Another Sukkot Spiel 5787

​Take another brief journey with me to first-century Jerusalem…

​In the first century C.E. (A.D.), during the feast of Sukkot (Shelters), four large lamp stands, the equivalent of ancient floodlights, were kept alight in the Court of the Women. The wicks of each lamp were made with old laundered priestly garments. The lamps were fuelled by pure olive oil. The Talmud records that the light of the lamps shone throughout the city of Jerusalem, flooding the dark alleys and side streets (Talmud Bavli, Sukkah 51a & 51b).

The day following, called שמיני עצרת Shemini Atzeret, the eighth day of Sukkot (celebrated in conjunction with Simchat Torah [Rejoicing in the Torah] in Israel today), Yeshua (The Author and Goal of the Torah [John 1; Romans 10:4]) returned to the Temple to teach. At this point, He proclaimed…

“I Am the Light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

–Yochanan 8:12

The כְּבוֹד יְהוָה (Kavod Adonai), the Light of God’s manifest glory, had not been seen in Israel for over 400 years. To claim to be the light of the world in this context would have been considered blasphemy unless it were uttered from God's mouth.
May all Israel receive the light He offers speedily and soon in our days.

חג סוכות שמח

–יעקב בן יהושע
(Yaakov Ben Yehoshua)
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Sukkot 6, 5787