Leviticus 23:33 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the children of Israel, saying
34 The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the Lord.
35 On the first day there shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it. 36 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….
39 And on the fifteenth day of the seventh 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. 40 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 you God for seven days. 41 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. 42 You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, 43 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.
Deuteronomy 16:13 You shall observe the Feast of Tabernacles seven days, when you have gathered from your threshing floor and from your winepress. 14 And you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant and the Levite, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are within your gates. 15 Seven days you shall keep a sacred feast to the Lord your God in the place which the Lord chooses because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you surely rejoice.
This Feast of Tabernacles is known as the Feast of Ingathering, for they are ingathering or harvesting the fall fruit or produce before winter sets in. It is a time of celebration and thanksgiving for the bountiful harvest.
The Feast of Tabernacles is known as the Feast of Booths or Sukkot. It is celebrated for eight days from 15-22 Tishri of the Jewish calendar. The Georgian calendar it fall around September or October. The eighth day, or last day of the Feast, is called Shimi Atzeret. It represents the time of restored fellowship with the Lord. It symbolizes our dependence upon God’s care and sustenance. Therefore this is the time to pray for rain for the next year.
This Feast marks the climax of the religious year Feasts when a thankful people entered fully in the anticipation of the promises. They are resting fully in the God who had supplied their needs in the wilderness after leaving Egypt and the next forty years, His sheltering them, His presence in guiding them, and His provision. It is a time of celebration of being restored to God after the Golden Calf incident.
They added a ninth day on 23 Tishri, called Simchat Torah or the Joy of the Torah. It is the day when the readings of the Torah start over. This Feast is celebrated eight days in Israel, but everywhere else it is nine days.
It is also called the Season of Joy or z’man simchateinu in Hebrew. Or the Festival of Joy & Happiness. It is called this because of the rejoicing that the people are to be doing at this Feast. They are rejoicing because it is the end of the fall fruit harvest. They are in thanksgiving for the bounty they received from the Lord and for His protection for them.
They are “living” in these booths or Sukkots that were made from tree branches. These booths reminded them of God’s care and provision in the wilderness after leaving Egypt. These sukkah are only temporary shelter. The roof is where one could see through it because it was made from branches and leaves and one could see the stars. These booths were made from fruit from beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook. It was a temporary shelter reminding us of the temporary shelter of our mortal bodies.
John 1:14
NKJV And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
TLV And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us. We looked upon His glory, the glory of the one and only from the Father full of grace and truth.
Jesus tabernacled or dwelt, among us to teach us the Word spoken from Our Father’s mouth.
Psalm 118 Messianic Psalm
The last Sunday when Jesus entered into Jerusalem before His death has became known as Palm Sunday. It is called that because some people had threw palm branches out onto the road before Jesus. This event is described in all four Gospels of the New Testament. (Matthew 21:8-9; Luke19:38: John 12:13) Jesus was greeted by shouts of Hosanna in the Highest! They were asking Him to save them and giving Him praise as their Redeemer (Psalm 118:25-26).
(Sukkah 51 a-b) Simchat Beit HaShovah; the joy of the house of (water) drawing; Kohanim (‘priests’) would pour on the altar during Sukkot, beseeching God for rain during the upcoming winter. Torches lit, music playing, singing, and dancing; asking God for rain during winter. After water ceremony, during the evening, a special festival called Simchat Bet HaShoevah, “happiness of the house of the water-drawing,” occurs. During this time, four towering menorahs are lit. Priests put on a “light show,” performing “torch dances” while Levites sang and played music.
According to the Messianic Jews, it is during this festival that Jesus stood up and stated in John:
2 Now the Jews’ feast of Tabernacles was at hand. 37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.
John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life/
Zechariah 14:16 And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
The feast of Tabernacles is a Feast of the Lord that will be a continual feast, even after Jesus returns.