The End of Exile
By Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David (Greg Killian)
The End of Exile
By Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David (Greg Killian)
Following the Month of Elul, Rosh HaShanah, and Yom Kippur, we gather together on Succoth, the Festival of the Harvest, which is also a time for homecoming. But, surprisingly, instead of rejoicing in our homes, we leave them for seven days and live in a succah, a temporary dwelling, recalling that this world is still temporary and that our task is to build the World to Come that will be eternal.
Chazal (the Sages) and the classical Meforshim explicitly associate Succoth with the end of exile and the ultimate Messianic redemption. While Passover celebrates the physical departure from the historical Egyptian exile, Succoth is understood across Rabbinic and Kabbalistic literature as the festival that marks the spiritual and physical conclusion of all global exiles.
Throughout the Torah, Israel's time in exile and the wilderness is characterized by living in tents. The Prophet Amos envisions the Messianic restoration not as a fortress, but as a booth: "On that day I will raise up the fallen Succah of David".[1]
The Radak[2] and Maharal of Prague explain that exile is a state of fragmentation where the Davidic kingdom collapsed. Raising the "Succah of David" signifies the gathering of the dispersed Jewish people from the four corners of the earth back to Jerusalem, turning temporary shelter into permanent divine protection.
Chazal establish in the Talmud[3] and Midrash[4] that the final, climactic conflict that terminates Israel's long exile, the War of Gog u-Magog, will take place during the month of Tishri, specifically around Succoth.
The Haftarot designated for Succoth, Ezekiel 38-39 and Zechariah 14, directly link the festival to the total defeat of exilic oppressors.
Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch notes the linguistic and ideological contrast between Gag (גַּג, "solid roof", representing Gog's arrogant, exilic powers relying on physical fortresses) and the Succah, the flimsy booth of faith. The end of exile occurs when the illusory security of the Gag collapses and all humanity gathers under the shadow of God's Succah.
In Succah 55b, Chazal teach that the 70 bulls offered in the Temple throughout the seven days of Succoth correspond to the 70 root nations of the world. Exile is defined by the dispersion of Israel among hostile nations. Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin explains in Ha'amek Davar that Succoth represents the resolution of world history. At the end of exile, the nations will no longer oppress Israel; instead, as Zechariah 14 foretells, they will travel to Jerusalem on Succoth to acknowledge God's sovereignty. The end of exile is thus marked not merely by Israel's return, but by the transformation of global hostility into universal peace.
The earliest occurrence of a succah following exile appears in the life of the patriarch Yaakov. After fleeing his homeland and spending over two decades in oppressive servitude under Laban in Padan-Aram, Jacob finally escapes and crosses back into the Land of Canaan. After his tense reconciliation with Esau, his very first act of settlement is stopping at a place he names Succoth.
When Yaakov fled from Laban’s exile he spent his first night at Succoth.[5] Classical commentators and Rabbinic tradition explicitly view Jacob’s journey from Laban’s house to Succoth as a foundational prophetic archetype, Ma'aseh Avot Siman LaBanim, "The actions of the fathers are a sign for the children", for the ultimate end of the exile.
Bereshit (Genesis) 33:17 And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built himself a house and made succoth (booths) for his livestock; therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.
The Sages in the Midrash[6] note that Jacob’s journey prefigures the destiny of his descendants. Just as Jacob leaves exile under Laban, survives the threat of Esau, and constructs succoth before entering the land, so too the Jewish nation builds succoth upon escaping Egyptian bondage and future exiles.
When we were redeemed from the Egyptian exile we spent our first night at Succoth.[7] The parallel is precise and deeply intentional across Rabbinic and Hasidic commentary. Just as Jacob’s arrival at Succoth marked the end of his personal exile from Laban and Esau, the Israelite departure from Rameses to Succoth[8] serves as the prophetic prototype for the collective end of exile. Succoth, derived from the root meaning temporary shelter or protection. Leaving Rameses for Succoth represents leaving man-made fortresses and human bondage to step directly into divine protection.
