The Pilgrimage Festivals, also known as the Shalosh Regalim, are three major feasts in the Jewish calendar that hold significant religious and historical importance. These festivals are deeply rooted in the Torah and are characterized by the requirement for the Israelites to make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem. The three festivals are Passover (Pesach), the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot), and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot).

Passover (Pesach)

Passover is the first of the Pilgrimage Festivals and commemorates the Israelites' deliverance from slavery in Egypt. The festival begins on the 14th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan and lasts for seven days. The central ritual of Passover is the Seder meal, which includes the retelling of the Exodus account, the eating of unleavened bread (matzah), and the consumption of symbolic foods.

The biblical mandate for Passover is found in Exodus 12:14-17 : "This is a day to commemorate for the generations to come; you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD—a lasting ordinance. For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day, remove the leaven from your houses, for whoever eats anything leavened from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel."

Feast of Weeks (Shavuot)

The Feast of Weeks, or Shavuot, occurs seven weeks after Passover, marking the conclusion of the grain harvest and commemorating the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. It is celebrated on the 6th day of the Hebrew month of Sivan. Shavuot is a time of thanksgiving for the harvest and spiritual renewal through the remembrance of the Law.

Leviticus 23:15-16 provides the instruction for this festival: "From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, you are to count seven full weeks. You shall count fifty days until the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD."

Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot)

The Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot, is the final Pilgrimage Festival and is celebrated on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, lasting for seven days. Sukkot commemorates the Israelites' 40 years of wandering in the desert and God's provision during that time. It is marked by the construction of temporary shelters (sukkot) and the gathering of the four species (etrog, lulav, hadass, and aravah) as commanded in Leviticus 23:40 : "On the first day you are to take the branches of majestic trees—branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook—and rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days."

The significance of Sukkot is further emphasized in Deuteronomy 16:13-15 : "You are to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor and your winepress. And you shall rejoice in your feast—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow within your gates. For seven days you are to celebrate the feast to the LORD your God in the place He will choose, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete."

Theological Significance

The Pilgrimage Festivals are not only historical commemorations but also serve as profound theological symbols. They remind the faithful of God's deliverance, provision, and revelation. Each festival calls the people of God to remember His mighty acts, to renew their covenantal relationship with Him, and to express gratitude for His ongoing blessings. The requirement to journey to Jerusalem underscores the unity and communal worship of the Israelites, as they gather to honor the LORD in the place He has chosen.