was a glorious pageantry of
white-robed priests, musical instruments, choirs - a
joyous and symbolic Festival. Extra lamp-stands were lit
to illumine the Temple courts. Levitical choirs
accompanied the musicians with their string, wind, and
percussion instruments during the chanting of the Hallel
Psalms 113 to 118 - especially the Messianic words
of
Psalm 118, verses 25 and 26: We beseech Thee, O LORD,
save now! We beseech Thee, O LORD, make us now to
prosper. Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the
LORD.
The shofars sounded
frequently to give special emphases. Pious men danced for
joy in the streets. It was truly a Festival of simchah.
Each day during the Festival, the priests circled the
great altar of sacrifices, once, waving their lulavim in
all directions. Branches of beautiful trees: the palm,
myrtle, willows of the brook were all tied together in
one bunch - the kinds of branches prescribed in the
Torah. This was carried in the right hand, and the etrog
- a citrus fruit - in the left hand. On the seventh day,
called "Hoshana Rabbah" which means "The Great
Salvation," the priests circled the altar seven times.
They were chanting the words of the Hallel Psalm:
"We
beseech Thee, O LORD, save now! We beseech Thee, O LORD,
make us now to prosper! Blessed is He that cometh in the
name of the LORD." (Psalm 118:25)
During the seven days of
Sukkot, the great brazen altar received more sacrificed
animals than on any other festival; 70
bulls, 14 rams, 98 lambs and 7 goats. (Numbers
29:12-34) The
sacrifices without blemish were also made by the priests
- the kohanim - for the atonement of the sins of the
children of Israel.
Tabernacles
or Sukkot was a popular and joyful festival held in the
Autumn, seven days after harvest began on the 15th day of
the month Tishri during the full moon (corresponding to
our Octoberfest.) Jesus, along with His family, camped
out in a shelter made of limbs and branches. The family
lived and slept in huts or shelters called Booths during
this seven day festival commemorating the experience of
Israel in the wilderness.
The First
day was a Holy gathering. The Second day is the Libation,
which in Jesus' day meant drinking water from the pool of
Siloam. Days from the third day through the sixth day are
called Ushpizin (from an Aramaic word meaning guests),
calling for a great deal of visiting especially the poor,
who can not repay . This was is in line with the
admonition of Jesus in Luke 14:12-14. And He was saying
even to the one who invited Him, When you would make
breakfast or supper, call neither your friends nor your
brothers nor your kin nor rich neighbors, lest they would
also invite you and it would be repayment to you. But
when you would make a banquet you must always invite
poor, crippled, lame, blind: then you will be blessed,
because they do not have the means to repay you, for it
will be repaid to you in the resurrection of the
righteous.
On the
Third day, Ecclesiastes is read.
The Sixth
day, is a cry for salvation, "Hoshea na rabah" On this
day during the second temple period (Jesus' day), there
was a procession through the streets of Jerusalem,
singing Hoshea na! Which in Greek is Hosanna, (Save us
Now! )
Jesus is
named on the Feast of Simchat Torah
Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day, Simhat Torah
- the "great day" of the Feast of Tabernacles. The
circumcision would have occurred on Simhat Torah as life
is counted as beginning when a male child survives to the
day of circumcision eight days after his birth, at which
time he formally receives his name. The Festival of
Tabernacles begins on Tishri 15, the fifth day after Yom
Kippur. It is a drastic transition, from one of the most
solemn holidays in the year to one that is so joyful that
it is commonly referred to as the Season of our
Rejoicing.
Tabernacles is the last of the three required
pilgrimage festivals. Like Passover and Pentecost,
Tabernacles has a dual significance: historical and
agricultural. Historically, Tabernacles commemorates the
forty-year period during which the children of Israel
were wandering in the desert, living in temporary
shelters. Agriculturally, Tabernacles is also a harvest
festival and is sometimes referred to as the Festival of
Ingathering.
Tabernacles lasts for seven days. The two Feasts
following the festival are Shemini Atzeret and Simchat
Torah. These festivals are "compacted" into a single
eighth day. called The Last Day - the 8th day of the
Feast of Tabernacles. These two holidays are commonly
thought of as part of Tabernacles. Simchat Torah means
"Rejoicing in the Torah or the Law of the Lord" The
holiday marks the completion of the annual cycle of
weekly Torah readings. Each week in synagogue a few
chapters from the Torah are read starting with Genesis 1
and working around to Deuteronomy 34. On Simchat Torah,
the last Torah portion is read, then proceeds immediately
to the first chapter of Genesis, symbolizing that the
Torah is a circle, and never ends. The idea that Torah
study is cyclical finds expression in the joyous ritual
of dancing around andaround the Torah, known as hakkafot.
