Feast of Tabernacles in Jesus' time

On the 14th of the seventh month (Tishrei), in the Holy Land, the grape harvest had just ended. Everyone rejoiced even though the body feels tired after work, because at night the Feast of Tabernacles begins. Feast of Tabernacles (Hag hassukot) is held annually on 15-21, the Hebrew calendar month of Tishri (approximately September / October in the Gregorian calendar), to commemorate the Israelites' wanderings in the wilderness, when out of the Land of Egypt (Leviticus 23:34; Numbers 29 :12-38). Spiritual feast lasted for seven days in an atmosphere of the sacrifices of sheep, dancing and singing procession to the temple (not in the temple). During the week everyone has to live outside their homes, by building a simple tents that covered the foliage alone.

The city of Jerusalem became so crowded because so many many people from outside who came to Jerusalem. Hagigah or 3 great celebration was attended not only Jews in the Holy Land, but also the Jewish diaspora communities (overseas) who live in other countries (cf. John 7:35, Acts 2:5). In the Gospels, it is recorded that Jesus had also attended hag hassukot, which is celebrated on a large scale in the Holy City of Jerusalem.

The Gospel of John 7: 37-39 noted that on the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and shouted, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink! The one who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, will have rivers of living water flowing from his heart. " These words were spoken by Jesus at the height of the feast of Tabernacles, the eighth day, called Shemini Atseret or in the seventh day called Hoshana Rabbah (הוֹשַׁעְנָא רַבָּא Great Hoshana), because in contrast to the previous day's rites on Hoshana Rabbah, in which all the liturgical readings are spoken as much as 7 times while circling the altar. When pilgrims around the altar (Muslims also carry out such a procession during the Haj pilgrimage, called the Tawaaf) as much as seven times, the faithful recites Hoshanot: hoshi'ahna (Aramaic: hoshana) as much as seven times. Each "hoshana" is done in honor of a patriarch (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph and David). The seven circuits correspond to the seven words in the verse Erhatz benikayon kappay, va'asovevah et mizbahakha Hashem "I wash my hands in innocence; And I walk around Your altar, O יהוה," (Psalms 26:6) אֶרְחַץ בְּנִקָּיוֹן כַּפָּי; וַאֲסֹבְבָה אֶת-מִזְבַּחֲךָ יְהוָה -.

Jesus' words, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink!", is pronounced in the context of a series of rites of Nisuh ha-Mayim (outpouring of the water), which is done before the procession around the altar. After the Levites took the water in the pool of Siloam, then they take vases of water to the Temple of God, after all the people enter the courtyard of the temple, the Chief Priest walk to the main altar and then pour the water in the vessel, accompanied by the prayer of the faithful: "May God send His spirit upon us!".

In the Jewish interpretation, ritual Nisuh ha-Mayim, which is actually to commemorate the refreshing stream which had come forth miraculously out of the rock at Meribah, i.e. events when Moses struck the rock with his rod and then the water spurting out from that rock hill, then soteriologicly associated with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Ruah ha-Qodesh). In the description of the Talmud (Sukkah 9), called Nisuh hammayim because "will be poured out upon us the Holy Spirit, as written in the book of the Prophet Isaiah: "And with joy you shall draw water out of the wells of salvation." (Isaiah 12:3)

In the Christian understanding, the outpouring of the water and the hope of the descent of the Holy Spirit has been fulfilled. In the last supper Jesus said, "Drink from it, all of you. For this is my blood of the new covenant that is being poured out for many people for the forgiveness of sins." The water of life that has been poured for the blood of the Redeemer has been shed. The Holy Spirit, went down after the Messiah be glorified (John 7: 30), once through the Via Dolorosa, Crucifixion, death and resurrection, and Ascension to heaven, only then the spirit of God was sent to perfect the work of Messiah (Jn. 16: 7-10), and poured on the day of Pentecost. If we look in the book of Zechariah 14 then shall we find that the rites in the feast of Tabernacles is so filled with the hope of the figure of the outcoming Messiah.