As the children of Israel were led through the wilderness, God decreed the celebration of a seven-day feast in the Jewish month of Tishri, during which they were to live in “sukkahs’” (shelters or Booths) – He decreed that this feast be celebrated annually to forever remind the Israelites that He had rescued them from Egypt. This “Feast of Tishri” (or “Feast of Succoth”) is thus a symbol of freedom. Some 450 years after its origin, the Feast of Tishri was utilized in dedicating the newly completed King Solomon’s Temple, and this association led to its adoption by Scottish Rite Masonry to symbolize our dedication to brotherly love and human accord in a peaceful world.
This adaptation is evidenced in lessons taught by the Third Degree lecture (Blue Lodge), wherein we learn that David, King of Israel, was denied the privilege of building the Temple of God due to the “many wars and much bloodshed” associated with his reign. On his death, Solomon (his son) ascended the throne and brought peace and tranquility in the world through wisdom and righteousness – God thus chose him to perform “so great and glorious an undertaking” as that denied David. And so it was that through Solomon, construction of the Temple was seemingly guided by the hand of God – for indeed it was. Association of the Feast of Tishri with the dedication of the Temple of Solomon led to its third name – the “Feast of the Tabernacle”. The Feast of Tishri thus epitomizes the character, principles and purposes of Scottish Rite Masonry, all being consistent with the dictates of the God who spake it into existence.