There are processions around the synagogue carrying Torah
scrolls and plenty of high-spirited singing and dancing
with the Torahs. Traditional Foods are Tasty Challah,
Caribbean Fish, Spinach Salad, Roast In Apricot Sauce,
Jerusalem Kugel and Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
- RECIPES
On the
last Great day, prayer is made thanking God for a good
harvest and praying for rain and a good harvest for the
coming year.
John 7:37-39. And on the last great day of the Feast
Jesus stood and cried out saying, If anyone would drink
he must continually come to Me and he must continually
drink. The one who believes in Me, just as the Scripture
said, rivers of living water will flow out from his inner
being. And He said this about the Spirit, which His
disciples were to receive on the Day of Pentecost in the
Upper Room... read
Proverbs 18:4 and Isaiah 58:11
In
contrast to Yom Kippur, or Day Of Atonement, that's
observed 5 days earlier with solemnity and fasting, the
Feast of Tabernacles is held with feasting and
celebration. It's unique in that the people were to
construct and live in temporary shelters, also called
booths, during the week of the
festival.
The
Festival of Tabernacles was near enough to ROSH HASHANAH
and the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) if one desired, all
three feasts could be attended in a twenty-two day
period. Only the Feast of Tabernacles required
attendance.
Jesus,
along with all other males, was required to bring a
free-will offering as they were able. No one was to
appear before God empty handed. Deuteronomy
16:16-17
The Feast
of Tabernacles (Harvest) includes a Water Pouring
Ceremony called the Feast of the Rejoicing of the House
of the Water-Pouring (Simcha Bet Ha-sho-evah). on the
last day (Hoshanah Rabah, the day of the Great Hosanna)
was a ceremony of messianic significance in which water
drawn from the pool of Siloam was poured out from a
golden vessel in the Temple at the time of the morning
sacrifice.. A Priest would take a water pitcher from the
pool of Siloam and would bring it back to the Temple.
Crowds of people would follow him dancing and singing the
Hellel, (Psalms 113-118) The highlight of this ceremony
was when the Priest would pour this water at the altar of
the Temple. It became known as "Simcha Bet-Ha-sho-evah"
(The rejoicing of the House of Drawing Water)
Prayers
were also made for good rainfall during the coming
season. This Water Pouring Ceremony commemorated two
things: 1. The water smitten from the rock at Sinai,
Exodus 17:1-7 and 2. The coming Millennial Reign of the
Messiah and the Millennial River of Living Water that
flows from His throne.
"Afterward
he brought me again unto the door of the house; and
behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the
house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood
toward the east, and the waters came down from under,
from the right side of the house, at the south side of
the altar. And it shall come to pass, that every thing
that liveth, which moveth, withersoever the rivers shall
come shall live: and there shall be a very great
multitude of fish, because these waters shall come
thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall
live whither the river cometh" Ezekiel 47:1,9
The
Levites accompanied the Festival of the drawing of water
with song and music. They stood on the steps leading to
the gates of Nicanor to accompany the dancers. There were
a dozen singers, playing nine lyres and two harps. The
choir conductor held the cymbals and two trumpeters stood
on either side. The children of the the singers stood at
the foot of the dias. The public sometimes sang with the
choir, such as Psalm 118, when the congregation chanted
responsively "His mercy endures forever" The
water-pouring ceremony involved three divisions of
priests. The first division would slay and prepare the
sacrifices. The second division went out of the Temple
through the East Gate to the valley, where they dumped
the ashes from the sacrifice after each Shabbot service.
There, they cut down willows measuring 25 feet in length.
The priests then would line up shoulder to shoulder in
rows 30 feet apart holding their willows. The road back
to the Temple would be filled with pilgrims waving palm
branches and chanting the Hallel (Psalms 113-118). The
closing words of Psalm 118 are "Ana Adonai Hoshiana''
("Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord...Blessed be He that
cometh in the name of the Lord...''). This day was known
as the "Great Hosanna'', a day of prayer and great
rejoicing for speedy salvation through the
Messiah.
The
priests would then start their return journey. When they
stepped to the left, the willows would be moved to the
left; when they stepped to the right, the willows would
be moved to the right. Meanwhile, the third group (led by
the High Priest ) exited out the Water Gate to the pool
known as the Pool of Siloam (Shiloach - Pool of Gently
Flowing Waters). There the High Priest drew the water
known as "Living Water'' into a golden vase. His
assistant carried a silver vase containing wine. As the
priests with the willows marched, the High Priest and his
group made their way from the pool back to their
respective gates.
As they
walked, the willows would make a swishing sound, like the
wind. It must have sounded like a rushing wind (Spirit)
approaching the city (a picture of Pentecost). A Shofar
(horn) was blown as they reached their respective gates,
and then a man stood up and played the flute and led the
pilgrims up to Jerusalem to worship as the call went out,
"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord.'' and
then sounded the call for the Ruach (Wind) and the Living
Water to enter the Temple.
