I. What Holiday Observes

Sukkot is an eight day period of rejoicing in commemoration of the Lord's manifest presence and faithfulness to Israel during the 40 year wandering through the wilderness. Although not as prominent in the celebration, also rejoicing in the Lord's goodness and provision shown through the completion of the harvest, which gives rise to the alternate name of Chag HaAsif, the Festival of Ingathering, for Sukkot. It is also referred to as Zeman Simkhateinu, the Season of our Rejoicing.

II. When Celebrated

The Festival of Sukkot begins on Tishri 15, the fifth day after Yom Kippur. Sukkot lasts for seven days.

N.B. The two days following the festival are separate holidays, Shemini Atzeret and Simkhat Torah.

III. Historical Setting/Background

In addition to commemorating the 40 year wilderness trek, Sukkot marks the end of a long harvest, the time of year when farmers finish their work for that season; it is also the beginning of the winter (hopefully) rainy season. Traditionally, this was the time for setting aside one's tithes and offerings to be carried to the Temple for this pilgrimage feast; for setting aside grapes for making raisins and wine; for olives to be picked and pressed into oil; for fruits to be eaten or stored. For this reason, Sukkot is also known as Chag HaAsif, the Festival of Ingathering. The Torah says: "You shall celebrate the festival of ingathering, at the end of the year, when you gather in your labors out of the field." Exodus 23:16.

To celebrate their hard work, the farmers and their families would go to the Temple in Jerusalem to offer thanks to the Lord for the harvest. Upon arrival, they built sukkot to remember how the children of Israel lived in the desert during their sojourn in the wilderness. The pilgrims lived in them for seven days while they celebrated around Jerusalem.

In Biblical times, Sukkot was considered to be the most important festival. It was actually referred to as HaChag, "The Festival." See Kings 12:32. King Solomon chose Sukkot as the holiday during which he consecrated the First Temple. It was also the occasion every seven years for the ceremony hak'heil, the public reading of the Torah before the whole people. See Deuteronomy 31:10-13.

Sukkot is to be the festival of the future, when, in the Messianic period, all nations will come to Jerusalem and celebrate. See Zechariah 14:16 and Revelation 21:1-8.

IV. Significance

1. Traditional Significance
   
   In addition to the objects of the traditional observance, the prophet Zechariah spoke of the end of days, when Israel and the nations would together celebrate Sukkot. This day of restoration will take place after the time of Jacob's distress. See Jeremiah 30:7 and Mathew 24:21. Israel will be restored both spiritually and nationally. Her enemies will be crushed, and Messiah, having returned, will reign over all the earth. See Zechariah 14:9. The Lord will command the faithful among the Gentiles to come to Jerusalem and celebrate Sukkot. See Zechariah 14:16 and Revelation 21:1-8.
   
   
2. Messianic Significance
   
   
   1. During Sukkot, Yeshua is noted to have said:
      
      
      1. "Now on the last day of the festival, Hoshana Rabbah, Yeshua stood and cried out, 'If anyone is thirsty, let him keep coming to me and drinking! Whoever puts his trust in me, as the Scripture says, rivers of living water will flow from his inmost being! (Now he said this about the Spirit, whom those who trusted in him were to receive later -- the Spirit had not yet been given, because Yeshua had not yet been glorified.)" John 7:37-39. See also Joel 2:28 ("… I will pour out my Spirit on all humanity. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions").
         
         
      2. After the Temple Lighting Ceremony, in which the Mishna says; "There was no courtyard in Jerusalem that was not lit up with the light." Sukkah 5:3, "Yeshua spoke to them again: 'I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light which gives life.'". John 8:12.
         
         
   2. "The Word became a human being [Yeshua] and lived with us, and we saw his Sh'khinah, the Sh'khinah of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth." John 1:14
      
      
   3. Sukkot, as the feast of ingathering, is the most appropriate time for the Lord to gather the harvest of Believers to His Kingdom. Ultimately, the whole earth will become the Lord's sukkah and He will reign for all eternity. See Zechariah 14:16 and Revelation 21:1-8.
      
      
3. Individual and Corporate Significance
   
   It is a time for us, as a congregation, to come together to rejoice in and to acknowledge the Lord's provision for us in our own lives; it is also a time to remember to take comfort in and to look forward the Lord's Kingdom being manifest on earth and being gathered before Him in His presence to worship.

V. Observance

1. Temple Times
   
   
   1. General Again, Sukkot is also the third of the shalosh regalim, pilgrimage holidays, when it was the custom of Jews everywhere to converge onto Jerusalem every Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot.
      
      Upon arrival in Jerusalem, attention was focused on building sukkot by the thousands. All were located within a Sabbath's day journey to the Temple. At sunset of Erev Sukkot, the shofar was sounded to announce the arrival of The Feast.
      
      
   2. The Water-Libation Ceremony
      
      The Mishna describes a major ceremony of Sukkot, called the Ceremony of the water drawing - in Hebrew called - Nissuch HaMayim, and is rooted in the agricultural nature of the feast as the hope for rain in the winter season was a prominent feature in the celebration of Sukkot.
      
      The water-drawing ceremony was a joyous occasion. The Levitical priest would draw water from the pool of Siloam in a special golden pitcher. He would be joined by a crowd of people who would return with him to the Temple - through the Water Gate.
      
      As the priest arrived - shofars would sound and he would pour the water on the great altar. The ceremony of the water-drawing held a significance much deeper than the agricultural implications. The rain represented the Holy Spirit, and the water drawing pointed to that day, when according to the prophet Joel, The Lord would rain His Spirit on Israel. See Joel 2:28. This ceremony took on an even greater meaning when Yeshua attended the feast as told in John 7:37-39 when He proclaimed that He would quench the thirsting of the soul.
   3. The Temple Lighting Ceremony
      
      Another ceremony of the Feast of Tabernacles was the Illumination of the Temple.
      
