O Ye Fair Ones!

I, Jennifer, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, therefore I make a record of my proceedings in my days.

Yea, I make a record in the language of my father, [and] ....the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians




We have been told to liken the scriptures unto us.  I know I am not Nephi, but today I felt closer to him than I could ever imagine before.

I have studied after the learning of the Jews because it has fascinated me and I have been drawn to it most of my adult life.
  I love studying Hebrew and the meaning of the words.

This morning as I was reading from the Book of Mormon I re-discovered a bookmark which I had placed in the pages which contained my name - "Jennifer" and a definition of my name

This had been a handout for a young women lesson a few months ago about, probably about the importance of names, although I don't really remember.
But, today I read it and suddenly I saw a similarity to Nephi.  It was amazing to see it!

When I saw the meaning of my name, -white, fair,
I was given the realization to my mind that this was the same root meaning as Nephi!!
How cool is that?

I had read an article some time ago about Nephi being an Egyptian name and had marked this in my scriptures in First Nephi chapter one verse one.

Egyptian Nehfee (nfr)  = good, goodly, fine, fair - O ye fair ones! Mormon 6:17.

This morning I now see that the meaning of my name-  white and fair, and the ending of my name
"nnifer" or without vowels in true semitic style, is in fact "nfr"  

 White and fair,  I believe to be a description of goodness and "light" of countenance.  I liken this meaning to my favorite scripture.

......and I say it that ye may know the truth that ye may chase darkness from among you.

The Nephites were fair were white because they had more light when they were righteous.
The Lamanites were darkened when they left the light.
Each group found themselves in light and darkness depending on their righteousness, the amount of light they let into their lives.

לָבַן lâban  to be white  to make white, become white, purify to show whiteness, grow white  to become white, be purified 

This Hebrew word for white shows you can become white, grow white and it has to do with purity.

I have a list of people I can't wait to meet someday and now Nephi is definitely one of them :)

I also remembered that my parents had given me a necklace with  my name on it in Egyptian
from their travels to Egypt.   I just got it out, and now this necklace means more to me than the
"slight excitement" I showed when they gave it to me over ten years ago.

My husband will die if I now start learning Egyptian. Ha!

I now include a quote from a paper entitled, 
Internal Textual Evidence for the Egyptian Origin of Nephi's Name
By Matthew L. Bowen.
A proposed etymology of the Book of Mormon name Nephi is that it derives from the ancient Egyptian word nfr,1 which as an adjective means "good," "fine," or "goodly" and as a noun denotes "kindness" or "goodness."2 By Lehi's time, this word was probably pronounced "nefe" (NEH-fee).3 Two Book of Mormon passages contain strong evidence for such an etymology.
In the opening verse of the Book of Mormon, Nephi introduces himself as follows:
I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, . . . was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many afflictions . . . [and] having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, therefore I make a record of my proceedings in my days. (1 Nephi 1:1)
Nephi's use of words that translate into English as "goodly" and "goodness" makes this passage even more beautiful and meaningful if we also understand the name Nephi to denote "good," "goodly," or "goodness." The wordplay perhaps suggests why the name Nephi so befits its bearer: he is nfr, or "goodly," because he was born of "goodly parents" and is one endowed with a "knowledge of the goodness and mysteries of God."
That Lehi would give his son an Egyptian name is not unlikely, since Lehi's language "consist[ed] of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians" (1 Nephi 1:2). One reason Nephi was quick to point out his father's knowledge of Egyptian may have been to explain the origin of his non-Hebrew name.
More evidence surfaces in Helaman 5:6-7, where Helaman explains to his two sons, Nephi and Lehi, why he gave them their names:
Behold, I have given unto you the names of our first parents who came out of the land of Jerusalem . . . [so that] ye may remember their works; and when ye remember their works ye may know . . . that they were good. Therefore, my sons, I would that ye should do that which is good, that it may be said of you, and also written, even as it has been said and written of them.
Where was it written that their namesakes were "good"? In 1 Nephi 1:1, Lehi is called a "goodly" parent, and Nephi's name corresponds to the Egyptian word meaning "good." Helaman 5:6-7 implies that Helaman was aware of the meaning of the name Nephi and that he hoped this honored name would also befit his own sons by virtue of their good works.
The wordplay in 1 Nephi 1:1 and Helaman 5:6-7 is not unlike that of the name etymologies in the Hebrew Bible, particularly in Genesis. Genesis 3:20 states that "Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living" (emphasis added). Here the Hebrew name hawwah ("lifegiver") is juxtaposed with the substantive participle Hay ("living"), both of which derive from the triliteral root Hyh or Hwh ("to live"). Many such examples could be cited from the Bible.

As research on the text of the Book of Mormon continues, evidence mounts concerning its antiquity and textual complexity. The interplay of the name Nephi with words that are translated "goodly," "good," and "goodness" provides further evidence that the Book of Mormon is, in fact, translation literature. !

Notes:

1. See John Gee, "A Note on the Name Nephi," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 1/1 (1992): 189-91; and "Four Suggestions on the Origin of the Name Nephi," in Pressing Forward with the Book of Mormon, ed. John W. Welch and Melvin J. Thorne (Provo, Utah: FARMS, 1999), 1-5.
2. Raymond O. Faulkner, A Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian (Oxford: Griffith Institute, 1999), 131-32.
3. The final r in nfr was dropped long before the time of Lehi, and evidence from the Coptic form and Aramaic transliteration of the word suggests that it ended in the vowel i. See the discussion in the articles by John Gee listed in note 1.

As a mother and now a grandmother, I yearn, I wish for my posterity to remember and to keep their covenants.  I understand Nephi's engraving upon plates to his "fair ones" that they would remember the LORD God and his covenants.   I deeply understand Mormons lament for his fallen people.

O ye fair ones, do not depart from the ways of the Lord!

O ye fair ones, remember that Jesus stands with open arms to receive you!

O ye fair sons and daughters, ye fathers and mothers, ye husbands and wives, ye fair ones.  I love you and Christ loves you.  Always Remember.

post update 2/18/21

I now believe the word used for white would be נבט (literally NEPHITE!) which means to illumine, to burst forth, to shine.  It is a sprout   It has similarities to  the Egyptian white lotus, a symbol of the sun, creation and rebirth.  The lotus grows in the murky mud of the nile but sprouts into a beautiful white water Lilly rising from the mud.  At night the flower closes and again sinks under the water waiting to rise again and open at dawn.    I believe the Egptian NFR glyph to be a combination of several things--heart, lungs, Kidneys.  And also an upside down flower.  The Nephite נבט Nabat or sprout! 

