Sukkot

2. Sukkot • The Festival of Sukkot begins on Tishri 15, the fifth day after Yom Kippur. It is quite a drastic transition, from the most solemn holiday in our year to one of the most joyous.

3. Sukkot • Sukkot is commonly referred to in Jewish prayer and literature as Z'man Simchateinu, the Festival of our Joy. • In fact we say things like “May you have good tidings of great Joy” • Go ahead and say that to your neighbor • It is also called The Festival of the Nations.

4. Sukkot • Why is it called the Festival of the Nations. Because it’s for everyone even the Goyim to come and celebrate. • “Aren’t all the Feasts for everyone?” No they’re not.

5. Sukkot • Passover for example is only open to those who are Torah Observant. EX 12 43And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof:

6. Sukkot • 44But every man's servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof. • 45A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof.

7. Sukkot • Then why do we invite any and everyone to our Passover celebrations here at Beit Aveinu? • We don’t… we invite them to a Passover demonstration. We do the real Passover at our homes. • What about other Messianics who say they’re doing the real Passover with anyone. They’re in the wrong. Scripture is clear.

8. Sukkot • If it’s on the correct day, then it’s Passover. If it’s not, I’m doing a demonstration. I only do a real Passover with my family and friends who I know are Torah Observant. • Otherwise, it’s a demonstration and isn’t real and may not even count as keeping the Commandment.

9. Sukkot • Now, the first few years at a new Synagogue we do everything together. It does count for you then. • But after a few years, yeah, you gotta do some of these things. You’ll have to make your own Passover meal (unless you do it at a friend’s who is Torah Observant), build your own Sukkah (if possible or go to a Torah Observant friends house)

10. Sukkot • We try to make it as easy as possible because we realize a lot of people come from a Church background and I’ve actually had people say to me (not here) but they’ve said, “I went to Church why should I have to do anything else?”. So we try to ease people into it without putting so much on them that it would be a burden even our forefathers wouldn’t be able to bear.

11. Sukkot • Why are we so careful to do that because it says in Acts 15:21 10Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? • So we’re careful NOT to do that. • Back to Sukkot.

12. Sukkot • Sukkot is the last of the Shalosh R'galim (three pilgrimage festivals) Passover Shavu'ot Exodus 23:17 "Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD.” (NKJ)

13. Sukkot • Sukkot commemorates the forty-year period during which we were wandering in the desert, living in temporary shelters.

14. Sukkot • Sukkot is a harvest festival and is sometimes referred to as Chag Ha-Asif, the Festival of Ingathering

15. Sukkot • The word "Sukkot" means "booths," and refers to the temporary dwellings that we are commanded to live in during this holiday in memory of the period of wandering. The Hebrew pronunciation of Sukkot is "Sue COAT," but is often pronounced as it is in Yiddish, “Sukkus”

16. Sukkot • The name of the holiday is frequently translated in the Bible as "Feast of Tabernacles," which, like many translations of Jewish terms, isn't very useful. This translation is particularly misleading, because the word "tabernacle" in the Bible refers to the portable Sanctuary in the desert, the…

17. Sukkot • precursor to the Temple, called in Hebrew "mishkan." The Hebrew word "sukkah" (plural: "sukkot") refers to the temporary booths that people lived in, not to the Tabernacle (Tent of Meeting).

18. Sukkot • Sukkot lasts for seven days. The two days following the festival, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, are separate holidays but are related to Sukkot and are commonly thought of as part of Sukkot.

19. Sukkot • The festival of Sukkot is instituted in Leviticus 23 • (SLIDE) No work is permitted on the first and second days of the holiday. Work is permitted on the remaining days. These intermediate days on which work is permitted are referred to as Chol Ha-Mo'ed (weekdays of the festival)

20. Sukkot • In honor of the holiday's historical significance, we are commanded in Lev 23 to dwell in temporary shelters, as those who followed G-d did this in the wilderness. • It’s important to understand that this is about dwelling with G-d. • At Yom Kippur we stand before Him in our sins and ask for forgivness of any sin we may have in our lives…

21. Sukkot • He then forgives us and we dwell with Him. If you’ve ever noticed, a sukkah can be thought of as His hands sheltering us. It’s got 3 sides that way, it’s a sukkah. • We dwell with Him and He dwells with us.

22. Sukkot • (SLIDE) The Sukkah is great for the children. Building the Sukkah each year satisfies the common childhood fantasy of building a fort, and dwelling in the Sukkah satisfies a child's desire to camp out in the backyard.

