Subscribe to Bible Fiber on Youtube or wherever you listen to your podcasts!
Sukkot for the Goyim
Welcome to Bible Fiber, where we are encountering the textures and shades of the biblical tapestry. I am Shelley Neese, president of The Jerusalem Connection, a Christian organization devoted to sharing the story of the people of Israel, both ancient and modern.
This week we are continuing our series on High Holidays for the Goyim. And this week’s episode is sponsored by Reverend Mupenda Bin Muzumbi, a longtime friend of Jerusalem Connection.
When is Sukkot?
Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles or the Feast of Booths, is a joyous seven-day festival that begins on the 15th day of the seventh month in the Hebrew calendar, Tishrei. This typically falls in September or October on the Gregorian calendar. In 2024, Sukkot will be celebrated from October 16th to October 23rd. It’s worth noting that Sukkot comes just five days after Yom Kippur, marking a dramatic shift from solemnity to celebration.
Where is Sukkot Mentioned in the Bible?
Sukkot is mentioned several times in the Hebrew Bible. The most detailed instructions for observing Sukkot are found in Leviticus 23:33-43. This passage establishes the dates of the festival, commands the people to dwell in booths, and explains the historical significance of the holiday. God commanded Moses, “So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the Lord for seven days… Live in temporary shelters for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in such shelters so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in temporary shelters when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” (Lev. 23:39, 42-43)
Deuteronomy 16:13-15 reiterates the command to celebrate Sukkot and emphasizes its joyous nature: “Celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor and your winepress. Be joyful at your festival—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites, the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns.”
Sukkot is meant to remind Jews of their ancestors’ time in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt. One of the primary themes of Sukkot is the reminder of complete dependence on God. During their 40 years in the desert, the Israelites relied entirely on God for food, water, and protection from the elements.
The fragile nature of the sukkah, with its partially open roof, symbolizes human vulnerability and the need to trust in divine protection rather than human-made structures. Although Sukkot is a holiday of remembrance, it is also a present-day spiritual exercise in encouraging gratitude for God’s provision. Many Jewish commentators view the desert period as a sort of “honeymoon” between God and the Israelites. This concept is supported by verses like Jeremiah 2:2: “I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me and followed me through the wilderness.” With the theme of honeymoon, Sukkot is a yearly reenactment of Israel’s most intimate period of reliance and closeness with God.
How is Sukkot Celebrated Today?
The central observance of Sukkot is dwelling in a sukkah, a temporary shelter with a roof made of natural materials like branches or reeds. Although the holiday is only seven days, the practice commemorates the Israelites’ 40-year journey through the wilderness after the Exodus. Jewish families construct these booths in their yards or on balconies. When I lived in Beer Sheva, Israel, I loved taking walks at night and hearing families singing and eating in their sukkot that were sometimes in yards, parking lots, or even public parks.
Another key ritual is the waving of the Four Species: the etrog (citron), lulav (palm branch), hadassim (myrtle branches), and aravot (willow branches). These are held together and waved in six directions during prayers, symbolizing God’s omnipresence. Many non-Jews assume this unusual ritual developed after the biblical period. However, the command is straight out of Leviticus 23:40: “And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days.”
The Bible does not explain the symbolic meaning behind the four species used during Sukkot. So, while the deeper meanings are not explicitly stated in the Bible, the rabbis have built upon the basic commandment to find rich symbolic and spiritual significance in this ritual practice. It has become a central part of Sukkot observance for Jews.
The four species represent the diversity of the Jewish people that are united in worship. The etrog, which has both a fragrance and a taste, represents those who have both Torah knowledge and good deeds. The lulav, which has a taste but no fragrance, represents those who have Torah knowledge but lack good deeds. The hadass and aravah, which have neither fragrance nor taste, represent those who lack both Torah knowledge and good deeds. The waving of the four species in all six directions (east, west, north, south, up, and down) symbolizes God’s omnipresence and the Jews’ desire to connect with Yahweh in every aspect of their lives. Waving the four species reminds the Jewish people of their responsibility to grow spiritually and work together as a community.
Sukkot is also a time of hospitality, with many families inviting guests to share meals in their sukkah. Inviting guests into the sukkah and providing shelter for weary travelers is seen as an important mitzvah (commandment).
In Kabbalistic and Hasidic tradition, each day of the festival is associated with a different righteous patriarch: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, and David. The spiritual presence of the seven biblical figures is believed to bless the home; this custom turns the temporary sukkah dwelling into a sacred space that shares in attributes of these revered figures.
I highly recommend checking out the award winning movie called Ushpizin that was released in 2004. The film tells the story of a newly ultra-Orthodox Jewish couple in Jerusalem who have to welcome two unexpected and mysterious guests because their belief in Ushpizin forbids them from turning guests away.
What Does Sukkot Mean for Christians?
While Sukkot is not typically observed in Christian traditions, its themes certainly resonate with the teachings of Jesus.
Sukkot reminds us of God’s faithfulness in providing for his people, and the importance of putting our trust in God’s provision. Jesus often spoke against worry and fear and reminded his followers of God’s provision. He taught, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matt. 6:25-27).
The sukkah symbolizes the temporary nature of our earthly dwellings, a sentiment that the New Testament also embraces. Christians, like Jews, teach the joy of relying on God for our needs. Paul taught reliance on God rather than the things of this earth. He said, “For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands” (2 Corinthians 5:1).
The concept of the sukkah as a symbol of God’s presence has found a parallel in Christian theology, particularly in discussions about the Holy Spirit. Christians often use similar language of “dwelling” or “abiding” to describe the empowerment and indwelling of the Holy Spirit in believers. Just as the sukkah represents God’s protective presence among his people, Christians view the Holy Spirit as God’s abiding presence within individual believers. This idea is rooted in New Testament teachings, such as John 14:16-17, where Jesus promises the Holy Spirit as a permanent comforter and helper.
The apostle Paul further developed this concept in 1 Corinthians 6:19, describing believers’ bodies as “temples of the Holy Spirit.” This indwelling presence is seen as a fulfillment of Old Testament promises, where God’s presence moves from external dwelling places to an internal, personal relationship with each believer. Thus, the Christian understanding of the Holy Spirit’s empowerment echoes the symbolism of the sukkah, emphasizing God’s intimate, protective, and transformative presence in the lives of his people.
The prophet Zechariah looked to a day when all nations on earth would join the Jewish people in celebrating Sukkot. The participation of the nations in Sukkot is a sign that God’s kingdom is in the process of full realization on earth. Zechariah prophesied, “Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles” (Zech. 14: 16).
Thank you for listening. Please join us next week for the last of the High Holidays in this miniseries. It will be Simcha Torah, which also marks the anniversary on the Hebrew calendar of the attacks on October 7th which also occurred on Simcha Torah.
And don’t forget to check out the Bible Fiber book on Amazon!
Chag Semeach and Am Israel Chai!