Dear Bruce and Doves,
 
      I have also wondered why the tradition of the House of Israel has been to add another day or 2, day 8  or 8 and 9 to the commanded 7 days of Sukkot (Tabernacles). Days 1 and 7 would be the days for sacred convocations and no work days, like additional Shabbats. When would a number of people construct their sukkahs? It would be common for them to be set up before Tishri 15, day 1 of Tabernacles and a no work day. They technically had to be constructed and ready to use by Tishri 15. But Hoshana Rabbah, day 7, is another no work day and day of sacred convocation. Tabernacles is Feast of the Lord number 7 and the concluding Feast of the Spiritual Year for the House of Israel. It was also the last of the Pilgrimage 3 Festivals. The Last Great Day of Hoshanna Rabbah , day 7, was also a day 3 since it was the last day of the 3 last days of the  3 Pilgrimage Festivals.
      May we reason together? Since the Last Great Day of Hoshana Rabbah was a no work day on day 7, it would makes sense to use the sukkahs overnight and dismantle them the next morning, the day portion of Shemini Atzeret of Tishri 22 or Tishri 23 of Simchat Torah when work could be done if not the weekly Shabbat. The farewell service at the Temple would be on Tishri 22 when the High Priest and priests sent the people home. The routes to Jerusalem were few and dangerous. Unless you were with a throng of people, there would have been groups of thieves to attack and rob. Perhaps the Jericho road was most dangerous? The people would have headed out for home by daylight morning of Tishri 22, not after sunset on Tishri 21. Some may have left for home on Tishri 23 on Simchat Torah. Either day would be by daylight and safety in numbers! Leaving Jerusalem after a pilgrimage event on Tishri 22 or 23, there were hundreds of thousands of fellow pilgrims to provide greater security by daylight, on the desolate and isolated rocky roads sojourning  back home.
      We are now in the prelude days, the days of preparation and transition until Sukkot officially begins, as commanded on Tishri 15 at sunset. Tishri 11 to 14 are days of joy as are the days of Tishri 15 to 23. Could The Day of The Blessed Hope be before Tishri 15 to 23? It could if a spiritual symbolic statement is to be made by Abba Father to the House of Israel:  7 days in the sukkahs ahead as representing and symbolic of the shavua of 7 days and also a shavual as 7 years ahead to fulfill years 484 to 490 of the 70th Week of Daniel. Or Abba Father may want everyone on earth to enjoy all 7 of the Feasts of the Lord to fulness, to completion. That would mean Tishri 21 through 24 as possible dates for The Blessed Hope. The world far behind Israel on the 24 hour grid will complete Tishri 21, 22, or 23 a day later than Israel. That brings the world to completion of The Festival of Ingathering between 10-9 to 10-11-2012. May we appreciate the days ahead of The Season of Our Joy, Tishi 11 to 23. Wisely, we remind ourselves of the words of Paul, to eagerly await "the joy of his appearing" until the Tekiah Gedolah sounds on THE DAY!
 
With Love and Shalom,
Jean