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Sukkot/Feast of Tabernacles: The Nations Ascend to Zion
The Jewish people WELCOME the Nations to Jerusalem!
Why the gathering of peoples in Jerusalem on Sukkot/Feast of Tabernacles matters—and what genuine honor looks like in the Holy Land.
Every autumn, the streets of Jerusalem undergo a profound transformation. Palm fronds line the walkways, temporary booths sprout on stone balconies, and the air carries the citrus scent of the etrog. Yet alongside the local families and yeshiva students bustling through the alleys of the Old City, another sight has become an unmistakable feature of the season: thousands of men and women from every continent carrying flags, singing songs of praise, and ascending to Zion.
For centuries, foreign armies entered Jerusalem through shattered gates with swords and banners of conquest. Today, the nations arrive carrying prayers, gifts, and songs of peace.
At From Zion With Love, we view this phenomenon not as a mere geopolitical curiosity, but as a stirring advancement of biblical prophecy—a living precursor to the universal harmony foretold in our sacred scriptures.
The Vision of Zechariah and the 70 Nations
The connection between the nations and the Festival of Booths is ancient. In the closing vision of Zechariah, the prophet foretells an era when the surviving remnants of all peoples will go up year after year "to prostrate themselves before the King, the Lord of Hosts, and to celebrate the Festival of Sukkot" (Zechariah 14:16).
Why Sukkot of all festivals?
Our Sages teach that during the days of the Holy Temple, seventy bulls were brought upon the altar over the seven days of the feast—corresponding precisely to the seventy foundational nations of the world (Talmud Bavli, Sukkah 55b). Israel stood as a kingdom of priests, offering sacrifices to draw down divine sustenance, peace, and rainfall (Geshem) for every human soul on earth.
Furthermore, when King Solomon dedicated the First Temple on Sukkot, he specifically prayed that Hashem would hear the prayers of the Nochri—the foreigner from a distant land—so that "all peoples of the earth may know Your Name and revere You" (1 Kings 8:41–43).
When sincere friends from the nations—whether Christian Zionists who cherish Israel or faithful Noahides observing the Seven Universal Laws—come to Jerusalem in reverence, we are witnessing the first buds of this ancient promise blooming in our generation.
A Sacred Covenant: Why Proselytizing Crosses the Line
All genuine lovers of Zion are warmly welcomed in Jerusalem. However, true friendship is anchored in mutual respect, and respect demands an understanding of our boundaries.
We must speak candidly about one essential requirement: when visiting the Holy Land, proselytizing of any kind is entirely unacceptable.
To understand why missionary activity is deeply offensive to the Jewish people, our guests must look through the lens of history:
A Memory of Persecution: For nearly two millennia across the diaspora, conversion efforts were not peaceful discussions; they were accompanied by inquisitions, expulsions, forced disputations, blood libels, and the sword. The demand to surrender our ancestral faith is forever tied in the Jewish soul to attempts at our spiritual and physical erasure.
Denying Israel’s Covenant: The Hebrew Scriptures explicitly declare Israel’s covenant with God to be an eternal covenant (brit olam). Suggesting that the Jewish people need another path, mediator, or theology to be right with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob denies the very foundational truth of the Tanakh.
True Monotheism Without Conversion: The Torah does not seek the universal conversion of humanity to Judaism. The Noahide covenant provides a magnificent, direct path to God for all nations based on ethical monotheism, justice, and love of the Creator, without requiring anyone to cross spiritual borders or impose alien dogmas upon the Jewish people.
When a guest attempts to evangelize in Israel, love ceases to be unconditional. It shifts from genuine solidarity to an agenda. True love for Zion honors the Jewish people as they are—guardians of the Torah in their ancestral homeland.
Moving the Prophetic Needle Forward
We live in the time of a miraculous dawn, the unfolding of rapid advancement toward the Final Redemption.
Every step taken by people of the nations to bless Israel, to stand against the rising tides of hatred, to renounce ancient antisemitism, and to revere the God of Israel without an agenda helps repair a fractured world.
To our friends from across the globe walking the hills of Jerusalem this Sukkot: We see your open hands. We hear your songs. Walk with us in peace, stand with us in honor, and let us together anticipate that great day when "the Lord shall be King over all the earth; on that day the Lord shall be One, and His Name One" (Zechariah 14:9).
Planning to visit Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles? Read our companion guide:
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