The Three Annual Pilgrimage Festivals, also known as the Shalosh Regalim, are significant feasts in the Jewish religious calendar, instituted by God in the Torah. These festivals are Passover (Pesach), the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot), and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). Each festival commemorates a pivotal event in the history of the Israelites and requires a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem, where specific sacrifices and offerings are made. These festivals are deeply rooted in the covenantal relationship between God and His people, serving as reminders of His providence, deliverance, and ongoing provision.

Passover (Pesach)

Passover is the first of the pilgrimage festivals, commemorating the Israelites' deliverance from slavery in Egypt. It 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 eating of unleavened bread (matzah) and bitter herbs, symbolizing the haste of the Israelites' departure and the bitterness of slavery. The festival is instituted 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. Whoever eats anything with yeast 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 characterized by the offering of the first fruits and the presentation of two loaves of leavened bread made from the new wheat harvest. Leviticus 23:15-17 describes the observance: "From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD. Bring two loaves of bread from your dwellings as a wave offering, made of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour, baked with yeast, as firstfruits to the LORD."

Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot)

The Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot, is celebrated on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei and lasts for seven days. It commemorates the Israelites' 40 years of wandering in the desert, living in temporary shelters. During Sukkot, Jews construct and dwell in sukkahs, temporary booths, to remember their ancestors' reliance on God's protection and provision. Leviticus 23:42-43 instructs: "You are to live in booths for seven days. All the native-born of Israel must live in booths, so that your descendants may know that I had the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God."

These festivals are not only historical commemorations but also serve as spiritual reminders of God's faithfulness and the covenantal relationship between Him and His people. They emphasize themes of redemption, revelation, and divine provision, inviting the faithful to reflect on their dependence on God and their commitment to His commandments.