      At the end of the first day of Sukkot, the priests and Levites went down to the Court of the Women. Four golden candlesticks were set up in the court with four golden bowls placed on them - and would be lit. The light emanating from the candlesticks was so bright that the Mishna says; "There was no courtyard in Jerusalem that was not lit up with the light." Sukkah 5:3. The mood was very festive, people would dance well into the night holding torches and singing songs of praise to the Lord. The meaning of the lights was to symbolize the Shekinah, manifest presence, glory of the Lord that had once filled the Temple. Again this whole ceremony took on a new and greater meaning when Yeshua stood in the Temple, as recounted in John 8:12, and declared that He was the Light of the world, for in Him dwelt all the fullness of the glory of God. See Colossians 1:19. In Yeshua we see the fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles. See John 1:14. Yeshua is the Lord openly dwelling among men.
      
      
   4. The Hoshana Rabbah Ceremony
      
      On the final day of Sukkot, the Temple service ceremony reached its peak and is called Hoshana Rabbah, loosely translated as "the great cry to the Lord to please save us." This is marked by differences in the service. For example on this day the silver trumpets gave three sets of seven blasts whereas on the previous days the silver trumpets only gave three blasts; on this day the priests made seven circuits around the altar whereas on the other days only one was made.
      
      As the priests proceeded around the altar with their lulav, they cried, "Please, ADONAI! Save us! Please, ADONAI! Rescue us!" Psalm 118:25.
      
      Upon His entry into Jerusalem, as described in Matthew 21, the Crowds of people carpeted the road with their clothing, while others cut branches from trees and spread them on the road. The crowds ahead of him and behind shouted, "Please! Deliver us!" to the Son of David; "Blessed is he who comes in the name of ADONAI!" "You in the highest heaven! Please! Deliver us!"
      
      Matthew 21:8-9. As you can see, this has many parallels to Hoshana Rabbah.
      
      
2. Modern Day
   
   
   1. At Home - the Sukkah
      
      The festival of Sukkot is instituted in Leviticus 23:33. No work is permitted on the first and second days of the holiday. Work is permitted on the remaining days. These intermediate days on which work is permitted are referred to as Chol HaMo'ed, as are the intermediate days of Passover.
      
      In honor of the holiday's historical significance, we are commanded to dwell in temporary shelters, as our ancestors did in the wilderness. The commandment to "dwell" in a sukkah can be fulfilled by simply eating all of one's meals there; however, if the weather, climate, and one's health permit, one should live in the sukkah as much as possible, including sleeping in it.
      
      A sukkah must have at least three walls covered with a material that will not blow away in the wind. Canvas covering tied or nailed down is acceptable and quite common in the United States. A sukkah may be any size, so long as it is large enough for you to fulfill the commandment of dwelling in it. The roof of the sukkah must be made of material referred to as sekhakh, literally "covering." To fulfill the commandment, sekhakh must be something that grew from the ground and was cut off, such as tree branches, corn stalks, bamboo reeds, sticks, or two-by-fours. Sekhakh must be left loose, not tied together or tied down. Sekhakh must be placed sparsely enough that rain can get in, and preferably sparsely enough that the stars can be seen, but not so sparsely that more than ten inches is open at any point or that there is more light than shade. The sekhakh must be put on last.
      
      It is common practice, and highly commendable, to decorate the sukkah. In the northeastern United States, Jews commonly hang dried squash and corn in the sukkah to decorate it, because these vegetables are readily available at that time. Building and decorating a sukkah can be an immensely fun, family project.
      
      Many Americans, upon seeing a decorated sukkah for the first time, remark on how much the sukkah (and the holiday generally) reminds them of Thanksgiving. This is not entirely coincidental. Our American pilgrims, who originated the Thanksgiving holiday, were deeply religious people. When they were trying to find a way to express their thanks for their survival and for the harvest, they looked to the Bible for an appropriate way of celebrating and based their celebration in part on Sukkot. (Nifty facts they don't teach you in public school!)
      
      
   2. At Synagogue: the Four Species - Arba Minim
      
      Another observance related to Sukkot involves what are known as The Four Species or the lulav and etrog. We are commanded to take these four plants and use them to "rejoice before the Lord." The four species in question are an etrog (a citrus fruit native to Israel), a palm branch (in Hebrew, lulav), two willow branches (arava) and three myrtle branches (hadas). The six branches are bound together and referred to collectively as the lulav. The etrog is held separately. With these four species in hand, one recites a blessing and waves the species in all six directions (east, south, west, north, up and down, symbolizing the fact that the Lord is everywhere).
      
      The four species are also held during the Hallel prayer in religious services, and are held during processions around the bimah each day during the holiday. These processions commemorate similar processions around the altar of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem. The processions are known as Hoshanahs, because while the procession is made, we recite a prayer with the refrain, "Hosha na!" ("Please save us!"). On the seventh day of Sukkot, seven circuits are made. For this reason, the seventh day of Sukkot is known as Hoshanah Rabbah (the great Hoshanah).

VI. Helpful Resources

1. Messianic Services for the Festivals and Holy Days (4th ed.) by Dr. John Fisher, published by Menorah Ministries.
2. God's Appointed Times by Barney Kasden and published by Messianic Jewish Publishers.
3. Judaism 101 at http://www.jewfaq.org/
4. National Jewish Outreach Program at http://www.njop.org
5. Sacred Texts at http://www.sacred-texts.com
6. Jewish Home Advisor, Alfred J. Koltach, Jonathan David Publisher, Inc. (1998)
7. To Be a Jew, Hayim Halevy Donin, Basic Books (1991)