It would seem that everyone knows the word "booths". What does it mean? Of course, bushes, most of our contemporaries will say. And it turns out to be not quite right. Although, of course, the spelling and sounding of this word reminds us of greenery, foliage and more often, and in that sense it is even fixed in the dictionary, in its other meaning it has no relation to plantations and groves. Let's look at the meaning of these mysterious "cabbage", trace where they came from and how they ended up in paradise. Or overseas.
Kushchi - what is it?
Ukrainian experts will immediately exclaim: “Yes, these are bushes!” And this is also true. In fact, if we look at the meaning of the corresponding plural in the Ukrainian dictionary, then it will be written directly there. But here in Russian and some Slavic languages ​​- a completely different story. For example, in Bulgarian a similar word “house” means a house, in Serbian - a building, a kitchen. In the Old Slavonic language there were also "cabbage". The meaning of the word was originally interpreted as “tent”, “tent” or hut. But over time there was a transfer of meaning, and already from the 19th century, writers, and especially poets, began to use it as a synonym for forests and groves.
Religious History: Old Testament
If we turn to the Bible, we will see that in the fall, Jews traditionally celebrate Sukkot. At this time, believing Jews should not live for a period of time at home, but in tents or tents, that is, ritual buildings resembling booths. What do these actions mean? The fact is that in this way the Jews recall the wandering of their people in the Sinai desert, from fleeing from Egyptian slavery to gaining Israel. In the Moses Pentateuch it is one of the three main holidays. At that time, Jews were ordered to make a pilgrimage to the Temple of Jerusalem. According to the writer Josephus Flavius, this is one of the most sacred festivities, because on the eighth day you should indulge in joy in the presence of God, along with the whole family, as well as the poor, poor and widows. On this day, it was also recalled how God sent water from the rock to the wanderers languishing from thirst.
How did they look
Now let’s see what these Jewish tabernacles were. What were these ritual huts? These were such temporary buildings where poles and leaves were used instead of walls. They protected the people who lived in them from the rain, but at the same time, through the cracks, people had to see the sun during the day and the stars at night. The Jews who slept there should not only remember the hardships of wandering in the desert, but also seek support only in divine protection. Tabernacles symbolized both the weakness of mankind and his last hope.
New Testament
But not only the Old Testament speaks of this holiday. Sukkot is also mentioned in the Gospels - Jesus Christ also observes this Jewish tradition, because He was raised in it. It is on the feast of tabernacles, on its eighth day, that the Savior reveals to people that He is the true temple of God, the cornerstone, the source of truth and grace. This is reported by the apostle John. Christ promises all who believe in him deliverance and eternal life, just as the Jews were saved from slavery and gained freedom. This is the spiritual meaning of the "booths". The lexical meaning of the word in religious-historical content, thus, correlates not only with the material tent, house or dwelling, but also with eternal life. With water, having drunk that, you will no longer be thirsty. Not without reason in the Gospel of Matthew, where the Transfiguration of the Lord is narrated, the apostle Peter suggests that Christ make three tabernacles on Mount Tabor , including for the prophet Elijah and Moses. Here, these tents are a symbol of the heavenly tabernacles, where it will always be good. They are associated with the joy and exultation that the apostle experienced while he saw the Glory of Christ.
Paradise - the meaning of phraseology
We heard these words often. Mostly they are used in an ironic sense. This is the name of the place where one experiences bliss, simply put - paradise. Sometimes the phrase is applied relatively to a beautiful, cozy house - often with a garden - where prosperous people live, who have everything in abundance. But it happens that in literature the phrase "paradise" is used in a threatening manner. This is the name of the murder. "Send someone to heaven" simply means to lead to the next world. So you can interpret, for example, the name of the movie drama by Alexander Proshkin, whose hero receives a gift of his own funeral wreath. But if we thoroughly and carefully study the meaning of this phrase in the Christian context, we will see that it means "place of residence in the kingdom of heaven." A variant of these words is the expression "overseas booths." True, their meaning varies from "wonderful places in distant lands where there is a good life" to "wonders brought from foreign lands."
The word “booths”: definition (brief conclusions)
So what do we have in the bottom line? The word "booths" has a long origin. It means a dwelling that can be assembled, and sometimes even carried away with you - somehow: a tent, tent, hut. Sometimes they call them a hut or a shepherd’s flyer. But in other languages, similar words also mean home, and even kitchen. That is, Kushchy is a dwelling, temporary or permanent. Therefore, in the Orthodox religious tradition this word is called the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. "Tabernacles" - it is customary to translate the name of the autumn celebrations in Israel for the glory of God. This word in combination with the adjective "paradise" also means "the abode of the blessed" and in a figurative sense - any pleasant, good place to live. But since the 19th century, with the light hand of the writers' class, everything connected with foliage and trees: groves, forests, bushes, began to be called shreds (apparently due to the similarity of sound).