Category Archives: Holy Days

Birth of Yeshua at Sukkot

September 27, 2015 admin Leave a comment

One of the most common criticisms of the Messianic lifestyle is our rejection of Christian holidays such as Christmas and Easter. “After all,” they ask, “if the holidays are about Jesus, how could they be bad?”

Although well-meaning Christians can find deep fulfillment in celebrating holidays like Christmas and Easter, we choose to honor and celebrate the holy appointed times that G-d designed and gave to us in the Torah. Interestingly enough, Yeshua’s life and ministry involved the biblical holy days in some remarkable ways.

There are myriad opinions regarding the timing of the birth of Yeshua. Although we can’t prove it with 100% certainty, there is significant evidence pointing to the idea that he was born during Sukkot. Thematically, this would make sense since Sukkot is the Feast of Tabernacles and Yeshua is said to have “tabernacled” with us. D. Thomas Lancaster of FFOZ* wrote an excellent summary of these evidences which you can read here.

Be blessed and chag sukkot sameach!

*Beth Sar Shalom does not necessarily endorse or agree with all theological positions held by FFOZ.

Holy Days

So Many Holy Days!

September 24, 2015 admin 1 Comment

On the eighth day hold an assembly and do no regular work.

Bemidbar (Numbers) 29:35

Tishrei is a special month in the Biblical calendar due to the number of Holy Days observed.

The first day of the month, which the world calls Rosh Hashanah, the so-called Jewish New Year, is really the Festival of the Sounding of the Shofar.Yom Teruah marks the beginning of a time of spiritual introspection and community reconciliation culminating in Yom Kippur. Five days afterwards is the seven-day long, Sukkot. Immediately following the seventh day of Sukkot is another holy day, called in Hebrew Shemini Atzeret, which simply means the “Assembly of the eight (day).”

Shemini Atzeret coincides with the completion and recommencing of the annual cycle of the reading of the Torah. A special celebration, called “Simchat Torah” (Joy of the Torah) is observed. In the Land of Israel Simchat Torah is observed on Shemini Atzeret. Outside of the Land of Israel where certain holy days are doubled, Simchat Torah is observed on the second day of Shemini Atzeret.

If all these special days seems like a lot to you, it’s because one half of this whole Biblical month is given over to a special focus on G-d. Fulfilling all these observances would mean major changes to our normal schedule. In Bible times, celebrating Sukkot meant taking your whole family to Jerusalem for the week.

But I think G-d knows that our normal schedules need upsetting.

In our fast paced society, it seems that we have a lot of difficulty breaking our normal routine to give G-d this kind of attention, but I don’t think we need it any less than the people of ancient times.

Those of us who do take time for G-d often approach him as we do many other things we do. We slot him in somewhere. We spend time with G-d just like any other meeting, rarely taking time to linger in his presence, not to mention setting apart several days just to focus on Him.

When G-d provided His people with His yearly calendar, He directed us to give over to Him large amounts of time. Besides the weekly Sabbath, there are festivals throughout the year. Once a year there would be these two weeks, which includes even more intense time with Him.

Those who know Yeshua but believe the L-rd has “released” His people from Torah may think that we are “free” from such observances. But if the people back then needed this kind of time with G-d, how much more should we want to have intense and prolonged times with him now?

If we know the love of G-d in Yeshua should we not want to spend more time with him, not less?

Holy Days

Shavuot – Torah for All

May 22, 2015 admin Leave a comment

Shavuot is one of the Shlosh Regalim, or Three Festivals. In times when the Holy Temple still stood in Jerusalem, the Israelites made pilgrimage to the Temple for these three holidays. In those times the traditions of the holidays were somewhat similar.

