Feast of Tabernacles Explained to Christians

Sukkot in the Bible

Exodus 23:16 mentions the three Feasts, in Deuteronomy 16:13 we read about the Feast of Tabernacles and the guidelines for the celebrations are written in Leviticus 23:40-44.

Linked to agriculture

Sukkot occurred in the fall harvest, therefore it was also observed as an agricultural event. Prayers for a rainy season are recited.

Different celebrations

Ashkenazi Jews wear a Kitel during this time. This is a Yiddish word for “smock”, a loose wide vestment that is worn on solemn occasion and on High Holidays.

The color white closely associates with atonement and purity.

In Sephardic congregations the Shofar (ram’s horn) is blown. In the weeks before these High Holidays you can hear people practicing their skill on the Shofar .

The season of rejoicing

Sukkot is a week of rejoicing beginning on the 15th of the Jewish month of Tishrei , the date of the first full moon after the autumnal equinox. This year, 2007, it is celebrated from September 26 – October 4.

The festival is “the season of our rejoicing”, when Israelites eat their meals in a tabernacle or booth that is covered with boughs, (but with the sky showing through) in remembrance of the desert wanderings.

A week-long holiday

In the Diaspora (outside Israel) the first days are celebrated as full holidays (like a Sabbath). The last day (“the Eight Day of Solemn Assembly”) is also kept as a holiday, followed by Simhat Torah (Rejoicing of the Law). Thus in reality the holiday lasts nine days.

The days in between are called “ Hol ha Mo’ed ”, in which people are allowed to work, but the festival framework is maintained. It is a family oriented Feast, and most Israelis take a holiday.

Dwelling in the Sukkah

The holiday’s main observance involves “dwelling” in the sukkah (booth). The concept of thanksgiving for the harvest remains central, symbolized by the fruits (real or artificial) that decorate the Sukkot (one sukkah , two Sukkot ).

Some say the American Pilgrim fathers were influenced by the Jewish observance of Sukkot , from which Thanksgiving Day came.

The first sukkah

The first Sukkot built in the wilderness were probably made from the branches of the acacia (Lotus) tree. This tree grows in the desert wadis where floodwaters provide the necessary moisture. The Ark of the Covenant was made of acacia wood.

Once in the Promised Land, the Israelites were able to use the trees of the forest to build Sukkot , as we can read in Nehemiah 8:15. The Bible mentions olive, pine, myrtle, and palm branches.