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The
feasts of the Lord consist of the weekly Sabbath and the annual festivals --
several other feasts that are celebrated once a year at the appropriate
season. The annual festivals are the following:
Leviticus 23:4
These are the appointed times of the LORD, holy convocations which you
shall proclaim at the times appointed for them.
1. Passover/Pesach -- 15th of
Nisan. Preparation starts on the 14th.
2. Feast of Unleavened Bread -- the week of 15-21 of Nisan*
3. Pentecost/Shavuot--50 days after the Sabbath following the first day of Pesach (Nisan 15).***
4. Jewish New Year/ Feast of Trumpets/Rosh Hashanah--1st of Tishri**
5. Day of Atonement/ Yom Kippur--10th of Tishri**
6. Feast of Tabernacles/ Sukkot -- the week of 15th-22 of Tishri*
* These holidays last for a week, but only the first and last day are considered Sabbaths.
** This day is considered a Sabbath.
*** This day is a Sabbath which needs to be counted, it does not fall on the same day each year.
| There are seven annual feasts which are considered holy convocations (assemblies) in which the people would gather in the temple. In these 7 days no servile work could be done -- they could not work in anything that was their mode of employment. They are Sabbaths. |
Temple in Jerusalem |
Three times a year all males had to go to the temple in Jerusalem.
Deuteronomy 16:16 Three times in a year all your males shall appear before YHWH your God in the place which He chooses, at the Feast of Unleavened Bread and at the Feast of Weeks and at the Feast of Booths, and they shall not appear before YHWH empty-handed.
The Weekly Sabbath
The celebration of the weekly Sabbath serves as a reminder that YHWH, the Creator, is the God that created everything on earth in six days and rested on the seventh day. It defines our God and separates Him from imposters.
The weekly Sabbath begins at sundown on Friday and continues till sundown Saturday for a full 24 hour period. Generally it is customary to light a candle and say a Shabbat prayer at the beginning of the Sabbath.
The Annual Sabbaths
Passover
Passover was celebrated first in the land of Egypt with the blood of the sacrificial lamb in order to preserve the Israelites from the plague that was to smite the land of Egypt with the death of every firstborn. Ex 12: 6-14.
The nation of Israel prepared for the Passover on Nisan 14. On this day, the lambs were taken to the priests and sacrificed. Then each family took the dead lamb to their respective homes and roasted it. The lamb was eaten that night (Nisan 15). Remember each day starts at sundown.
In Passover, the lambs had to be sacrificed specifically in the temple in Jerusalem. Not only that, they had to be sacrificed by the priesthood (the tribe of Levi). Because this is not presently possible, (the temple is destroyed and the dome of the rock sits on the temple ruins) no lambs are sacrificed any more during Passover. They still use the unleavened bread and the wine. These are the symbols that our Lord Yeshua told us to keep on using in remembrance of His sacrifice. In order to celebrate Pesach/Passover the way it was originally, with a lamb, YHWH's temple would have to be rebuilt, and the Levite priesthood re-instituted.
Passover is representative of
Lord Jesus/Yeshua. He is the lamb of God, the Passover lamb that was
sacrificed for our sins. Yeshua told us to continue to celebrate Passover (the
seder meal) in His
name.
Luke 22:19
and
he took bread , and gave thanks, and broke it, and gave unto them, saying.
'This is my body which is given for you: do this in remembrance of me.'
Pentecost
Pentecost/Shavuot is another annual feast that
had an early and late fulfillment. Leviticus
23: 15-21. The early fulfillment was
the firstfruits of the harvest. The late fulfillment was the firstfruits
of Christian converts which received the holy spirit. Fifty days after the
weekly Sabbath following the crucifixion of Jesus, a multitude of believers
were gathered in Jerusalem (a requirement for all males) when suddenly the holy spirit came upon the apostles
of Jesus in the form of tongues of fire coming from their heads.
Acts
2:1-4
"And
when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one
place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing wind,
and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared
unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other
tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."
The
gathered people also heard them speaking in their native tongues. The
coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost was the late fulfillment of
this festival.
The rest of the festivals (Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot) have not had a late fulfillment yet. We are awaiting their late fulfillment. For the significance of these Holy Days see: Significance of the Holy Days
These festivals indicate to us what God's plan is. They help us to understand the purpose of our lives, the reality of paradise and resurrection and how Jesus, the lamb of God, sacrificed for our sins, has made all of this possible for us. Baruch ha shem!
We give a calendar of holy festivals. The festivals of HANUKKAH and PURIM are traditional celebrations, but not commanded by God.
Calendar
| Year | 2010-2011 | 2011-2012 | 2012-2013 | 2013-2014 | 2014-2015 |
| Traditional Jewish Year | 5771 | 5772 | 5773 | *5774 | 5775 |
|
ROSH |
Thu Sep 9 |
Thu Sep 29 |
Mon Sep 17 |
Thu Sep 5 |
Thu Sep 25 |
|
YOM KIPPUR Tishri 10 |
Sat Sep 18 |
Sat Oct 8 |
Wed Sep 26 |
Sat Sep 14 |
Sat Oct 4 |
|
First
day of |
Thu Sep 23 |
Thu Oct 13 |
Mon Oct 1 |
Thu Sep 19 |
Thu Oct 9 |
|
Last
day of |
Thu Sep 30 |
Thu Oct 20 |
Mon Oct 8 |
Thu Sep 26 |
Thu Oct 16 |
|
HANUKKAH Kislev 25-Tevet 2 or 3 |
Thu-Thu Dec 2-9 | Wed-Wed Dec 21-28 |
Sun-Sun Dec 9-16 |
Thu-Thu Nov28-Dec5 |
Wed-Wed Dec 17-24 |
|
PURIM Adar 14 |
Sun Mar 20 | Thu Mar 8 |
Sun Feb 24 |
Sun Mar 16 |
Thu Mar 5 |
|
The
first
day
of
PESACH
|
Tue Apr 19 | Sat Apr 7 |
Tue Mar 26 |
Tue Apr 15 |
Sat Apr 4 |
|
The
last
day
of
PESACH
|
Mon Apr 25 | Fri Apr 13 |
Mon Apr 1 |
Mon Apr 21 |
Fri Apr 10 |
|
SHAVUOT (needs to be counted) |
Sun Jun 12 | Sun May 27 |
Sun May 20 |
Sun May 4 |
Sun May 24 |
