No 7

(Sukkot)

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the

LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.” (Psa 91:1,2) The words of this Psalm capture the essence of one of Israel’s most beloved feasts; it is sometimes referred simply as The Feast. Sukkot or the feast of Tabernacles is a joyful holiday and was ordained by God to be celebrated at the end of the harvest season on the 15^th day of the month Tishri (September/ October); it lasts seven days. It was also called the feast of the Ingathering because God’s bounty and provision was clearly in view. It is also a commemorative feast to look back to the time when the children of Israel dwelt in temporary shelters or booths “And 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:” (Neh 8:14). But, most importantly, it commemorates the dwelling of the Shekinah glory of God amongst His people in the Tabernacle built during Moses’ time. When Jesus was on the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter made the strangest statement: “Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias: not knowing what he said.” (Luke 9 :33b). Peter was seeing what he thought was the Shekinah glory and found it fit to build dwellings for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, referring back to the time of the Tabernacle.

Interestingly, some modern Jewish families today actually celebrate Sukkot by building a booth-like structure in their back yards and living in it for a time. It is built according to rabbinical teaching and the booth must meet a certain“building code” to be acceptable. It has wooden walls and the roof is covered by branches and leaves enough to keep out the sun’s rays but without blocking out the view of the stars at night; it is decorated as attractively as possible. Jewish families are encouraged to eat all their meals in the booth during Sukkot; on the first night of the feast, eating in the booth is obligatory.