Come Join Us In Celebrating
The Feast of Tabernacles 2009 (Sukkot 2009)
in Central Missouri
on the Lake of the Ozarks

Greetings Friends!

When the Passover season is over, it's time to turn our attention to the Appointed Times that come in the fall, the "Feast of Tabernacles", or Sukkot. This Feast, a seven day Judaeo - Christian festival (called the Season of our Joy), pictures the establishment of the 1000 year Messianic Kingdom to be set up at the second coming of Yeshua the Messiah. The Ami Yisrael Torah Study is again organizing the Festival at Windermere in central Missouri. We are thankful that The Father has allowed us to provide this service again this year (2009).

The Festival at Windermere is a Hebrew Roots feast site. Though not presented from a rabbinic Judaism point of view, most topics will be taught with the understanding that the Bible is a Hebrew book, written by the Hebrew people, and written about the Hebrew people, that is, from a Hebrew Roots perspective. Yeshua was a first century Jew, and so were the writers of the New Testament. Therefore we study to try and understand the first century Jewish culture, liturgy, and services that Yeshua and His disciples would be familiar with. One could say that we are attempting to rediscover Christianity as experienced during the first 200 years after the resurrection. You can find more information about us and the Season Of Our Joy festival here on our website.

The theme of this year's Festival is 'The Highway to Zion'. The two morning teaching seminars each day will center around this theme and will hopefully enlighten us as to how we will have a part in restoring the Kingdom to Israel and fulfilling the Promise God made with Abraham. Each morning we will again read from the book of Deuteronomy together for all those 'interested early birds' (see Simchat Torah below). Each afternoon we will be having 'break-out' sessions where you can choose from a variety of speakers on differing subjects. On some of the evenings we plan to have organized campfire bible study sessions down in the Succah area. Along with these teachings on the weekdays, there will be sermons and group Torah studies on the Sabbath.

When you couple all the various teaching opportunities along with rehearsals of the first century temple services at Succot, daily worship through song with Lee Miller and his festival band (that's all you talented musicians), an evening talent show, worship dance, an "Israeli Night" dinner, and various other activities, we feel this Feast site will offer a tremendous opportunity to learn what the Bible teaches about the Festival.

We know that many of you are dedicated Bible students and have something to offer or teach as a result of your studies.. If you would like to present some of your findings in one of our break-out sessions or evening sessions please let us know. Your presentation would not have to necessarily fit the theme of the festival. You will need to send us a summary of what you'd like to talk about. We'll submit it to our Speaking Committee for approval.

Just as we believe that all of God's people will play a part in making the millennial Kingdom of God a time of rejoicing for everyone, we want everyone who attends the Season of Our Joy feast site to participate in making the festival a time of worshiping and rejoicing for all who attend. We are asking each of you to sign up to help in one or more areas of responsibility. There are many 'behind the scenes' tasks and services that have to be taken care of for all who attend to be able to take part in hearing the teachings, enjoying the dancing, and partaking of the various congregational meals and get-togethers. You will find on our Feast of Tabernacles website a listing of some of the areas of need along with the phone numbers of those you can contact who will be responsible for those areas. We hope you will contact these people and offer your assistance. Your participation in these areas will be greatly appreciated and will help to enhance the joy of the festival not only for yourself, but for all those who attend. You will also find on the website a 'tentative' activity schedule as well as a description of some of the activities we have planned in order to make this a more joyful festival. Please take a moment to read about each activity in order to familiarize yourself with what will be happening during each time slot. Pay special attention to the Hamburger / Ice Cream Social as well as the Israeli Night Dinner as we have made some changes. For further information, always check our Feast of Tabernacles website.

Should you decide to observe the festival with us, be sure to register on this web site.  Though there is no registration fee, registration is mandatory.  Only through registrations are we able to determine how many to plan for.  Even if you only plan to come one day, you will still need to register.

We are very excited about the festival this year. We hope you plan on attending the Festival with us as we come together to worship and rejoice and learn more about our Father, His son, and His plan to restore The Kingdom! If not, we do hope you will have a joyous Festival of Sukkot where ever you attend.

