The Feast Of The Pilgrims

What feast did the Pilgrims celebrate?

There have been many questions about the American holiday called "Thanksgiving". 

First, there is the question of when was the first Thanksgiving.

Although San Juan, Puerto Rico (a US territory) is the oldest city founded by Europeans inside any possession of the United States, there is no record of any type of religious or observation to give thanks to the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD) when the headquarters of the False Church of Rome for the New World was established there in 1511, or when the city was founded in 1521 by colonists from a nearby failed Spanish colony.

There are claims that the first day for giving thanks to the Father of Truth was at Saint Augustine, Florida on its founding on 8 September 1565.  However, there was no day set aside for giving thanks to the Father of Truth on that day, but rather a normal mass of the False Church of Rome was held.

Next, there are claims that the first day for giving thanks to the Father of Truth was at San Elizario, Texas on 30 April 1598.  However, what was actually celebrated on that day was "La Toma" (Taking Possession) to celebrate claiming that part of Texas for King Philip II of Spain.

Jamestown was founded in Virginia in 1607 as the first English colony, but there are no indications that there were any celebrations other than the Eucharist (communion).  Indeed, these colonists were mostly interested in acquiring wealth and had little interest in spiritual matters.

However, a ship arrived in 1619 to establish an addition to Jamestown Colony called Berkely Hundred.  The London Company that sent the ship gave orders that the day the ship arrived was to be set aside for giving thanks to the Father of Truth as a yearly holiday.  So, the first annual yearly holiday called Thanksgiving in what became the United States was celebrated on December 4, 1619.

So, why are the Pilgrims remembered at Thanksgiving?

Though the Berkely Hundred Thanksgiving was first, it is not what is commemorated every year by Thanksgiving in the United States.  

Thanksgiving celebrates the legacy of the Pilgrims, even though they were not the first English colony, nor the most successful colony, nor the first to set aside a day for giving thanks to the Father of Truth.

The fact is that Thanksgiving as we know it was never celebrated by the Pilgrims.  It was created as a conglomeration of three different celebrations and religious observations that they held in two different years.

In 1621, apparently 25 September (Tuesday) through 27 September (Thursday), Wampanoags and Pilgrims celebrated together for three days.  This celebration was a time for giving thanks to the Father of Truth for a bountiful harvest.

There was no beer at this first Thanksgiving celebration.  There was a general lack of ingredients like barley, and the small barley crop was used for bread.  However, there was wine at this first Thanksgiving celebration in Plymouth Colony.

Wild Concord grapes grew in abundance around Plymouth Colony.  This first Thanksgiving was held at the time of their harvest.

In 1623, in July two more ships came to Plymouth Colony bringing in other colonists, most of whom were what the Pilgrims referred to as "The Strangers".

("Stranger" was applied to any European that was not a Pilgrim.  They got the term from the Book of Truth (The Bible).  A stranger was anyone who was not a descendant of Israel, but lived among the descendants of Israel (Exodus 12:49).)

There was a drought when the Strangers arrived.  

After that, a third ship arrived in late September looking for supplies, when the Pilgrims were observing a fast where they prayed for rain.  Rain came and a few days later, Pilgrims and Strangers joined together in a feast that lasted for over a week that ended in early October to give thanks to the Father of Truth for a bountiful harvest.  Again, there were grapes and wine, but no beer.

The third ship left for England a couple of days later.

The only single day religious observation among these three events was the one day fast for rain in late September.  The celebration of giving thanks with the Wampanoag lasted three days, and the holiday of giving thanks with the Strangers lasted over a week.  There was no one day holiday called "Thanksgiving".

For this reason, some have argued that the Pilgrims actually fasted on the first Thanksgiving.  However, that was not a day when they were giving thanks for a bountiful harvest, but rather one that was spent praying for their harvest to be saved.

Many aspects of these three different events have been combined to make a single day holiday called, "Thanksgiving".  

For example, the Pilgrims and their Native American friends went turkey hunting on the morning of the first day and killed enough for everyone to have turkey for a week.  This is the source of the tradition of eating turkey on Thanksgiving.

However, they also caught an abundance of fish and the Wampanoag gave them five deer that they had killed in a short hunting trip on the second day of this three day celebration.  This was more meat than they could eat before it spoiled, but the Wampanoag taught them how to smoke meat to make it last through the winter.

This holiday was mostly celebrated between mid September to mid October in various states after this, always on Thursday, the day of the week that they spent feasting on the meat they had gotten on the previous two days in 1621.  It often to coincide with the time of the ripening of wild Concord grapes in each local.

So, since the Pilgrims were not celebrating a single day holiday called Thanksgiving at the end of November, then what were they celebrating?

The answer to that question begins with understanding the religion of the Pilgrims.

There were many groups among the Children of Truth (those who obey The Father of Truth because they love Him) that disagreed with many of the teachings of the Church of England. These teachings were inherited from the False Church of Rome.  Some groups tried to purify the Church of England of these teachings from within.  They were called Puritans.

However, some Puritans gave up all hope of purifying the Church of England from these practices.  They advocated complete separation from the Church of England.  They were known as Separatists.

However, the Separatists were not all in agreement with each other.  Some were Calvinists, but others were not.

Most Separatists rejected celebrating the holidays of the False Church of Rome.  They wanted nothing to do with these holidays that came from idol worship.  In "The Mensch who killed Christmas", they would have been those who heeded the warnings of the Mensch.

Among those Separatists which were not Calvinists, was a group of Separatists who followed the teachings of Robert Browne.  They were known as Brownists.

Brownists took the Book of Truth as the final authority in all matters.  They not only did not observe the holidays of the False Church of Rome, but they took things a lot further in following the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) than other Separatists.  

Brownists observed the commandments of the Law of Truth (Torah aka The Law), because the Man of Truth said that these commandments were still in effect as long as Heaven and Earth were still standing (Matthew 5:18).

So, Brownists asked the Father of Truth, "What's for dinner" and only ate what He said was food.  They also knew who changed the Sabbath, so they congregated on Saturday - the actual Sabbath.  

The holidays Brownists celebrated were those that form the acts of The Greatest Play Ever.  They knew that it's not just a Jewish thing to keep these holidays.  

Brownists knew that these were the holidays of the Father of Truth (Leviticus 23:1-4).  They knew when these holidays occurred, including the three that happened in the Fall (Leviticus 23:5-38).  They knew that these were not holidays created by Moses (Leviticus 23:44).  

Brownists knew that the Man of Truth kept these holidays, including the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) (John 7:2-10).  They knew that Paul the Jew kept these holidays with the Gentile Children of Truth (Acts 20:6).  They knew that Paul the Jew continue to observe holidays like The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), also called The Fast, because everyone fasted on that day (Acts 27:9).

Some Brownists took separation from the Church of England even further when they were persecuted by the English government for their observing different holidays than the rest of England.  They decided that they had to not just separate from the Church of England, but from England itself.  So, they fled to Leiden, Holland.

These Brownists were the Pilgrims.

The Pilgrims continued to publish books and tracts with their teachings in English from Leiden.  They  smuggled these books into England continually.  More and more people became Brownists.  The King of England was concerned that this would cause a civil war.  

The King of England could not send people to Holland to arrest the Pilgrims, because Holland had made it plain that such action would be a breach of its sovereignty.  Holland was the only ally of England at the time, since most of the rest of Europe was still under the control of the False Church of Rome.  

However, after living in Leiden for a while, the Pilgrims realized that Human Secularism was perhaps an even greater problem than the Church of England.  So, they decide that they needed to not just separate from England, but to separate from Europe.

So, when the Pilgrims sent a representative to the King of England asking for a charter for them to start an English colony in the New World, he was all too glad to grant it. It was a no lose proposition for him.

If the Pilgrims were successful, then England would have another colony in the New World.  If not, then they certainly would not be able to cause any more problems for England.  Also, their publishing books in Holland and smuggling them into England, which was leading to ever greater resentment of the Church of England in England, would come to an end.

So, that in the Fall of that first year in the New World, 1621, they celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles, which ran from 21 September to 28 September.  They simply invited the Wampanoag to join them for three days of that eight day feast - 25 September (Tuesday) thru 27 September (Thursday).

The first two days they hunted and fished with the Wampanoag.  On the third day, Thursday, they had a grand feast featuring the meat they got from hunting.  On the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, 28 September (Friday), they took down their temporary shelters and congregated together.

