Three times a year—on the festival of Pesach, on the festival of Shavuot, and on the festival of Sukkot—all your males shall appear before Hashem your God in the place that He will choose. They shall not appear before Hashem empty-handedDeuteronomy 16:16 (The Israel Bible™)
שָׁלוֹשׁ פְּעָמִים בַּשָּׁנָה יֵרָאֶה כָל־זְכוּרְךָ אֶת־פְּנֵי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ בַּמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִבְחָר בְּחַג הַמַּצּוֹת וּבְחַג הַשָּׁבֻעוֹת וּבְחַג הַסֻּכּוֹת וְלֹא יֵרָאֶה אֶת־פְּנֵי יְהֹוָה רֵיקָם
Hear the verse in Hebrew
vsha-LOSH p’-a-MEEM ba-sha-NAH yay-ra-EH khol z’-khu-r’-KHA et p’-NAY a-do-NAI
e-lo-HE-kha ba-ma-KOM a-SHER yiv-KHAR b’-KHAG ha-ma-TZOT u-v’-KHAG
ha-sha-vu-OT u-v’-KHAG ha-su-KOT v’-LO yay-ra-EH et p’-NAY a-do-NAI ray-KAM
The Three Pilgrimage Festivals
The Hebrew word shalosh means ‘three.’ The number three indicates a strong unit or bond, as it says in Ecclesiastes (4:12), “A threefold cord is not readily broken.” Perhaps for this reason, there are three times a year when every Jew is commanded to make a pilgrimage to the Beit Hamikdash (Holy Temple) in Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) and to appear before Hashem (God) in the Temple. This ensures that he will reconnect with his Creator at least three times a year, and that the bonds between them will remain strong. We are currently in the middle of celebrating the week long festival of Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles), one of the three pilgrimage festivals. This is a particularly special time to feel closeness and connection to Hashem.
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