Feast of Booths: God’s Grace Remembered

Discover the Feast of Booths, a major Jewish festival where Israel built temporary shelters to remember God’s grace during forty years in the wilderness. This harvest celebration emphasized gratitude and divine provision.

Feast of Booths

The Feast of Booths was observed for one week beginning on the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the Jewish calendar (the month of Tishri, corresponding to September–October in the solar calendar). It is one of the three major Jewish festivals—along with Passover and the Feast of Weeks. This period fell close to the autumnal equinox on the solar calendar. During this time, the people of Israel built temporary shelters (booths) on their rooftops, in the wilderness, or in their fields, and dwelt in them for a week to observe the festival. For this reason, it is also known as the “Feast of Tabernacles.” Because these shelters were constructed from grass and tree branches, it came to be called the “Feast of Booths” as well [40] And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. [41] You shall celebrate it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. [42] You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, [43] that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.” (Lev 23:40-43, ESV). The practice of building booths and living in them during the festival carried the meaning of remembering and giving thanks for the grace of God that sustained Israel through forty years of life in the wilderness. Furthermore, because the Feast of Booths was observed after the harvested produce had been stored in barns, it was also called the “Feast of Ingathering” [16] You shall keep the Feast of Harvest, of the firstfruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You shall keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor. (Exod 23:16; 34:22, ESV). Since this festival came after the earlier Feast of Firstfruits and the Feast of Weeks and served as the final harvest thanksgiving of the year, it was larger in scale and celebrated more grandly than the other festivals [16] Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths. (Zech 14:16, 18, ESV).

Customs

The Mishnah, the written record of Jewish oral law, provides a detailed account of the customs observed during the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). When the Feast of Tabernacles arrived, Israelite men would build a sukkah (booth) near Jerusalem in which they would dwell for one week. Women and children were not obligated to reside in the sukkah. The booths were constructed from branches of palm trees, willows, and myrtle, with some branches used to decorate the sukkah itself. Each day, the *Hallel Psalms (Ps 113–118) were sung, and when the words “Give thanks to the LORD” in Psalm 118:25 were reached, the worshippers would wave these branches, expressing their longing for God’s salvation. Throughout this period, three special ceremonies were celebrated with great solemnity each day.

할렐루야(Hallelujah)

1) Every morning, a ceremony of offering water to God was performed.

In particular, on the morning of the first day of the feast, the priests would go to the Pool of Siloam accompanied by the sound of trumpets and draw water for seven days in an elaborate ceremony. During this time, the pilgrims sang the Hallel psalms, and as the priestly procession carried the water back and circled the altar, the pilgrims waved palm branches and willow branches in their hands, crying out loudly, “Save us, we pray!” Afterward, the priests offered water and wine to God from two silver bowls at the altar. This water-pouring ceremony was repeated daily throughout the entire feast, and on the seventh and final day, the priestly procession circled the altar seven times. At that point, the pilgrims beat the ground with willow branches as a sign that the feast was drawing to a close.

2) The second event took place at night.

The priests lit four large lampstands, each with seven branches, and those in attendance danced in the light of the flames. The Levites sang the Songs of Ascents (Ps 120–134). The participants also sang one psalm on each of the fifteen steps as they descended from the Court of Israel into the Court of Women. This ceremony continued for nearly the entire night.

3) The third event took place at early dawn, at the time of sunrise.

The priests would go to the gate of the Temple, turn their backs to the sun, and face the Temple to the west, solemnly declaring, “Our ancestors faced east and worshiped the sun, but we turn our eyes to the Temple and worship the Lord.” This was performed every day throughout the seven days of the feast, and on the eighth day a solemn assembly was held. The Hallel was sung on this day as well. Then on the ninth day — the New Year according to the civil calendar — the annual cycle of Torah readings began. This day was therefore called Simchat Torah (“Joy of the Torah”).

Source: Dictionary of Biblical Cultural Background

Feast of Tabernacles, Jewish feasts, Thanksgiving, grace of God, biblical customs

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