(Note that England and its colonies did not adopt the Gregorian Calendar until 1752.  The Pilgrims and those Englishmen who encountered them were still using the dates given by the Julian calendar in their writings.  This means that 21 September 1621 fell on a Friday for the Pilgrims, while it fell on a Tuesday for most of Europe.)

Then in the Fall of their third year in the New World, 1623, they sought the Father of Truth for rain during a fast.  This was the Fast of the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) that fell on 25 September 1623.  This was just after the arrival of the third ship.

This was a one day observance like Thanksgiving.

The Pilgrims then observed the Feast of Tabernacles from 30 September to 7 October.  This is the celebration joined in by those from the third ship that stopped by the colony to get supplies.

The rain that saved their crops ended a couple of days later, and the ship was able to return to England laden with supplies, including pumpkins. 

Thus began the association of pumpkins with Thanksgiving, instead of grapes.

The Pilgrims found it providential that there was such an abundance of wild Concord grapes in their colony.  The wild Concord grapes that were eaten and the wine that was made from them were associated with the Feast of Tabernacles.

The Feast of Tabernacles is also a harvest festival that occurs when the fruit has been gathered in (Leviticus 23:39-43). Everyone is to bring in part of their harvest for a feast and make sure that everyone, even Strangers, have plenty to eat (Deuteronomy 14:22-27).  The Feast of Tabernacles is the time to bring in the wine at the end of the grape harvest (Deuteronomy 16:13-15).

The grapes native to the land of Israel start ripening just before the start of Summer at the earliest and finish ripening a couple of days before the Fall Equinox at the latest.  So, the grapes native to the land of Israel are always finished ripening before the start of the Feast of Tabernacles.

However, the wild Concord grapes native to America do not start ripening until about the last week of August and do not finish ripening until the last week of November.  There have even been cases where clusters of wild Concord grapes have been harvested after cold weather set in and killed the vine that grew them.  

(Even cultivars derived from wild Concord grapes that have been introduced into the land of Israel do not finish ripening until November in the Golan Heights.)

This has led to confusion over when the Pilgrims had the three events that inspired Thanksgiving, with the first week of September being the earliest possible date and last week of November being the latest possible date.

However, pumpkins finished ripening right before the Feast of Tabernacles where the Pilgrims lived. So, pumpkins became a more reliable indicator of the time of the Feast of Tabernacles than wild Concord grapes for the Pilgrims.

Also, pumpkins were introduced to the Pilgrims by the Wampanoags and were definitely part of the feast in 1621.

Lastly, pumpkins are indigenous to the New Word, and most are grown in the northern United States where the Pilgrims held their observations of the Feast of Tabernacles.  Pumpkins are definitely more American than apple pie.

Pumpkins also play a part in answering another question:

Why is Thanksgiving observed in November? 

Answering this questions begins with clarifying some misconceptions about when the Pilgrims had their celebration for giving thanks for a bountiful harvest each year.

Some historians have suggested that the Pilgrims were celebrating Michaelmas, and it became transformed into Thanksgiving. 

Michaelmas was observed as a harvest festival in England on 29 September every year.  It was close to the time of the Feast of Tabernacles in 1621 and 1623. The Feast of Tabernacles in 1621 ended one day before Michaelmas and the Feast of Tabernacles in 1623 began one day after Michaelmas.

Michaelmas was a day devoted to the archangel Michael.  The Book of Truth warns against worshiping angels (Colossians 2:18-19).  

As Brownists, the Pilgrims certainly did not celebrate Michaelmas.  In fact, Michaelmas is the very kind of thing that they came to the New World to get away from!

Another source of confusion is how the Pilgrims made yearly proclamations of the time of their celebration.  Some years, they were celebrating in September and other years in October.  This is because the Feast of Tabernacles is based on a lunar calendar, which causes it to move around in a one month window on the Julian and Gregorian calendars for same reasons as Easter.

As more of the Strangers moved into Plymouth Colony, the nature of the celebration began to change.

Eventually, the Strangers had a one day civil celebration to commemorate the Thursday when Wampanoags and Pilgrims feasted together on the meat that they had gained hunting the previous two days.  So, they shrunk the eight day Feast of Tabernacles for giving thanks to the Father of Truth down to a single day observation like the Fast.  The date of this civil holiday was declared by the governor of the colony and varied from year to year.

For a while, it occurred on the last Thursday of the Feast of Tabernacles, which was still being observed by the ever shrinking percentage of Plymouth Colony who were Pilgrims.  This still placed it after the pumpkin harvest there.

As the Strangers moved out of Plymouth Colonies to other colonies, they took the tradition of setting aside a Thursday after the pumpkin harvest to give thanks to the Father of Truth.  

Governors of other colonies began making yearly declarations of a day of thanksgiving to the Father of Truth on a Thursday following the pumpkin harvest.  Many colonies eventually set this holiday of Thanksgiving to be the first Thursday after the latest possible date for the pumpkin harvest.

By the time of the American Revolution, all thirteen colonies were observing Thanksgiving.  Ironically, Plymouth Colony, where it had started, cease to exist and had been absorbed into Massachusetts Colony.

However, the time of the pumpkin harvest was not consistent from one colony to another.  So, in a northern colony like Vermont, Thanksgiving could be in September, while in a southern colony like Georgia, it could be in October.

So, in 1777, the Continental Congress proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving.  

Like the first and eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles, this national day of thanksgiving was a day where people were to rest from their usual work and recreational activities to congregate together to give thanks to the Father of Truth for a bountiful harvest and other blessings throughout the year.

When George Washington became the first American President, he made a yearly proclamation of the date of this national day of thanksgiving.  Most American Presidents that came after him did the same, except for Thomas Jefferson.

However, this did not really bring any kind of uniformity among the states.  

The day proclaimed each year as a national day of thanksgiving could never coincide with the day observed by every state.  So, in some states people would observe the national day declared by the president, some would observe the day determined by their state, and some people would observe both.

So, in 1863, President Lincoln called for a nation day of thanksgiving for the bountiful prosperity of America despite the ravages of the Civil War that as raging.  Thanksgiving has been observed as a national holiday ever since that time.

President Lincoln set the date to be yearly on the last Thursday of November.  This date insured that the last pumpkin harvest in the United States, the second Florida pumpkin harvest, would always be over by Thanksgiving. 

(Florida has two pumpkin planting seasons, one in March and one in August.  Pumpkins are ready to harvest around 100 days after planting.  So the end of the second Florida pumpkin season is towards the end of November.)

This date also allowed Thanksgiving to replace Evacuation Day, a de facto national holiday on 25 November to commemorate the day the British finished evacuating at the end of the American Revolution.

So, how did Thanksgiving get moved to fourth Thursday of November?

Every American president after Lincoln continued to declare the last Thursday of November to be Thanksgiving Day until 1939. 

President Franklyn Roosevelt declared the fourth Thursday of November to be Thanksgiving Day, since 1939 had five Thursdays.  He did this at the request of the founder of the department store that became Macy's, so there would be a longer Christmas shopping season.  

(Most Americans refused to engage in Christmas shopping until after Thanksgiving, because they did not want any distractions from the importance of the purpose of Thanksgiving.)

He then declared the third Thursday of November to be Thanksgiving Day in 1940 and 1941, since it those years had four Thursdays and he wanted to extend the Christmas shopping season.

This led to the same confusion that President Lincoln had ended.  About half the states celebrated Thanksgiving on the day declared by President Roosevelt, about half celebrated Thanksgiving on the day established by President Lincoln, and a few celebrated both.

So in 1942, the American Congress passed a law setting Thanksgiving Day as the fourth Thursday of November every year, which was a compromise with President Roosevelt.  The date of Thanksgiving has been set at that every since then.

However, this began to move Thanksgiving away from its meaning.

This focusing on the pursuit of wealth over the pursuit of the Father of Truth has led to the disintegration of Thanksgiving.

For most Americans, Thanksgiving is no longer a day for putting aside pursuits of business and personal pleasure to spend giving thanks to the Father of Truth for every good thing in their life.  For them, it has became a day to eat too much food and pursue pleasure by doing things like watching football. 

For some of them, a few minutes of Thanksgiving are spent in giving thanks to the Father of Truth.  For the rest, there is not even the thought of giving thanks to the Father of Truth for anything.

For some, Thanksgiving has became just another opportunity to increase their wealth.