A famous Rabbinic tradition[9] notes that the distance between Rameses and Succoth was roughly 120 miles, yet the entire nation of millions, with elderly, children, and livestock, traversed it instantaneously. The Sages associate this speed with:
Shemot (Exodus) 19:4 I carried you on eagles' wings".
In Hasidic thought,[10] this miraculous contraction of space (Kefitzat HaDerech) when traveling to Succoth prefigures the ultimate end of the final exile: a swift, supernatural extraction from the depths of material bondage straight into the sanctuary of divine presence.
In the Talmud,[11] Rabbi Eliezer teaches that the actual booths (Succoth) commemorated by the holiday were the Clouds of Glory. According to the Midrash,[12] it was precisely upon reaching Succoth that the seven Clouds of Glory first surrounded the nation, shielding them from the desert elements, leveling the ground, and destroying scorpions and snakes. The Ramban[13] explains that exile is defined by vulnerability, exposure to hostile forces, and spiritual darkness. The moment the Clouds enveloped Israel at Succoth, their status as exiled fugitives officially ended, and their status as a redeemed, divinely shielded nation began. The classical commentators explicitly connect Jacob's personal arrival at Succoth with his descendants' national arrival at Succoth.
As the Maharal of Prague notes in Gevurot Hashem, Succoth is the ultimate destination of every Jewish redemption because it represents the state where human beings no longer rely on physical walls or imperial protectors, but rest entirely within the shadow of the Divine.
Jonah at the Gates of Nineveh[14]
Though Jonah's journey is an individual exile rather than a national one, his retreat into a succah represents a pivotal transition while far from the Land of Israel.
Fleeing his prophetic mission, Jonah is cast into the sea, swallowed by a fish, and ultimately delivered to Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian empire. After delivering his decree of warning, he leaves the city to observe its fate from outside its borders.
Yonah (Jonah) 4:5 So Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city. There he made himself a succah (סֻכָּה) and sat under it in the shade, till he might see what would become of the city.
Situated in foreign Assyrian territory, Jonah's temporary succah becomes the site of a deep theological dialogue regarding HaShem's mercy over foreign nations and the fragile nature of physical protection, contrasted with the rapidly withered Kikayon plant that HaShem causes to grow over his hut.
The most explicit post-exilic celebration of Succoth occurs in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, documenting the return of the Jewish people from the 70-year Babylonian captivity.
When Ezra led the Bne Israel out of the Babylonian exile they celebrated one of the most joyful succoth ever.
Nehemiah 8:17 And the entire assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and dwelt in the booths, for since the days of Joshua the son of Nun until that day, the children of Israel had not done so; and there was very great gladness.
This text raises an immediate question for Chazal and the Meforshim. Is it possible that King David, King Solomon, and the entire first temple period never fulfilled the mitzvah of dwelling in a succah?
The Gemara asks, "Is it possible that David came and they did not make Succoth...?" It answers that the verse compares Ezra's generation to Joshua's because of a fundamental shift in spiritual standing. Just as Joshua brought Israel into the Land and secured their sanctuary, Ezra prayed for mercy and successfully abolished the Yetzer Hara for Avodah Zarah (idolatry).
In Nehemiah, Joshua's name is written as Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ) rather than Yehoshua (יְהוֹשֻׁעַ). The Gemara explains that Moses added the letter Heh to Joshua's name to save him from the counsel of the Spies. Here, that Heh was temporarily diminished to show that Ezra’s merit in crying out to God matched the protective holiness Joshua had earned.
Ramban points out that Ezra’s Succoth occurred in the sabbatical cycle context, reviving the public assembly (Hakhel) commanded in Deuteronomy 31:10–12. Ezra read the Torah aloud from morning until noon before the entire population, men, women, and children, re-enacting the Sinai revelation and cementing the Second Temple era.
The Malbim emphasizes that this Succoth marked the transition from individual observance back to a collective, covenantal state. The "booths" were a physical declaration that they were rebuilders of Jerusalem, trusting in God's protection despite being a small, vulnerable remnant surrounded by hostile neighbors.