The veil

The holy of holies and the veil which shielded it is extremely important symbolism. 

Within the Holy Place of the Israelite  tabernacle,  was the inner room called the Holy of Holiesi; a most sacred room, a place no ordinary person could enter. It was God’s special dwelling place in the midst of His people. 

A thick curtain separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place. This curtain, known as the “veil,” was made of fine linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn.  These colors tied to the elements of creation. From sources such as Philo and Josephus the white linen represented earth, the blue wool was air; the red wool was fire; and the purple wool was water 

There were figures of cherubim (angels) embroidered onto it. Cherubim, spirits who serve God, were in the presence of God to demonstrate His almighty power and majesty. They were the guardians of the throne of God. These cherubim were also worked into  the innermost layer linen covering of the tent and as the menorah was thought to represent the tree of life, the cherubim were guarding the way to it. 

The word “veil” in Hebrew means a screen, divider or separator that hides.   The Hebrew word - פֹּרֶכֶת pôreketh, is a feminine noun meaning a separating curtain. i.e. (the sacred) screen:—the vail.

Margaret Barker has said, "The curtain separated time and eternity. In Hebrew, ‘hidden’, ‘eternal’ and Virgin are all forms of the same word. ‘lm. Virgin implies eternal and hidden. 

What was this curtain hiding? Essentially, it was shielding a holy God from sinful man. Whoever entered into the Holy of Holies was entering the very presence of God. In fact, anyone except the high priest who entered the Holy of Holies would die. Even the high priest, God’s chosen mediator with His people, could only pass through the veil and enter this sacred dwelling once a year, on a prescribed day called the Day of Atonement.

The picture of the veil was that of a barrier between man and God, showing man that the holiness of God could not be trifled with. God’s eyes are too pure to look on evil and He can tolerate no sin (Habakkuk 1:13). The veil was a barrier to make sure that man could not carelessly and irreverently enter into God’s awesome presence. Even as the high priest entered the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement, he had to make some meticulous preparations: He had to wash himself, put on special clothing, bring burning incense to let the smoke cover his eyes from a direct view of God, and bring blood with him to make atonement for sins.

“But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.” (Hebrews 9:7)

So the presence of God remained shielded from man behind a thick curtain during the history of Israel. However, Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross changed that. When He died, the curtain in the Jerusalem temple was torn in half, from the top to the bottom. Only God could have carried out such an incredible feat because the veil was too high for human hands to have reached it, and too thick to have torn it. (The Jerusalem temple, a replica of the wilderness tabernacle, had a curtain that was about 60 feet in height, 30 feet in width and four inches thick.) Furthermore, it was torn from top down, meaning this act must have come from above.

Matt 27:50-51 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, 

As the veil was torn, the Holy of Holies was exposed. God’s presence was now accessible to all. Shocking as this may have been to the priests ministering in the temple that day, it is indeed good news to us as believers, because we know that Jesus’ death has atoned for our sins and made us right before God. The torn veil illustrated Jesus’ body broken for us, opening the way for us to come to God. As Jesus cried out “It is finished!” on the cross, He was indeed proclaiming that God’s redemptive plan was now complete. The age of animal offerings was over. The ultimate offering had been sacrificed.

We can now boldly enter into God’s presence, “the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.” (Hebrews 6:19-20)

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body …let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.” (Hebrews 10:19-22)

The Holy of Holies is a representation of heaven itself, God’s dwelling place, which we have access now through Christ. In Revelations, John’s vision of heaven — the New Jerusalem — also was a perfect square, just as the Holy of Holies was (Revelation 21:16).

“For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. …

At the time of Christ crucifixion and death the temple veil was rent in twain opening the way to gain access to the Holy of Holies wherein lay the ark of the covenant also called the mercy seat and in Hebrew called kapporet כַּפֹּרֶת kappôreth.  This was a covering over the sacred ark and comes from the root kaphar כפר, which means to cover and wiping away of sins and transgressions. It is the Hebrew word for Atonement. 

 

The temple veil or poroketh comes from the root  פרך parak and gives additional sacred meaning.  This Hebrew root means to break apart, and more importantly it is used to mean a fragment, to crumble and crush something; to break into little pieces.  It is freshly crushed grain.   As mentioned above, the temple veil is the body of Christ; and here we find that the same curtain can be crushed grain and also a fragment of bread.  When the veil of the temple was rent in twain at Christ death, he had just the night before instituted the Sacrament.  Jesus Christ told his disciples that the broken bread he passed to each of them represented his body.  His body was torn and broken, just as the temple veil.  

Christ is the Veil! 

In Jewish midrash Mary as a young girl wove the temple veil which would hang

in Harod's temple and would be rent at the crucifixion of her son. 

Ancient text speak of  a female goddess of wisdom.   She was a weaver who wove the foundations of the earth.

 (give references): 

Both the ancient Greeks and the Navajo have legends of spiders and weaving. In the Navajo mythos, Spider Woman is a beneficent helper who taught them to weave. She also taught them the spiritual meaning of the loom, the warp, and all the tools. On the other hand, in Greece,  Athena who was jealous of her skill, punished Arachne by changing her into a spider when she appeared to have superior talent.

Often the weaving goddesses are also teachers of wisdom and midwifery. Ixchel is the 16th century name of the Mayan goddess of weaving and childbirth and, it seems likely, the moon. She was worshipped on the Isla des Mujeres (the Isle of Women) and is often seen with a hare.

The people who have become the modern day Berbers, renowned for their weaving, were present in North Africa before the Phoeniceans founded Carthage. They worshipped Tanit as the goddess of childbirth, weaving and the moon. Tanit was later equated with Astarte, the northwestern Semitic goddess of fertility, sexuality, and war.

In Japan, Amaterasu is the Shinto goddess of weaving and the sun. In the Balkans, it is Saule who spins and weaves sunbeams.  However, most often the association of weaving goddesses is with the moon.

