A New Look at the Feast of Tabernacles
The Secrets of the Sukkah!
What is the
real meaning behind the "Sukkah" or "booth"
connected with the Feast of Tabernacles? What is the awe-
some lesson God intends for us to learn from it? Why do
most all of the modern churches that "keep" the
Feast totally
ignore the "sukkah"? It's time you understood this vitally
important matter!
What God commands, men should not just
ignore! Vital
spiritual understanding and growth are at stake!
William
F. Dankenbring
I noticed one year recently that a
group of former Worldwide Church of God members conducted their own Feast of
Tabernacles, and advertised it with the slogan, "NO PREACHING," no
sermons, no ministers -- just fellowship and discussion! What an idea!
Just "do your own thing" without any ministers, or ministerial
authority, to bother with!
But is this concept really
Biblical? It reminds me of the book of
Judges, were we read of the bloodiest chapter of ancient Israeli history: "In those days there was no king [i.e.,
"authority" figure] in
The Festival of "Booths"
We read in Leviticus 23 concerning the Feast of
Tabernacles, the following statements:
"And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak
unto the children
of
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).
Notice that a "holy
convocation" was commanded on the first day and the eighth day -- that is,
a "commanded assembly." These
assemblies were for the purpose of group worship, instruction by the spiritual
leaders, and reading and expounding the Word of God. Those who were proficient and learned in the
Scriptures were generally the rabbis and Levites.
In the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, we
read that on God's Holy Day, in this case, on the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh
Hashanah), that:
"And Ezra the
scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had
made
for the purpose . . . And Ezra opened the book [of the Law]
in
the sight of all the people . . . And Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah,
Jamin,
Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijab, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah,
Jozabad,
Hanan, Pelaiah, and the
Levites, caused the people to under-
stand
the law: and the people stood in their
place. So they read in the
book
in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them
to
understand the reading" (Nehemiah
8:4-8).
Obviously, God intended the
spiritual leaders to preach His Word to the assembled people on the Holy Days,
at the commanded assemblies, and to lead in the worship services.
Additional instruction in observing
God's festival of Tabernacles is given in verses 39-43 of this Leviticus 23 --
verses which have generally been ignored and overlooked, and never
explained. Notice what these verses add
to the festival commandment!
"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 on the
first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches
of
palm 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 Israelite born
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 the LORD thy God" (Lev.23:39-43).
Notice that this commandment to
celebrate the Feast of Sukkot, and to
"dwell" in booths -- temporary huts built for use during the Festival
-- was "A STATUTE FOR EVER in your generations"!
In the 30 years I observed the Feast
of Tabernacles in the Worldwide Church of God, from 1958 to 1987, we were never
told about the command to take boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees,
and willows of the brook, and to use them in rejoicing before the LORD; nor
were we told how the Feast of Tabernacles relates to the journey of the Israelites
as they came out of Egypt, and dwelt in the wilderness for forty years, living
in "booths" or temporary structures, or tent-like portable
dwellings. This aspect of the Feast was
totally overlooked! And yet -- it was
commanded as a "STATUTE FOR EVER"! Amazing, isn't it! How have so many so-called churches of God overlooked
this PLAIN Biblical COMMAND?
In the Time of Nehemiah
In the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, we
read, "They kept also the Feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and
offered the daily burnt offerings by number according to the custom, as the
duty of every day required" (Ezra 3:4).
This observance occurred after the return of many Jews from
Babylon back to Jerusalem and the land of Israel. Ezra, a righteous scribe of God, gathered the
people and read to them from the law of God (Nehemiah 8:1-8) on the first day
of Tishri, or the Feast of Trumpets (Ezra 8:2).
On the next day, as the people were gathered to learn more of the laws
of God,
"they found written
in the law which the LORD had commanded by
Moses, that the children
of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of
the seventh month: And that they should proclaim in all their
cities,
and in Jerusalem,
saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive
branches, and pine
branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches,
and branches of thick
trees, to make booths, as it is written.
So the
people went forth, and
brought them, and made themselves booths,
every one upon the roof
of his house, and in their courts, and in the
courts of the house of
God, and in the street of the water gate,
and in
the street of the gate
of Ephraim. And all the congregation
of them
that were come again out
of the captivity made booths, and sat under
the booths: for since the days of Joshua the son of Nun unto that
day
had not the children of
Israel done so. And there was very great
gladness. Also day by day, from the first day unto the
last day, he read
in the book of the law
of God. And they kept the feast seven
days;
and on the eighth day
was a solemn assembly, according to the
manner"
(Neh.8:14-18).