The returnees wept on Rosh Hashanah when hearing the Torah read, realizing how far they had strayed. Ezra and Nehemiah instructed them: "Do not mourn or weep... go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet... for the joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:9–10). This rapid conversion of tears into unbridled celebration during Succoth models the ultimate Messianic transition from the grief of exile to the joy of redemption.
Now, if Yaakov found the end of his exile with Laban in Succoth, and the Bne Israel found the end of their exile in Succoth, and the Bne Israel found the end of the Babylonian exile in the celebration of Succoth; and the feast of Succoth is speaking to an event that is yet in our future, then it makes sense that then end of this long Edom exile will be found in the Succoth of the future.
In addition to historical narratives, the Prophets employ the image of a succah to describe the ultimate, end-of-days emergence of the Jewish people, and all humanity, from the final global exile.
Isaiah describes the ultimate gathering of the exiles back to a redeemed Jerusalem.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 4:5–6 And HaShem will create over the whole habitation of mount Zion, and over her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory shall be a canopy. 6 And there shall be a pavilion (וְסֻכָּה) for a shadow in the day-time from the heat, and for a refuge and for a covert from storm and from rain.
The succah here represents the permanent, physical return of the Divine Presence to protect those who have survived the trials of exile.
Succoth is all about the future. The first time we see the root of ‘succah’ is in the original name for Avraham’s wife Sarah. Her original name was Iscah.[15] The name Iscah (Hebrew: יִסְכָּה / Yiskah) comes from the Hebrew root ס-כ-ה (sachah), which means "to gaze", "to look", or "to see". The Sages explain that she was called Iscah because she "gazed" into the future through Divine inspiration. Her prophetic vision was considered so great that, according to Rashi, Abraham was secondary to Sarah in her level of prophecy, based on Genesis 21:12, where God tells Abraham, "Whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her voice".
As the Talmud[16] notes, Sarah was called Yiskah from the root sachah, meaning "to gaze", both because she gazed through holy prophecy and because everyone gazed at her spiritual and physical beauty. In Hasidic thought, the holiday of Succoth, which celebrates the ultimate encompassment by divine love inside the Succah, is viewed as a time when every individual is called upon to exercise "Iscah-like" vision, looking past the temporary, physical walls of the material world to gaze upon the underlying spiritual reality.
A Succah is a place that connects heaven and earth. This becomes obvious when we realize that the dimensions of the Holy of Holies and the ark are mirrored in the minimum and maximum dimensions of the succah. The gematria of ‘Succah’ is 91, a number which symbolizes the connection between heaven and earth.
Succoth is the last of the three pilgrimage festivals at the end of the year.
Both Chazal and classical Meforshim teach that Succoth has an extraordinary, central role in the Messianic Era, far exceeding its current standing relative to other holidays. While holidays celebrating historical deliverances from past oppressors (like Passover or Hanukkah) are described as fading into the background relative to the ultimate redemption, Succoth is portrayed as the universal culmination of world history.
The foundational text for the future of Succoth is the prophecy in Zechariah 14:16–19, which forms the Haftarah for the first day of the holiday:
Zechariah 14:16–19 And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of Hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles [Succoth].
Chazal note in Talmud Succah 55b that during the Temple service of Succoth, 70 bulls were sacrificed on the Altar, corresponding to the traditional 70 Nations of the World. In the present era, Israel acts as a spiritual advocate for humanity; in the Messianic era, the nations themselves will recognize God’s kingship through Succoth.
The Netziv[17] explains that in the future, the nations will realize that their physical prosperity and rainfall depend entirely on the divine light flowing through Jerusalem, leading them to willingly participate in Succoth.
Prophet Amos prophesies: "On that day I will raise up the fallen Tabernacle (Succah) of David".[18]
Rashi and Radak explain that the Davidic Monarchy and the Holy Temple are referred to as a Succah, not a sturdy house, because even when destroyed or brought low, a Succah can be rebuilt easily from its foundation.