Among the ancient Egyptians the men did the weaving, but it was Isis who taught the women to spin. Neith (Nut), Egypt's ancient Goddes was also a weaver. Her name means “one who is,” and, according to E. A. Wallis Budge, weaving is synonymous with “being” in the Egyptian language. (The Gods of the Egyptians, E.A. Wallis Budge)
In Greece it was Athena Ergana who was the goddess of weaving and of the strategy of warfare. In one legend, Athena defeats Ares by weaving a trap and then stretching it across the charging warrior’s path. Those who spun for Athena were the Moirae (the Fates). The Moirae spun, measured, and cut the thread of human lives. They were often personified as three ugly and sometimes lame old women.

In Norse and Viking mythology, the Norns spun and wove the lives of humans. In The Fafnismol, Sigurd asks Fafnir: “Who are the Norns who… the babe from the mother bring?”(3) The Norns almost seemed a class of priestesses, tending the world tree In The First Lay of Helgi Hundisbane they are described as three women who:

Mightily wove they
the web of fate,
While Bralund's towns
were trembling all;
And there the golden
threads they wove,
And in the moon's hall
fast they made them.(4) 

Eve spinning

Sometimes, weaving goddesses are associated with the stars. In Germanic lore, it is said that what we call Orion’s Belt was really Frigga’s distaff. Holda knew the secret of turning flax into linen, but Frigga (her name means “the Beloved” and we remember her in the word “Friday,” which was Frigga’s day) wove the destiny the Norns had spun and was of help during birth.

The idea of three mysterious women spinners is repeated in so-called “faerie tales” from Germany to Puerto Rico. Although sometimes the girl is a princess and sometimes she is a poor orphan, she is always set to spin flax (sometimes into gold) by a cruel woman. Three grotesque old women rescue her by doing her spinning for her in exchange for an invitation to her wedding. At the wedding, they blame their ugliness on the hard work of spinning flax. This influences her father (whether he be merchant or king) to decree that, to save her beauty, she may no longer spin.

These ancient weaver women were figures of mothers and especially the mother of God.  Mary wove the veil of Christ himself, his flesh and blood, within her holy womb.  The mother's veil is rent at birth.  Death is cutting the woven tapestry off of the loom.    Christ's flesh  symbolized the temple veil and his torn flesh symbolized the torn sacramental bread which becomes a covenant symbol of taking his name upon us in renewal of our covenant of baptism; a new birth.   

Veils, birth, flesh and blood all intertwine.

