Jerusalem is witnessing in these days the Jewish celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles. In Hebrew Sukkot, iy lasts for seven days. This feast commemorates the Jews' stay in huts or tabernacles in the Sinai Desert for forty years after their exodus from Egypt under the leadership of the prophet Moses. We read in Leviticus: And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days. (Leviticus 23:33-34). Religious Jews purchase the "four varieties" of fronds: a sprig of palm, small branches of willow and myrtle, and a cedar to be used in rituals and prayers of thanksgiving, during the seven days of the festival. Fr David Neuhaus Professor of Religious Sciences "What book do Jews read on the Feast of Tabernacles that is perfect for this holiday? It's a universal journey! From the books of Wisdom, Qoelet, vanity of vanities.... We need to be aware that this life is a time we are going through. It is like a tent. It is not something solid. This holiday is tied to this spirituality." The huts are placed on open balconies, rooftops or near the house. Their walls are usually made of wood and covered with palm fronds. Inside, they are decorated with beautiful ornaments. There, the family eats their meals during the whole week of the festival, and some of them even stay overnight The Feast of Tabernacles is one of the feasts that Jews celebrated until the year 70 DC with a collective pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem. It was considered a great feast because all the people could go on pilgrimage to the Temple after finishing the harvest, and in this there was an otherworldly dimension. Fr David Neuhaus Professor of Religious Sciences "In the Book of Zechariah in chapter fourteen, for us and for the Jews, the Feast of Tabernacles becomes an eschatological feast. Recently, with the celebration of the feast, not only the Jewish people will come to Jerusalem, but all peoples and nations do, to worship God, the Creator of the world, the true God." But where is the Christian Feast of Tabernacles, since the Christian calendar is derived from biblical feasts, such as Passover and Christian Easter, but with different meanings? Fr David Neuhaus Professor of Religious Sciences "On August 6 we have a great feast. It's the Feast of the Transfiguration, and I remember the Transfiguration scene because there are references. Remember that the Jews lived forty years in the desert. Now count forty days from August 6 to September 14 when we have a great feast, the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross! This is our tent! We must be in the shadow of the cross, we have arrived at the feast!!!" The first day of the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles is an official holiday, while the other seven days of the Feast are considered less special days in terms of prayer. As for the feast that concludes the Jewish month of Tishri, it is the feast of the revelation of Torah, Simkat Torah, the joy of Torah and will fall next week on the last day of Sukkot. Read More