Sukkot Spiel 5787

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

​It’s 32 C.E. (A.D.) and Israel celebrates the festival of Sukkot (Shelters). For seven days, Israelis (Jews living in the Roman-occupied province of Judea) and Jews from throughout the known world who have come up to Jerusalem to honour HaShem and keep the commanded עֲלִיָּה (going up festival) have watched the High Priest pour out water at the altar inside the Temple precinct according to the הֲלָכָה (legal code) of the day.

Led by the priests, the crowd of pilgrims prays for rain and that HaShem will send the promised Messiah to deliver them from Roman oppression. On the final day of the festival called הוֹשַׁעְנָא רַבָּה (The Great Salvation), just before שמיני עצרת the Eighth Day, a Redneck Rabbi from among the עַם הָאָרֶץ (common people) of the כִּנֶּרֶת (Galilee) stands up among the thousands of worshippers at the height of the celebration and yells out at the top of His voice…

“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”

–Yochanan 7:37 (ref. Yeshayahu 58:11)

[The King Messiah Yeshua was speaking of the Spirit, Whom those who believed in Him were to receive.] The Rabbi’s name is Yeshua (Jesus). The water that had just been poured out at the altar as a libation (a kinetic prayer for rain and blessing) came from the pool of שִׁלֹחַ (Sent), where Yeshua had healed a blind man only days before. (Yochanan 5) Israel was gathered to seek HaShem for the provision of rain, both physical and spiritual, and for deliverance from the Roman oppression. Jews from all over the known world, together with Israeli Jews, were with one voice crying out to HaShem, asking that He send the King Messiah to bring about the Great Salvation of the nation of Israel.

Today, over 1 million of the world’s 15.9 million Jews follow in the footsteps of the tens of thousands of first-century Jews who accepted the offer of that common man, the Rabbi from the Galilee (born in Bethlehem of Judea).

May all Israel receive the water He offers speedily and soon in our days.

חג סוכות שמח

–יעקב בן יהושע
(Yaakov Ben Yehoshua)
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Sukkot 2, 5787