Sukkot Feast of Tabernacles

"On the fifteenth of this seventh month is the Feast of Booths for seven days to the Lord" (Leviticus [Vayikra]) 23:34 NAS). You shall celebrate the Feast of Booths seven days after you have gathered in [the ingathering, KJV] from your threshing floor and your wine vat (Deuteronomy [Devarim] 16:13 NAS).
Sukkot, usually translated as "Tabernacles," or the festival of "Booths," occurs for seven days, from Tishrei 15 to 21. There is therefore a quick transition from the high holidays, with their somber mood of repentance and judgment, to a holiday of rejoicing and celebration, for which the people are commanded to build a hut [sukkah; plural, sukkot) and make it their home. The Torah identifies the sukkah (booth) with the temporary dwellings in which the Israelites lived in the wilderness after they left Egypt on their way to the Promised Land (Leviticus [Vayikra] 23:42).
From Yom Kippur to Sukkot
Not coincidentally, the same time period marks the beginning of the construction of God's sukkah, the mishkan, the sanctuary in the desert (Exodus [Shemot] 25:8-9). In Exodus 25:9, the word tabernacle is the word mishkan in Hebrew. According to tradition, Moses (Moshe) again ascended Mount Sinai for 40 days and nights to receive the second set of tablets and descended on Yom Kippur, carrying them as a sign of God's forgiveness of Israel for the sin of the golden calf, and as a symbol of the lasting covenant between God and Israel (Exodus [Shemot] 24:12-18; 34:1-2; 27-28). The following day Moses (Moshe) relayed God's instructions for building the mishkan -- a dwelling place. Material for this portable structure was collected during the days before Sukkot, and work was begun on it (the mishkan or tabernacle) (Exodus [Shemot] 35; 36:1-7).
Why was the mishkan built? The Torah says, "Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them" (Exodus [Shemot] 25:8); to establish the relationship between God and Israel, God would dwell amidst the people. Therefore the mishkan, the tabernacle in the wilderness, was instructed to be built by God for Him so He could dwell with His people.
The Sukkah and the Clouds of Glory
The Sukkah reminds us of the clouds of glory that surrounded Israel during their wandering through the desert on the way to the Promised Land. Everybody then saw the special Divine protection that God bestowed upon Israel during those difficult years. As it is written in Exodus (Shemot) 13:21, "And the Lord was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night" (NAS).
Spiritual Application (Halacha).
God desired that the tabernacle in the wilderness be built because He wanted to dwell with His people (Exodus [Shemot] 29:44-45). Spiritually speaking, this physical tabernacle was given by God to teach and instruct us that He desires to live and dwell with His people by means of the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) (1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:1). The clouds represent the believers in Yeshua (Hebrews 12:1; Revelation 1:7).
Sukkot: Names, Themes, and Idioms
1. The Season of Our Joy
2. The Festival of Ingathering
3. The Feast of the Nations
4. The Festival of Dedication
5. The Festival of Lights
Understanding Sukkot: The Feast of Tabernacles
The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) completes the sacred festivals of the seventh month. In contrast to the somber tone of Rosh HaShanah and the Day of Atonement, the third feast of Tishrei was a time of joy. Israel had passed through the season of repentance and redemption.
Sukkot is called the "Season of Our Joy." One reason Sukkot was a time of joy was that after the season of repentance (Teshuvah) and the redemption of Yom Kippur came the joy of knowing your sins were forgiven and the joy of walking with God, knowing God, and being obedient to God. Historically, Sukkot commemorates the days in the wilderness of Sinai after coming out of Egypt (Mitzayim). According to all natural laws, they (the Israelites) should have perished, but were instead divinely protected by God. Prophetically, Sukkot is the festival that teaches on the Messianic Kingdom and the joy of that Kingdom. (Terr Kingdom - Millennium)-7 days   8th day end(Celestial)
As mentioned earlier in these teachings, the Hebrew word chag comes from the Hebrew root word chagag, which means "to move in a circle, to march in a sacred procession, to celebrate or dance." The joy of Sukkot was so great that it became known as "The Feast." In non-Jewish circles, Sukkot is known as the Feast of Tabernacles. The word tabernacle refers to a temporary dwelling place, which is the purpose of the sukkah.
Spiritual Application (Halacha).
The sukkah or booth, symbolizes man's need to depend upon God for his provision of food, water, and shelter. This is true in the spiritual realm as well. The booth is the physical body, which is a temporary dwelling place for our souls and spirits (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We need the food that the Word of God provides (Matthew 6:11; 4:4; John 6:33-35); the cleansing, rinsing, and washing that the Word of God brings to our lives (Ephesians 5:26); and the shelter of God's protection over our lives from the evil one (Matthew 6:13; Psalm [Tehillim] 91). Our physical needs will be provided for by God if we seek Him spiritually (Matthew [Mattityahu] 6:31-33).
The observance of Sukkot described in Leviticus (Vayikra) 23:40-41 can be seen in Nehemiah (Nechemiah) chapter 8. The temporary dwellings or booths are described as a part of the festival. This is in remembrance of when the children of Israel dwelled in booths during their time in the wilderness (Leviticus [Vayikra] 23:43).
Isaiah talked about the sukkah in Isaiah (Yeshayahu) 4:4-6. The divine order declares that after judgment, Yom Kippur (Isaiah 4:4) comes Sukkot (Isaiah [Yeshayahu] 4:5-6). The command to rejoice at this time is given in Deuteronomy (Devarim) 16:13-15.
A sukkah is a temporary dwelling place. In First Kings (Melachim) 8:27 (NAS), at the dedication of Solomon's temple during the festival of Sukkot, Solomon asks, "Will God indeed dwell on the earth?"
The Scriptures say that Yeshua became flesh and dwelt (tabernacled) among us (John [Yochanan] 1:14). He came to earth at His first coming and temporarily dwelt among men.
The Covering of the Sukkah
Sukkot is a remembrance of the time in the wilderness when God protected, led, and sustained the children of Israel in the wilderness. The wilderness experience was a picture of the Millennium because there was a supernatural environment for the people in the wilderness. The covering was the cloud (Exodus [Shemot] 13:17-22; 14:16-20; 16:10; 19:1,9,16; 24:12-16; 40:1-2,35-38). This is known spiritually as the immersion (baptism) into the cloud (1 Corinthians 10:1-2; Hebrews 6:1-2). The cloud was a covering shelter and protection by day, and was a pillar of fire by night. It was warmth, light, and protection.
Spiritual Understanding (Halacha).
The cloud was seen as a chupah, a wedding canopy. In Daniel 7:13 it is written, ".. .the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven...." This is also mentioned in Revelation 1:7-8 and Jude 14. Here we see that the clouds are the believers in Messiah or the righteous (tzaddikim). The same can be seen in Hebrews 12:1. Also look at Isaiah (Yeshayahu) 60:8 and Acts 1:9-12.
Remember; the cloud does not only refer to the believers in the Messiah, but was also seen as a chupah, a wedding canopy. In Isaiah (Yeshayahu) 4:2, it speaks of the branch of the Lord. This is defined in Isaiah (Yeshayahu) 11:1 as being Yeshua. In Isaiah (Yeshayahu) 11:1, the Hebrew word netser is a masculine form translated as "branch." In Isaiah (Yeshayahu) 4:2, the Hebrew word translated as branch is tzemach, which is neuter. We can see from this that a marriage is being performed. This is very clear in Jeremiah (Yermiyahu) 23:5-6; 33:15-16.
In Isaiah (Yeshayahu) 4:5 it is written, "...for upon all the glory shall be a defence [chupah, or wedding canopy]." Isaiah (Yeshayahu) 4:2-6 connects the branch in verse 23 with the cloud in verses 5-6 and the duty that is performed in the wilderness. Isaiah is talking how this would happen during the Messianic Kingdom (Isaiah [Yeshayahu] 2:2-4; 4:2-3). Those written among the living in Jerusalem (Yerushalayim) actually have their names written in the Lamb's Book of Life (Revelation 3:5; 13:8; 20:12,15; 21:27; Philippians 4:3; Daniel 12:1; Psalm [Tehillim] 69:28; Exodus [Shemot] 32:31-33).
In Isaiah (Yeshayahu) 4:2, it speaks of the fruit of the earth and those who have escaped. Sukkot (Tabernacles) is known as the festival of ingathering and the fruit harvest. In Revelation 7:9-17, we can see those who have come through the great tribulation period (the birthpangs of the Messiah or Chevlai shel Mashiach) and who became believers in the Messiah during that time (Revelation 7:14). In Revelation 7:15, they "dwell" with them.
This Greek word, sk'enos, means "tabernacle, booth, shelter, or covering." This also appears in Revelation 21:3. This same word, sk'enos, which means "tabernacle" or "booth" in Greek, is used to speak of Yeshua during His first coming (John [Yochanan] 1:14). Notice the protection provided in Revelation 7:16, corresponding to Isaiah (Yeshayahu) 4:5-6, and the fountain of living waters in Revelation 7:17 and 21:4. In Isaiah (Yeshayahu) 4:3, it is written "And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy..." (also see Zechariah 14:4,6-9,16-17,20-21). Those who are called "holiness unto the Lord" in Zechariah 14:20 are the same people in Isaiah 4:3 who are called holy.
The clouds in the wilderness are called "the clouds of glory" and the wilderness experience is a picture of the future Messianic age, the Millennium. The sukkah was built to teach and understand the thousand-year millennial reign of the Messiah, the Messianic age, the Millennium, or the Athid Lavo in Hebrew eschatology.
Understanding the Meaning of Booths/Tabernacles
The Hebrew word for tabernacle is sukkah. It means "a booth, a hut, a covering, a pavilion or tent." The Greek word for tabernacle is sk'en'e, which also means "a tent, hut, or habitation."
With this in mind, let's look at the context by which the word tabernacle is used in the New Covenant (Brit Hadashah).