The Midrash[19] and Kabbalistic commentators, like the Zohar, teach that in the future, God will create a massive, radiant Succah for the righteous out of the skin of the Leviathan (the legendary sea creature), under which all of Israel and the righteous of the world will feast together in peace.
Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch draws a famous contrast regarding the End of Days. The war of Gog u-Magog, the final world conflict, contains the root Gag (גַּג), meaning "a solid roof". Gog represents the ideology of human arrogance, mankind building "sturdy roofs" and military power to insulate themselves from God. The Succah represents the opposite: vulnerability, trust, and living under the open sky under the "Clouds of Glory." In the future, the illusion of the Gag (human self-sufficiency) will collapse, and the entire world will embrace the truth of the Succah.
Succoth is all about the future, all about seeing into the future, because Succoth is the festival of ‘seeing’. The Haftara readings for Succoth are all about the future end of days: On the first day of Succoth, we read Zechariah 14:1-21. The intermediate Sabbath of Succoth we read Ezekiel 38:18 - 39:16.
The Haftarot read during the holiday of Succoth, on the primary festival days, Shabbat Chol HaMoed, and Shemini Atzeret, are among the most explicitly messianic and eschatological selections in the entire annual prophetic cycle. Rather than focusing merely on past history, these readings map out the ultimate future of world history across three distinct themes: the final conflict, the universal gathering, and the restoration of divine glory.
The Haftarah for the first day of Succoth is Zechariah Chapter 14, which describes the final culmination of human history. The prophecy opens with a vision of all nations gathering against Jerusalem in a final global conflict. Zechariah envisions dramatic physical and spiritual transformations. The Mount of Olives splits in two, living waters flow out from Jerusalem toward the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean, and "on that day, the Lord will be One and His Name One".[20]
The climax of the vision focuses directly on Succoth. Zechariah predicts that after the final war, the survivors of all non-Jewish nations will travel to Jerusalem year after year to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.[21] Those who refuse will suffer drought, highlighting Succoth as the future universal bridge between humanity and God.
The reading for the second day of Yom Tov shifts to the historic dedication of King Solomon’s Temple, which occurred during the festival of Succoth.[22]
When the Ark of the Covenant was placed inside the Holy of Holies, a dense cloud filled the House of the Lord, signaling that God’s presence had taken up physical residence among Israel.
Classical commentators, like the Radak, explain that Solomon's Temple dedication serves as the blueprint for the ultimate Third Temple in the Messianic era. Just as God's glory visibly descended during Succoth in Solomon's time, the prophets envision an even greater, permanent revelation of divine glory in the future.
If Shabbat falls during the intermediate days of Succoth, the Haftarah describes the defeat of Gog of the land of Magog.
Ezekiel details the miraculous downfall of Gog’s armies through cosmic earthquakes, pestilence, and rain stones.
Commentators note that the name Gog shares the root Gag (גַּג), meaning "a solid roof." Gog represents the ideology of human arrogance, building fortified, permanent "roofs" to achieve self-sufficiency without God. The Haftarah shows the total collapse of that illusion, clearing the way for humanity to embrace the vulnerability and divine trust symbolized by the Succah.
In Jewish tradition, Succoth is uniquely designated as Z'man Simchatenu, "The Season of Our Rejoicing". While joy is present in all biblical festivals, the Torah explicitly commands intense, distinctive joy specifically for Succoth
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 16:13-15 Thou shalt keep the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in from thy threshing-floor and from thy winepress. 14 And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates. 15 Seven days shalt thou keep a feast unto the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD shall choose; because the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the work of thy hands, and thou shalt be altogether joyful.
On Yom Kippur, the Jewish people undergo intense introspective judgment, fasting, and repentance. By the time Succoth arrives, a person’s sins are forgiven, and spiritual purity is restored. The Midrash[23] compares this to two litigants leaving a court. When the innocent party emerges holding palm fronds in triumph, everyone knows they won their case. Taking up the Lulav and Etrog on the first day of Succoth is a physical expression of relief and celebration for having received a favorable divine decree for life.
