Sukkot is a God-appointed holiday we are to celebrate for seven days from the 15th day of the month of Tishrei. It is one of three Jewish holidays that require a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. It would make sense that the Romans used it to take a census when all Jewish people were journeying to Jerusalem. A census required everyone to return to the place of their birth to be registered. Sukkot would have been a perfect time for people to stop at their birthplaces on their way to Jerusalem. We can imagine that adjacent cities – like Bethlehem – were filled with more people than they could accommodate.
The names used in the Torah are Chag HaAsif, translated to “Festival of Ingathering” or “Harvest Festival”, and Chag HaSukkot, translated to “Festival of Booths”. This corresponds to the double significance of Sukkot. The one mentioned in the Book of Exodus is agricultural in nature—”Festival of Ingathering at the year’s end” (Exodus 34:22) and marks the end of the harvest time and thus of the agricultural year in the Land of Israel. The more elaborate religious significance from the Book of Leviticus is that of commemorating the Exodus and the dependence of the People of Israel on the will of God (Leviticus 23:42-43). It is also sometimes called the “Feast of Tabernacles.”
The “Feast of Booths” commonly goes by another name, “The Season of our Joy”, for joy predominates on this holiday more than any other. Jewish people around the world construct “sukkot”, frail huts or booths that remind them of God’s provision and their dependence on Him. Each “sukkah” has a roof made with tree branches or lattice work, because they must be able to see the stars through the roof. It has to have at least three walls that are made of plywood or canvas. Jews give up the luxury of their homes to spend seven days and nights living in these “booths”.
They remember the presence and protection of God during the desert days, the cloud of glory that protected them from all natural threats of the wilderness, sun, sandstorms, scorpions and snakes during the day, and the pillar of fire that shielded them against the cold and lit their way at night.
Sukkot is a harvest celebration. It’s a blessing to invite families, friends, neighbors and even strangers who do not have a sukkah of their own.
There are two Jewish structures that are designed to be temporary – the Sukkah and the Chuppah. The former is up for our most joyous holiday, Sukkot, and the latter for the wedding couple to stand under during their wedding ceremony. Both of them teach us about happiness and how to live our lives to the fullest.
Along with the actual guests, religiously observant Jews also welcome seven heavenly guests — the “ushpizin”. These seven are the biblical characters Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph and David.
As the prophet Zechariah predicts, the whole world will keep the “Feast of Sukkot” in the last days. “Finally, everyone remaining from all the nations that came to attack Jerusalem will go up every year to worship the king, Adonai Tzva’ot, and to keep the festival of Sukkot.”
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