Shalom -
Tim and Angie Kelley Wood Mill Cabinets and Ron and Donna McKown
Ami Yisrael Torah Study

Season of our Joy Feast of Tabernacles 2009

The seventh and final feast (moadim) given to Israel is called Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, or the Feast of Booths. Sukkot is observed in the fall, from the 15th to the 21st of Tishri, (called the Last Great Day). An additional festival, Shemini Atzareth, is attached to the end of the festival of Sukkot, thus making an 8-day festival.  While some may refer to these as Jewish Feast Days, they really are for all believers.

During this time many families construct a sukkah. The sukkah is used to remember the temporary dwellings [plural: sukkot] Israel lived in during their 40 year sojourn in the wilderness after the exodus from Egypt. Later, after Israel entered the land of promise, Sukkot was associated with the fall harvest and came to be known as the Festival of Ingathering (of the harvest). Certain customs are observed during Sukkot including decorating the sukkah and performing special wave ceremonies of the Four Species.

The first and last day of Sukkot are Sabbaths (see Leviticus 23:39). The intervening days of Sukkot are not Sabbaths and work activities are permitted. Since it is an eight day festival, there is always at least one seventh day Sabbath that occurs during the festival.

From Yom Kippur to Sukkot
On the Biblical calendar, there is a quick transition from the somber time of the High Holidays (Rosh HaShanah through Yom Kippur) to the festival of Sukkot. In fact, most believers will begin discussing preparations for their sukkah immediately following the Havdalah ceremony of Yom Kippur.

Since it follows the Days of Awe and Repentance, Sukkot represents the time of restored fellowship with the Almighty, remembering His sheltering provision and care for us.

The Season of our Joy - Zeman Simchateinu
Sukkot is the conclusion of the Biblical Fall Holidays and the last of the three annual pilgrimage festivals: Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot (Deuteronomy 16:16)]. It is interesting to compare the use of words relating to simchah [joy] in the description of these three festivals. Regarding Pesach, the word simchah does not appear at all (Deuteronomy 17:1-8); regarding Shavuot, it appears only once (Deuteronomy 17:11); but, regarding Sukkot, simchah appears several times:

You shall keep the Feast of Sukkot seven days, when you have gathered in the produce... You shall rejoice in your feast... because Yahweh your Elohim will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful. (Deuteronomy 16:13-15)

In fact, in ancient Israel, the joy of Sukkot was so great that it became known simply as "The Feast."

The Feast of Tabernacles from an Agricultural Perspective
In ancient Israel, Pesach [Passover] corresponded to the planting season, Shavuot [Pentecost] corresponded to the grain harvest, and Sukkot corresponded to the fruit harvest. When you planted your crops in Spring, you do not yet rejoice because you were uncertain about how the harvest will turn out. And when you harvested your grain at the start of summer, you might have rejoiced that you now had bread in hand, but you would still be uncertain about the success of your fruit crops. Total joy would come after you had harvested all of your crops in the Fall, and thereby received sustenance and provision for the coming year from the Almighty. For this reason, Sukkot is sometimes referred to as the Feast of Ingathering.

From a spiritual perspective, Sukkot corresponds to the joy of knowing that the penalty phase for sin had once again been set aside (during Yom Kippur), and also recalls Gods miraculous provision and care after the deliverance from bondage in Egypt (Leviticus 23:43). Prophetically, Sukkot anticipates the coming kingdom of the Mashiach Yeshua wherein all the nations shall come up to Jerusalem to worship Yahweh during the festival of Sukkot (see Zechariah 14:16).

Sukkot in the Tanakh
In Biblical times, Sukkot was considered the most important of all the holidays, referred to simply as the Festival (1 Kings 12:32). It was a time of many sacrifices (Numbers 29) and a time when (on Sabbatical years) the Torah would be read aloud to the people (Deuteronomy 31:10-13).