During the Temple era, this joy culminated in the Water Libation Ceremony, accompanied by continuous music, dancing, torch-juggling by great sages, and singing night after night. The Talmud[24] famously states, "He who has not seen the rejoicing at the Water-Drawing Ceremony has never seen joy in his life".
Is there a future succoth event which will elicit intense joy?
Both classical Rabbinic literature and prophetic texts describe a future, Messianic Succoth that will generate an intensity of joy far surpassing anything experienced in human history. While the historic Water-Drawing Ceremony in Jerusalem was legendary, prompting the Sages to remark that "He who has not seen the rejoicing of the Water-Drawing has never seen joy in his life", the future Succoth represents the ultimate, cosmic realization of that joy across three major prophecies:
One of the most famous Messianic teachings in the Talmud[25] and Midrash[26] describes the grand banquet God will prepare for the righteous in the Days to Come: God will construct a massive, radiant Succah crafted from the skin of the Leviathan.
Underneath this cosmic canopy, the righteous will sit together, enjoying divine illumination and eating from the banquet.
The Zohar explains that sitting inside this futuristic Succah represents the ultimate state of divine closeness, where all doubts, exile, and suffering are permanently replaced by unadulterated spiritual bliss.
In the vision of the prophet Zechariah, the future Succoth will not merely be a time of national celebration for Israel, but a global festival of unity and joy for all world nations: "And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations... shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of Hosts, and to keep the Feast of Succoth". (Zechariah 14:16)
The Meforshim, such as the Radak and Netziv, explain that the joy of this future Succoth stems from the total cessation of international warfare and the realization of universal monotheism.
Because Succoth is the time when the heavenly decree for world rainfall and sustenance is finalized, the nations gathering in Jerusalem will experience true material and spiritual abundance, bringing immense collective relief and celebration.
The prophet Amos describes the ultimate redemption and the rebuilding of the Holy Temple as raising the "Succah of David".
Commentators like the Maharal of Prague explain that the ultimate joy of the Messianic era comes from the permanent return of the Clouds of Glory.
Throughout history, joy during Succoth was often tempered by the knowledge that the holiday would end and the hardships of exile or physical vulnerability would resume. The future Succoth marks the entry into an eternal state of divine shelter that can never fall again, creating a joy that is complete, permanent, and untainted by anxiety.
Hoshana Rabbah (Hebrew: הוֹשַׁעְנָא רַבָּה) translates literally to "The Great Salvation" or "The Great Supplication".
Hoshana (הוֹשַׁעְנָא) is a compound Hebrew word meaning "Save, please" or "Save us, we pray". It combines hosha (save) and na (please/we pray).
Rabbah (רַבָּה) is an adjective meaning "great," "abundant," or "large".
Hoshana Rabbah occurs on the 7th day of Succoth. While every day of Succoth involves making a circuit around the synagogue's bimah while holding the Four Species and chanting prayer poems called Hoshanot, the 7th day is uniquely intensive: Instead of making one circuit around the sanctuary, congregants make seven full circuits holding the Four Species. Special bundles of willow branches are taken and beaten on the ground five times, symbolizing the shedding of sins and the prayer for life-giving rain.
In Jewish tradition, while individual judgment is inscribed on Rosh Hashanah and sealed on Yom Kippur, the verdict for the coming year's heavenly resources, specifically water, rainfall, and agricultural abundance, is not handed down until Hoshana Rabbah. It represents the final chance to appeal for a favorable decree before the heavenly judgment is delivered.
Is there a future Hoshana Rabbah event which will elicit intense joy?
Yes, both the Talmud and Kabbalistic literature explicitly tie Hoshana Rabbah to a future, Messianic event of intense joy: the ultimate "Final Seal" of global redemption and the resurrection of the dead.
While Hoshana Rabbah in the present era carries a somber undertone, being the final deadline for the heavenly judgment of water and life before the books are sealed, its eschatological future transforms that judgment into the ultimate celebration.