23. Sukkot • The commandment to "dwell" in a Sukkah can be fulfilled by simply eating all of one's meals there; however, that may not be possible depending on your living situation, if the weather, climate, and one's health permit, one should spend as much time in the Sukkah as possible, including sleeping in it.

24. Sukkot • In ancient days, we didn’t have refrigerators, so we kept all our food in a stone box to keep it cool. It was called a “food crib”. That’s where the food was put in the Sukkah so we could eat there

25. Sukkot • A Sukkah must have at least two and a half walls covered with a material that will not blow away in the wind. • The "walls" of the Sukkah do not have to be solid; canvas tied or nailed down is acceptable and quite common.

26. Sukkot • A Sukkah may be any size, so long as it is large enough for you to fulfill the commandment of dwelling in it. The roof of the Sukkah must be made of material referred to as sechach (literally, covering).

27. Sukkot • To fulfill the commandment, sechach must be something that grew from the ground and was cut off, such as tree branches, corn stalks, bamboo reeds, sticks, or two-by-fours. • It’s imperative that you don’t put too much on the roof, you have to be able to see the stars through the ceiling.

28. Sukkot • This is a Jewish tradition that goes way back, even before the time of Yeshua. • (SLIDE) Every Sukkah… even the Orthodox do it the same way every year, you have to be able to see the stars through the roof of the Sukkah.

29. Sukkot • (SLIDE) This is a nice sukkah.

30. Sukkot • (SLIDE) This fruit is too big!

31. Sukkot • (SLIDE) Just right!

32. Sukkot Sukkot (SLIDE) Nehemiah 8:15 “And that they should announce and proclaim in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, ‘Go out to the mountain, and bring olive branches, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of leafy willow trees, to make booths, as it is written.’”

33. Sukkot (SLIDE) A lulov is made of a palm branch with small willow and myrtle branches tied to it.

34. Sukkot

35. Sukkot The lulov branches (held in the right hand) and an etrog (citrus) fruit held in the left hand, are waved before the LORD during the celebration. The closest relative we have here in the lemon.

36. Sukkot • On Shabbat we will wave the lulav and the etrog.

37. Sukkot (SLIDE) Cases and holders…

38. Sukkot (SLIDE) Cases and holders…

39. Sukkot (SLIDE) Cases and holders…

40. Sukkot (SLIDE) Cases and holders…

41. Sukkot • Sukkot is also about being thankful for what you have. • It is the original Thanksgiving. • Being in the wilderness having nothing, reminds us to not covet what our neighbor has.

42. Sukkot • (SLIDE) We do lots of different activities in Israel during Sukkoth, we do a lot of hiking like near Hebron or Ein Gedi, the Dead Sea anywhere in the desert regions to remind us of our time in wilderness

43. Sukkot • Sukkot is the harvest festival, we celebrate with a lot of different foods. In fact this tradition goes back even before the time of Yeshua. • In the wilderness we only had mannah. Same food every day.

44. Sukkot • (SLIDE) When some of us complained about the food, G-d killed some of us… Numbers 111And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.

45. Sukkot (SLIDE) So, ladies, next time your husband or kids complain about what’s on the menu remind them about Numbers 11.

46. Sukkot Sukkoth is also when Yeshua was born. • (SLIDE) In order to make our calculations we first have to look at John the Baptist and his father Zechariah. in Luke 1:5 it tells us that Zechariah was a priest of the order of Abijah. • Abijah can also be transliterated as Abia same name.

47. Sukkot • While Zechariah was performing his duties an angel appeared and told him his wife Elizabeth would have a son, Yochanan (John).

48. Sukkot • (SLIDE) 1 Chronicles 24:7-18. tells us about the order in which the priests performed these duties. The family of Abijah was eighth in line so he would've been performing his duties during the Feast of Succoth. Since a normal pregnancy is 9 months, that means John the Immerser (Baptist) was born during Pasach (Passover).

49. Sukkot • It makes perfect sense that John would’ve been born during Pasach because he was the one who came in the spirit of Elijah. • Some of you may remember when we celebrated Passover. There was a cup that was poured for Elijah and then we had someone go and open the door to see if Elijah the prophet had come to announce the coming of the Messiah.

50. Sukkot • Jews do this every year because the Bible says that Elijah will come and announce that day. • And that’s exactly what Yochanon the Immerser (John the Baptist) did. • He announced the coming of Yeshua at the Jordan River.