Here again the Feast of Tabernacles
is described -- and the statement is made that the festival had not been
observed in this manner, with the construction of booths, since the days of
Joshua himself! Truly, in the days of
Ezra, there was a turning back to observe the laws of God among the people, and
much more attention was given to proper and correct observance.
Nevertheless, many of these features
of the Feast, as observed in modern times, have also been neglected by
thousands of God's people.
How many literally build
"booths" to sit in, to hold discussions, to pray, meditate, and to
fellowship in?
How many use the branches of various
kinds of trees to construct a "sukkah" or
"booth"? Should we follow this
example today, in celebrating God's Feast of Tabernacles ("Sukkot")?
Is this a commandment for all
genuine Christians and ALL God's people?
Testimony from Josephus
The Jewish historian Josephus, writing during the first
century of the present era, a Pharisee and a priest, as well as Jewish
historian and general in the military, writes in Antiquities of the Jews about
the law of God concerning the Feast of Tabernacles, and the "booths"
that were made for the Feast:
"Upon the fifteenth day of the same
month [Tishri, the seventh month], when the
season
of the year is changing for winter, the law enjoins us to PITCH TABERNA-
CLES
in every one of our houses, so that we preserve ourselves from the cold of that
time
of the year; as also that when we should arrive at our own country, and come to
that
city that we should have then for our metropolis, because of the temple therein
to
be built, and keep a festival for eight days. . . . And this is the accustomed
solemnity
of
the Hebrews, WHEN THEY PITCH THEIR TABERNACLES" (Antiqities,
Bk.3,
chapter
10, sec.4).
What was this command enjoined by the law to "pitch
tabernacles"? What did it mean?
Says E. P. Sanders in Judaism
Practice & Belief 63 BCE-66 CE:
"The Feast of Booths (Heb., Sukkot) or Tabernacles is an autuumn
festival that begins
five
days after the Day of Atonement. For
seven days 'all that are native in Israel shall
dwell
in booths' (Lev.23:42). A festival day
(when work was prohibited) was added
(Lev.23:33-36),
in effect extending the festal period to eight days.
"The
booths were made of 'branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other
leafy
trees'
(Neh.8:15). People who lived in
Jerusalem probably built the booths on the roofs
of
their houses, while pilgrims built them outside the walls [of the city]. According to
Josephus,
the festival was "observed with special care" (Anti.15), and
it is probable that
most
families built booths. One may imagine
that children were especially enthusiastic
in
gathering branches and tying them together to make a booth" (p.139).
Let's notice the original
commandment as it is given in the book of the Law.
The
Command to Dwell in Booths
God's Word specifically links the Feast of Tabernacles, or
"Booths," with the harvest ("Ingathering"), and with the
journey of the Israelites out of Egypt, when they traveled in "temporary
shelters" or "booths."
These "booths" themselves are also linked with the harvest.
They are the central focus of this Feast of God, literally called the Ha Hag
Sukkot, that is, the Feast of Sukkot.
Alfred Edersheim
in The Temple: Its Ministry and
Services, tells us: "Three
things specially marked the Feast of Tabernacles: its joyous festivities, the dwelling in
'booths,' and the peculiar sacrifices and rites of the week" (p.215). Regarding the booths, Edersheim
says:
". . . . For its second
characteristic was, that during the seven days of its continuance
'all
that are Israelite born 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' (Lev.23:42,43)" (Edersheim, p.215-216).
Edersheim continues:
"The
Mishnah [Oral Law written down in the
centuries after Christ] gives most minute
details
as to the height and construction of these 'booths,' the main object being to
prevent
any invasion of the law. Thus it must be
a real booth, and constructed of boughs
of
living trees, and solely for the purpose of this festival. Hence it must be high enough,
yet
not too high -- at least ten handbreadths, but not more than thirty feet . .
." (p.216).
In The Jewish Holidays, A Guide
and Commentary, by Michael Strassfeld, the
importance of the "sukkah" is
stressed. He writes:
"The most important ritual of Sukkot (hence the name) is living in a sukkah. The
sukkah is a temporary structure usually constructed of four
walls and covered with
a
roof of tree branches. We eat in the sukkah and some people sleep in it as well.
The
sukkah is constructed before the holiday, usually
between Yom Kippur and
Sukkot, and it is used for the first time on Sukkot Eve. . . .
"The
sukkah must be a temporary structure, not a permanent
one. This is to remind
us
of the portability of the huts in the desert as the Israelites wandered from
place
to
place for forty years. It also stresses
one of the themes of the holiday -- the
impermanence
of our lives. . . .