For many, Thanksgiving is nothing more than preparation day for the season of spending money that they do have to buy other people things that they do not need, so they can impress people that they do not like.  They are poised to jump into debt with no thought of escaping the Christmas Trap.  Like turkeys, Thanksgiving is not really a good thing for them. 

This change away from the original purpose of Thanksgiving came about through a subtle influence of the descendants of immigrants who did not come to America to worship the Father of Truth.  They have no connection to the Pilgrims or the Father of Truth, so they really have no connection to Thanksgiving.

It is not that different than how the Strangers and their descendants brought about Thanksgiving.

The Strangers were not Brownists like the Pilgrims.  They had no connection to the annual eight day camp meeting of the Pilgrims.  So, they created a one day religious holiday for giving thanks to the Father of Truth based on the different aspects of the Feast of Tabernacles celebrated by the Pilgrims.  

The Strangers especially focused on that Thursday in 1621 when Native Americans and European Americans feasted together as friends. 

(Since almost all of the Strangers were Separatists or Puritans, they still longed for the day when the Man of Truth would bring peace and cause all people to live in harmony with each other.  They too longed for his kingdom, where everyone would have plenty to eat.)

So, the Strangers had a civil authority declare the day of Thanksgiving each year, because their religious leaders could not agree on when to observe Thanksgiving.  This is because they did not understand why the Feast of the Pilgrims started on a different day in September or October every year.

So, the Strangers and their descendants created an American holiday called Thanksgiving that all of the American Children of Truth could celebrate together.

In the same way, the meaning of Thanksgiving has been changed to something completely different than the religious holiday that they intended.

So, now there are many in America who are against Thanksgiving altogether.

Some people are just party poopers.  They do not want to celebrate anything at anytime for any reason.

Some people see Thanksgiving as a yearly inconvenience to their endless pursuit of bigger, better, newer stuff.  

They loathe the one day interruption to their business.  They vainly imagine that everything they have that they got by their own hand.  They do not consider that the Father of Truth gave them their talents and health that allowed them to gain wealth.

Some people object to Thanksgiving because it is not a celebration commanded in the Law of Truth.  

They do not consider the whole counsel of the Father of Truth.  If they did, then they would understand that the Children of Truth were right to celebrate many other things in the Book of Truth.  They would know that the Man of Truth celebrated Chanukah and the Children of Truth threw a Purim Party every year.  They would know that it is right to set aside a day to give thanks to the Father of Truth.

Some people object to Thanksgiving due to mistreatment of Native Americans by European Americans since the time of the Pilgrims.  They point to things like the Great Removal of the Five Civilized Tribes.

For these reasons, they and many Native Americans see Thanksgiving as nothing more a celebration of Europeans invading their homeland to take their land.  They see the arrival of the Europeans as the arrival of sickness, famine, disease, and war that devastated their population.

So, they call Thanksgiving by other names like "Unthanksgiving" and "Thankstaking".  

Is there anything for the First Nations to be thankful for at Thanksgiving?

The truth is that there was sickness, famine, disease, and war devastating Native Americans long before the day when worlds collided.  

The archeological evidence shows that there were signs great civilizations that were gone before the first European ever showed up.  These include the ruins of cities like Mesa Verde.

Yet, by the time the first Spaniard showed up in the American Southwest, there was no visible evidence of any of these cities nor was there any memory of them among the Native Americans.  The Pueblo tribe alone seemed to remember the Anasazi, which means "the Ancient Ones", who built Mesa Verde.

There is much evidence that plagues of some sort as well as famines brought on by droughts contributed to the rapid depopulation of these cities.

The Native Americans had no written language when Europeans encountered them, but archeological evidence shows that there were at least five written languages in their lands at one time.  This includes things like birch bark scrolls that contain a written language that no one has been able to decipher or even determine which tribe spoke that language.

They also lost technologies like smelting metal and the wheel.  

Metal artifacts with wooden handles that have been carbon dated before the arrival of the first European have been found in the American Southwest.  Yet, when the first Europeans came, the only metal objects among Native Americans were those made from copper, which is the only metal that exists naturally in a pure form.  

Also, Native Americans did not use wheels, despite a child's toy with wheels that was found, which was dated long before the arrival of the Europeans.

Native Americans were very adept at war before the Europeans showed up.  

When the Vikings tried to settle in North America around 1,000 AD, they were driven out by the Cree tribe.  Native Americans taught Europeans how to fight in their own style, which was crucial to the Americans winning independence from Britain.  Many of the tactics used by the American army were first developed by Native Americans.

Native Americans had became so adept from centuries of fighting each other before a single European set foot on any part of the New World.  Some tribes wiped out other tribes completely.

So, Native Americans, like all people, have always had sickness, famine, disease, and war devastating their populations.

In their case, according to the oral history of many tribes, there had been in a long decline in their numbers that started long before they ever saw a European.  

For example, the oral history of the Muskogee (Creek) Nation tells of a large empire they had, which traded as far away as Venezuela.  

This empire was destroyed by a massive civil war.  So, the descendants of the survivors from that war were confined to a much smaller area with a much smaller population by the time the first European encountered them.  

There is DNA, linguistic, and other evidence to support their oral history.

The cause of all misery experienced by Native Americans was being part of the human race.  Death - and everything that causes it - came from the sin that lived in the flesh that they inherited from the first man - Adam (Romans 5:12).

Like all people, the ancestors of Native Americans once knew the Father of Truth, but had turned away from him to worship things that He had created, instead of Him (Romans 1:21-23).  So, they began to do all kind of terrible things to each other (Romans 1:28-31).

So, Native Americans were alienated from the life that comes only from the Father of Truth (Ephesians 4:17-19).  They were cut off from the source of all good gifts (James 1:17).

Yet, even though they had forgotten the Father of Truth, He had not forgotten them.

Native Americans were lost and without hope - until Europeans like the Pilgrims were sent to tell them how they could come back to the Father of Truth (Ephesians 2:11-13).

Native Americans could not have ever heard the Good News, if Europeans like the Pilgrims had not been sent to tell them the Good News (Romans 10:14-15).  No one can believe the Gospel without first hearing the Word of Truth (Romans 10:16-17).

What some Europeans have meant for evil, the Father of Truth turned for good to the saving of many Native Americans (Genesis 50:20).  The Pilgrims were delivered by the Father of Truth from both English men and Native Americans to tell the Good News to the Native Americans that they were sent to (Acts 26:17-18).  The troubles that came upon Pilgrims in Europe brought about the Good News being taken further than it had ever been taken before - to Native Americans (Philippians 1:12).

In like manner, some European Americans have done some terrible things to Native Americans, but the Father of Truth has caused all things to work together for those Native Americans who have come into the House of Truth (Romans 8:28).  The temporary things that they have suffered cannot compare to the eternal things that they have gained (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

So, those Native Americans who have came into the House of Truth have been reconciled by the blood that the Man of Truth shed when he died a torturous death upon the cross, and are no longer alienated from the Father of Truth (Colossians 1:20-22).  They have been called out darkness to live in the marvelous light that comes from being part of the Children of Truth (1 Peter 2:9-10).

So, Native Americans really have more to be thankful for at Thanksgiving than anyone else. 

The Man of Truth is not just the hope of the Almodadi, but he is the hope of all people.

The Father of Truth so loved all people, that He gave the Man of Truth to die for all people (John 3:16).  He showed His love for all people by having the Man of Truth die for their sins while they were still His enemies, so they could be reconciled to Him (Romans 5:8-10).

The Father of Truth now commands all people to repentance, or they will suffer under the judgment that will come from the Man of Truth, whom He raised from the dead (Acts 17:30-31).  So, surrender control of your life to the Man of Truth (Romans 10:9).  Today, is your day to follow in the footsteps of the Pilgrims and experience the true meaning of Thanksgiving (2 Corinthians 6:1-2).

Come into the House of Truth!

The Written Torah

Is the Oral Torah or the Prophets a continuation of the Written Torah?

Last fall I got an invitation to come to the Sukkot celebration at a local synagogue.  This was strange and unexpected.  I had not ever been to this synagogue and I did not know anyone at this synagogue.  To this day, I have no idea how I got chosen to receive this invitation.

When the day I was invited came around, I decided to go.  It just seemed like the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD) wanted me to go.  There a picnic of sorts according to the invitation, so I brought a bag of chips that had a prominent hechsher (Kosher mark) on the front with me.