In the present, Hoshana Rabbah is defined by making seven circuits around the synagogue sanctuary while holding the Four Species and chanting Hoshanot, "Save us, please!".
The Midrash[27] notes that these seven circuits directly mirror the seven days the Israelites marched around the walls of Jericho before they miraculously fell.
Commentators like the Arizal and the Maharal of Prague explain that in the future, the seven circuits of Hoshana Rabbah represent the physical and spiritual dismantling of all remaining "walls" of exile, human tyranny, and spiritual concealment. The joy of future Hoshana Rabbah is the moment when those barriers collapse permanently, granting full entrance into the Land of Israel and the Divine Presence.
While Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur seal individual judgment for the upcoming year, Kabbalistic tradition teaches that Hoshana Rabbah is the day when the judgment for the entire world is finalized.
The Zohar[28] describes Hoshana Rabbah as the moment when the "verdicts are handed out" from the Heavenly Court. In the Messianic era, when evil and suffering are eradicated, this final seal ceases to be a cause for trembling. Instead, it becomes a moment of triumphant relief, knowing that the decree handed down is one of eternal peace, physical sustenance, and universal monotheism.
The central, iconic ritual of Hoshana Rabbah is the taking bundles of five willow branches and beating them against the floor to shed their leaves.
The Midrash[29] compares the willow leaf to the human mouth and body, but also to something dry and seemingly lifeless that depends entirely on water for revival. Hasidic commentators, such as the Sfat Emet, explain that the willow ritual on Hoshana Rabbah prefigures the vision in Ezekiel 37, the revival of the Dry Bones. The physical striking of the ground symbolizes the awakening of the earth to yield its dead during the resurrection of the dead. The intense joy of this future event comes from the total conquest of death itself and the reunion of soul and body in a perfected world.
Hoshana Rabbah serves as the literal gateway into Shemini Atzeret, The Eighth Day of Assembly.
Throughout Succoth, 70 bulls were offered for the 70 nations of the world. On Hoshana Rabbah, as the festival concludes, God instructs Israel to prepare a single, intimate feast for the eighth day, Shemini Atzeret, likened in the Midrash to a King telling his beloved child, "Stay with Me one more day, for your departure is difficult for Me".[30]
Future Hoshana Rabbah marks the exact threshold where global history transitions into eternal, uninterrupted intimacy between humanity and God, culminating in the joyous celebration of the Torah and divine revelation.
https://www.mayimachronim.com/secrets-of-Succoth/
* * *
This study was written by
Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David (Greg Killian).
Comments may be submitted to:
Rabbi Dr. Greg Killian
12210 Luckey Summit
San Antonio, TX 78252
Internet address: gkilli@aol.com
Web page: https://www.betemunah.org/
(360) 918-2905
Return to The WATCHMAN home page
Send comments to Greg Killian at his email address: gkilli@aol.com
[1] Amos 9:11
[2] Rabbi David Kimhi
[3] Avodah Zarah 2b–3b
[4] Pesikta D'Rav Kahana
[5] Bereshit (Genesis) 33:17
[6] Genesis Rabbah 79:6
[7] Shemot (Exodus) 12:37
[8] Shemot (Exodus) 12:37
[9] Mekhilta de-Rabbi Ishmael, Rashi on Exodus 12:37
[10] such as the Sfat Emet and Degel Machaneh Efraim
[11] Succah 11b
[12] Mekhilta
[13] Nahmanides
[14] Yonah (Jonah) 4:5
[15] Bereshit (Genesis) 11:29.
[16] Sanhedrin 69b
[17] Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin
[18] Amos 9:11
[19] Vayikra Rabbah 30:2
[20] Zechariah 14:9
[21] Zechariah 14:16
[22] Melachim alef (1 Kings) 8:2
[23] Vayikra Rabbah 30:2
[24] Succah 51a
[25] Bava Batra 75a
[26] Vayikra Rabbah 13:3
[27] Jerushalmi, Succah 5:5
[28] Parshat Vayechi
[29] Leviticus Rabbah 30:14
[30] Succah 55b