"We
are encouraged to study, read, and talk in the sukkah,
but only if it can be done
comfortably. There is a general principle that you should
rejoice in the sukkah, not
suffer
in it. . ." (p.126-127).
The Essence of the Holy Days, by
Avraham Yaakov Finkel, tells us further:
"In the autumn of the year, after the
harvest has been gathered, when a man's thoughts
tend
to focus on the rich profits he has garnered, and his dreams of acquiring
mansions
and
estates, the Torah tells the Jew to build a sukkah,
to exchange his solid home for
a
frail, makeshift dwelling. The sukkah is a reminder of the huts in which God
made
the
children of Israel live during their forty-year journey through the wilderness
and of
the
Clouds of Glory that protected them on their wanderings. As a Jew sits in the sukkah,
under
the shelter of the s'chach, surrounded
by family and friends, he cannot help but
feel
God's sheltering Hand enveloping him.
His spirit soars as he realizes that material
possessions
offer no security, and that the shield of faith is the only protection he can
rely
on" (p.79-80).
The first lesson of the sukkah is the lesson of God's Presence and sheltering
Hand. The sukkah
reminds us of our total and complete dependence on God throughout our lives,
and our need for His divine Presence on a continual basis.
The
First Secret of the Sukkah
In Celebrate the Feasts, Martha
Zimmerman points out that "Sukkot" was the
name of a city or town -- and was the first "stopping off" place for
the Israelites as they left the land of Egypt (Exo.12:37). We also read of a place named
"Succoth" in Canaan. This was
the city where, we read, "And Jacob journeyed to Succoth; and built for
himself a house, and made booths [sukkot] for
his livestock, therefore the place is named Succoth" (Gen.33:17). Today, we might refer to such a city as
"Booth City" or "City of Booths," or "City of
Shelters."
Why does God command that we build
make-shift, fragile, temporary "booths" or "huts" during
the Feast? What is the lesson in
this? There is a very special, deep, and
profoundly meaningful lesson in the sukkah. Notice!
Martha Zimmerman writes:
"While the Israelites were wandering
the desert with nothing -- not even the ability
to
provide for their own basic needs -- they had to recognize and rely on God as
the
means
of their survival. He provided manna for
food (Exo.16:4-16), clouds for
shelter
(Exodus 33:4-17; Numbers 9:15-23), water to drink (Exodus 15:22-25; 17:5-7;
Num.20:7-12),
and conditions to prevent their clothing from deteriorating (Deut.29:5).
His
sukkot -- protection -- inspired in
them the faith that they would reach the designated
Land,
as promised.
"Once
they arrived, they planted and harvested foodstuffs, built houses, dug wells,
and
wove
and sewed garments. But they were not to
then feel that they were self-sufficient.
All
they created and enjoyed, while developed through their own efforts, was no
less
provided
by God than the desert sustenance had been.
Though much more obvious in
times
of want, the booths they lived in for a week each year were reminders of how
they
began,
and that regardless of their state, whatever they had came from the Supreme
Pro-
vider and Protector.
As Torah warned when this was readily recognized, 'When you later
have
prosperity, be careful that you do not say to yourself, "It was my own
strength and
personal
power that brought me all this."
You must remember that it is God your Lord
Who
gives you the power to become prosperous' (Deuteronomy 8:17-18)" (Celebrate
the
Feasts,
p.216).
The lesson of the "sukkah"
is that God is our true eternal shelter.
His protection and providence is a daily need for each one of us. He is the canopy over our heads, and our true
protection from the vicissitudes of life.
God is our Protector.
True protection does not come from
four walls, whether they are concrete or wood, or steel-reinforced. The solid walls of the homes of the Jews in
Germany or the Warsaw ghetto did not protect them from the ravages of Nazi
persecution and Hitler's death camps. In
one moment, fire, flood, hurricane, or tornado can rip apart a solidly built
construction, and deal death to its inhabitants.
Zimmerman goes on:
"It was an important lesson. Generations after the Israelite settled the
Land,
their
'permanent' homes were destroyed because they failed to keep the conditions
of
the covenant . . . and they again became homeless wanderers. The shelter they
'owned,'
wherever in the world they went, was the feeling of protection, a belief
in
God's guardianship that provided a sense of security much stronger and much
more
durable than any tangible structure. . . .
"Likewise,
living in a sukkah today teaches us
that the firmest foundation is not
cinder
block or stone but faith in God. Did a
wall ever stop a Crusader, or Cossak?
Is
real security sitting shut up in a house, insulated from problems around
you -- like
the
Jews of South Africa today, behind barbed wire and walls guarded by killer
dogs?
