As always thanks for letting me discuss things with you!
I have a couple of thoughts on this post.
You said.."God gave to the Jews both holy days..." Well Judah was there but also the other 11 tribes.
Leviticus 23 "And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘The feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts." 44 So Moses declared to the children of Israel the feasts of the Lord.
From here we can see that they are not Jewish but God's, as He says they are His. Now can we in this day and age truly keep this Feast...no, there is no temple or priests to take the required sacrifice to.
With that being said I totally agree when you said.."Just getting outside, away from routine duties and pressures can be a celebration. Perhaps there are friends who join you. Sitting around a campfire in fellowship is pleasant to say the least." There are many many groups around the world that do this every year and the number is getting even larger! Even if you don't think you should have to observe the Feast of Tabernacles I still would encourage you to see if there are any groups in your area that is doing it and go and check it out first hand! If you do, this site will be useful. https://www.119ministries.com/resources/fellowship-finder/
Let me ask you this...do you think we will be keeping the Feast of Tabernacles in the Millennial Kingdom?
Again..always enjoy that we can discuss back and forth from time to time!
I too appreciate our exchanges. I especially appreciate that you offer more than an "I agree" or "Amen." It is good for the head to have a bit more to chew on than that.
One of the interesting things to ponder, at least in my mind, is how one's foundational paradigm impacts everything else he understands. You and I have I, I think, have differing foundational premises. Because of that we tend to interpret the same concepts differently. I am thankful that, so far anyway, we have been able to differ pleasantly. :-)
First, regarding the term, Jews, While it might be true that the term Jew is derived from the word Judah, not every etymologist agrees. It may not have any relationship to Judah. It is an English word, made to refer to the people of Israel and has a few potential roots, Judah being just one of them. Let's assume though, that it does derive from Judah, By the time we find the term used in the Bible, it is obviously being used to refer to more than the tribe of Judah. Jesus was born more than the King of Judah, but the King of Israel. Yet we find the term "King of the Jews" used repeatedly in the N.T.
1 Corinthians 10:32 (KJV)
Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:
The word Jews in this verse obviously references all of the people in Israel just as Gentiles references all of the nations not belonging to Israel.
I used the word Jews in the most normal sense today, not in the strictest sense.
Regarding observing a group observing the Feast of Tabernacles today - I think that is an excellent idea! There would be great insights to be gleaned. I would suggest though, that they would not be Biblical insights. The Jews have long ago lost any real Biblical insights and merely practice tradition. After these many thousands of years I do not believe they have any better understanding of how the Feast of Tabernacles is to be practiced than I do because I have the only fully preserved set of instructions in my Bible.
I do not believe "we"who are Christians today, will be keeping the Feast of Tabernacles in the Millennial Kingdom. We will have been changed, we will have taken the likeness of Christ and will be joint heirs with Him. We will rule with Him. I do believe that, for the 1000 years of the Millennial Kingdom, the Jews (who survived the seven year Tribulation and the judgment in the valley) will observe Temple related holy days and feasts. I can assume that would include the Feast of Tabernacles. But whatever Temple practices they have will have a different significance because of the presence of Jesus Christ. Every holy day, feast, and sacrifice was a type of Jesus Christ and finds its fulfillment in Jesus. None of them are necessary today - or in the Kingdom - because they have been finished in the work of Christ.