When I got there, most of the people were somewhat unfriendly, but polite.  They all seemed to know each other, but none of them knew me.  I put my bag of chips on the table with the rest of the food.  I had no idea what I was supposed to do next.

After looking around for a bit, I saw people standing in line to make fresh pita bread.  So, I got some fresh dough and went to the back of the line.

When it was my turn, I started talking to the pita baker while my pita cooked over the campfire.  It turned out that he was the husband of the Shaliach (emissary) to Tulsa.  (Tulsa is a sister city with Tiberias, Israel and they send emissaries to each other.)   He was a Sabra (native born Israeli).

While my pita was cooking, I told him that the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) was the Messiah of Israel.  He was very friendly and receptive to discussing the matter.  So when he asked me why I believed this, I quoted to him a few passages from the Original Covenant (Tanakh aka The Old Testament) that makes this pretty plain.

When my pita was ready, he said that he was interested in hearing more, but he had to take care of the next person.  There was still a long line still left, so I looked for somewhere to eat my pita.

I noticed that a man went into the Sukkah (booth) to eat his pita, so I went in the Sukkah to eat mine as well.

While I was eating my pita, I started talking to the man.  I learned that he was not a member of the host synagogue either.  He told me that he lived nearby, so he decided to come to their Sukkot celebration when he heard about it.

I then I told him that the Man of Truth was the Messiah of Israel.  He asked in a very guarded manner why I thought that.  So, I quoted to him the same passages from the Original Covenant that I had told the pita baker.

I was surprised by his response.  He told me that he went to the Chabad House.  His went on to explain that the Oral Torah was a continuation of the Written Torah, but the Prophets were contrary to the Written Torah.  In particular, he argued that the Book of Daniel was not from the Father of Truth.  So, the passages from the Prophets that I used to show that the Man of Truth was the Messiah of Israel were contrary to the Written Torah and invalid.

This was new to me.  I had known people who accepted both the Oral Torah and the Prophets as valid.  I had known people who rejected both of them.  I had known people rejected the Oral Torah, but accepted the Prophets as valid.  I had never known anyone who accepted the Oral Torah as valid, but rejected the Prophets as invalid.

I told him that he had this backwards.  The Prophets were a continuation of the Written Torah and the Oral Torah was contrary to the Written Torah.

That irritated him and our conversation was over.  So, I finished my pita.  It seemed that it was time to go home after that, so I did.

I wondered why I went to this event.  It seemed like a waste of time.  My wife told me that I was probably there to talk the man in the Sukkah.  I decided that she was probably right.  I would have never known that there was any question about whether the Oral Torah or the Prophets were a continuation of the Written Torah, if I had not accepted the invitation to that Sukkot celebration.

The best way to answer this question without a doubt is to see what the Law of Truth (Torah aka The Law) says about the Oral Torah and the Prophets.

First, a little background information about the Written Torah, the Oral Torah, and the Prophets.

The Written Torah is the Law of Truth.  It is called the Written Torah, because it was written down at the time of Moses (Moishe), when the events occurred.  It is the first five books of the Original Covenant.  The Written Torah is usually just referred to as the Torah.

The Oral Torah is the collection of oral traditions that the Pharisees say were passed down to them from the seventy elders.  They maintain that these seventy elders heard things, which Moses did not write down in the Written Torah.

This Oral Torah was called the Mishnah, after it was written down a little after 200 AD.  Then the commentary of the Rabbis on the Mishnah was written down after that to form the Gemara.  The Talmud is the Mishnah and Gemara collectively.

(There are actually two Talmuds.  The misnamed Jerusalem Talmud was completed in Tiberias (sister city of Tulsa) in about 400 AD.  The Babylonian Talmud was completed in the Babylonia in about 500 AD.  The Babylonian Talmud is usually just referred to as the Talmud.)

The Talmud is the foundational book of Rabbinic Judaism.  However, the validity of the Talmud is completely dependent upon the Law of Truth.

The Prophets are the writings about the Prophets of Truth.  They form the second part of the Original Covenant.  The Prophets of Truth were men raised up by the Father of Truth to turn the people of Israel back to following the Law of Truth.  The validity of the Prophets is completely dependent upon the Law of Truth.

Now that it has been established what is meant by the Written Torah, the Oral Torah, and the Prophets, it time to see if the Written Torah supports the Oral Torah, the Prophets, both, or neither as a continuation to it.

The Rabbis claim that the Oral Torah was heard by the seventy elders when they went up with Moses (Moishe) on Mount Sinai, but the Rabbis are liars.  The Written Torah makes it very plain that the elders did not go up to Mount Sinai with Moses (Exodus 24:1-2).  The Written Torah makes it very plain that Moses wrote all the words which he had heard on the mountain in the Written Torah (Exodus 24:3-4).

The Written Torah also makes it plain that no one can add any commandments to it or take away any commandments from it (Deuteronomy 4:1-2).  The only commandments of the Father of Truth are those in the Written Torah (Deuteronomy 12:32).

The Oral Torah both adds commandments to those in the Written Torah and takes away commandments from those in the Written Torah (Mark 7:8-13).

So, the Oral Torah is a contradiction of the Written Torah.  The Oral Torah cannot be a continuation of the Written Torah.  Anyone who believes the Written Torah will reject the Oral Torah.

The Written Torah says, that the Spirit of Truth (Ruach HaQodesh aka The Holy Spirit aka The Holy Ghost) came upon the seventy elders at the bottom of the Mount Sinai and two other elders in the camp, and they all prophesied (Numbers 11:25-26).  The Written Torah says, that Moses desired that the Spirit of Truth come upon all of the Children of Truth (those who disobey the Father of Truth because they do not love Him) and that they became all Prophets of Truth (Numbers 11:27-29).

The Written Torah says, that the Father of Truth would speak to Prophets of Truth after Moses in dreams and visions, but not in the same way that He spoke to Moses (Numbers 12:5-8).

The Written Torah says, that the Father of Truth would allow Prophets of Lies to rise up after Moses, who would perform signs and wonders in order to lead the people of Israel away from following the Law of Truth (Deuteronomy 13:1-4).  The Written Torah says, that these Prophets of Lies were to be put to death for trying to lead the people of Israel away from following the Law of Truth (Deuteronomy 13:5).

The Written Torah says, that the Prophets of Lies would also speak in the name of the Father of Truth and they were to likewise die (Deuteronomy 18:20).  The Written Torah says, the way to determine if a prophet speaking in the name of the Father of Truth is a Prophet of Lies, is when what they say does not come to pass (Deuteronomy 18:21-22).

So, the Prophets of Truth are commissioned by the Written Torah.  According to the Written Torah, The Prophets of Truth would be raised up to turn the people of Israel back to the Law of Truth, and what they said would come to pass.  The Prophets meet both of these qualification.  The Prophets are a continuation of the Written Torah.  Anyone who believes the Written Torah will accept the Prophets.

So, why would an observer of the Oral Torah, like the man I met in the Sukkah, be against the Prophets as a continuation of the Written Torah?

One reason for an observer of the Oral Torah being against the Prophets as a continuation of the Written Torah, is that the Prophets prophesied against those who observe the Oral Torah.

The  Prophet of Truth Isaiah (Yesha'Yahu) prophesied against those who observed the Oral Torah, and his prophesies came to pass, as recorded in the Renewed Covenant (B'rit Chadashah aka The New Testament).

Isaiah prophesied, that the people of Israel were to be given over to a deep sleep, where they would not be able to understand the words of the Prophets (Isaiah 29:10-12).

The teaching of the Oral Torah is the reason that the Father of Truth gave the people of Israel over to a deep sleep (Romans 11:7-8). 

Isaiah prophesied, that it would be obeying the precepts of men in worshiping the Father of Truth, which would cause their hearts to be far from Him (Isaiah 29:13).

It is the Rabbis, who teach the commandments of men contained in the Oral Torah, which are contrary to the commandments of the Written Torah (Matthew 15:3-9). 

Isaiah prophesied, that the wisdom of those wise in the Oral Torah would be destroyed, and the understanding of those made prudent by the Oral Torah would come to nothing (Isaiah 29:14).

The preaching of the cross as the means of salvation is what destroys the wisdom of those wise in the Oral Torah, and brings to nothing the understanding of those made prudent by the Oral Torah (1 Corinthians 1:18-21).

Isaiah prophesied, that the hidden agenda of those wise in the Oral Torah to mislead the people of Israel, could not be hidden from the Father of Truth, who made them (Isaiah 29:15-16).