Continue reading Shavuot – Torah for All →

Holy Days

Daily Devotions for Chanukah

November 2, 2014 admin 1 Comment

Dr. Ben R. Alpert

Click to jump to the desired section:
Night 1
Night 2
Night 3
Night 4
Night 5
Night 6
Night 7
Night 8
Chanukah Prayers

Night 1

On the first night share the story of Chanukah and of G-d’s miraculous intervention on behalf of His people during the critical days of the Maccabean revolt. Help your family grasp the continuing importance of rededication and renewal in the lives of those who love G-d.

The shamash or servant candle my now be lit, and with it, the first candle. (On each succeeding night, the servant’s candle will be lit first, and then used to light the others- on the first night, the first candle, on the second night, the first and second, and so on.)

This remarkable season invites all believers to focus on Yeshua as the Light of the World. The following devotions – one for each night of Chanukah – are designed for use during special family times… to initiate discussions that will lead you to a greater understanding of the Good news of the Messiah.

*The shamash, the servant candle of the chanukiah (Chanukah menorah), “serves” by lighting the rest of the candles.

The Servant Candle

“…but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.”

Read: Matthew 20:26

It is in keeping with the teachings of the Messiah that the ninth candle – the Shamash – should be lit first, with a match, and then used to light all the others. Yeshua (Jesus) repeatedly told His disciples He had come as a servant, and even in the last hours of His life, He took the role of servant to minister to these, His friends and followers (John 13:1-5). He thus fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament (Isaiah 53) and set an example for us that we should follow (John 13:14).

Let us commit ourselves, during these holy days, to a new spirit of selfless service…sharing the light of salvation with each life we touch.

The One True G-d

“Hear; O Israel: the Lord our G-d, the Lord is one!”

Read: Deuteronomy 6:4-5

The Shema (“hear”) is the most important Scripture in the First Covenant – the proclamation of the unique Person of G-d. Because He is the only G-d, He wants, requires, and deserves the first place in every area of our lives. The singular character and single redemptive purpose of the Holy G-d should bring us to worship Him in all that we do, and to commit our lives to Him.

As you pray tonight, praise G-d for His unique character and commit yourself anew to give Him your first attention and fullest devotion.

Night 2

Unity

“…that they may be one just as We are one…”

Read: John 17:20-26

Yeshua’s’ great prayer in the Garden on the eve of His death was an aching cry of His heart for the unity of G-d and man. The bringing together of a Holy G-d and sinful mankind was the redemptive purpose for which the Messiah came…and for which He died. It is the purpose for which we, too, live and die… that the Messiah might use us to awaken a lost world – and especially His chosen people – to their need to be reconciled with G-d.

As you pray tonight, praise G-d for uniting your spirit with Him, and ask Him to use you to bring lost souls to Him.

Night 3

Tri-Unity

“…one G-d and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”

Read: Matthew 3:13-17, Ephesians 4:1-6

G-d is tri-unity – three expressions of one unique, dynamic character. He is Creator, Redeemer, and Comforter… Father, Son and Spirit. The Lord is One-and yet, through the great mystery of these three Holy expressions, He ministers truth and grace and power to those who have given their lives to Him. He calls us, too, to be holy and complete…uniting spirit, soul and body to love and serve Him.

(I Thessalonians 5:23)

As you pray tonight, praise G-d for expressing His love in three separate, yet singular ways, and ask Him to fire you with the desire to unite your whole self in devotion and service for Him.

Night 4

Judgment

“…for all have sinned and come short of the glory of G-d.”

Read: Romans 3:21-26

The light of salvation, as seen through Yeshua, the Light of the World, has meaning only for those who realize that they are lost in darkness. Each of us must come to terms with the fact that we have betrayed G-d…through things we have done but shouldn’t have, and through things we should have done, but didn’t.

Our betrayal of what we know to be right has left us in spiritual darkness… and yearning for the light that will show us the way back to “the Father of lights” (James 1:17). The Messiah came to be that light, and He invites us to live in that light, too. Those who refuse – who choose to continue in darkness and confusion – are doomed to destruction.

