Shalosh Regalim: Three Times

Shalosh Regalim (“Three Times”) is the Hebrew term most Americans seem to use for the three annual Jewish festivals—Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot—during which Jewish men were required to make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem. In the Hebrew Bible, however, the expression shalosh pe’amin is actually used more often.

  • ““You shall observe a feast to me three times [shalosh regalim] a year. Exodus 23:14 (WMB)

  • Three times [shalosh pe’amin] in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD. (Exodus 23:17 WMB; Exodus 23:16 in other versions)

  • Three times [shalosh pe’amim] in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel. (Exodus 34:23 WMB 34:24 in other versions)

  • For I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your borders; neither shall any man desire your land when you go up to appear before the LORD, your God, three times [shalosh pe’amin] in the year.(Exodus 34:24 WMB)

  • Three times [shalosh pe’amin] in a year all of your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which he chooses: in the feast of unleavened bread, in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of booths. They shall not appear before the LORD empty. Every man shall give as he is able, according to the LORD your God’s blessing which he has given you. (Deuteronomy 16:16-17 WMB)

Each of the Shalosh Regalim coincides with important harvest times when in addition to the animal sacrifices that were offered at the Temple, all Israelites were expected to offer the first of their current harvest to the Lord: Passover coincides with the barley harvest, Shavuot coincides with the wheat harvest, and Sukkot celebrates with the fall harvests of various kinds of fruit.

In any number of modern extra-biblical accounts, the three Shalosh Regalim are referred to as the three “foot festivals.” In English, Jewish men are told to appear before the Lord three times a year.  In Hebrew, they are told to appear before the Lord three regalim in Exodus 23:14 and three pe’amin in other places. Yes, the Hebrew word for “foot” is also regel.  In Genesis 8:9, the dove found no resting place for the sole of her regel. But in addition to foot, regel can also be translated as “time” or “instance”. So you may have been told the Shalosh Regalim of Exodus 23:14 refers to three “foot festivals,” even though in the verses referring to two out of the three so-called “foot festivals,” the Hebrew word isn’t regalim but pe’amin.  Pe’amin means “times” or “instances.”  Both Shalosh regalim and Shalosh pe’amin mean the very same thing: “Three times.” This is why in Numbers 22, both Balaam’s donkey and the angel of the LORD ask Balaam why he has struck his donkey zeh shalosh regalim— “these three times.”

We’ve already seen that Deuteronomy 16:16-17 says, “Three times [shalosh pe’amin] in a year all of your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which he chooses: in the feast of unleavened bread, in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of booths. They shall not appear before the LORD empty. Every man shall give as he is able, according to the LORD your God’s blessing which he has given you.” On each of these occasions, all Jewish males had to (1) appear before the LORD and (2) give as he was able. These would be occasions on which farmers would give the appropriate first fruits to the Lord.