1. Yeshua tabernacled (sukkot) among us (John [Yochanan] 1:14).
2. Peter (Kefa) spoke about his body being a tabernacle (2 Peter[Kefa] 1:13-14).
3. The apostle Paul (Rav Sha'ul) told us that our earthly bodies were earthly houses or tabernacles (2 Corinthians 5:1-5).
4. The tabernacle of Moses (Moshe) was a tent of habitation (Acts 7:44; Hebrews 9:2-8).
5. Abraham (Avraham), Isaac (Yitzchak), and Jacob (Ya'akov) lived in tabernacles (tents) (Hebrews 11:8-9).
6. The tabernacle of David was a tent or dwelling place (Acts 15:16; Amos 9:11). This tabernacle was the temple of Solomon (1 Kings [Melachim] 5:2-5; 8:1-21).
7. Yeshua entered the temple on the Feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles) (John [Yochanan] 7:2,27-29).
8. The Bible speaks of a heavenly tabernacle (Hebrews 8:1-2; Revelation 13:6; 15:5). This heavenly tabernacle will come to earth (Revelation 21:1-3).
9. Yeshua was the true tabernacle of God (Hebrews 9:11).
So, the booth or sukkah was a temporary dwelling place. Historically, it was to remind the people of their exodus from Egypt (Mitzrayim) as described in Leviticus (Vayikra) 23:42-43. Prophetically, the sukkah points toward the future to the Messianic age, the Millennium. Spiritually, a sukkah is supposed to remind us that we are but strangers and pilgrims on the earth, this being a temporary dwelling place. So the believer in Messiah is but a stranger and pilgrim on this earth (Hebrews 11:8-10,13-16; Genesis [Bereishit] 23:3-4; 47:9; 1 Chronicles [Divery Hayamim] 29:10,15; Psalm (Tehillim) 39:12; 119:19; 1 Peter [Kefa] 1:17; 2:11).
To the believer in Yeshua, our earthly physical body is only a temporary tabernacle. At the coming of Messiah, we will receive a new and heavenly house, a glorified body (1 Corinthians 15:39-44,51-57; 2 Corinthians 5:6; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18).
The Festival of Ingathering
Sukkot (Tabernacles) is the fall harvest festival. It begins on the fifteenth of the Hebrew month of Tishrei and concludes on the twenty-second with Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah, also called the eighth day, the rejoicing in the Torah. Shemini Atzeret functions as the conclusion of Sukkot, but it is also a separate festival (this will be discussed in the following chapter).
Like the other pilgrimage festivals, Sukkot [tabernacles] has an agricultural element. It marks the time of the harvest, the final ingathering of produce before the oncoming winter. Hence, it is also called Hag HaAsif, the festival of Ingathering. As it is written, "You shall celebrate the Festival of In-gathering, at the end of the year, when you gather in your labors out of the field" (Exodus [Shemot] 23:16).
Sukkot is the time when the produce of the field, orchard, and vineyard is gathered in. The granaries, threshing floors, and wine and olive presses are full to capacity. Weeks and months of toil and sweat put into the soil have finally been amply rewarded. The farmer feels happy and elated. No wonder Sukkot is "The Season of Rejoicing." While all of the three pilgrimages are times of rejoicing, Sukkot (Tabernacles) is specifically designated as Zeman simchatenu, the season of our rejoicing.
Ushpizin
As part of Hachnasat Orechim, the mitzvah of hospitality, there is a custom of inviting ushpizin, symbolic guests, each day to join (the family) in the Sukkah. These honorary guests are Abraham (Avraham), Isaac (Yitzchak), Jacob (Ya'akov), Joseph (Yosef), Moses (Moshe), Aaron (Ahrahon), and David. One is invited each day.
Spiritual Application (Halacha).
As stated earlier; Sukkot (Tabernacles) is called the Feast of Ingathering. Yeshua told us that the harvest represents the end of the age (Olam Hazeh). This is found in (Matthew [Mattityahu] 13:39; Revelation 14:15; Joel [Yoel] 3:13). The harvest refers more specifically to people who choose to accept the Messiah Yeshua into their hearts and lives (Matthew [Mattityahu] 9:35-38; Luke 10:1-2; John [Yochanan] 4:35-38; Revelation 14:14-18). God is gathering both Jews and non-Jews together to accept the Messiah Yeshua into their lives. Most of the people on earth have not accepted Yeshua into their lives and are in the valley of decision (Joel [Yoel] 3:13-14).
Jeremiah (Yermiyahu) sorrowed for a people who were not a part of the harvest in Jeremiah (Yermiyahu) 8:18-22. In Jeremiah 8:20 it is written, "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved." To those who do accept the Messiah, you will experience the real Sukkot (Tabernacles) during the Messianic age, the Millennium. Both Jew and non-Jew will live in the Messianic Kingdom. There will also be immortal people such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, and David. There will be mortal people as well who will live with them. The mortal people who will be there are the people who lived through the seven-year tribulation period, the birthpangs of the Messiah, or the Chevlai shel Mashiach, and who accepted Yeshua into their hearts and lives. What a joy it will be living with the Messiah during the Messianic era!
The Feast of Dedication
King Solomon (Shlomo) dedicated the temple (Beit HaMikdash) during Sukkot (Tabernacles) (1 Kings 3). Therefore, this festival is also called the Feast of Dedication. It was celebrated after the Babylonian captivity (Ezra 3:1-4).
The Feast of the Nations
Another name for the Feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles) is the Feast of the Nations. Sukkot (Tabernacles) will be celebrated by all the nations on earth during the Messianic age, the Millennium (Zechariah 14:16-18). The future observance of Sukkot by the nations of the world rests upon Israel's election and mission. The universal concern of God's plan for the Jewish people reaches back to the covenant with Abraham (Avraham). In that agreement, God promised in Genesis (Bereishit) 12:3, as it is written, "...all families of the earth [shall] be blessed [through his seed]." From Abraham (Avraham), God would raise up a people, Israel, to be a blessing to the nations. That promise was fulfilled through Yeshua, the Messiah, as stated in Galatians 3:8,14,16,29.
A fascinating and mysterious pattern emerges from the seemingly endless list of sacrifices found in Numbers (Bamidbar) 29:12-35. During the week of Sukkot (Tabernacles), 70 bullocks were offered on the altar. The connection of the 70 bulls to the 70 nations is taken from Deuteronomy (Devarim) 32:8; Genesis (Bereishit) 46:27; and Exodus (Shemot) 1:1-5. Once again, the association of the nations of the world to Sukkot (Tabernacles) is found in Zechariah 14:16-19.
When Jacob (Ya'akov) and his family went to Egypt (Mitzrayim), there were 70 people who went, and it was there that they became a nation. The nations of the world are associated with Sukkot (Tabernacles) in First Kings (Melachim) 8:41-43 when Solomon dedicated the temple (Beit HaMikdash) during Sukkot (Tabernacles). For this reason, the festival is also called the Feast of the Nations.
Another fascinating thing about the sacrifices during Sukkot (Tabernacles) is that when the offerings are grouped or counted, their number always remains divisible by seven. During the week, there are 182 sacrifices (70 bullocks, 14 rams, and 98 lambs; 7 divides into 182 exactly 26 times). Add to this the meal offerings, 336 tenths of ephahs of flour (48 x 7) (Numbers [Bamidbar] 29:12-40). It is no coincidence that this seven-day holiday, which takes place at the height of the seventh month, had the perfect number, seven, imprinted on its sacrifices.
Sukkot is a picture of the Messianic Kingdom (thousand-year reign of the Messiah) as the joy, and the number seven was connected to the sabbath, which was also seen as a picture of the Messianic Kingdom. The sabbath (shabbat) falls on the seventh day of the week.
Although God is concerned for the universal redemption of the nations, those nations who do not turn to God will be judged. Either they will not receive rain (Zechariah 14:1-9,16-18), or rain will destroy them and be a curse upon them (Ezekiel [Yechezekel] 38:22-23). This is why the traditional Bible reading for the second day of Sukkot is Zechariah 14 and Ezekiel 38:14 to 39:16.
The Four Species (Arba Minim)
In Leviticus (Vayikra) 23:40, it is written, "On the first day you shall take the product of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafs trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the L-rd your God seven days."
The four species are also called the Lulav and Etrog (the palm branches and citron). So, "the product of goodly trees" is interpreted by the rabbis to refer specifically to an etrog (citron), and the branches, "boughs of leafy trees," and "willows of the brook" have been interpreted as a lulav (palm branch), hadasim (myrtle), and aravot (willows), respectively.
Whether or not Sukkot (Tabernacles) was regularly celebrated during the period of the first temple (Beit HaMikdash) is not clear. After the return from Babylon, Nehemiah (Nechemiah) wrote that from the days of Joshua's (Yehoshua) crossing into the land of Israel until his own day, the children of Israel had not built the huts of Sukkot (Nehemiah [Nechemiah] 8:17). But from Nehemiah's day forward, the festival was celebrated during the time of the second temple (Beit HaMikdash). Each celebrant brought an etrog or citron, the yellow citrus fruit that is about the same size as a lemon, but sweeter and spicier to serve as the "fruit of goodly trees" that is mentioned in Leviticus (Vayikra) 23:40. Each brought as well the branches of a palm, of a myrtle, and of a willow. The three branches were held in the right hand and the etrog on the left, and they were brought together to be waved east, south, west, north, up, and down. Since the palm branch, or lulav, was the stiffest and the most prominent element of the four species, the whole ceremony was called the waving of the lulav.
The four plants are also used during the Sukkot holiday in making a hakafa (circuit) around the congregation standing in the synagogue. The cantor leads the procession, and each man who has a lulav and etrog follows behind him. During the procession, the cantor recites the Hoshanah prayers, asking for blessings on the land and fruit of Israel. 

