Chol Hamoed Sukkot

Intermediate Days of Sukkot

Leviticus 23:39

On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you gather in the crops of the land, you shall celebrate HaShem’s festival for a seven-day period; the first day is a rest day and the eighth day is a rest day. You shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of a citron tree, the branches of date palms, twigs of a plaited tree and brook willows, and you shall rejoice before HaShem, your G-d, for a seven-day period.

Sukkot is the last of the three festivals during which the Jewish people were to come up to Jerusalem and rejoice before Him. All three represent G-d’s love for Israel as a nation and for all nations.

Passover is remembered as the day of our freedom. On Shavuot we are reminded of the giving of the Torah. Sukkot reminds us of our miraculous passage in the wilderness where G-d preserved us in the “booths of glory” (cloud of glory).

Also, Sukkot is the harvest festival celebrating the end of the agricultural year before winter is upon us.

In ancient days, seventy bulls were sacrificed during the holiday as a way to bring blessings to the other nations. Moreover, Zechariah wrote that in the Messianic age, all nations would make an annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem to observe this Feast of Tabernacles or they would have no rain for the coming season (Zech 14:16).

There are many symbols of the Feast of Sukkot:

Booths, Sukkot, are to built and we are to “dwell” in them

The four species (Leviticus 23:40) are the lulav (palm branch), which represents the spine, the myrtle representing the eye, the willow that represents the mouth and the citron (etrog) representing the heart.

All these together represent one united people who say, “All my bones shall say, Lord who is like you!” (Psalm 35:10).

The sages say that these four species not only represent parts of the body, but different attitudes and degrees of observing G-d’s commandments.

All these types of people though, are enjoined to “sup” with G-d in His Sukkah. There shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a cover from the storm and from rain (Isaiah 4:6).

One tradition during this season is called ushpizin, in which Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David and Aaron are invited to come into the sukkah.

We are enjoined to invite our neighbors, the public, to our synagogues to show G-d’s love, for it was His love, (clouds of glory) which brought us forth through the wilderness.

Now, Yeshua is our Rock. His living water (mayim chayim) is available to all. The King is inviting all who would come to sup and drink freely from the well of salvation, which will never run out (Luke 14:16-23, John 4:14).

Shalom U’Bracha

Rabbi Z

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