God's People, Like Stars

I heard a preacher say that God doesn't want us to follow rules. I gotta wonder if he's ever read the bible.

Adonai is a God of order. Every gluon & galaxy follows ironclad laws because that's how God likes it. He wants us to move in His Torah like stars, obedient by instinct, by nature, not with resentment or frustration. "If you love me, keep my commandments," He says. Also: "My yoke is easy & my burden is light." There's no contradiction here.

It's true that God doesn't want us to have to read & study His rules. He wants them to be written on our hearts and someday He will accomplish that for us, because it's not something we can do on our own. Don't make the mistake of thinking it's already done. If you don't know God perfectly, right this second, with no more need for Scripture or teaching, then you don't have God's Law written on your heart.

Scriptures Related to Sukkot

I think there must be more prophecy directly related to Sukkot than to any of God's other holy days.

This is a partial list of Scriptures related to Sukkot. Feel free to add more in the comments, and I'll update this list over time.

• Genesis 33:17
• Exodus 23:16
• Exodus 34:21-23
• Leviticus 23:34-43
• Numbers 29:12-40
• Deuteronomy 16:13-16
• Deuteronomy 31:10-13
• Judges 21:15-24 ?
• 1 Kings 8
• 1 Kings 12:32
• 1 Kings 18
• 2 Samuel 22:12-20
• 2 Chronicles 5:1-7:10
• 2 Chronicles 8:12-13
• Ezra 3:4
• Nehemiah 8:14-18
• Job 36:26-33
• Psalm 18
• Psalm 31:19-24
• Psalm 120-134
• Isaiah 4:2-6
• Isaiah 12
• Isaiah 27:12-13
• Isaiah 54:1-56:8
• Isaiah 60-62
• Jeremiah 23:7-8
• Amos 9:11-15
• Zechariah 12
• Zechariah 14
• Ezekiel 37:26-28
• Ezekiel 45:25
• Matthew 17:1-13
• Matthew 22:1-14
• Mark 9:2-13
• Luke 2:1-39
• Luke 9:28-36
• John 1:14
• John 2:1-11
• John 4:4-42 (See Zech 12)
• John 7-9
• Acts 7:48-50
• Acts 15:12-18
• Revelation 7
• Revelation 21:1-22:7

The Four Species of Sukkot

I've been reading about the four species of Sukkot, and I am convinced that the traditional interpretation is not correct. Leviticus 23:40 says...

And you shall take on the first day the [1] fruit of splendid trees, [2] branches of palm trees and [3] boughs of leafy trees and [4] willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.

For at least 2000 years, the popular interpretation of these are

1. Etrog or citron
2. Palm fronds
3. Myrtle
4. Willow

In an ancient ceremony filled with symbolism, the celebrant takes a lulav made of a single palm frond, two willow branches, and three myrtles that have been bound together using palm leaves in his right hand and recites a blessing. He then takes an etrog in his left hand, recites another blessing, and then waves the lulav and fruit gently in six directions: south, north, east, up, down, and west.

There are various meanings ascribed to each of the four species and the waving. The most popular is that they represent four types of Jews:

1. Etrog: those with Torah knowledge and good works.
2. Palm: those with Torah knowledge but not good works.
3. Myrtle: those with no Torah knowledge, but with good works.
4. Willow: those with no Torah knowledge and no good works.

All Jews will be united by Messiah, regardless of merit. The waiving of the lulav probably evolved from a combination of popular holiday activities of the common people and Temple ceremonies sometime between the times of Nehemiah (who knew nothing of it, according to Scripture) and Yeshua.

It's a beautiful tradition that I don't have any particular problem with. It doesn't break any commands; it's not contrary to Torah. I appreciate the long history, the ceremony, the symbolism... I've waived the lulav many times before and I'll probably do it again, but unless I find some new information, I just don't think it's what God meant.

The meaning of the Hebrew for palms (tamarim) and willows of the brook (va-aravah nakhal) is pretty clear. Those words definitely refer to palm trees and willows, although they don't specify a particular species, part of the plant, nor what we're supposed to do with them.