The hidden agenda of those wise in the Oral Torah to mislead the people of Israel has not been hidden from the Father of Truth, who made them (Romans 9:20-22).

The  Prophet of Truth Malachi prophesied against those who observed the Oral Torah, and his prophesies came to pass, as recorded in the Renewed Covenant.

Malachi prophesied, that a foreign nation would take away both the Feasts of Truth and the priests from the Temple, because the priests would not teach the people of Israel to keep the commandments of the Written Torah (Malachi 2:1-6).

The Temple was taken away when Jerusalem was destroyed and the people of Israel were scattered among many Gentile nations (Luke 21:20-24).  The Romans did take away both the Feasts of Truth and the priests, when they destroyed the Temple and took away the priests of the Temple  (John 11:46-48).

Malachi prophesied, that the priests would cause the people of Israel to stumble in keeping the commandments of the Written Torah by corrupting the worship of the Father of Truth in the Temple (Malachi 2:7-9).

The priests corrupted the worship of the Father of Truth in the Temple and caused the people of Israel to stumble in keeping the commandments of the Written Torah (Mark 11:15-18).

Malachi prophesied, that the Father of Truth would destroy the scholars, the masters, and the priests out of the land of Israel, who profaned the covenant codified in the Written Torah by marrying it with customs from idolatry (Malachi 2:10-12).

The scribes (scholars) and Pharisees, who called themselves masters (Rabbis), profaned the covenant codified in the Written Torah, by marrying the many commandments in the Written Torah with keeping customs from the idol worship of Babylon that are found in the the Oral Torah (Matthew 23:2-10).  They were destroyed out of the land of Israel for doing this (Matthew 23:13-38).

(The customs from Babylon that the Rabbis have married to the Written Torah include how they teach people to keep the Feasts of Truth.  They declare "Happy New Year" on Yom Teruah.  They perform acts to make atonement without the required sacrifices on the feast without food - Yom Kippur.  They have included instructions from Babylonian idolatry for celebrating Sukkot, instead of doing what the Father of Truth instructed when He said, "Let's go camping!".  Most of the customs for rejoicing in Torah came from a ceremony where the Babylonians were married to their idols.  They also made many commandments in the Oral Torah about what is on your head that came from Babylonian idolatry.)

Malachi prophesied, that the Father of Truth would no longer regard the offerings made in the Temple, despite their crying over the Altar, because of their profaning the Written Torah (Malachi 2:12-13).

The Father of Truth did not regard the offerings made in the Temple, despite the crying of the priests over the Altar, when the Temple was destroyed (Luke 21:5-6).

Another reason for an observer of the Oral Torah to be against the Prophets as a continuation of the Written Torah, is that the Prophets left no room for doubt about the identity of the Messiah of Israel.

The Written Torah said, that the Father of Israel would raise up from among the people of Israel a Prophet of Truth like unto Moses, who they must obey (Deuteronomy 18:15-19).

The Prophet of Truth Daniel prophesied about when the Messiah of Israel would die, and his prophesies came to pass, as recorded in the Renewed Covenant.

Daniel prophesied that the Messiah of Israel would die four hundred and eighty three years after the decree to rebuild Jerusalem was given for the sins of others, followed by Jerusalem and the Temple being destroyed (Daniel 9:25-26).

The Man of Truth died in the very month that the decree was given to rebuild Jerusalem four hundred and eighty three year after it was given (Mark 14:1).  He did not die for his own sins, but for the sins of others (Luke 23:40-47).

Jerusalem and the Temple were completely destroyed afterwards (Luke 19:41-44).

The Prophet of Truth David prophesied about how the Messiah of Israel would die, and his prophesies came to pass, as recorded in the Renewed Covenant.

David prophesied that the Messiah of Israel would die by having his hands and feet pierced (Psalm 22:15-16).

The Man of Truth died by having his hands and feet pierced when he was crucified (John 19:31-33).

The Prophet of Truth David prophesied about how the Messiah of Israel would not remain in the grave, and his prophesies came to pass, as recorded in the Renewed Covenant.

David prophesied that the Messiah of Israel would not remain in the grave long enough for his body to suffer decay before he was raised back to life (Psalm 16:8-11).

The Man of Truth rose again on the third day before his body began to suffer decay (Acts 2:25-32).

So, the Written Torah told about the Messiah of Israel and the Prophets identified the Man of Truth as the Messiah of Israel.  He is that Prophet of Truth, who people must obey (Acts 7:37).

So, the real question is: Do you believe the Written Torah?

If you believe the Written Torah, then you will also believe the Prophets of Truth, but reject the Oral Torah.  If you believe the Written Torah and the Prophets of Truth, then you will believe that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel.

If you will not believe the Written Torah and the Prophets of Truth, then you will not believe that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel, even though he rose from the dead (Luke 16:31).

The Written Torah and the Prophets of Truth told you everything you need to know, to believe that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel (Luke 24:25-27).  The Written Torah and the Prophets of Truth foretold that the Messiah of Israel would suffer, die, and be raised from the dead to bring people into repentance, so they could obtain the forgiveness of sin, in the exact way that the Man of Truth did these things (Luke 24:44-47).

Whoever does not believe that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel, does not believe the Written Torah, for the Written Torah gives testimony that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel (John 5:45-47). The testimony gave by the actions of the Man of Truth is the same testimony given by the Written Torah and the Prophets of Truth to identify the Messiah of Israel (Acts 26:22-23).

Let the Written Torah and the Prophets of Truth persuade you to come into the House of Truth (Acts 28:23).  Obey the Man of Truth, because you believe that the Father of Truth raised him from the dead, as foretold of the Messiah of Israel in the Written Torah (Romans 10:4-9).

Come into the House of Truth!





























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Let's Go Camping!

What is the best way to go camping?

I love to go camping.  Some of my happiest days were spent living in a tent.

Sometimes, I went camping carrying nothing with me but a knife.  I could use the knife to make a shelter, start a fire, and make tools for foraging for food and catching fish.  (My brother David could one up me and not even take a knife.  He could make one from flint.)

I could make a comfortable bed using fallen leaves over a spot of soft dirt.  All I needed to keep insects away was some freshly cut cedar branches.

My hygiene needs were not hard to take care of.  I could go behind a bush to relieve my self.  I could dig a hole, take a squat, wipe with a large leaf, and then bury what came out.

In northwest Arkansas, it was not hard to find a clear pool in a running stream to bathe in.  I could also wash my clothes in that clear running stream, and then hang them on a tree branch to dry.  Sometimes, I would take a shower in a waterfall of a clear running stream.

Likewise, it was not hard to find clean drinking water.  The water at the top of these clear running streams was always safe to drink.

Of course, I mostly did this type of camping in fair weather.

In colder weather, I always took a lot more than a knife.  While I could build a shelter in the Winter, including a snow house (igloo) if there was snow, it was a lot harder than camping in the warmer weather.  If there was snow, then I needed pots and pans to melt the snow for water.  I had to bring in food, because there is very little food that can be foraged in the Winter.  I also make sure that I had a sleeping bag.  Of course, all of this stuff required a backpack to carry it in.

Most of the time, I went camping with a bunch of other men and boy in tents.  Sometimes, we would even camp in bunkhouse like we did at Camp Rudy.

Whenever I went camping with women, like my mother or my wife, we had to camp somewhere with a bathhouse and restrooms.  The needs of women are much more complicated than those of men.

 

Perhaps, that is why only men refer to some place that is thirty miles from the nearest indoor plumbing, as "The Great Outdoors".

In fact, one time I went camping with my wife and her entire family near Branson, Missouri.  This camping area was unusual in that we rented a small wooden hut with beds to sleep in.

Obviously, not all seasons are equally good for camping.  In the Ozarks, there is always the chance of being rained on during your entire camping trip in the Spring.  In the Summer, it can get uncomfortably hot, and you have to contend with bugs, snakes, and other wildlife issues.  In the Winter, it can be uncomfortably cold, and you have to deal with snow and ice.

The best season in the Ozarks is the Fall (Autumn).  The bugs are dying down, the nights are cooling down, and the rain showers are often short, when they occur.

The best part of the Fall is from the Fall Equinox to about five weeks later.  The bugs are pretty much gone, it is still warm enough to do things during the day, it is comfortable at night, and the cold weather has not moved in yet.  Whenever this time of year comes around, it makes me want to say, "Let's go camping!'.