As you pray tonight, praise G-d for bringing the light of Truth into your life. And ask Him to help you light the way for people all around who are still groping in dark spiritual confusion.

Night 5

The Grace of G-d

“For by grace have you been saved by faith and that not of yourselves…”

Read: Ephesians 2:8-9

The value of a gift is measured in many ways – by how much it costs…by how personal it is… by how much love went into the giving…by the feelings that gift stirs in our hearts.

G-d’s gift of salvation to us is inexpressibly precious. It cost G-d His only Son…and Yeshua His life. It offers to each of us a unique and personal relationship with God Himself… a gift offered through His unimaginable love. Recognizing and accepting that gift is a deeply humbling experience – one that should bring us to G-d in worship, and then to our feet with an eager desire to share it.

As you pray tonight, praise G-d for His priceless gift of salvation… and ask Him to give you a sense of wonder as you proclaim His gift to others.

Night 6

Creation

“O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth!”

Read: Psalm 8, Genesis 2

G-d created man on the sixth day, “in His own image”. This was the culmination of the fantastic creation of all nature – plants and animals, mountains and seas, skies and planets, and the deep places of the earth. G-d invested this final creation with a semblance of His own nature… and the unique capacity to relate consciously, deliberately to Him in faith and love. He breathed into us “the breath of life” (Genesis 2:7) – and the capacity to choose our own eternal destiny.

As you pray tonight, praise G-d for the glory of His creation…for some special aspect of nature that is particularly precious to you. And ask Him to grant you the wisdom to choose wisely as you live for Him.

Night 7

Completion and Rest

“He rested from all His work which G-d had created and made.”

Read: Genesis 2

In the Bible, seven is a number for completion – for G-d’s finishing touch on His magnificent work of creation. After the work, G-d rested… and it is good to know, in these days of high stress and seemingly endless activity, that He expects us to rest too, “…for He gives His beloved sleep” (Psalm 127:2). In the power of Yeshua, He gives us the strength to accomplish all the tasks He sets before us – and the command, on the Sabbath, to take a break.

As you pray tonight, thank G-d for providing you with challenges, and with strength to meet them … and ask Him to give you a special spirit of rest.

Night 8

A New Beginning

“… if anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creation…”

Read: II Corinthians 5: 12-21

Through the grace of G-d, endings are always beginnings for believers. The end of sin is the beginning of righteousness… the end of guilt is the beginning of freedom …the end of fear is the beginning of love. Yeshua asks us to let our lives end – to lay to rest our will to do what we want, when we want, the way we want – so that His will can begin new within us. In exchange, He promises an ultimate end to all that has meant frustration and fear and dissatisfaction … and a new birth of hope, of faith, of love in our hearts.

As you pray tonight, in the glow of all the candles of the chanukiah, dedicate yourself anew to Yeshua. Place in His scarred hands the joys and troubles and memories of the past – and let Him give you the promise and the possibilities, and the power of His presence in the new days ahead.

CHANUKAH PRAYERS

MESSIANIC CHANUKAH SERVICE

The following is a suggested order of service to use during the upcoming nights of Chanukah:

First, set the candles ready to be lit. The shamash (servant) light should always be highest or offset in some way. Always put the candles in on the right-hand side of the menorah. Light the candles starting on the left-hand side. The first night there should be one candle plus the shamash, the second night two candles plus the shamash, etc.
Light the Shamash (Servant) candle saying, “Yeshua said, ‘I am the light of the world!
With the Shamash burning recite (all together): Blessed are you Adonai our G-d, king of the universe, Who has sanctified us by His commandments, and commanded us to let our light shine before others, so that they may see our good works (mitzvot), and glorify our Father
in Heaven. Blessed are you, Adonai our G-d, King of the universe, who has performed miracles for our people in those days at this time.

On the first night add: Blessed are you, Adonai our G-d, King of the universe, for giving us life, for sustaining us, and for helping us to reach this season of celebration.

