Hag Sukkot/Feast of Tabernacles
Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Yeshua stood and cried out, saying, "If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.’" But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Yeshua was not yet glorified (John 7:37-39).
Sukkot starts Wednesday evening, September 29th.-Oct.7th 2004. Sukkot means "booths." During the 40 years of wandering in the desert, we lived in "sukkot". We are commanded in the Torah ( first five books in the Bible ) regarding this holiday:
"You shall dwell in booths for seven days ... so that your generations will know that I caused the Children of Israel to dwell in booths when I took them out of Egypt, I am the Lord your God." (Leviticus 23:42-43)
Building My First Sukkah
I used mostly scrap lumber I asked that was left over from construction sites. I wanted to finish my sukkah's walls with lodge pole pines, however I ran out of time. It does allow for more sky viewing, so it turned out just fine.
The roof material S'chach is made from pine, and cedar branches. I also used fern, holly, Oregon grapes, and other broad green leafy plants.
Off to get my sleeping bag. Happy Sukkot ! Shalom
See more photo's at the Sukkah Gallery
We are commanded to make our Sukkah our main dwelling place - to eat, sleep, learn Torah and spend our time there. If one would suffer from being in a Sukkah - i.e. from rain or snow, illness, he is freed from the obligation to dwell there. Depending on climatic conditions, people try to at least eat in the Sukkah.
The love and enthusiasm you put into building a Sukkah and decorating it makes a big impact on your children. We cannot decree that our children have our love for our heritage. However, by showing them our delight and energy in the mitzvot, they build their own love for Torah and the holidays. A teacher once taught, "Parents only owe their children 3 things: example, example, example." It's NEVER to late to learn.
Isn't this just what the " Jews " do? Why should Christians do this?
Rom 2:28-29 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. Simply put, a Jew is a God Pleaser.
But all those OLD testament commandants were done away with when Jesus died on the cross. Right?
Do you follow the TEN Commandments? Do you believe our Father created all as in the book of Genesis?
WHICH LAWS STILL APPLY TO CHRISTIANS?
Lev 23:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.
The mitzvah of dwelling in the Sukkah teaches us trust in God. We tend to think that our possessions, our money, our homes, our intelligence will protect us. During Sukkot we are exposed to the elements in a temporary hut. Living in a Sukkah puts life into perspective. Our possessions are transient - and our corporeal beings are even more transient than our possessions. Life is vulnerable. Our history has borne out how transient are our homes and communities. No matter how well-established, wealthy and "secure" we have become in a host country, in the end it too has been a temporary dwelling. Our trust must be in God. We put our trust in God, not the governments of man or homeland security.
We are also commanded to wave the arbah minim, the Four Species, during the week-long holiday. There are many deep and mystical meanings to be found regarding Waving the Four Species. One understanding from waving in all four directions and up and down - that the Almighty controls the whole world, the winds, the forces and everything everywhere. A second lesson from holding the Four Species together - that all Jews are bound together as one people, be they saints or sinners, knowledgeable or ignorant. These are lessons learned from doing the mitzvot, but what is the impact upon the universe of millions of Jews performing this mitzvah all over the world?
Sukkot is called zman simchateinu, the time of our joy. Joy is distinct from happiness. Happiness is taking pleasure in what you have. Joy is the pleasure of anticipating a future good. If we trust in God and know that everything that the Almighty does for us is for our good, then we will know great joy in our lives! Everyone trusts in something, but only trusting in God is the ultimate trust.
The special mitzvah of waving the 4 species - Esrog, Myrtle, Willow and Lulav.
"You shall take... the beautiful fruit (Esrog), a palm frond (Lulav), myrtle twigs and willow branches of the stream -- and rejoice for seven days before the Lord your God." (Leviticus 23:40)
Want to grow Esrog/Ethrog
http://members.aol.com/ZRSESROG/
Before waving the four species, we say the following blessing:
"Baruch ata Adonoy, Elo-heinu Melech ha'olam, asher kid'shanu bi'mitzvo-sav, vi'tzivanu al ni-tilas lulav."
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who sanctified us with His mitzvot, and instructed us to raise up the Lulav.
The Etrog
We read the phrase pri etz hadar (“the magnificent fruit of a tree”) as a reference to the etrog, since the Hebrew word hadar (“magnificent”) can also be read ha-dar, “that which dwells,” so that the phrase also translates as “the fruit that dwells on its tree from year to year.” Unlike other fruits, which wither and fall off after a single season, the etrog continues to grow on its tree throughout the year, ( stays on the tree for several years ) seemingly unaffected by the annual cycle.
"Etrog--because it is written (Psalms 104: 1): 'You are clothed in glory and majesty.' (The word translated as majesty is hadar. In the Torah (Leviticus 23:40), the etrog is called the fruit of the goodly tree. The same Hebrew word, hadar, is used in that context to mean goodly.)
"Palm--because it is written (Psalms 92:13): 'The righteous bloom like a date palm.' Myrtle--because it is written (Zechariah 1:8): 'And he stood among the
myrtle-trees.' Willow--because it is written (Psalms 68:5): 'Extol Him who rides on the clouds [aravot], the Lord is His name.'
4. Each of the four relates to a particular limb through which man is to serve God (cf. Seier ha-Hinukh, #285):
"Etrog refers to the heart, the place of understanding and wisdom. Lulav refers to the backbone, uprightness. Myrtle corresponds to the eyes, enlightenment. Willow represents the lips, the service of the lips (prayer)."
5. Taste represents learning. Smell represents good deeds. The etrog has both taste and smell. The lulav has taste but not fragrance. The myrtle has smell but no taste. And the willow has neither. Each represents a different type of man. Some have both learning and good deeds; some have one without the other; and some have neither. Real community is found in their being bound together and brought under one roof.
Links