The
priests with the willows entered the Temple and circled
the Altar seven times, swishing the willows back and
forth. The priests began laying their willows against the
Altar, making a Succah (tabernacle). The other group of
priests, those who slew the sacrifices, then ascended to
the top of the Altar and laid the sacrifices on the
Altar. The people gathered in the courts and the area
around the Temple. The High Priest took his vase and
poured it on one corner of the Altar where the horns
were. There were two bowls built into the corner of the
Altar, each with a hole in it. The highlight of the
ceremony came when the priest dramatically poured the
Living Water over the Altar of the Temple from the gold
vase. The wine from the silver base was also poured out
over the Altar.
After
attending the ceremony for seventeen years, Jesus was now
anointed as the Messiah and so it was difficult for Jesus
to just sit there! At the conclusion Jesus leaped to his
feet and cried out! ... "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 glorified.) Many
of the people therfore, when they heard this saying,
said, 'Of a truth this is The Prophet.'" John 7:37-40 ...
The Lord used the water-pouring to picture the outpouring
of the Holy Spirit upon, and the outflowing from, the
believer. This was fulfilled on the Day of
Pentecost.
The
religious leaders, however were alarmed over this
disturbance in their rituals and asked the Temple police
why they did not arrest Jesus. They replied, "Never a man
spoke like this Man." At the close of the 7 days another
Sabbath was added...the 8th day (Numbers
29:35-40).
The Ceremony of Lights
In the
courtyard of the Temple stood 4 towering golden lamp
towers 75 feet high. The golden bowls at the top held
over 10 gallons of oil each. Each lamp had 4 ladders
leading up to the lamps. Young priests would climb the up
the ladders with the wicks, carrying large pitchers of
olive oil to refill the lamps, something like the Olympic
torch. This lamp lighting ceremony was repeated every
night from the second night until the final night of the
Feast of Tabernacles.... Josephus records that when the
lamps were lit at sundown the light was so bright that
every home in Jerusalem could see the light.
When the
children of Israel came out of Egypt and bondage there
was a pillar of fire each night to guide them and protect
them ...Exodus 13:20.
Israel
National News Thursday, December 23, 2004 / 11 Tevet 5765
...
New
excavations in Jerusalem's City of David, now the Arab
neighborhood of Silwan, have revealed the location of the
most joyous of all Temple services. A large paved
assembly area and water channel, used for the festive
Simhat Beit HaShoeva in the times of the Holy Temple, has
been uncovered in recent days at an excavation in the
City of David, next to Jerusalem's Old City.
The water
channel and assembly area were integral parts of what
Jewish tradition calls "the most joyous celebrations of
the year." Water accumulated by the newly discovered
channel was conducted to the Shiloah Pool, from which
water libations brought to the Holy Temple's altar in the
Holy Temple on the final day of the Sukkot Festival. The
excavation was led by Eli Shukrun of the Israel
Antiquities Authority and Dr. Roni Reich of the Hebrew
University. The waters of the Shiloach Spring, where the
High Priest would immerse himself in Temple times, were
collected in the Shiloach Pool and used in purification
ceremonies. .... The new discoveries add to other finds
which together make it possible to see more clearly how
the site looked at the time of the Second Temple. In the
period immediately before the modern State of Israel,
British archaeologists uncovered parts of a stepped
street descending the length of the City of David from
the Temple Mount to the north. The street surely led to
the section of pool that has now been excavated.
In
the Millennium, when the saints occupy the Earth the
breathtaking bliss of the Great Day of our Rejoicing will
begin to be appreciated as each anniversary - through the
endless ages of eternity - brings unspeakable joy to the
ransomed host. The Great Day will have begun - never to
end! ...A special invitation to this great spiritual
banquet of an endless life of bliss is given to you by
the Master Himself in John 7:37-39. "On the last day, the
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.)" .... The next day,
(Sunday) was the day when the pilgrims would leave
Jerusalem for their journey back home.
Something
very significant happened in 1980 when the Knesset
declared officially Jerusalem as the "undivided, eternal
capital of the State of Israel." As a result of that
proclamation, 13 foreign embassies closed their doors and
withdrew from the Holy City. On September 30, 1980, one
thousand Christians from 23 nations formed themselves
into "THE INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN EMBASSY. JERUSALEM." As
Mayor Teddy Kollek unveiled the Embassy plaque, he said
this was "a great day for Jerusalem."
International Christian Embassy Jerusalem
"The
International Christian Embassy, Jerusalem does not
represent any government, denomination, church
organization, Christian businessmen, group or political
party. It does represent the concern of millions of
Bible-believing Christians who love and honour the Jewish
people and who wish to obey the will of God concerning
them." Every year they join with Israel in their
celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles.
"It shall
come to pass that every one that is left of all nations
that came against Jerusalem, shall go up from year to
year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep
the Feast of Tabernacles." (Zechariah
14:16-21)
