Today in the Bible

Tishrei 15, 5784; from sunset September 29, 2023, to sunset September 30, 2023

The Feast of Tabernacles

Today is the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles. The Feast of Tabernacles is also known as “The Feast of Booths” – “The Feast of the Ingathering” – or “Sukkot” – which is its Hebrew name.  A sukkah is a temporary structure – a booth – sukkot is the plural form of the word – booths.  The Feast of Tabernacles begins on the 15th day of the 7th month (Tishrei).  Over the next week, we’ll learn about other biblical events which have a connection to this feast; but, for today, let’s get an understanding what instructions God left in His Torah for how to observe this day.

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying:  `The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the LORD.

`On the first day there shall be a holy convocation.  You shall do no customary work on it.  For seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD.  On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD.  It is a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it.

`These are the feasts of the LORD which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire to the LORD, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a sacrifice and drink offerings, everything on its day–besides the Sabbaths of the LORD, besides your gifts, besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill offerings which you give to the LORD.

`Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the LORD for seven days; on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest.

`And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days.  You shall keep it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year.  It shall be a statute forever in your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month.

`You shall dwell in booths for seven days.  All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt:  I am the LORD your God.’”

So Moses declared to the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD. – Leviticus 23:33-44 (NKJ)

The verses above are from the 23^rd chapter of Leviticus.  It contains a list of God’s self-proclaimed holy days…His Appointed Times.  The Feast of Tabernacles is one of those times.  Let’s review His Appointed Times.

The calendar below shows how the month of Tishrei falls in the year 2023.  This year, the first day of Sukkot occurs on the regular Weekly Sabbath Day (from sundown of September 29th to sundown September 30th); but even if it was on a Monday or a Tuesday, it would still be a Sabbath Day.  God told Moses Sukkot would start on the 15th day of the 7th month and last for seven days.  The 1st day is a Sabbath Day and the 8th day is a Sabbath Day.  Wait, what?!  Sukkot is seven days long…but the eighth day is also a Sabbath Day?  Yep.  The day after the Feast of Sukkot is known as Shemini Atzeret, the Eighth Day Assembly, and it, too, is a special Sabbath day.

Feast of Ingathering

The Feast of Tabernacles is also referred to as the Feast of Ingathering in Exodus chapter 23.  It is one of the three pilgrimage festivals.

Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year: You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread (you shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt; none shall appear before Me empty); and the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field; and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field. Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD. – Exodus 23:14-17 (NKJ)

Read the Torah

Shortly before he died, Moses issued this command to the children of Israel:

And Moses commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, at the set time of the year of release, at the feast of booths, when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God at the place which he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing.

Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law, and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as you live in the land which you are going over the Jordan to possess.” – Deuteronomy 31:10-13 (RSV)

So, God’s instructions for the Feast of Tabernacles are:

• Build a sukkah and live in it to remember when you lived in the wilderness
• Make a pilgrimage; all males shall appear before the LORD
• Celebrate for seven days
• Rejoice before the LORD with the fruit and branches of leafy trees, willows, and palm
• The first day is a Sabbath, the eighth day is a Sabbath
• Bring the prescribed offerings
• Read the Torah to all the people every seven years

Let’s learn the proper greeting for the Feast of Sukkot:

“Chag Sukkot Sameach!”

(pronounced like “khog soo-coat sah-may-akh”)

Happy Feast of Sukkot!

---

[1] The Leviticus 23 translation used in this chart is from the New International Version.