Special holiday reading for Sukkot Day 7 on 21 Tisrei, 5765 - October 6, 2004 Hoshana Rabah: Holiday Torah reading Just the Maftir; Maftir: Numbers 29:26-34; Haftarah: None; Mei Kituvim: variable reading or verses; Brit Chadashah: variable reading or verses

The Bagel: If David could be in our midst what would he say to us? Perhaps his remarks would be like that found in the Psalms: "I have preached righteousness in the great congregation, lo, I did not refrain my lips; O LORD, Thou knowest. I have not hid Thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared Thy faithfulness and Thy salvation; I have not concealed Thy mercy and Thy truth from the great congregation" (Psalm 40:10-11{9-10} JPS HOLY SCRIPTURES 1917). He simply would not hold back from declaring to us the truth of G-d's word and the reality of His Chesed or lovingkindness.

The writer of Kohelet or the book of Ecclesiates, who is Solomon, son of David, sought to declare needful things like David his father did. The writer or speaker in the book is simply called by the name of the book, that is, by the Hebrew name "Kohelet," which is either transliterated as "Kohelet(h)" or translated as "preacher." This name is of the same Hebrew root as "congregation" in the above verses. This Kohelet or preacher wanted to communicate important truths to the assembly of G-d's people. When he got to the end of his book he summed up the matter: "Koheleth (The Preacher) sought to find out words of delight, and that which was written uprightly, even words of truth....The end of the matter, all having been heard: fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole man{or for this applies to all mankind Tanakh JPS} (Ecclesiates 12:10, 13 JPS HOLY SCRIPTURES 1917).

It is truth and mercy from Adonay that leads to the fear of G-d and the observance of His commandments. This is a gift from G-d and not something we can drum inside ourselves. The reason David and the Kohelet would say these things to us is found in the previous verses in the Psalm: "Then I said, 'Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart'" (Psalm 40:8-9(7-8) NASB). There is One who needed no gift from G-d in order to approach Him. He was perfect and the Torah was inately written on His heart. It is none other than David's greater Son and the Messiah, Yeshua Ha Natzeret Jesus of Nazereth:

Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, 'Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.' Then I said, 'Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.' When he said above, 'You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings' (these are offered according to the law), then he added, 'Behold, I have come to do your will.' He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all (Hebrews 10:5-10 ESV).