Two Decorative Nativity Sukkahs!
Shalom Mishpacha!!!
The last two years, we have made Nativity Sukkahs as part of our interior decor for Sukkot.
Gingerbread Sukkah
Last year, Joined (one of my adult sons) and I made a Gingerbread Sukkah. He included his turtle, GingerSnaps, in the scene.
We used our favorite Gingerbread House dough recipe with extra spices so it would smell divine. We rolled it out and cut out 5 squares: one floor, three walls, and one roof. Then, we cut the roof rectangle into strips so that you could see the stars from inside. After baking, Joined assembled it with royal icing and then decorated it with more royal icing, candy autumn leaves, and green leaf ribbon.
We added gingerbread triangles to the back of all the characters to make sure they would stand up inside.
Nativity Sukkah
For the Nativity Sukkah, we gathered sticks we thought would work, but alas, they did not. We couldn’t find any “straight” branches from our trees, so I ended up buying a willow sticks bundle for small pets to chew on from the pet store. They worked better. We used Crayola’s terracotta air-dry clay for the floor. After rolling out the clay to the size I wanted, I stuck the sticks in it, and it took about 4 days to dry thoroughly. I had 5 1/2 inch burlap ribbon, lights, fall dried grasses, leaf ribbon, etc., on hand.
I hope in the future we can get a “real-life” looking baby Yeshua and family, but for now I used my set from Italy. I even took a brown marker and colored baby Yeshua’s hair brown (it was blonde). LOL
Now, if you come from a background where you have worshiped nativity scenes, this might not be for you. However, for us, it is a reminder of the great love Yah has for us—that He sent His Son to redeem us. It’s a reflection of the Messianic hope, looking forward to the time when Yeshua will reign as King during the Messianic era, fulfilling the prophetic vision of Sukkot when all nations will come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, as prophesied in Zechariah 14:16.
Why We Believe Yeshua Was Most Likely Born During Sukkot
One of the reasons we choose to incorporate a Nativity Sukkah into our Sukkot celebration is that many believe Yeshua was born during Sukkot. There are several reasons for this:
- Bethlehem’s Timing: In Luke 2:7, we are told that Yeshua was born when Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem for a census. During this time, it would have been challenging to find lodging because so many had traveled for the fall pilgrimage festivals. Sukkot is one of the three pilgrimage festivals when all Jewish men were commanded to go to Jerusalem (Deuteronomy 16:16), which would explain why Bethlehem was so crowded.
- The “Manger” and Sukkah: The word translated as “manger” in Luke 2:7 can also be understood as a temporary shelter or a sukkah. Yeshua being born in a sukkah would make perfect sense during the Feast of Tabernacles, as it symbolizes Yah dwelling with us—foreshadowing Yeshua’s role as Immanuel, meaning “God with us” (Matthew 1:23).
- The Prophetic Meaning of Sukkot: Sukkot celebrates Yah dwelling with His people in temporary shelters. The birth of Yeshua during this feast would highlight that He came to dwell among us temporarily, as stated in John 1:14, “The Word became flesh and dwelt (tabernacled) among us.” This connection between the birth of Yeshua and the themes of Sukkot—Yah’s provision and dwelling with His people—makes it especially meaningful to reflect on His birth during this season.
- The Shepherds and the Temple Flocks: The shepherds in the fields near Bethlehem were watching over the temple flocks, which were kept outdoors during the fall, but typically brought in during the colder winter months. This timing aligns more with a birth in the fall during Sukkot, rather than in the winter.
- The Timing of Zechariah’s Temple Service: The Gospel of Luke (1:5-13) describes how Zechariah, John the Baptist’s father, was serving in the temple during the division of Abijah. This division’s service occurred twice a year, and it is believed that Zechariah’s service would have taken place in the month of Tishrei, aligning with the fall festivals. According to traditional calculations, if we consider the timing of Zechariah’s service in the temple, followed by Elizabeth’s conception, we could estimate that John the Baptist was born around Passover. This would place Yeshua’s birth approximately six months later during Sukkot, fulfilling the prophetic connections between the two.
For us, the Nativity Sukkah symbolizes both the remembrance of Yah’s provision in the wilderness and the ultimate provision of our salvation through Yeshua, who came to dwell among us. Just as Sukkot reminds us of how Yah provided for Israel in the wilderness, it also points forward to the future, when He will dwell among us once again, and we will celebrate in the joy of His presence.
Building a nativity sukkah is similar to the reason we have a seven-branch menorah (though we never light it). It reminds us of our longing for the Temple to be reestablished with Messiah Yeshua reigning as King!
Why We Build Sukkahs
We are commanded to build and dwell in sukkahs (temporary shelters) during Sukkot as a reminder of how Yah provided for the Israelites when they lived in booths during their journey through the wilderness. Because some of us live in colder, wetter, windier regions, we sometimes have to do the temporary shelters differently than when in Jerusalem. The command can be found in Leviticus 23:41-43:
“You are to celebrate it as a festival to Adonai for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations—you are to celebrate it in the seventh month. You are to live in sukkot for seven days. All the native-born in Israel are to live in sukkot, so that your generations may know that I had Bnei-Yisrael to dwell in sukkot when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am Adonai your God.”
(Even though it says native born in this section, in other sections of Scripture it includes all who join themselves to Israel, which would include the grafted-in, such as the next scripture below.)
Sukkot is also called the Feast of Tabernacles or the Feast of Ingathering, marking the end of the agricultural year and the final harvest. It’s a time to rejoice in Yah’s provision and celebrate with joy before Him. As written in Deuteronomy 16:13-15:
“You are to keep the Feast of Sukkot for seven days, after gathering in the produce from your threshing floor and winepress.” So you will rejoice in your feast—you, your son and daughter, slave and maid, Levite and outsider, orphan and widow within your gates. Seven days you will feast to Adonai your God in the place He chooses, because Adonai your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hand, and you will be completely filled with joy.“
Sukkot also carries a prophetic dimension, pointing toward the Messianic Kingdom when Yeshua will reign as King. Notice we continue to keep the feasts (including the sacrifices). As prophesied in Zechariah 14:16-21:
“Then all the survivors from all the nations that attacked Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, Adonai-Tzva’ot, and to celebrate Sukkot. Furthermore, if any of the nations on earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, Adonai-Tzva’ot, they will have no rain. If the Egyptians do not go up and celebrate, they will have no rain. Instead, there will be the plague that Adonai will inflict on the nations that do not go up to celebrate Sukkot. This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate Sukkot. In that day “Holy to Adonai” will be inscribed on the bells of the horses and the pots in House of Adonai will be like the sacred bowls in front of the altar. In fact every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be Holy to Adonai-Tzva’ot, so that everyone who comes to sacrifice will take them, and cook in them. In that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the House of Adonai-Tzva’ot.”
May the blessings of Messiah be upon you and yours this Sukkot season.