In
one instant, fire, flood, earthquake or hurricane can destroy what we think of
as
shelter. Despite barbed windows, deadbolted
doors, and alarm systems, intruders can
enter
our homes and walk out with all our valuables -- including our lives. At best,
the
roofs over our heads and walls around us are temporary physical safeguards.
"When
we realize how transient material possessions are, how fragile life situations
can
be, we gain a profound appreciation for whatever we have received and how much
we
owe for those blessings. . . .
"A
Jew, with blessings for every aspect of life, is someone constantly aware of
God's
role
and grateful for what He provides and, whether viewing it as good or bad,
believing
it
is ultimately for the best. In the sukkah, sitting under its airy branches of s'khakh (its
covering),
we look (sahkah) up and out, 'seeing' God's
provision for us, a model for
our
own responsibilities in the world" (p.216-217).
True security comes only from God in
heaven.
Therefore, the sukkah
built during the Feast of Tabernacles is to remind us of the true "sukkah" of God's protection, and our dependence and
reliance upon Him for safety and survival.
God delivered His people from Egypt in fragile, flimsy, sukkahs (literally, sukkot -- the
Hebrew plural), built of branches of trees and leafy boughs -- teaching us and
reminding us of the transitory fragility of human life, and how utterly
dependent we truly are upon the living God.
God's
Sukkah -- Our Divine Shelter
Mitch and Zhava
Glaser in The Fall Feasts of Israel declare:
"The impermanent, vulnerable, leafy
shelters were to remind the Israelites of God's
faithfulness
during their forty years of wandering in the desert. The booths symbolized
man's
need to depend on God for His provision of food, water and shelter. . .
"In
ancient Israel, booths were in common use throughout the land. The Hebrew word
sukkah originally meant 'woven.' Temporary shelters were woven together from
branches
and
leaves to protect livestock (Gen.33:17), to provide resting places for warriors
during
battle
(II Samuel 11:11), to shelter watchers in the vineyard (Isaiah 1:8), and to
protect
the
people from the incessant heat of the merciless Middle-Eastern sun. During harvest
time,
Israelite fields were dotted with such booths, woven hastily together as
temporary
homes
for the harvesters" (p.157).
Rabbi Irving Greenberg declares in
his fascinating book The Jewish Way:
"The sukkah,
the booth, is the central symbol of the ancient Israelites' trust and hope
for
forty years in the desert. The Hebrews
left the protection of man-made thick
walls
to
place themselves under the protection of God.
Exposed to dangerous natural conditions
and
hostile roving bands, they placed their confidence in the divine concern, which
is
the
only true source of security. . . .
"The
halachic requirements for the construction of a sukkah attempt to capture the
fragility
and openness of the booths. . . By deliberately giving up solid construction,
Jews
admit their vulnerability and testify that the ultimate trust is in the DIVINE
shelter
[that
is, in God Himself]" (p.99).
The Sukkah -- A Symbol of Faith
Avraham Yaakov Finkel in The Essence
of the Holy Days: Insights from the
Jewish Sages, tells us more about the sukkah
experience. He relates --
"The sukkah
is a reminder of the huts in which God made the children of Israel
live
during their forty-year journey through the wilderness and of the Clouds of
Glory
that protected them on their wanderings.
As a Jew sits in the sukkah, under
the
shelter of the s'chach [roof],
surrounded by family and friends, he cannot help
but
feel God's sheltering Hand enveloping him. His spirit soars as he realizes that
true
happiness is found only in the eternal values of Torah and mitzvot,
that material
possessions
offer no security, and that THE SHIELD OF FAITH is the only protection
he
can rely on. He is aware that, like his
stay in the sukkah, life on earth is
unstable
and
transitory. Gazing at the stars
shimmering through the greenery of the s'chach,
he experiences a closeness to God that is
almost palpable. This nearness to God is
the
source
of his simchah, the exhilarating
gladness that is the hallmark of Sukkot" (p.80).
The primary purpose of building the Sukkah
during the Feast of Sukkot, and to "dwell"
in it, is to teach us the lesson of LIVING BY FAITH -- faith in God as our
shield, guardian, protector, sustainer, and provider! He is the God who both sees and comprehends
our situation, our needs, our utter and complete dependence upon Him! Literally, in the Hebrew to "dwell"
in the sukkah means to "sit" in it. To spend time in it, meditating on God and
His Providence!
In The Jewish Holy Days: Their Spiritual Significance, by Moshe A.
Braun, we are told that God spreads over us His sukkah
of peace.
"The sukkah
is God's refuge. It brings us back to
fulfillment, wholesomeness,
harmony, and peace, all of which are found