Spiritual Application (Halacha).
As part of the Feast of Ingathering, palm branches, myrtle branches, and willow branches are collected and held in the right hand (Leviticus [Vayikra] 23:40). A fourth entity, the etrog, representing the Gentiles or non-Jewish believers, is also gathered. These four species are used in a ceremony for Sukkot (Tabernacles). At the start of the ceremony, the etrog is upside down. The spiritual meaning is, before we came to God, we were in a state of being upside down. Through the ceremony, it is turned right side up and joined to the other three. This represents a marriage that is taking place. After we are turned right side up and turn to God, we later are joined to Him in marriage.
In Deuteronomy (Devarim) 16:14, the etrog also represents the stranger; The stranger is the Gentile who has joined himself to Israel (Ephesians 2:11-13). This is symbolic of the great congregation of non-Jewish believers in the Messiah Yeshua.
The Celebration of Water Pouring
(Simchat Beit HaShoevah)
Simchat Beit HaShoevah, the rejoicing in the house of the water pouring, is a ceremony included in the temple (Beit HaMikdash) services not mentioned in the Torah, but given in the Mishnah (Succah 5). The water pouring became a focus of the joy that the Torah commands for Sukkot. On no other festival were the people commanded to be joyful, and as a result Sukkot (Tabernacles) became known as "the season of our joy," just as Passover (Pesach) is "the season of our freedom" and Shavout (Pentecost) is "the season of the giving of the Torah."
It is written in the Mishah, that the ritual became elaborated into a colorful and joyous, even riotous, celebration called Simchat Beit HaShoevah, "the rejoicing at the house of the water-drawing." This ceremony took place every day except for the first festival day of Sukkot. The Talmud (in Sukkah 5:1a-b) describes this ceremony in detail, including a portrait of venerable sages juggling lighted torches and performing somersaults as part of the celebration. The Talmud states, "He who has not seen the rejoicing at the place of the water-drawing has never seen rejoicing in his life." So, the water pouring ceremony became the occasion for an outpouring of intense joy.


