Sukkot is an annual, week long celebration of God’s provision during Israel’s 40-year wilderness journey after their time as slaves in Egypt. It occurs five days after Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). It is found in Scripture in Numbers 29:12-39; Leviticus 23:33-43; Deuteronomy 31:10-13; Exodus 23:16, 34:22; Zechariah 14:16. Other names Sukkot is known by are: Feast of Tabernacles, Feast of Booths, Feast of Ingathering.

It is one of three pilgrimage festivals in which Jews were to go up to the Temple in Jerusalem together as a nation. The other two pilgrimage festivals are Passover and Shavuot. (Deuteronomy 16; Exodus 23:14–17).

Sukkot is a harvest festival, and a time to remember God’s sheltering presence and provision for us. As it immediately follows Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Sukkot also represents the time of restored fellowship with God. It is a time of great joy and thanksgiving.

In the Jewish religion and culture, the sukkah remains the primary symbol of Sukkot. The sukkah, constructed with at least three walls and a roof sparsely thatched with branches, recalls Israel’s hastily built homes in the wilderness. The inside is decorated with colorful fruits and vegetables representing the harvest. Meals are eaten inside in remembrance. Rather than a focus on specific symbolic foods, it is where the meals are eaten that is symbolic.

Sukkot’s emphasis on ingathering is unmistakably bound to the fulfillment of Messiah’s Kingdom promises (Zechariah 14:16-19). Sukkot is a time to remember God’s sheltering presence and provision for us in the the Messiah.

Dates for Sukkot:
2024: Begins sundown October 16. Ends nightfall October 23.
2025: Begins sundown October 6. Ends nightfall October 13.
2026: Begins sundown September 25. Ends nightfall on October 2.
2027: Begins sundown October 15. Ends nightfall on October 22.

With love,
Diane