I am not the only one who feels that way.  The Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD), who created this optimum time for camping, has made a celebration that revolves around camping for a week during this time of year.  He is saying to the Children of Truth (those who obey The Father of Truth because they love Him), "Let's go camping!".

This celebration begins the fifteenth day of the month (close to the first full moon), of the first month whose fifteenth day occurs after the grape harvest is over in Israel (Deuteronomy 16:13).

(The grape harvest ends about the time of the Fall equinox.  The grape harvest can end a week earlier, if a year has ideal conditions like it did in 2017 AD.  However, there is no way to know if this rare event will occur in time to set the first month.  The first month must be determined before the grapes have even blossomed.  So, the first month of the year must be determined based on the normal end of the grape harvest.)

This celebration is called Sukkot (The Feast of Tabernacles) (Leviticus 23:34).  People go camping for a week (Leviticus 23:41-42).

This camping is unusual in that it was not meant to be done out in the wilderness.  It is meant to be done in the city of Jerusalem (Yerushalayim) whenever the Temple is standing there (Deuteronomy 16:15-17).

Although only men are required to go camping in Jerusalem, women and children are encouraged to come as well (Deuteronomy 16:14).  The more complex needs of women and children are not a problem - since they are camping in a city!

The Rabbis have many traditions about how this camping trip is to be conducted, both in the land of Israel and outside of the land of Israel.

First, they have requirements for the Sukkah (booth) that people are to live in during this urban camping trip. A Sukkah must meet the following requirements:

It must have three walls.  It must have at least 16 square cubits (about 48 square feet or 5 square meters) of floor space.  It must have a S'chach as a roof.

The walls must be at least two cubits high (about 3 feet or 1 meter).  The walls must be rigid enough to have minimal movement in normal winds.  The walls must form right angle corners.  

The S'chach must be made of organic material that was not processed for a different use.  It must be thick enough to provide more shade than light in the Sukkah.  It must allow at least some of the stars to be seen when looking up through it at night.  It must allow rain to come into the Sukkah.   At least part of the s'chach must under the open sky.

The final requirement is that it be inspected by a Mashgiach (supervisor), usually a Rabbi, who will stamp it with a Hechsher (seal of approval aka Kosher mark), if it meets all of the requirements.

Second, people are required to spend at least part of each day in the Sukkah, usually at least eating a meal in it, unless it is raining.  People are not usually required to sleep in them.

Third, people are to treat the first day of Sukkot as a Sabbath, as well as the day after the camping ends - the eighth day.

Fourth, people are to treat the other days as Chol Hamoed (literally 'the appointment sand", but commonly referred to as "weekday holiday" or "secular holiday") which are considered half-holiday days.  Some work is permitted, particularly work that applies to keeping the festival, while other work, like doing the laundry, is not.  Going to work for pay is permitted, if the worker cannot take vacation.

Also, there is an extra Aliyot ("going ups") of reading of the Law of Truth (Torah aka The Law) in the synagogues during a Chol Hamoed.

Fifth, when the one of the Chol Hamoed is the weekly Sabbath, then the usual prohibitions of regular work apply like any other weekly Sabbath.  However, the order of the synagogue service is different than regular Sabbaths.  Also, the Sabbath meal (Oneg) is eating in the Sukkah.

Sixth, every day, except the Sabbath, the Four Species must be waived.

The Four Species consists of two parts:

The first part is a Lulav usually made by binding together a ripe, green, closed frond from a date palm tree, two branches with leaves from a willow tree, and three boughs with leaves from the myrtle tree.  The Lulav is bound together by strips of another palm frond that form a Hadasim.

The second part is the fruit of a citron tree, called the Etrog.  The Etrog is considered particularly holy, and will sometimes be kept in a silver casing called an Avarot, or a glass box.  Some Etrogs are examined with a jeweler eyepiece for flaws, like diamonds.  An exceptional Etrog can cost $500 or more.

Of course, a Mashgiach must inspect the Lulav and Etrog and place a Hechsher on the Lulav to show that they meet the requirements.

The Four Species are then used in a ceremony, called the Na'anu'im.  The Lulav is placed in one hand, and the Etrog in the other. Then a blessing, called the Shehecheyanu, is recited.  After that, the Lulav and Etrog are brought together, with both pointing away from the holder in the same way that they pointed away from the trees, from which they were taken.  Finally, they are gently shaken three times in each of the four directions (north, east, south, west), then upward and downward.

The Na'anu'im is part of the Synagogue services. It is accompanied with making a circuit with everyone carrying their Lulavs and Etrogs around the synagogue in a processional while reciting the Hashanot prayers.

The Na'anu'im can also be done in the home or Sukkah of an individual as well.  It is not done at all on the weekly Sabbath that falls during the Chol Hamoed.

Seventh, there are various other ceremonies that are not celebrated everywhere, but they usually are celebrated in Jerusalem. These include the Hakhel, held when Sukkot is at the end of a Sh'mita (Year of Release), the Simchat Beit HaShoevah, and the Hoshana Rabbah.

Is this really what the Father of Truth meant when He said, "Let's go camping!"?

The point of living in a Sukkah is to remind people that the descendants of Israel had to live in a Sukkah during their many years of wandering in the wilderness (Leviticus 23:41-43).

People slept, ate, played, worked, had sex, and gave birth in a Sukkah during this time.  They lived in a Sukkah through all four seasons.  They lived in a Sukkah through all kinds of weather.

A Sukkah obviously did not have one open side and leaky roof!

So what did a Sukkah look like?

The Hebrew words used do describe a Sukkah in the Book of Truth (The Bible) give a pretty good idea.

The Hebrew word "Sukkah" literally means, a booth made from interwoven leaves and branches.  The Hebrew root word that it comes from, is used to describe the dwelling place of wild lions.

A Sukkah was like a primitive shelter that is built when you go camping carrying only a knife.  Long, slender, and supple branches or vines are used to lash together thicker branches to form a basic frame.  More branches were lashed to the frame to form walls and a roof.  An opening was left in one wall to allow entrance into the shelter, and a door is formed that opens upward for that entrance.

The Sukkot, that they live in the wilderness, are also called, "tents" and "tabernacles" (Numbers 24:5).  The Hebrew word translated as "tents" literally means a nomad tent - a tent with walls and a roof made of thick cloth or animal skins that can be disassembled quickly for travel.  It is used numerous times of The Tabernacle, which had walls and a roof made of these materials that could be disassembled quickly for travel.  The Hebrew word translated as "tabernacles" is the same word used of The Tabernacle itself.

So a Sukkah had the same basic structure and shape as The Tabernacle.  It had a frame made of interwoven leaves and branches that was covered by thick cloth or animal skins.  These walls were on all four sides with an opening in the front wall to allow entrance into them.  They were rectangular in shape.  Their roofs were practically flat.

So, a finished Sukkah resembled a game booth at the arcade of a carnival.

If each Sukkah was the same height and width, then they could be organized in rows, the backs of two rows facing each other, to form a Sukkah block.  (The length of the Sukkah in the front could vary according to how many people lived in it.)  This would help each Sukkah in the Sukkah block to be made more stable by the other Sukkot in the block.  These Sukkah blocks could be spaced to put a street between blocks on all four sides.  Finally Sukkah blocks and streets could be arranged to form a Sukkah city.  There could be spaces scattered throughout a Sukkah city where the livestock could have been kept at night, similar to city parks.  This might have been the arrangement of the camp of each tribe of Israel in the wilderness (Numbers 1:52).

These booth shaped tents are what the people of Israel lived in during their time in the wilderness, when the Father of Truth told them, "Let's go camping!".

During Sukkot people are to gather four types of branches with leaves (Leviticus 23:39-40).  The best way to understand these four types of branches with leaves is to examine the Hebrew words in the list (Leviticus 23:40).

The first type was to be a fruit bearing bough of a highly esteemed tree.  Most of the branches from qualifying trees would not have fruit on them, since Sukkot begins after the fruit harvest is over (Leviticus 23:39).

The second type was to be the palm of a palm tree.  The idea of "the palm of a palm tree" is that the palm branch is to be wide open like a human palm with the fingers spread out.  (Hence the name "palm tree".)  No specific type of palm tree is given, so it could be a date palm or any other kind of palm tree.

The third type were to be a branch covered with smaller limbs that have dense interwoven foliage. Although branches of a myrtle tree would meet these requirements, these branches do not have to be from a myrtle tree to meet these requirements. These branches could be from any tree that has these types of branches, like an elm tree or a pine tree.