The Daily Sukkot Ceremony
Each day out of the temple (Beit HaMikdash), there was a special ceremony. The priests were divided into three divisions. The first division were the priests on duty for that festival. They would slay the sacrifices found in Numbers (Bamidbar) 29. At this time, a second group of priests went out the eastern gate of the temple (Beit HaMikdash) and went to the Motzah Valley, where the ashes were dumped at the beginning of the sabbath. There they would cut willows. The willows had to be 25 feet in length. After this, they would form a line with all the priests holding a willow. About 25 or 30 feet behind this row of priests, allowing room for the willows, would be another row of priests with willows. So, there would be row after row of the willows.
The whole road back to the temple (Beit HaMikdash) was lined with pilgrims as they went to Jerusalem (Yerushalayim) to celebrate the festival as they were commanded by God to do. Sukkot (Tabernacles), along with Shavuot (Pentecost), and Passover (Pesach), were known as the pilgrimage festivals (Deuteronomy 16:16).
There would be a signal and the priests would step out with their left foot, and then step to the right, swinging the willows back and forth. Meanwhile, a third group of priests, headed by the high priest (Cohen HaGadol), went out the gate known as the Water Gate. They had gone to the pool known as "Siloam" (John [Yochanan] 9:7,11), which means "gently flowing waters." There the high priest had a golden vase and drew the water known as the living water (mayim hayim) and held it in the vase. His assistant held a silver vase containing wine. Just as the priests in the valley of Motzah began to march toward Jerusalem (Yerushalayim), so did the priests in Siloam. As they marched toward the city of Jerusalem (Yerushalayim), the willows made a swishing sound in the wind as they approached the city. The word wind in Hebrew is Ruach. The word spirit in Hebrew is also Ruach. Therefore, this ceremony was symbolic or representative of the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) of God coming upon the city of Jerusalem (Yerushalayim).
As each of the party reached their respective gates, a trumpet (shofar) was blown. Then one man would stand up and play the flute (the flute represents the Messiah). The flute player is called "the pierced one." The flute is pierced, and Yeshua was pierced during the crucifixion (Psalm [Tehillim] 22:16; Zechariah 12:10; John [Yochanan] 19:34-37; Revelation 1:7).
The flute player led the procession. The pierced one blows the call for the wind and the water to enter the temple. The priests from Motzah swishing the willows come into the temple (Beit HaMikdash) and circle the altar seven times. The priests that were slaying the sacrifices are now ascending the altar, and they begin to lay the sacrifices on the fires. The high priest and his assistant ascend the altar and all the people of Israel are gathered into the courts around there. The people start singing the song Mayim, saying, "With joy we will draw water out of the well of salvation [Yeshua]" (Isaiah [Yeshayahu] 12:3; Mishnah, Sukkah 5:1). The high priest takes his vase and pours its contents on one of the comers of the altar where the horns are. There are two bowls built into the altar. Each bowl has a hole in it. The water and the wine are poured out over the altar as the priests who had the willow start laying the willows against the altar, making a sukkah (a picture of God's covering).
Messianic Understanding.
In this, we have a picture of Yeshua as He was on the tree. He was on the altar (tree) when His heart was pierced (John [Yochanan] 19:34), then the water and the blood separated and they were poured out. God through Yeshua was providing a covering (sukkah) for all those who would believe in Him.
Wine is representative of marriage, blood, covenant, joy, and the Messiah in Scripture. The priests took the willows to the altar and set them upright on the side of the altar, forming a wedding canopy or chupah. The high priest will take his golden vessel and pour out the water on the altar. The assistant will pour out his silver vessel of wine on the altar. When Yeshua was crucified on the tree (a type of altar), His side was pierced and out of His heart poured water and blood (John [Yochanan] 19:34). Yeshua said that He was the living water being poured out during this ceremony (John [Yochanan] 7:2, 37-38).
Spiritual Application (Halacha).
During the time of Yeshua, the Feast of Sukkot set a magnificent stage for the preaching of the Messiah. Rain is essential to the growing of crops and Israel, an arid land, prizes rain greatly as a blessing from God.
Rain was a prominent feature in the celebration of the Feast of Sukkot. The ceremony of the water drawing held a significance much deeper than its agricultural implications. The rain represented the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) and the water drawing pointed to that day when, according to the prophet Joel [Yoel], God would rain His Spirit upon (all flesh) (Joel [Yoel] 2:28-29). The connection of water to this verse is God pouring out His Spirit. In the Talmud we read, "Why is the name of it called the drawing out of water? Because of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, according to what is said, 'With joy shall ye draw out of the wells of salvation'" (Isaiah [Yeshayahu] 12:3).
Sukkot was given by God to teach us of the Messianic era, the Millennium, when the earth will experience the greatest outpouring of God's Spirit.
Hoshana Rabbah (The Great Salvation)
Hoshana Rabbah (literally, the great hosanna or the numerous hosannas) is the seventh day of Sukkot (Tabernacles). Hoshana Rabbah should have been a full festival day, but is not because
of Shemini Atzeret, which follows it. However, it has some special rituals and customs that make the day more like a full festival day than any of the intermediate days. The most important of these (ceremonies) are:
1. The circling of the altar seven times instead of once while carrying the four species and reciting the Hoshana prayers.    LETTER HEY
2. The beating of the willows.
Messianic Understanding.
In John (Yochanan) 7:37-38, Yeshua said, "If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." At this season of Sukkot, Isaiah (Yeshayahu) 12:3 was often quoted, as it is written, "Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation." Yeshua in Hebrew means "salvation."
The drama of the water drawing ceremony took on a new dimension of meaning when Yeshua attended the Feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles). On the seventh day of the feast, Hoshana Rabbah, which literally means "the great hosanna, the great salvation," the festival activities were different from those of each of the six previous days when the priests circled the altar in a procession, singing Psalm (Tehillim) 118:25. On the seventh day of the feast, the people circled the altar seven times. That is why the day is called Hoshanah Rabbah, as the cry, "Save now!" was repeated seven times. Yeshua's statement in John (Yochanan) 7:37-39 was said on Hoshana Rabbah.
Spiritual Application (Halacha).
Spiritually speaking, in the Bible, there is a link between water and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh). Yeshua told the woman at the well to drink of living water (John [Yochanan] 4:7-14; 6:35; Matthew [Mattityahu] 5:6). This relationship between water and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) is contained in the symbolism of pouring out water. Isaiah (Yeshayahu) 44:3 links the pouring out of water with the pouring out of God's Spirit. Isaiah (Yeshayahu) parallels the thirsty land and links water with the Holy Spirit. The link can also be seen in Joel (Yoel) 2:23,28; Acts 2:1-4,14-17; and Ezekiel (Yechezekel) 39:22,27-29. Zechariah 14:8 speaks of living waters. Isaiah (Yeshayahu) 12:2-3 speaks of drawing water out of the wells of salvation. Water and the Spirit are connected in Psalm (Tehillim) 42:1-4; Zechariah 13:1; and Revelation 7:17. It can also be seen in Ezekiel (Yechezekel) 36:24-27.
Yeshua was trying to communicate this to Nicodemus (Nakdimon) in John (Yochanan) 3:1-6. He also was teaching this during the Feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles) in John (Yochanan) 4:14, which concluded with His statements in John 7:37-39. At the ceremony of the water drawing, the people's attention was focused on the pool of Siloam. It was here that Yeshua healed a man who had been blind from birth (John [Yochanan] 9:1-7). Notice again the statement in John 9:5. This is the last day of the feast (Hoshana Rabbah) (John 9:14; Leviticus [Vayikra] 23:34-36).
The Festival of Lights (The Light of the Temple)
Another ceremony of the Feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles) was the illumination of the temple (Beit HaMikdash). According to the Mishnah, at the end of the first day of the Feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles), the priests and the Levites went down to the court of the women. Four enormous golden candlesticks were set up on the court (50 cubits high) with four golden bowls placed upon them and four ladders resting against each candlestick. Four youths of priestly descent stood at the top of the ladders holding jars containing about 7.5 gallons of pure oil, which they poured for each bowl (Mishnah, Sukkah 5:2). The priests and Levites used their own worn-out liturgical clothing for wicks. The light emanating from the four candelabras was so bright that
the Mishnah says in Sukkah 5:3 that there was no courtyard in Jerusalem [Yerushalayim] that was not lit up with the light of the libation water-well ceremony (Beit Hashoevah).
The mood was festive. Pious men, members of the San Hedrin, and heads of different religious schools would dance well into the night, holding bright torches and singing psalms of praise to God. Jerusalem (Yerushalayim) glistened like a diamond that night and her light could be seen from afar.
Spiritual Application (Halacha).
Spiritually speaking, the light represented the shekinah glory that once filled the temple where God's presence dwelt in the Holy of Holies (1 Kings 8:10-11; Ezekiel 43:5). During this time, the temple (Beit HaMikdash) was thought of as "the light of the world." In the brilliance of this gloriously lit temple, Yeshua cried in John (Yochanan) 8:12 that He was "the light of the world."
In addition, during this festival of Sukkot (Tabernacles) and this time, in the court of the women of the temple between the four posts of light, the accusers brought to Yeshua the woman caught in the act of adultery (John [Yochanan] 8:1-11). Yeshua forgave the woman and proceeded to write a message on the ground (John [Yochanan] 8:5-9). What did Yeshua write? The answer is in Jeremiah 17:13. In these things, we can see that Yeshua taught the people the messages of the festivals during the festivals.
Israel: A Light (Witness) to the Nations
Israel was chosen to be God's light to the world (Deuteronomy [Devarim] 7:6-8). The mission that God chose for Israel was one of service to God. The reason is very simple. God wanted a people out of the world whom He could use and work through to show His glory to the world. That is why He chose Israel and that is what every follower of the Messiah is chosen to be. In
doing so, God could reveal His redemptive plan to the whole world so the world could see that God and His Messiah Yeshua are light (John 1:1-4; 1 John 1:5). Israel was to be a witness (light) to the world. This can be seen in the following Scriptures: Isaiah (Yeshayahu) 43:1,10,12,14; Luke 24:44-49; and Acts 1:1-8. Israel's mission was to proclaim to the world that the God of Israel is the only true God and there is no other Savior but He (Acts 4:10,12).
Israel as a corporate nation failed in her mission to be a witness to the world. Not only were the people disobedient to the commandment of God, but they also did not become a light to the world. On the contrary, the world as a corporate people have always hated the Jewish people.
As individual members who believed and followed after God, the Jewish people were faithful to their task. We only need to consider the faithfulness of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, the prophets, and the kings such as David and Solomon. In fact, consider the very Bible which you are able to read today; it was written by faithful Jewish servants of God led by the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) of God. Most of all, the greatest light and witness the world has ever known was Jewish. His name is Yeshua, the Messiah! Because Israel birthed the Messiah, they, in essence, have been a blessing to all nations through Him (Genesis [Bereishit] 12:3; Galatians 3:8,14,16,29). Although Israel corporately failed in her mission, this is not a permanent failure. It is a temporary setback to her destiny of being a blessing to all nations, which will be accomplished during the thousand-year reign of the Messiah known as the Messianic Kingdom or the Messianic age. Israel still remains God's chosen people (Romans 11:25-29), and still has a role to play in the future of the world (Romans 11:12,15). The prophet Isaiah (Yeshayahu) spoke of a future time when Israel would be used by God to bring the message of Messiah to the nations, for the nation of Israel will have a central part in the thousand-year reign of the Messiah (Isaiah [Yeshayahu] 62:1-5). Israel will be a blessing to all nations at this time (Malachi 3:12; Ezekiel [Yechezekel] 34:23-30; Zechariah 8:11-15; Isaiah [Yeshayahu] 19:23-25). Jerusalem (Yerushalayim) will be the spiritual focal point of the world and this time will be Israel's "Golden Age," during the Messianic era, because the King of Jerusalem, the Prince of Peace, will reign in Jerusalem (Yerushalayim) (Isaiah [Yeshayahu] 2:2-4; 52:9-10; 62:7-8, Micah [Michah] 4:1-3; Psalm [Tehillim] 102:18-21; 125:1-2; 137:5-6). The day is coming when a restored and renewed Israel will once again be a light to the nations, for the destiny of Israel is linked to the destiny of the world!

