The Feast of Booths is not something we often take the time to study because understanding it requires spending considerable time in the Old Testament. Yet the New Testament assumes that its readers are familiar with it. In fact, knowing about the Feast of Booths helps us better understand the Transfiguration in Matthew 17 and, even more, the Kingdom of God. What Is the Feast of Booths? The Feast of Booths (Sukkot in Hebrew) was an important celebration in both the Old Testament and New Testament eras. It was one of the three annual feasts during which all the males in Israel were required to appear before the Lord in Jerusalem (Deut. 16:16). The Feast of Booths was an eight-day celebration (beginning on Tishri 15 on the Jewish calendar), which falls around September or October on our calendar. During this feast, the people lived in temporary shelters (booths) and presented…