Welcome to House of Israel’s Sukkoth Service Thank you for joining us.

1. Welcome to House of Israel’sSukkoth ServiceThank you for joining us.

2. A Word about the Annual MoadimThe Difference between a Moed and a ChagMoed = Appointed Time, appointmentChag = Pilgrimage (Festival), to dance, celebrate There are 3 annual Chaggim, but 7 annual Moadim

3. The So-Called "Seven Festivals of Messiah."  Pesak (Passover) ChagHaMatzah (Unleavend Bread) Bikkurim (First Fruits) Chag Shavuot (Feast of Pentecost) Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets) Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) ChagHaSukkot (Feast of Tabernacles)

4. The "Seven Festivals of Messiah."  This is a misnomer based on a misunderstanding of the Hebrew term chag.  Actually, as anyone can see by reading through Vayiqra 23 and its parallel in Devarim 16, there are only three annual chags (pilgrim feasts) while there are seven annual set apart appointment days of worship.

5. The Three Biblical Feasts Feast of Unleavened Bread Feast of Pentecost Feast of Tabernacles The Seven Annual Holy Days 1st, 7th day of 1st month, 50th day of counting, 1st, 10th, 15th, 22nd day of 7th month

6. ChagHaSukkot The Feast of Tabernacles The Time of Our Joy

7. *Introduction to the Feast of Tabernacles *Do Only Native Born Israelites Need to Live in Booths? *Why Dwell in Booths? *What Do We Bring to the Feast? *What are the Four Items Mentioned? *What Is the Atmosphere For This Feast? *Has There Been a “Fulfillment” of Sukkot? *What Does the Feast of Sukkot Foreshadow About Our Future?

8. Introduction to the Feast of Tabernacles

9. Yehovahsaid to Mosheh, "Say to the sons of Yisrael: 'On the fifteenth day of the seventh month Yehovah'sFeast of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days.  The first day is a set apart proclamation (miqraqodesh); do no regular work (melachah).  For seven days present offerings made to Yehovahby fire, and on the eighth day hold a set apart proclamation and present an offering made to Yehovahby fire. It is the closing proclamation; do no regular work. (Leviticus 23:33-36)

10. So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the pilgrim feast of Yehovahfor seven days; the first day is a day of rest (shabbaton), and the eighth day also is a day of rest (shabbaton).  On the first day you are to take choice fruit from the trees, and palm fronds, leafy branches and poplars, and rejoice before Yehovahyour Elohim for seven days.  (Vayiqra [Leviticus] 23:39-43)

11. Do Only Native Born Israelites Need to Live in Booths During the Festival of Succoth?

12. 42Live in booths for seven days: All native-born sons of Yisrael are to live in booths (Vayikra [Leviticus] 23) Read inclusively, not exclusively Were all those who lived in booths in the wilderness native-born Israelites? What about the mixed throng? The Egyptians who joined them? There is one Torah for the native born and for the alien.

13. Why Dwell in Booths?

14. Celebrate this as a pilgrim festival to Yehovahfor seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month.  Live in booths for seven days: All native-born sons of Yisrael are to live in booths so your descendants will know that I had the sons of Yisrael live in booths when I brought them out of Mitzrayim. I am Yehovahyour Elohim. (Vayiqra [Leviticus] 23:39-43)

15. The Exodus During the night Pharaoh summoned Mosheh and Aharon and said, "Up! Leave my people, you and the sons of Yisrael! Go, worship Yehovahas you have requested.  Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me."  The Mitzrites urged the people to hurry and leave the country. "For otherwise," they said, "we will all die!"  So the people took their dough before the yeast was added, and carried it on their shoulders in kneading troughs wrapped in clothing.  (Shemot 12:31-37)

16. The Exodus The sons of Yisrael did as Mosheh instructed and asked the Mitzrites for articles of silver and gold and for clothing.  Yehovahhad made the Mitzrites favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Mitzrites.  The sons of Yisrael journeyed from Rameses to Sukkoth. There were about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. (Shemot 12:31-37)

17. The Hebrew word sukkot is the plural form of the word sukkah, (Hebrew, hK'su ) which means a thicket, a booth made of inter-woven boughs.  This booth could be a shelter in the field for cattle, a shelter for workers in the field at harvest time, or for men in battle, or a shelter from the sun.

18. Live in booths (Heb. tKoïSu or "sukkot") for seven days: All native-born sons of Yisrael are to live in booths so your descendants will know that I had the sons of Yisrael live in booths when I brought them out of Mitzrayim. I am Yehovahyour Elohim.'" (Vayiqra 23:42-43) 

19. By day Yehovahwent ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people. (Shemot 13:21-22)

20. In all the travels of the sons of Yisrael, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out-- until the day it lifted.  So the cloud of Yehovahwas over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Yisrael during all their travels. (Shemot 40:36-38)

21. Take up your stake and follow me Greek stauros, stake, pole “cross”

22. ChagHaSukkot lasts for seven days.  But an additional day following the feast is another set-apart day.  This last day is an tr<c,ä[] (pronounced atzeret), which is usually translated as assembly.  But this word comes from the root word rc[; which means to restrain, to detain, to retain.  While this day does include an assembly for the purpose of miqra (proclamation), the word atzeret is referring to the need to be detained for yet one more day of worshipping Elohim.  It is like a bookend, marking the end of the festival season.

