Sukkot begins, it's a Joyous Biblical Festival for both Jews and Christians-3

Arba Minim: The Four Species

“You shall take for yourselves on the first day [of the festival] the splendid fruit of a tree [etrog], palms of dates [lulav], the branch of the thickly leafed tree [hadas], and willows [aravot] of the brook.”  (Leviticus 23:40)Another observance carried out each day of Sukkot except Shabbat is the Four Species (Arbah Minim): an etrog (citron), a lulav (palm frond), three hadassim(myrtle twigs) and two aravot (willow twigs).  They are bound together in such a way that they can be held together easily. The lulav, hadassim and aravot are first taken up with the right hand and then the etrog is taken with the left hand.  A blessing is recited over the Four Species: “Blessed are You, God … who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to take the lulav.” Facing east where the Temple in Jerusalem once stood, the Four Species are then shaken in all six directions:  right, left, forward, up, down and backward. Rabbinic tradition explains that the Four Species represent the various personalities that make up the community of Israel.  They are held together and a blessing is recited over them to bless the unity of all people, which is emphasized on Sukkot.

 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds
the lulav and the etrog (citron) of Sukkot.
 

The Season of Our Joy

“You shall rejoice before the Lord your God.”  (Leviticus 23:40) One of the names for Sukkot is Z'man Simchateinu (The Season of Our Joy).  In Scripture, in fact, the word joy appears several times in connection with Sukkot. “Be joyful at your Feast—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites, the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns.… For the Lord your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete.”  (Deuteronomy 16:13–15) Since Sukkot is also a harvest festival, we can well imagine that there is great reason for joy.  Indeed, one of the other names for the holiday is the Feast of Ingathering.

“Celebrate the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field.”  (Exodus 23:16)

Many evangelical Christians show their love of the Jewish People by taking part in the annual Sukkot parade in Jerusalem.

The joy of this holiday is so singular and complete that many rabbinic texts just refer to it as HaChag (The Festival). During ancient times, every day of The Festival, except Shabbat, was characterized bymusic, song and dancing. Even today, Jewish people gather near the Western (Wailing) Wall to dance, sing and rejoice before the Lord.  People fill the synagogues and streets while singing and dancing with tremendous joy until the wee hours of the morning. This is in partial fulfillment of prophecy.  The Prophets tell us that a day will come when the exiles of Israel return to Zion.  Her streets will be filled with the sounds of joyful melodies, and sorrow will disappear. “The ransomed of the Lord will return.  They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads.  Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.”  (Isaiah 51:11)

 

A young man in front of a Torah Ark at the Western
(Wailing) Wall with the Four Species.

The Water Libation Ceremony

“With joy you shall draw water out of the wells of salvation.”  (Isaiah 12:3)

In Temple times, a special Water Libation (offering) ceremony took place daily during Sukkot.

Every day, the priests, along with a procession, would go down to the Pool of Shiloach (Siloam), which was fed by the Gihon Spring, the original source of Jerusalem’s water.  At the pool of natural running water, they would fill a golden flask. The water was then brought back to the altar in the Temple to accompany the morning sacrifice.  This pouring of the water on the altar is called Nishuch haMayim (Water Libation Ceremony / literally, Pouring of the Water). This water offering not only celebrates the hope of winter rains in Israel, but also symbolizes the future Messianic Redemption when the Spirit of God (symbolized by the water) is poured out upon the nation of Israel.

Because it doesn't rain in Israel during the summer, this Israeli is

delighting in the first rainfall of autumn.