Then, light the candle(s) with the Shamash candle.
With the candles burning have individual family members read the following verses designated for each night of the festival:
1. Night 1: …G-d said, “Let there be light!” And there was light. [Gen. 1:1-5]
2. Night 2: The L-rd is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear. [Ps.27: 1] Arise! Shine! For your light has come! The glory of the L-rd rises upon you! House of Yaakov (Jacob), come and let us
  walk in the light of the L-rd! [Isa. 60:1; 2:5]
3. Night 3: Your word is a lamp to my feet, a light for my path. The precepts of the L-rd are right, giving joy to the heart (mind); the command of the L-rd is radiant, giving light to the eyes. [Ps. 119:105; 19:9]
4. Night 4: I, the L-rd, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the nations. [Isa. 42:5]
  Light is shed upon the righteous; and joy on the upright of heart. [Ps. 97:11-12]
5. Night 5: You are the light of the world…. Let your light shine before people, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. [Mt. 5:14-16] For the path of the righteous is
  as the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until full day. [Prov. 4:18]
6. Night 6: Send forth Your light and your truth; they will guide me; they will bring me to Your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell. [Ps.43: 3] For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and corrections of discipline are the way of life. [Prov. 6:23]
7. Night 7: For with You is the fountain of life; by Your light do we see light. [Ps. 36:9] For You, the L-rd, make my lamp burn; my G-d lights up my darkness. [Ps. 18:28] Every good giving and every
  perfect gift is coming down from the Father of light, with whom has no place of change or shadow of turning. [James 1:17-18]
8. Night 8: See, G-d does all these things to man…. to turn back his soul from the pit, that the light of life may shine on him. [Iyov (Job) 33:29-30] No longer shall you need the sun…. for the L-rd
  shall be your everlasting light, and your G-d will be your glory… [Is. 60:19-20]…. the city did not need the sun or the moon for light, since it was lit by the radiant glory of G-d and the Lamb was a lighted torch for it…” [Rev. 21:22-27]
Sing Chanukah songs or other songs celebrating the Light of the world.
Finally, eat potato latkes and doughnuts, play games, enjoy your fellowship in our Messiah!

Holy Days

Messiah in Shavuot (Feast of Weeks, Pentecost)

April 18, 2014 admin 4 Comments

Leviticus 23:16-22
Deuteronomy 16:9-12
Acts 2

The Festival of Shavuot (Pentecost) is traditionally held as the anniversary of the giving of the Torah as well as the giving of the Holy Spirit. As part of the commemoration, the Ten Sayings (Commandments) are often read publicly in the Assembly on the Feast of Shavuot.

According to the traditional reckoning, the first commandment is simply: “I am the L-RD your G-d who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” (Exodus 20:1-2)

The first of the Ten Commandments is to believe in G-d and to accept His claim of ownership over us. Unless we accept the basic premise of G-d’s existence, no number of commandments will have any authority or meaning for us. The need for such a command demonstrates the incongruity of ascribing to morality without believing in a moral authority. If we accept the premise of objective morality, we must accept that there is a higher authority issuing that objective standard.

We also learn from this that redemption must precede commandments. Before we can receive the Torah, we must already be “redeemed.” Israel’s salvation from Egypt was not accorded to her on the basis of her obedience to the commandments. She was already redeemed (on no merit of her own) before the Torah at Sinai were given to her. Thus, the first declaration at Sinai is a reminder of her redeemed status. Only because she is already redeemed is she able to receive the commands of God.

True legalism continually attempts to reverse this process by claiming that one’s obedience to certain commandments (or all the commandments) is the mechanism by which salvation is earned. The first of the Ten Commandments directly contradicts this notion. Salvation and relationship with G-d precedes the Torah. We obey His Torah because Yeshua has first redeemed us, not the other way around.

