pilgrimage

An Introduction to Jewish Feasts in Biblical Worship

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A feast is a sign of the divine in history. Israel celebrated three kinds of feasts: pilgrimage feasts, solemn or repentance feasts, and lesser feasts not mandated by the Torah. All of these commemorated God’s action in the life and history of the community.

Like all peoples and all religions, Israel introduces rhythms into the cycle of time by means of recurring feasts. These include feasts in the full and proper sense, the “pilgrimage feasts” (pesaḥ, shavu‘ot, and sukkot), the solemn, that is, sober or austere feasts (ro’sh hashshanah and yom kippur), and the lesser feasts (ḥanukkah and purim).

The differences between the three kinds of feasts are in their degree of theological density or weight. The pilgrimage feasts (the only ones that merit the appellation ḥag, “feast”) celebrate and actualize the great three-fold saving event in Israel’s history: the Exodus, the Mosaic covenant, and the entrance into the Promised Land. They are therefore the most important of all the feasts; they are called “pilgrimage” (regalim) feasts because in biblical times they were marked by a great influx of visitors to the temple in Jerusalem, the Holy City.

The “austere” feasts celebrate not the divine event but the human outcome of freedom’s failure; they recall the infidelity of human beings in response to God’s faithfulness, and they are days of great repentance and profound conversion. They are “austere” because the prevailing mood is not joy but a critical facing up to self and to God.

The lesser feasts are so-called because they are not commanded by the Torah and are concerned with secondary events of Jewish history. Though enriched with a variety of elements, chiefly folkloristic and popular, they cannot be put on the same level as the first two types that provide the structure of the Jewish liturgical year.

A feast is a sign of the divine initiative in history; it is a “word” that rescues history from its failures and allows us to glimpse luminous meaning through, and beyond, the absurdity and monotony of historical time. Some authors make a richly meaningful suggestion regarding the origin of the word feast: they say it derives from phainomai, a Greek verb meaning “to show oneself” or “to appear,” for a feast allows a new horizon of values and meanings to manifest itself, without which life and hope would become impossible. Jewish feasts have the same function as feasts everywhere, but they have a different, more explicit, and radical meaning in light of the religious experience this people has had of the God of the Exodus and the covenant.

Features of Davidic Worship

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During the period of the tabernacle of David, regular psalmic worship was offered at the tent on Zion that housed the ark of the covenant. (The Mosaic sanctuary with its sacrifices remained at Gibeon.) There are no biblical rubrics for this worship, as there are for the sacrificial cult. The structure of the Zion festivals and the worshiper’s acts must be inferred from the relevant Psalms and historical accounts, such as 1 Chronicles 16. These materials reflect a festival celebrating the Lord’s ascension as King and the renewal of the covenant.

The Pilgrimage. Going up to Zion for the festivals was a joyous time for the families of the land. As the worshipers approached the sanctuary, they might have sung the “Psalms of Ascent” (Pss. 120–134), until at last they stood in Jerusalem, “where the tribes go up … to praise the name of the Lord” (Ps. 122:4).

The Call to Worship. The trumpet summoned the people for the festival; the lyres and harps of the sanctuary orchestra began to play as the choirs moved into place and took up their song (Ps. 81:1–3).

The Procession. Worshipers had previously gone out on a search for the ark (Ps. 132:6–7), a reenactment of the time when it was first brought to Jerusalem. The cry went forth: “Arise, O Lord, and come to your resting place, you and the ark of your might” (Ps. 132:8; cf. Ps. 68:1; Num. 10:35). At this, the appointed Levites begin to carry the ark back to the sanctuary. Their procession was led by dignitaries from the tribes of Israel (Ps. 68:27); it included singers and instrumentalists and young women dancing and playing tambourines (Pss. 68:24–25; 149:3; 150:4).

The Ascent. As the procession mounted the sacred hill, the people acclaimed Yahweh as their “great King,” with clapping, the trumpet signal of a king’s coronation, and triumphant shouting (Ps. 47:1–5). In joyful psalms, the choir celebrated his dominion over all peoples (Ps. 47:6–9).

The Entrance. As the ark reached the gates of the sacred area, an antiphonal liturgy of entrance occurred, beginning with a hymn of praise (Ps. 24:1–2). The question went forth: “Who may ascend the hill of the Lord?” The answer came from the priests guarding the entrance: “He who has clean hands and a pure heart.… ” Those in the procession affirmed that they met the qualifications (Ps. 24:3–5) and appealed for the doors to be opened so the ark, symbol of the “King of glory,” could come in (Ps. 24:7). A dialogue followed, ending with the doorkeeper’s question, “Who is this King of glory?” and the answer, “The Lord Almighty [Yahveh tzƒva’ot], he is the King of glory” (Ps. 24:8–10).

The Praise of the King. Throughout the festival, the choirs were singing hymns of praise to the Lord similar to those used when the ark had been brought to Zion (Pss. 96; 105; 106; cf. 1 Chron. 16). A favorite may have been the responsive Psalm 136: “Confess to Yahweh, that he is good; for his covenant love is forever” (v. 1, author’s translation).

Preparation for the Appearance of the Lord. The festival was to reach its climax at that point when the Lord “appeared” in the midst of his people: “From Zion, in perfect beauty, God shines forth” (Ps. 50:2), perhaps through the liturgical recitation of the covenant commandments (Exod. 20:1–17). In preparation for this high moment, the worship intensified into prophetic song by both choirs and orchestra, occasionally breaking out into the selah or general lifting up of praise at the announcement of the Lord’s coming (Ps. 150:6) or the proclamation of his victories (Pss. 46; 48). One prophetic voice may have come forth, reminding the worshipers of the seriousness with which the Lord regarded their covenant vows and that the disobedient were not to “recite my laws or take my covenant on your lips” (Ps. 50:16).

Renewal of the Covenant. At the proper moment, another prophetic voice was heard, inviting the people to respond with the recitation of the covenant laws: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it” (Ps. 81:10). Perhaps lifting their hands in the oath, the congregation reaffirmed the covenant with the words they had memorized and taught their children (Deut. 6:6–7).

Conclusion. The entire festival was a celebration of the Lord’s presence with his people, enthroned in their worship and governing their life as a people bound to him. Aspects of this Davidic worship continued to govern the cult of Judah even after the temple replaced David’s simple tent as the home of the ark. Although it is sometimes claimed that the ark remained within the Most Holy Place, which could be entered only once a year by the high priest, this is probably not a correct picture of actual practice. Apparently, the ark was carried out of the sanctuary on occasion until a few decades before the destruction of the temple and the Babylonian exile. At that time, King Josiah ordered the Levites not to carry it anymore (2 Chron. 35:3), an instruction that would have been unnecessary had they not been doing so all along.