Settle into a Sukkah and Celebrate
- Dr. Cathie Dorsch
- Oct 9
- 3 min read
Christians picking up on the Hebrew word Sukkot have only the English word Tabernacles to accommodate the idea, not a word we use to describe a gathering of family & friends to a big table for dining outdoors!
Here’s a few fun facts to whet your appetite in the sukkah:
It’s a week of celebration for forgiveness received and new starts given after Yom Kippur. Hashem (a respectful name for the Lord) has said, “Let’s let bygones be bygones and start anew.” You took ten days of repentance & spiritually mending fences culminating in a day of fasting and prayer and He gives His people seven days to dwell in 'booths,' {sukkahs} to feast, fellowship, and rejoice. Hit RESET!
It’s a seven-day rehearsal for Messiah’s Kingdom when we will eat & drink with Him. It symbolizes the season of joy, the time of peace and prosperity where “every man sits under his own vine and fig tree…” (Micah 4:4) and the prophets say this will be required practice of all the families of the earth in the Millennial Kingdom (Zechariah 14:16) Read more in Leviticus 23:34-44. It's a 'forever-statute.'
It celebrates the harvest, so you decorate your outdoor dwelling with branches you lopped off the trees, hang gourds and bundle a lulav of 4 species as you sit inside the sukkah, reminiscent of the times of Divine Provision in the Wilderness, God dwelling with the Children of Israel who lived under the stars.
It’s a week dedicated to CUT the COMPLAINING – a No-Whine-Zone – focusing on the goodness and faithfulness of God. It’s a time for tzedakah, giving and compassion, especially for widows, the fatherless, and strangers. Time to make sure widows & orphans receive lots of blessings.
While there are seven major moedim or feasts, the Lord set a minimum of 3 for His people gathering to Him, and this is one of them! – Passover, Pentecost, & Tabernacles (Pesach, Shavuot, & Sukkot). He even promised as they came to Jerusalem for the holiday, He would protect the homes and land they left behind to come dwell with Him a week.
The tradition of “Thanksgiving” with outdoor dining came from what was reflected in early American art depicting Pilgrims celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles with their new native neighbors and friends, hence their first "Thanksgiving" in the New Land.
A typical daily “thank you” celebratory prayer includes going through the lines of Psalm 136 to reinforce in your thoughts that He is GOOD and His mercies endure forever!!
Why I love this holiday:
How many times during the year do you sit at the same table with your entire family, invite friends or neighbors, and eat face to face – no screens – at a slow pace until you’re sitting in the dark? Exactly! We barely do it at ALL let alone for seven nights! You’re lucky to get the bunch together once or twice a year!
Celebrating anything for seven days and having dinner together gives you time to really hear what’s on your kids’ minds and what’s really going on in their lives. It’s a great time for listening! It will also show you how hard it is to clear your cluttered lives for family time!
It’s a good time to share family stories tell about traditions. All generations are at the same table, no one relegated to “the Kids’ Table!”
It gets you off the couch & recliner away from the TV dining routine and gets you out of the kitchen!
Decorate your patio or sukkah, fix your favorite fall feasts including desserts – it’s a joyful time! This is a super way to create positive core memories for kids. In my own growing up, I rarely sat with my grandparents for a meal, have no recollection of them telling us stories, and certainly never heard my grandfathers rehearse any Scripture or reasons he was thankful to the Lord. I want a different vision of family for my grands! In our yard at this time, it’s likely you’ll see Grandpa John, Dad Danny or even Auntie Sara playing soccer or throwing a football with Jace while Atlas plays Monkey in the Middle. Everyone gets in the fun!
God prioritizes family by saying, “Hey, Get the kids together when the weather is cooler for this festivity about My Goodness to you! Fix a feast and make it fun! I spell L-O-V-E with T-I-M-E spent!!"
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