The Torah commands three things regarding the festival of Sukkot:

1. To live in a sukkah (Leviticus 23:42)
2. To gather the four species (Leviticus 23:40)
3. To rejoice before Yahweh (Deuteronomy 16:13-14; Leviticus 23:40)

The Four Species
The Four Species are four types of organic products commanded to be used (in Leviticus 23:40) for the celebration of Sukkot. Traditionally these are understood to be:

1. Etrog (ET-rog) - A lemon-like, citrus fruit referred to as the product of goodly trees
2. Branches of palm trees
3. Myrtle - Boughs of leafy trees
4. Willows of the brook
 

The Torah does not direct us in our use of the four species, but there are two traditional views:
1) In Nehemiah 8:15, Ezra understood the commandment to include using the four species in the construction of a sukkah.  Ezra even expanded the four to include five species.

2) For over two thousand years, the Jewish people have observed the commandment of the four species by waving a lulav, a bouquet made of the palm branches, myrtle and willow branches that are bound together and waved / shaken in praise to the Almighty.

Waving the Lulav
The tradition of waving the lulav goes like this:

 

On Sukkot, you bind all the branches together -- two willows on the left, one palm branch in the center, and three myrtles on the right.

Next, hold the bundle in your right hand and then lift them together with the Etrog (pointing downward) in your left hand.

Recite the following traditional blessing:

Blessed are you Yahweh our Elohim, who sanctifies us with His Mitzvot and commanded us regarding the raising up of the Lulav.

 

For those who see the lulav as simply tradition, you might say:

 

Blessed are you Yahweh our Elohim, who sanctifies us with His Mitzvot and instructs us to celebrate using the four species.

Now, turn the etrog right-side up, put both hands side-by-side, and then shake the lulav three times in each direction: front, right, back, left, up and down. These six directions indicate the surrounding presence of God. The Lulav is shaken right after the Amidah in the morning service.

The Water Libation Ceremony
During the seven days of Sukkot a sacrificial pouring out of water (called a water libation) was performed at the Temple (Sukkah 51 a-b). The water was drawn by the High Priest from the pool of Siloam and carried back to the courtyard of the outer Temple in a golden pitcher. When the High Priest would pour out the water, the people would wave their lulavot and sing:

Psalm 118:25
Save now, I pray, O Yahweh; O Yahweh, I pray, send now prosperity.

Psalm 118 was viewed as a Messianic Psalm -- and when Yeshua the Mashiach indeed appeared during His triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:8-9; Luke 19:38; John 12:13), he was initially greeted with shouts of Hosanna! and waving lulav as the Messiah King come to deliver the people of Israel.

The Temple Light Show
After the water ceremony, during the evening, special festivities called happiness of the house of the water-drawing occurred. During this time the four towering menorahs were lit up and the priests would put on a light show while the Levites sang and played music. These shows would occur every night of Sukkot, all through the night.

It was also during this time of Sukkot that Yeshua the Mashiach revealed Himself to be the Light of the world (John 8:12, 7:2, 37). Moreover, Yeshua used the very water from the pool of Siloam to heal the man born blind, enabling him to see the Light of the world.

Simchat Torah
Simchat Torah means "Rejoicing in the Torah." This holiday marks the completion of the annual cycle of weekly Torah readings. Each week a few chapters are read from the Torah, starting with Genesis Ch. 1 and working our way around to Deuteronomy 34. On Simchat Torah, we read the last Torah portion, then proceed immediately to the first chapter of Genesis, reminding us that the Torah is a circle, and never ends. This completion of the readings is a time of great celebration. There are processions carrying Torah scrolls and plenty of high-spirited singing and dancing in the midst of the believers.

Future Fulfillment
The festival of Sukkot has a prophetic dimension awaiting fulfillment. As the Day of Ingathering of the harvest, Sukkot prefigures the gathering together of the believers in the days of the Messiah's reign on earth (Isaiah 27:12-13; Jeremiah 23:7-8). Indeed, all of the nations of the earth that survived the Great Tribulation will come together to worship Yahweh in Jerusalem during the Feast of Sukkot (Zechariah 14:16-17).

Sukkot also foreshadows the Almightys sheltering Presence over Israel in the millennial kingdom. No longer will Israel be subject to the oppression of the goyim, but God Himself will place His sanctuary in her midst (Ezekiel 37:26-28).

Season of our Joy Feast of Tabernacles 2009