The Three Pilgrimage Festivals or Three Pilgrim Festivals, also known by their Hebrew name Shalosh Regalim (, or ), are three major festivals in Judaism—two in spring; Passover, 49 days later Shavuot (literally 'weeks', or Pentecost, from the Greek); and in autumn Sukkot ('tabernacles', 'tents' or 'booths')—when all Israelites who were able were expected to make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem as commanded by the Torah. In Jerusalem, they would participate in festivities and ritual worship in conjunction with the services of the kohanim (priests) at the Temple.
All three coincide with important harvest times in the Land of Israel: Passover with the barley harvest, Shavuot with the harvesting of the wheat, and the eighth day of Sukkot marks the conclusion of the fruit harvest.
Practices
During the Second Temple period, the pilgrimage festivals drew massive crowds to Jerusalem arriving from in and beyond the land of Israel. The first-century historian Philo of Alexandria described these large pilgrimages, writing: "Countless multitudes from countless cities come, some over land, others by sea, from east and west and north and south at every feast." Some pilgrims from abroad would visit only once in their lifetimes, however, due to the greater distances involved. Flavius Josephus further described the scale of the Passover gathering, writing that "an innumerable multitude came thither out of the country, nay, from beyond its limits also, in order to worship God". Archaeological evidence, including a monumental pilgrimage road and a mikveh found near the Temple Mount, corroborates these accounts of large-scale festival travel.
After the destruction of the Second Temple, the actual pilgrimages are no longer obligatory upon Jews, and no longer take place on a national scale. In Yavneh, the Sanhedrin assembled on the Three Pilgrimage Festivals, and delegations of diaspora Jews traveled to the city to have their questions answered. Jews also traveled to Jerusalem, including on Sukkot.
During synagogue services, the related passages describing the holiday being observed are read aloud from a Torah scroll on the bimah (platform) used at the center of the synagogue services. During the Jewish holidays in the state of Israel, many observant Jews living in or near Jerusalem make an effort to attend prayer services at the Western Wall, emulating the ancient pilgrimages in some small fashion.
Samaritans make pilgrimages to Mount Gerizim three times a year to this day.
Sources in the Hebrew Bible
Book of Exodus
Book of Deuteronomy:
Other biblical references In his vision of a restored Jerusalem, the prophet Isaiah refers to Zion as "the city of our appointed feasts". Zechariah foretells a messianic era when all nations will come to Jerusalem for the feast of Sukkot. The Song of Ascents or pilgrim psalms (Psalms 120–134) are associated with the pilgrims' journey to Jerusalem.
See also Aliyah la'regel Jewish holidays
References