23. What Do We Bring to the Feast?

24. So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the pilgrim feast of Yehovahfor seven days… (Leviticus 23:39)

25. Three times a year all your men must appear before Yehovahyour Elohim at the place he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles. No man should appear before Yehovahempty-handed: Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way Yehovahyour Elohim has blessed you.(Deut 16:16-17)

26. Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year.  Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of Yehovahyour Elohim at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere Yehovahyour Elohim always.  Deut 14:22-23

27. But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by Yehovahyour Elohim and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where Yehovahwill choose to put his Name is so far away), then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place Yehovahyour Elohim will choose.  (Deut 14:24-25)

28. Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of Yehovahyour Elohim and rejoice.  And do not neglect the Lewites living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own. (Deut 14:26-27)

29. What Is the Atmosphere For This Feast?

30. We are to Rejoice at this Feast “The Time of our Rejoicing” Hebrewxm;f', (samach)

31. Celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor and your winepress.  Be joyful at your Feast-- you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Lewites, the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns.  For seven days celebrate the Feast to Yehovahyour Elohim at the place Yehovahwill choose. For Yehovahyour Elohim will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete.  (Deut 16:13-15)

32. 17 You must not eat in your own towns the tithe of your grain and new wine and oil, or the firstborn of your herds and flocks, or whatever you have vowed to give, or your freewill offerings or special gifts. 18Instead, you are to eat them in the presence of Yehovahyour Elohim at the place Yehovahyour Elohim will choose-- you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites from your towns-- and you are to rejoice before Yehovahyour Elohim in everything you put your hand to. (Deuteronomy 12)

33. A Look into Our Future: Isaiah 30 27 See, the Name of Yehovah comes from afar, with burning anger and dense clouds of smoke; his lips are full of wrath, and his tongue is a consuming fire. 28His breath is like a rushing torrent, rising up to the neck. He shakes the nations in the sieve of destruction; he places in the jaws of the peoples a bit that leads them astray. 29And you will sing as on the night you celebrate a holy festival; your hearts will rejoice as when people go up with flutes to the mountain of Yehovah, to the Rock of Yisrael.

34. What are the Four Items Mentioned?

35. So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the pilgrim feast of Yehovahfor seven days; the first day is a day of rest, and the eighth day also is a day of rest.  On the first day you are to take choice fruit from the trees, and palm fronds, leafy branches and poplars, and rejoice before Yehovahyour Elohim for seven days.  (Vayiqra [Leviticus] 23:39-43)

36. The instruction is to take choice fruit from the trees, and palm fronds, leafy branches and poplars, and rejoice before Yehovahyour Elohim for seven days.  Literally, the Hebrew of this verse reads, "take fruit of ornamented (plump, swollen) trees, palms of palm trees, and branches of leafy trees, and poplars of the wadi, and rejoice before Yehovah....“ (Lev 23:39)

37. The Rabbis call the four items named above "the four species."  The choice fruit from the trees they interpret to be etrog (citron, similar to a lemon).  The palm fronds they identify as lulav.  The leafy branches they represent by the chadasim (myrtle).  And the poplars of the wadi they represent by the aravot(willows).  These four species are collectively represented by the Etrog and the Lulav (see picture).

39. The Celebration After Returning from Exile On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra the scribe to give attention to the words of the Law.  They found written in the Law, which Yehovahhad commanded through Mosheh, that the sons of Yisrael were to live in booths during the feast of the seventh month and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Yerushalayim:

40. The Celebration After Returning from Exile "Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade trees, to make booths"-- as it is written.  So the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves booths on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of Elohim and in the square by the Water Gate and the one by the Gate of Ephraim.

41. The Celebration After Returning from Exile The whole company that had returned from exile built booths and lived in them. From the days of Yehoshuason of Nun until that day, the sons of Yisrael had not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great.  Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of Elohim. They celebrated the feast for seven days, and on the eighth day, in accordance with the regulation, there was an assembly. (Nehemiah 8:13-18)

42. Has There Been a “Fulfillment” of Sukkot?

43. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. (Yochanan 1:14, NIV) The phrase, "made his dwelling" is actually a translation of the Greek word, skay-no-o, which means "to tabernacle."  Skay-no-o translates into Greek the Hebrew word, sukkah, which means "tabernacle," or "temporary shelter."  Young's Literal Translation accurately renders this verse: And the Word became flesh, and did tabernacle among us.

44. Luke 2:1-7  In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.  (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)  And everyone went to his own town to register.  So Yoseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Yehudah, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 

45. He went there to register with Miryam, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.  While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

46. Luke 2:8-14  And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of Yehovahappeared to them, and the glory of Yehovahshone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Messiah the Master.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." 

47. Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising Elohim and saying,  "Glory to Elohim in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."  When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which Yehovahhas told us about."  So they hurried off and found Miryam and Yoseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.

48. The word manger is the Greek word phatnay.  It is the same word translated as "stall“ or “stable” in Luke 13:15, where Yeshuaanswered the Pharisees, "You hypocrites! Doesn't each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall (Gr. fa,tnh) and lead it out to give it water?"  It is obvious that both of these passages are referring to the shelter where animals are kept.

49. The Hebrew term for stall or stable is succah. Genesis 33:17 Ya'akov, however, went to Sukkoth, where he built a place for himself and made shelters (Hebrew, sukkot, which is the plural of sukkah) for his livestock. That is why the place is called Sukkoth. The baby was laying in a sukkah! Why?

50. What Does the Feast of Sukkot Foreshadow About Our Future?