The meaning of the Hebrew for the other two species, the beautiful/splendid/goodly tree (ets hadar) and boughs of leafy trees (va-anof ets abot) isn't so clear. We can only tell that the first is a fruit tree and the second is a densely leafed tree, but based on the text of Leviticus 23:40, that's all we can tell. I believe the intent wasn't to say it must be two specific varieties of tree, but that the trees selected must be healthy and productive. The fruit must come from a good tree and the bough must come from a tree with full foliage.

The meaning of this is, of course, up to interpretation.

Why an Etrog at Sukkot?

Torah says to use fruit, branches, boughs, & willows in celebrating Sukkot, and tradition names specific species for each. The fruit is said to be an etrog, also known as citron, but this particular fruit wasn't grown in Israel or Sinai until 1000 years or more after the Torah was given to Moses, so it seems unlikely in the extreme that an etrog (and only an etrog) was the original intent. I doubt that God intended it to be limited to any particular variety of fruit at all. Since Sukkot is a harvest festival (the third on God's calendar), He probably mean *any* fruit that ripens at or just before the holiday.

There's no reason you can't use an etrog with your lulav, but it's not absolutely required by the written Torah. My advice is to stick with tradition if you find it especially meaningful, or use whatever fruit is naturally ripe at this time of year in your locale. Whatever you choose, just make it the best you can find and can reasonably afford.

The Blessing of Isaac and Yom Kippur

Connections between Isaac's blessing and Yom Kippur:

• Isaac sent Esau to hunt the game "that he loved." In preparation for a future Yom Kippur, God will send fishers and hunters to bring his people back from exile. (Gen 27:3-4 & Jer 16:16)
• Rebekah told Jacob to bring two goats. Two goats are required for Yom Kippur. (Gen 27:9 & Lev 16:5)
• Isaac chose blindly between his two sons. The High Priest cast lots (choosing blindly) on the two goats. (Gen 27:1 & Lev 16:8)
• Jacob and Esau were twin brothers. The goats of Yom Kippur are to be alike in appearance. (Gen 25:24 & Yoma 62a)
• Jacob was a man of the tents and Esau was a man of the field. Jacob was accepted, while Esau was rejected. One goat was taken into the Tabernacle, while the other was driven into the wilderness. (Gen 25:27 & Lev 16:8-10, Mal 1:2-3)

Do you see any others? I'm sure there must be more.

Scriptures Related to Yom Kippur

As always, expect this list to change over time.

• Genesis 27
• Exodus 30:1-10
• Exodus 34:28-33
• Leviticus 16
• Leviticus 23:26-32
• Leviticus 25:8-12
• Numbers 26:52-56
• Numbers 29:7-11
• Numbers 33:54-34:15
• Numbers 36:1-12
• Joshua 2:17-21
• Proverbs 16:33
• Proverbs 18:18
• Isaiah 1:18-20
• Isaiah 58
• Ezekiel 40:1
• Joel 1:13-15
• Joel 2:12-18
• Luke 4:16-30
• Acts 27:9
• Hebrews 9:6-28
• Hebrews 13:11-15

L'shana Tova! (or not...)

Messianics need to quit obsessing over obscure conspiracy theories. No mortal on earth knows the real origin of 99% of all of the extra-biblical traditions surrounding Biblical holidays (like Rosh Hashanah/Yom Teruah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot). Maybe this or that ancient prayer was influenced by some old rabbi getting too cozy with a shaman or maybe not. Maybe the date got shifted a bit so the Jews could blend in with the Romans or Babylonians a little better. But really, there's no way that you or anyone else will ever know.

So stop getting so crazy about it. Say "Shana tova!" or don't say it. Build a sukka of reeds and fronds or put up a tent or don't do either, whichever you and your community believes honors the commandment.

You're not a cohen serving in the Tabernacle, so keeping the commandment is far more important than keeping it perfectly. Unity in the Kingdom is far more important than baseless witch hunts for anything that might somehow, somewhen have been remotely connected to someone's pagan uncle's nickname.

Relax. Do the best you can and let God worry about details that are hopelessly outside of your scope of knowledge and power. Enjoy God's appointed times. Be at peace.

L'shana Tova!