Holy Days

Messiah in Passover

March 31, 2014 admin Leave a comment

Then Moses said to the people, “Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the L-RD brought you out of it with a mighty hand.” Shemot / Exodus 13:3.

English: Passover plate with symbolic foods: m... — Passover plate (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Passover is the story of a people – a people of destiny, called by G-d to be a blessing to the entire world, yet trapped as slaves in Egypt. G-d had promised to their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that they would become a great and blessed nation in their own land. But eventually they found themselves in a most impossible and oppressive situation. Finally G-d sent Moses to confront Pharaoh, King of Egypt, demanding the release of his people. Pharaoh’s stubborn refusal resulted in G-d’s demonstration of power through destructive signs and wonders. Yet Pharaoh still refused to let the people of Israel leave.

Even though the celebration of Passover recalls the various elements of this story, the name of the Holy Day focuses on one particular event. While every detail contributed to the eventual release of the people, it was the last plague that made the difference, and it is this that is most essential to remember.

Passover Fun: Death of the First Born Masks — Death of the First Born Masks (Photo credit: Scott Robbin)

When G-d told Moses how to prepare for the final plague, there was no doubt that it would be this that would ensure Israel’s freedom. G-d determined that every firstborn human and animal of Egypt would die. The act of judgment was going to be applied to all Egypt. The only way that Israel would be unaffected would be if they would follow G-d’s specific instructions. Every household was required to take a lamb, slaughter it, and apply its blood to the doorframes of their homes. If and when the L-rd would see the blood on a house, he would pass over it. Thus the name “Passover.”

So year after year we remember the Passover Lamb. During the days of the Temple, the people were to travel to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. Each family would offer a lamb and eat it along with bitter herbs and matzo (unleavened bread) in order to remember what G-d had done for us. In the modern celebration we have two things that are reminiscent of the annual Passover sacrifice. One is a lamb shank bone and the other is a special piece of matzo, called the afikomen, which is eaten following the meal.

Through all this we see that it is essential to not only remember what G-d did, but also how he did it. Even though G-d determined to rescue us from bondage, and even though he provided a way of escape from oppression, if our ancestors had not applied the blood of the lamb to the doorframes of their homes, we too would have experienced the same judgment as the rest of Egypt.

So year after year we were required to commemorate this great miracle of deliverance, but we also realized that our deliverance from physical slavery was not sufficient. While we were free in body, we remained bound in spirit. Called by G-d to be his special people, we were not up to the task. It became clear that we required another more profound deliverance. A deliverance from those things that prevented us from being the people G-d called us to be.

We read in the Hebrew Scriptures that through the centuries a new hope in Israel emerged – that there would be another deliverer – greater than Moses – who would rescue us from our spiritual bondage. That person became known as the Messiah.

It should be no surprise therefore that when Yeshua came on the scene he would be called “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). For there is another judgment coming, not only upon one nation, but upon the whole world. But just like the Passover of old, so today we too have the opportunity to see that judgment pass over us, if we apply the blood of G-d’s lamb to our lives.

The death (and subsequent resurrection) of Yeshua the Messiah, foreshadowed by Passover is our protection from G-d’s judgment and our guarantee of eternal life. But like Israel of old, we need to apply what He did to ourselves by trusting in Him, our Passover Lamb.

Holy Days

Messiah in Purim

January 29, 2014 admin Leave a comment

Trash

Purim, the Feast of Lots, is observed on the fourteenth day of the Biblical month of Adar (usually February or March on the Gregorian calendar). This is a celebration of the deliverance of the Hebrew people in the Persian Empire over one of the most dastardly plots in history to exterminate them. The biblical book of Esther tells the story of how the beautiful Hebrew woman Esther (Hebrew: Hadassah) and her cousin Mordecai thwart the evil Haman, who plots to massacre the Hebrew people in a jealous rage.