The fourth type was to be a branch of dark wooded trees with braided branches found near places were streams flow at least part of the year.  Although willow trees meets these requirements, they are not the only tree to do so.  Poplar trees also meet these qualifications, particularly the black poplar. (The black poplar is so named due to the darkness of its wood.)

What are people supposed to do with these four types of branches on Sukkot?

They are to use these branches to make a Sukkah (Nehemiah 8:14-15).  It is worth noting that olive branches were the fruit bearing boughs of highly esteemed trees, pine branches were the branches with covered with smaller branches and dense interwoven foliage, and that branches of thick trees were also used to build each Sukkah (Nehemiah 8:15).

So there is nothing in the Law of Truth about having a ceremony with the Four Species.  In particular, the citron tree, which bears the Etrog, is never even mentioned in the Book of Truth.  This fruit tree originated in Babylon, and was brought into the land of Israel after the Babylonian exile, just like the ceremonies involving the Four Species.

In fact, the Na'anu'im is a modified re-enactment of the processional that the Babylonians performed to honor their idols during their harvest festival in the month of Tishrei.  The wording and explanation of the symbolism was changed to point to the Father of Truth, instead of Tammuz, similar to many of the rituals of Christmas and Easter, that are "Christianized" Pagan rituals.

So, this ceremony is actually contrary to the Law of Truth. The Father of Truth does not want the Children of Truth to worship Him with the same rituals that idolaters use to worship their idols (Deuteronomy 12:29-31)!

Not only that, people are to dwell in these booths during Sukkot, like the people of Israel did in the wilderness (Leviticus 23:42-43).  People are to sleep, eat, play, work, have sex, and give birth in a Sukkah during this time.  This is what the Father of Truth means, when He says, "Let's go camping!".

The other customs were added by religious professionals over the centuries.  While there is nothing inherently wrong with a few of them, it is inherently wrong to treat any of them like they are part of the instructions given in the Law of Truth for Sukkot.  No one has the authority to add commandments to the Law of Truth (Deuteronomy 4:1-2).

The only ceremonies commanded during Sukkot revolve around sacrifices at the Temple (Numbers 29:12-38).

The only commandments concerning Sukkot, besides those involving the Sukkah, are these:

The first day is a Sabbath when people are not do their regular work and congregate together (Leviticus 23:35).  Then they are to gather the four types of branches on this day (Leviticus 23:40).  Lastly, they are to use those branches to build their Sukkah on that day, so that Sukkot are everywhere in Jerusalem, including the courtyard of the Temple (Nehemiah 8:15-16).

After a Sukkah is built, then people are to live in their Sukkah for the next seven days and nights (Leviticus 23:42).

People are bring their tithes from the fruit harvest season, rather fruit or money, to the Temple at Sukkot (Deuteronomy 14:22-25).  No man is to show up empty handed at Sukkot (Deuteronomy 16:16-17).

People are to use part of those tithes to buy whatever they need to rejoice during Sukkot (Deuteronomy 14:26).  They are to use part of those tithes to make sure the Levites have whatever they need to rejoice with them (Deuteronomy 14:27). They are to make sure that everyone, including widows, orphans, and foreigners, are able to have whatever they need to rejoice with them (Deuteronomy 16:13-14).  Everyone is to spend the days of Sukkot rejoicing (Deuteronomy 16:15).

After people have spent seven days and nights rejoicing in their Sukkah, then the eighth day is another Sabbath when people are not to do their regular work and congregate together (Leviticus 23:36).  The Sabbath of the eighth day marks the end of Sukkot, just as the Sabbath of the first day marked the beginning of Sukkot (Leviticus 23:39).  This Sabbath is the end of the sacrifices at the Temple for Sukkot as the grand finale of those ceremonies (Numbers 29:35-38).

So, this is what the Father of Truth means when He says, "Let's go camping!".

It is truly the best way to go camping, because everyone can participate!

His instructions for keeping Sukkot are very different from those of the Rabbis. Today, the instructions of the Rabbis prevail in Jerusalem, but His instructions will prevail when the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) is using the Law of Truth to rule the world from Jerusalem, and the people of Israel are walking in his light (Isaiah 2:1-5)!

The return of the King will be right after with the final harvest of the Tribulation.  In the aftermath of the Tribulation, the River will flow and bring the waters of salvation.

His reign will move the world closer to the end of all troubles.  It will be like the day of new beginnings for the human race!

The Man of Truth will conduct the greatest camp meeting ever!  It will be a real Jamboree!

Not only will all of the people of Israel celebrate Sukkot in Jerusalem, but so will all the Goy (Gentiles) (Zechariah 14:16).  If any of the Goy refuse to go camping in Jerusalem during Sukkot, then their land will get no rain for the next year (Zechariah 14:17).  The Man of Truth will not be fooling around when He says, "Let's go camping!" (Zechariah 14:18-19).

I long for the day when he says to the whole world, "Let's go camping!".

The Man of Truth came down from Heaven to live as one of us (John 1:14).  He lived in a Sukkah on this earth like every persons lives in - a body is only temporary and not eternal (2 Corinthians 5:1).  He understood our desire to no longer live in a Sukkah, but to live in a body that would be a permanent home (2 Corinthians 5:2-4).  He understood that our bodies are like a Sukkah - they are lived in for a while and then taken apart (2 Peter 1:12-14).

So, the Man of Truth died and rose again, so we could become a new kind of person, that will live in a permanent home, instead of a Sukkah (2 Corinthians 5:14-17).  Because of that, one day the Father of Truth is going come down to Earth to camp with the Children of Truth forever in the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2-4)!

Everyone who has come into the House of Truth will be glad when the Father of Truth says, "Let's go camping!".

You can come into the House of Truth and be glad on that day as well, because the Man of Truth came to be savior of the entire world (John 4:41-43).  The Father of Truth sent him to die in the place of those who broke His commandments, and raised him to life, so they could be saved by his life (Romans 5:6-10).  You will experience that salvation, if you surrender control of your life to the Man of Truth, because you believe that the Father of Truth raised him from the dead (Romans 10:8-10).  Everyone can come into the House of Truth, rather or not they are part of the people of Israel (Romans 10:11-13).

Come into the House of Truth!

The River Will Flow

How can people never thirst again?

In the 1980's, one of the most popular Christian bands was White Heart.  The truth is, that I was never much of a White Heart fan, until their 1989 album "Freedom" was released.  I had never heard any of the songs from this album on the radio, but I felt lead by the Spirit of Truth (Ruach HaQodesh aka The Holy Spirit aka The Holy Ghost) to buy it.

It turned out to be one of the best albums that I have ever bought.  It was not just because of the radical departure in style that the band took from their previous albums, but also because of the depth of the lyrics.  However, it was more than just great music accompanied by great lyrics.  The Spirit of Truth was all over this album.  Many of the songs had a prophetic quality about them.

One of the band members said in the liner notes, that this was the album that the band had always wanted to make.  It was their last album that fulfilled their contractual agreement with Sparrow Records.  So the band apparently decided to follow the leading of the Spirit of Truth, and not be hindered by the concerns of the executives at their label.  The result was breath taking.

One of those deep and prophetic songs that made this album stand out was, "The River Will Flow".  For those who have never heard this song, here are the lyrics:

There inside my dream
I heard the river roar
I stumbled through the darkened mist
But I could not find the shore

Then a voice within the mist
Said, "tell me what do you seek?"
I said, "I have a mighty thirst
But I feel so tired and weak"

He said, "I am the river
Full of power and truth
You've been looking outside yourself
When it's there inside of you"

Oh-oh-oh
And the river will flow
The river will flow
Through all of the times of your life
The river will flow
Oh, and the river is love
The river is peace
And the river will flow through the hearts
Of those who believe

So put your hand in mine
Oh, put your hand in mine
And let us all go down
And kneel by the river's side

We'll cry our tears of joy
Cry our tears of pain
We'll let them fall down from our eyes
To be washed in the sacred stream

Even the secret tears
Buried in our memories
Let them all be swept away
To the depths of the endless sea

Oh-oh-oh
And the river will flow
The river will flow
Through all of the times of your life
The river will flow
Ooh, the river is love
The river is peace
And the river will flow through the hearts
Of those who believe

Let it flow on down
Come on let it flow down
Gotta let it flow, my Lord
Streams of mercy flowing down

Flow, the river will flow
(Let it flow, let it flow, let it flow)
Through all of the times of your life
The river will flow
And the river is love
The river is peace
Ooh, and the river will flow through the hearts
Of those who believe

Gonna let it flow, now, now
Ooh, my Lord, my Lord, my Lord
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
I can feel it, feel it, feel Your streams
Oh Lord
Ooh!
Oh the mercy flowing down

The river will flow
Ooh, let Your love flow down
Ooh, it is Your love flowing down
Falling down

You can also hear it here .

