Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles)
It is customary for religiously practicing Jews to read from an annual cycle of weekly Old Testament readings called Torah Portions. This is said to be the same reading schedule that was taught every Sabbath in the Synagogues during the times of Jesus in the first century.
As Christians who profess our faith in Jesus, we study the Old Testament to understand the historical, cultural, and contextual background of the history of our heritage in Jesus. This is commonly known as the Messianic teachings of Christianity and is a part of our Saturday Church in Norman, Oklahoma.
While customs are not commandments there is beauty for believers in Jesus (Yeshua) to understand their identity as grafted into the covenants with Israel. As descendants of Abraham, all Christians are heirs according to the promise given to Abraham even before Sinai. Christians should study and learn the Torah and show respect for their Jewish brothers and sisters. It is through the study of the law that we see another level of greatness in Jesus who is the lawgiver and the greatest Torah teacher of all time.
Sukkot is the Hebrew title for “Feast of Booths” or “Feast of Tabernacles” and is the name for the weekly Torah portion reading for the Book of Leviticus starting in chapter 22 verse 26 and going through chapter 23 verse 44.
It is also important to point out that along with the Torah portion readings and teachings, there are what are called Haftarah portions which are readings from the Bible in the books of the prophets. This week’s haftarah readings come from the book of Zechariah in chapter 14 verses 1 through verse 21, and 1 Kings chapter 8 verses 2 through verse 21.
The gospel readings that are incorporated with the weekly Torah portion readings come from the book of Luke in chapter 2 with verses 1 through 20, and the book of John chapter 7 verses 1 through 10.
As Christians exploring the Torah portion cycle we must maintain a balance of including the Old Testament, the prophets, and the gospels in our weekly bible study.
Torah Portion Overview-
The Festival of Booths also known as Sukkot or the Feast of Tabernacles is five days after the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur.) The Feast of Tabernacles starts with a Sabbath day on the fifteenth day of the seventh Hebrew month. Sukkot is a seven-day festival with the eighth day being called “the last great day.” The word Sukkot is Hebrew for the festival translated as “Tabernacles” or “Booths” in English. The name of the Feast of Tabernacles comes from the commandment in the book of Leviticus that requires all of Israel to dwell in temporary dwellings for the duration of the Sukkot gathering. It is a reminder of the years post the Exodus from Egypt when the Israelites dwelled in huts and temporary dwellings in the wilderness with God. We also read about the Feast of Tabernacles in the Gospel of John. As a church we memorialize this Feast of Tabernacles by gathering for a church camping experience with RV’s, tents, and even some in temporary lodges or cabins. We utilize this time to not only remember the first Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt but also the Greater Exodus of sin and death that Jesus accomplished for us on the cross.
The Feast of Tabernacles gathering takes place in Oklahoma and is a family event filled with church fellowship, praise, worship, prayer, and bonding experiences to draw us closer to each other and Jesus.