The book of Esther has been referred to as “a monument in the history of anti-Semitism.” The anti-Semitism shown in the book of Esther is ethnically and religiously based, in contrast to the type that is shown in later Hellenistic-Roman literature through to today which is purely ethnic hatred. The Hebrew people have faced elimination as a group many times through ancient, medieval, and modern societies. They have said, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.” (Psalm 83:4B)

Many people are unaware of this, but Yeshua (Jesus) celebrated the feast of Purim! In John 5, the Lord Yeshua is in Jerusalem for an unnamed feast. Scholars have debated whether the feast was Passover, Purim, Sukkot or even Pentecost. Some have objected to Purim because it is referred to as a “minor” feast and not one of the three “major” pilgrimage festivals (Deuteronomy 16:16). However this argument is irrelevant because Yeshua also celebrated another “minor” holiday, Hanukkah (English: Dedication), as referenced in John 10:22.

Chronologically, the only feast that makes sense is Purim in 28 CE. The feast of John 5 fell on a Sabbath (vs. 9). The only feast day to fall on a Sabbath between 25 and 35 CE was Purim of 28 CE. Some speculate that the Spirit of G-d intentionally left out the name of the feast because G-d’s Name was deliberately left out of the Book of Esther. In John 5, Yeshua healed a man who had an infirmity for 38 years near the Pools of Bethesda (John 5:1-9). It is also the first time in His public ministry that He declared, “G-d was His Father, making Himself equal with G-d” (5:18). He also said that He was the “Son of G-d” (5:25) and the “Son of Man” (5:27).

.” to the Trash”>Trash

Holy Days

Messiah in Chanukah

October 1, 2013 admin 4 Comments

Mattathias and the Maccabees

Chanukah originated over 150 years before Yeshua was born. The Hebrew people had fallen to hard times; a clear warning that their relationship with God was not well (see Deut 28). Israel’s enemies to the north attacked and took control of the Hebrew state. The invaders made it illegal to worship the one true and living God. If anyone was found studying or even obeying the Torah, he would be executed. Many people were even forced to worship idols. When the evil soldiers came to the town of the Hasmoneans, now known as the Maccabees (“Hammer”), to force this idolatry on the people the town’s patriarch, Mattathias (Matityahu in Hebrew), refused to offer sacrifice to the false god. There was a volunteer from the crowd however, who worked his way forward to offer sacrifice. In holy indignation Mattathias killed him.

Mattathias and his sons then killed the soldiers and fled to the mountains. From there they gathered together a brave company of men who decided it was time to reclaim their heritage and land. The Maccabees realized that it was the sins of the nation of Israel that resulted
in their conquest: so they earnestly sought God in repentant prayer. They sought HaShem and HaShem heard them.

Though they were terribly outnumbered, they chose to fight. Backed by their faith in the Covenant God of Israel who had promised through Moses that: “…five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight; and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.” They fought and they won just as God said they would. The small Judean army was victorious in battle after battle. They even retook the beautiful Holy Temple. While they are not canonized scripture it is nonetheless beneficial to read the historical books of 1 and 2 Maccabees for the details.

Remembering the Holy Days

Because they rededicated the Jerusalem Temple and returned to the Torah in the winter and due to the fact that up until this time they were unable to celebrate the Holy Days, they then returned to the last Holy Day they missed which was the eight-day festival of Sukkot. (Feast of Tabernacles, see Leviticus 23). This holy time is all about the Messiah dwelling with His people in the coming future. Even today generation after generation of Torah-believing people light miniature menorahs (chanukiahs) on Chanukah to celebrate and remember HaShem’s gift of deliverance. Chanukah honors two types of salvation: physical deliverance from oppressors and the spiritual deliverance from sin.

It should be noted that the Temple was the most sacred place in the Hebrew world. It was at the Temple where HaShem promised to meet with the people and fellowship with them. Each and every day Bible-believing people would sacrifice offerings and draw close to HaShem at the Temple.