This song has amazing depth because it speaks about what the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD) has done through the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ), is doing through the Man of Truth, and will do through the Man of Truth.

The River will flow.

The eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot aka the Feast of Booths) marked the end of the Feasts of Truth each year (Leviticus 23:34-37).  The eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles was the last high Sabbath of the year (Leviticus 23:39).

It was the grand finale of the Greatest Play Ever.

This day was the Great Day of the Feast of Tabernacles that stood out from all other days.

The River will flow.

The Father of Truth had promised the day would come, when His anger at sin would be turned away, and that the waters of salvation would be poured out (Isaiah 12:1-3).   So on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, the Great Day of the Feast of Tabernacles, pots of water were poured out on the steps of the Temple, to remind everyone of this promise.

The Man of Truth went to the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:2-10).  On the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, the Great Day of the feast, the Man of Truth promised that the Spirit of Truth would flow like a river out of those, who come into the House of Truth (John 7:37-39).

The Spirit of Truth is the River that the Children of Truth (those who obey The Father of Truth because they love Him) seek (Luke 11:10-13).

The River will flow.

The River is full of power (Acts 1:8).  The River is full of truth (1 John 5:6).

The Children of Truth do not need to be looking outside of themselves for the River, for the River is inside of them (Romans 8:9).

The River will flow through the Children of Truth all the times of their lives (John 14:16-17).

The River is peace (John 14:26-27).  The River is love (Galatians 5:22).

The River will flow through the hearts of those who believe (Ephesians 1:12-14).

The River will flow.

Over the first seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles, seventy bullocks, one per ethnic group, were offered for each of the seventy root ethnic groups, that all people came from (Numbers 29:12-32).  On the eighth day, only one bullock was offered for all people (Numbers 29:35-36).

This day was the Great Day of the Feast of Tabernacles that stood out from all other days.

The River will flow.

The River carries the blood of the Man of Truth to bring redemption (Hebrews 9:12-14).  Just as the blood of only one bull flowed down to bring mercy to all people on the Great Day of the Feast of Tabernacles, so also the blood of the Man of Truth flowed down on the cross to bring mercy upon all people on the Great Day of his sacrifice (Revelation 5:9).

Streams of mercy were flowing down (1 Peter 1:2-4).  His mercy is still flowing down (1 Peter 2:10).

The River will flow.

Those waters of salvation that were poured out on the eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles came from the mikvot (baptismals) that were used to make people clean.  This cleansing allowed them could enter into the prescence of the Spirit of Truth, who lived in the Temple.  So, the waters of salvation were poured out to show that people would be cleaned from sin, and brought into the prescence of the Spirit of Truth.

This day was the Great Day of the Feast of Tabernacles that stood out from all other days.

The River will flow.

John the Baptist (Yochanon the Mikveh Man) baptized people in the river, when they repented of their sins (Mark 1:4-5).   He then told everyone, that the Man of Truth would baptize people in the River (Mark 1:6-8).

On the Great Day of the resurrection of the Man of Truth, the River began to flow inside of those who believed, since the Man of Truth had cleansed them of their sin (John 20:20-22).

Forty days later, the Man of Truth told them to wait to be baptized in River (Acts 1:3-5).

Those who waited, heard the River roar (Acts 2:2).  Then they were baptized in the River (Acts 2:3-4).

On the Great Day of the Spirit of Truth, the River began to flow in power out of those who believed (Acts 2:16-18).

The River will flow.

On the eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles, there was an explosion of joy over the peace and prosperity brought by the Law of Truth (Torah aka The Law).

This day was the Great Day of the Feast of Tabernacles that stood out from all other days.

The River will flow.

When the Saints go marching in, the Grapes of Wrath are crushed, and the Final Harvest is over, then the River will flow stronger than it ever has.  It will be the Great Day when the Man of Truth begins to reign over the Earth.

Just like the waters of salvation flowed down the steps of the Temple on the Great Day of the Feast of Tabernacles, so also will a river of life flow from the steps of the Temple on the Great Day, when the Man of Truth begins his reign over the Earth.

A tree lined river will flow out of from the East side of the Temple (Ezekiel 47:1-7).   This river will bring life to every place it flows, like the River (Ezekiel 47:8-12).  This river will flow out of Jerusalem into the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea (Zechariah 14:8).

The River will flow.

All of the descendants of Israel (Ya'acov aka Jacob) will flow into the land of Israel from all of the nations, like a mighty river (Isaiah 60:4-5).

Peace will flow out of Jerusalem like a river, and the nations will come into Jerusalem like a stream (Isaiah 66:12-13).  The Law of Truth will go out of Jerusalem like a mighty river, that brings peace and prosperity to the whole Earth (Micah 4:1-4).

People of all nations will stream into Jerusalem, like a mighty river (Isaiah 2:2-4).  All nations will come to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles (Zechariah 14:16-19).

The River will give light to all nations (Isaiah 60:1-3).  The River will cover the Earth (Habakkuk 2:14).

Those who desire righteousness, will no longer have a mighty thirst (Matthew 5:3-6).

The River will flow.

The Children of Truth will have new bodies with flesh and bones, like that of the Man of Truth (Luke 24:36-39). Their blood will not flow through their new bodies to give them life (1 Corinthians 15:47-50).

The River will flow though their new bodies to give them life (1 Corinthians 15:42-46).

The Children of Truth will no longer feel tired and weak (Isaiah 40:30-31).

The River will flow.

The eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles ended living in temporary booths.

This day was the Great Day of the Feast of Tabernacles that stood out from all other days.

The River will flow.

In like manner, when the reign of the Man of Truth over this Earth comes to an end after a thousand years, then the Great Day will come, that ends living in this temporary universe (Revelation 20:7-11).

This temporary universe will be put away like a sukkah (booth), when the Feast of Tabernacles has came to an end on the Great Day (Hebrews 1:10-12).

The River flowed to create this temporary universe that we live in (Genesis 1:1-2).  The River will flow to create a new permanent universe that we will live in forever (Isaiah 66:22).

The River will flow to destroy this temporary universe, and create a permanent universe, where only the righteous live (2 Peter 3:10-13).

The River will flow to cause this temporary universe to pass away, and the Children of Truth to live in a permanent tabernacle with the Father of Truth (Revelation 21:1-3).  In that eternal universe, the river of life will flow from the throne of the Father of Truth and His Son, with the tree of life lining the shores of the river (Revelation 22:1-2).

The River will flow.

We will cry our tears of joy, and our tears of pain, so they can be washed in the Sacred Stream, when the Father of Truth wipes them away (Revelation 21:4).

The River will flow to take away from the Children of Truth the memories of this temporary universe (Isaiah 65:17).  Even our secret tears, buried in our memories, will be swept away (Isaiah 65:16-19).  Like our sins, they will all be swept away to the depths of the endless sea (Micah 7:19).

The River will flow.

Perhaps, there inside your dream, you have heard the River roar (Ezekiel 43:2-4).

You may have stumbled through the darkened mist, but you could not find the shore (Isaiah 59:9-11).

There is a voice within the mist, asking what you seek (Hebrews 10:15-17).

The River will flow.

So put your hand in mine.  Let us all go down, and kneel at the River side (John 4:23-24).

The River is inviting you to come into the House of Truth (Revelation 22:17).

The Man of Truth gives living water to everyone, who asks him for it (John 4:10).   Those who ask him for this living water will never thirst again, for the River will flow, and give them eternal life (John 4:13-14).  Those, who come into the House of Truth, will never thirst again (John 6:35).

The River will flow.

The love of the Father of Truth is flowing down for those, who have not yet come into the House of Truth (Romans 5:8).  The love of the Father of Truth is flowing down upon those, who come into the House of Truth (1 John 3:1-2).

All you have to do is commit to obeying the Man of Truth, because you believe that His Father raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9).  The River will flow (1 John 3:23-24).

Come into the House of Truth!