From the Book:
The Seven Festivals of the Messiah
by Eddie Chumney

Then sings my soul

Today is my son Ty's 21st Birthday!   Happy birthday son, I miss you so much!  
I remember the day we dropped you off at the MTC.   You were happy.  You were brave.
This mission has been hard, but he has learned so so much!  Especially about himself.
The Savior's glorious atonement has been the binding force and the nail that has kept
him going and held it all together.  I thank him with all of my heart.

The Sings my Soul, my Savior God to Thee.  How Great Thou art!  How Great Thou Art!

Since it is Ty's birthday it's a music day.  He loves music.  I listened to beautiful piano hymns on the way to Hebrew this morning, as I thought of Ty and as it led me to contemplate the Savior's grace, love and mercy.   
Ty loves to  play music with his hands.
The symbol of hands is important in his life, due a blessing he has been given.

Judah comes from the Hebrew root "Yad" or hand.     It means praising.  Using the hands in
praise.  Ty does this as he serves in his mission as he plays hymns of praise on the piano.

My soul is also singing today because as I was reading in Mosiah 2.   I read my attached notes
about the Feast of Tabernacles, Succoth.   I realized that it tied to The bridal chamber and
all of my research on the Hebrew Aleph Bet.  It's truly amazing how the Scriptures of God
are complete with beautiful images which all connect and testify of our Savior Jesus Christ.

My Soul is singing today!