Chanukah and the Messiah

About 150 years later the Hebrew people were again under foreign domination, but this time to Rome. Israel had again fallen into a spiritual malaise. They cried out for God to send them the promised deliverer, the Messiah. Many of the Judeans, (some of the progeny of the Maccabees) believed that a humble stonemason named Yeshua might very well be the Messiah. They tried to make Him King but He refused. It wasn’t until after His execution and resurrection that His followers realized the He did provide deliverance. It is important to note while the history of Chanukah is given outside of scripture it was predicted by the Prophet Daniel and the celebration is confirmed by Yeshua Himself in John 10.

He didn’t provide the Maccabeean style of deliverance from Rome they had hoped for, but deliverance from an even more evil and powerful enemy, sin. In addition, Yeshua promised to return one day to deliver His people from their mortal enemies as well. We eagerly await that promised return.

Holy Days

Messiah in Sukkot

August 23, 2013 admin 4 Comments

Overview

The Feast of Tabernacles is a week-long autumn harvest festival. The Feast of Tabernacles is also known as the Feast of the Ingathering, Feast of Booths, Sukkoth, Succoth, or Sukkot (variations in spellings occur because these words are transliterations of the Hebrew word pronounced “Sue-COAT”). The two days following the festival are separate holidays, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, but are commonly thought of as part of the Feast of Tabernacles.

The Feast of Tabernacles was the final and most important Appointed Time of the year. The importance of this festival is indicated by the statement, “This is to be a lasting ordinance.” The divine pronouncement, “I am the Lord your God,” concludes this section on the holy days of the seventh month. The Feast of Tabernacles begins five days after Yom Kippur, on the fifteenth of Tishri (September or October). It is a drastic change from one of the most solemn holy days in our year to one of the most joyous. The word Sukkot means “booths,” and refers to the temporary dwellings that followers of the Torah are commanded to live in during this holy day, just as the Jews did in the wilderness. The Feast of Tabernacles lasts for seven days and ends on the twenty-first day (3×7) of the Hebrew month of Tishri, which is Israel’s seventh month.

This holy day has a dual significance: historical and agricultural (just as Pesach and Shavuot). Historically, it was to be kept in remembrance of the dwelling in tents in the wilderness for the forty-year period during which the children of Israel were wandering in the desert. It is expounded in Leviticus 23:43, “That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.”

What were they to remember?

1. The meaning of their beginning, and the low and desolate state out of which God advanced them.

2. The mercy of God to them, that, when they dwelt in tabernacles, God not only set up a tabernacle for Himself among them, but with the utmost care and tenderness imaginable, hung a canopy over them, even the cloud that sheltered them from the heat of the sun. God’s former mercies to us and our fathers ought to be kept in everlasting remembrance. The eighth day was the great day of this festival, because then they returned to their own houses again and remembered how, after they had long dwelt in tents in the wilderness, they came to a happy settlement in the land of promise, where they dwelt in goodly houses. And they would more sensibly value and be thankful for the comforts and conveniences of their houses when they had been seven days dwelling in booths. It is good for those that have ease and plenty sometimes to learn what it is to endure hardness.

They were to keep this holy day in thankfulness to God for all the increase of the year; however, the emphasis is that Israel’s life rested upon redemption which in its ultimate meaning is the forgiveness of sin. This fact separates this holy day from the harvest festivals of the neighboring nations whose roots lay in the mythological activity of the gods.

Was the first Thanksgiving a Feast of Tabernacles Celebration?

Many Americans, upon seeing a decorated Sukkah for the first time, remark on how much the Sukkah (and the festival generally) reminds them of Thanksgiving. The American pilgrims, who originated the Thanksgiving holiday, were deeply religious people. As they were trying to find a way to express their thanks for their survival and for the harvest, it is quite possible that they looked to the Bible (Leviticus 23:39) for an appropriate way of celebrating and based their holiday in part on the Feast of Tabernacles.
Note: celebrating Thanksgiving on the third Thursday of November was established by the American government and may not necessarily coincide with the pilgrim’s first observance.

