I am stealing liberally from my book, GRAFTED: Embracing Torah
33 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 34 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD. 35 On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. 36 Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein. 37 These are the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day: 38 Beside the sabbaths of the LORD, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the LORD. 39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath. 40 And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. 41 And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: 43 That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 23:33-43
Sukkot (commonly translated as Festival of Tabernacles, but also known as the Festival of Ingathering) is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, Tishri (varies from late September to late October – the Jews use a lunar calendar that occasionally adds an extra month to maintain the seasons. See the calendar in my book, GRAFTED: Embracing Torah). During the existence of the Tabernacle (and later, Solomon’s Temple), it was one of the three pilgrimage festivals on which the Israelites were commanded to go to Jerusalem to keep this day.
The “Festival of Ingathering” (or “Harvest Festival”) is mentioned in the Book of Exodus and is agricultural in nature – “Festival of Ingathering at the year’s end” (Exodus 34:22) – and marks the end of the harvest time and thus of the agricultural year in the Land of Israel. The “Festival of Booths” has the more elaborate religious significance from the Book of Leviticus, commemorating the Exodus and the dependence of the people of Israel on the Will of Yahweh.
Sukkot (“Succoth”) is first mentioned in Genesis. “And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him an house [bayith], and made booths for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth” (Genesis 33:17).
The word “house”, in the Old Testament, can refer to anything from a palace to a tent, or even just the members of the family living together (household). Jacob’s “house” was probably a temporary dwelling since, in the next verse, he moves his family to Shechem.
When the Hebrews left Egypt, “the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children [2.5 million counting women and children?]” (Exodus 12:37). Israel would have recognized the significance of this festival, but Yahweh wanted to ensure that their “generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt” (Leviticus 23:43).
The festival also signifies that the Earth is our temporary home, for the new Jerusalem will arrive at the close of the Millennial Kingdom (Revelation 21:1-2) – that being signified by the eighth day of Sukkot. “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2Corinthians 5:1).
Solomon dedicated the Temple on the eighth day of Sukkot (2Chronicles 7:8-10); Yeshua kept the Feast in Jerusalem (John 7); and all the people who survive the great battle of Jerusalem will also keep the feast (Zechariah 14:16). This Festival has much significance throughout the entire Bible and this is but a small sampling of what a more in-depth study of this holy day will bring.
The call for native-born Israelites to stay in ‘booths’ also applies to those who travelled with Israel and wanted to share in the blessings by keeping the Law (Exodus 12:49). The nature of the booths is not overly specific and must be determined by the environment that one lives in. A temporary hut with a palm leaf roof may suffice in the warmer climate around Jerusalem, but something a little more substantial may be needed in the Arctic Circle.
There will be another great exodus in the future end times and Sukkot’s dual meaning will be fulfilled when we are forced to flee to the place of safety Yeshua prepares for us during the Tribulation. Today, Sukkot is a ‘rehearsal’ for the coming flight to the wilderness. It is a celebration because we will not be subjected to the wrath that the rest of the world will endure.
Pitching a tent in the backyard is fine, but in some areas, whole bodies of believers encamp together for community fellowship and worship. I need not remind you that you should not advertise on social media that you will not be home for an extended period of time.
The temporary dwelling signifies the temporary existence of our bodies. The foliage used on the roof withers and dies, signifying the transition that our lives go through. Finally, the shelter is taken down on the eighth day to signify a new start with a new body on a new Earth.
Celebrated in relation to Sukkot, but not prescribed by Yahweh:
• Shemini Atzeret (“Eighth [day of] Assembly”) – directly follows the Jewish festival of Sukkot which is celebrated for seven days, and is literally the eighth day. It is a separate – yet connected – holy day. It is sometimes explained that Sukkot is a holiday intended for all of mankind, but when Sukkot is over, Yahweh invites the Jewish people to stay for an extra day, for a more intimate celebration. The following day is Simchat Torah.
• Simchat Torah (“Rejoicing in the Torah.”) – marks the completion of the annual cycle of weekly Torah readings. This is the only time of year on which the Torah scrolls are taken out of the ark and read at night. In the morning, the last Torah portion (Deuteronomy 34) is read, followed by the first chapter of Genesis, reminding us that the Torah is a circle, and never ends. On each occasion, when the ark is opened, the worshippers leave their seats to dance and sing with the Torah scrolls in a joyous celebration that can last for several hours.