Sukkot, The Festival of Booths

Four days after Yom Kippur, we join together to celebrate Sukkot. The holiday is celebrated from the 15th of Tishri through the 21st or 22nd of Tishri, depending if you live in Israel or in the Diaspora. Sukkot usually falls in late September or early October.

After the harvest from your threshing floor and your vineyards, you shall celebrate the Feast of Booths for seven days. (Deuteronomy 16:13)

You shall live in booths seven days in order that future generations may know that I made the Israelite people live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. (Leviticus 23:42-43)

Historically, Sukkot commemorates the wanderings of the Israelites, which began with the exodus from Egypt (Passover) and continues with the giving of the Torah at Sinai (Shavuot) and ends with the wandering in the desert for the full 40 years as punishment for the sin of the golden calf. A major agricultural festival, Sukkot is also the third of the shalosh regalim, or three pilgrimage holidays, when it was the custom of Jews everywhere to converge onto Jerusalem every Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot. Sukkot also marks the end of a long harvest, the time of year when farmers finish their work. Traditionally, this was the time for grapes to be gathered and made into raisins or wine; for olives to be picked and pressed into oil; and fruits to either ripen, or be eaten or stored.

To celebrate their hard work, the farmers and their families would go to the temple in Jerusalem to offer thanks. They built Sukkot, or booths, to remember how the children of Israel built booths in the desert. The pilgrims lived in them for seven days while they, and the families they brought to Jerusalem, celebrated.
This is also why Sukkot is known as hag-ha-asif, the festival of ingathering.

You shall celebrate the festival of ingathering, at the end of the year, when you gather in your labors out of the field. (Exodus 23:16)

In addition, because of its strong agricultural elements, some scholars believe that the current custom of building your own Sukkah stems from the harvest when workers would live in temporary huts in fields. They argue that our Sukkot with their open roofs bear more resemblance to the harvester’s huts than they do with the dwellings the Jews lived in the desert.

Sukkot is a happy festival. In biblical times, Sukkot was considered to be the most important festival. It was actually referred to as ha-chag, The Festival (Kings 12:32). King Solomon chose Sukkot as the holiday during which he consecrated the first temple. It was also the occasion every seven years for the ceremony hak’heil, the public reading of the Torah before the whole people (Deuteronomy 31:10-13). Sukkot is also said to be the festival of the future, when in the messianic period, all nations will come to Jerusalem and celebrate.

The only time celebrating Sukkot was suspended was during the Babylonian exile since the festival was so connected to rejoicing at the temple and harvesting the land. During the next century, when the Jews returned to Israel under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah, they were ready to embrace the Torah’s commandments. The Jews, ecstatic to be reunited with the land, built Sukkot out of olive, pine, myrtle, and palm branches. The importance of Sukkot continued during the second temple era, with pilgrims coming to Jerusalem from Jewish communities all over. They participated in praying and singing and joining in the religious processions.

The etrog and the four species- palm, willow and myrtle, which are bundled together to make a lulav – became part of the ritual.

Arba Minim: The Four Species

On the first day, you will take for yourselves a fruit of a beautiful tree, palm branches, twigs of a braided tree and brook willows, and you will rejoice before the L-RD your G-d for seven days. (Leviticus 23:40)

Another observance during Sukkot involves what are known as the Four Species (arba minim) or the lulav and etrog. We are to take these four plants and use them to “rejoice before the L-rd.” The four species in question are an etrog (a citrus fruit similar to a lemon native to Israel; in English it is called a citron), a palm branch (in Hebrew, lulav), two willow branches (aravot) and three myrtle branches (hadassim). The six branches are bound together and referred to collectively as the lulav, because the palm branch is by far the largest part. The etrog is held separately. With these four species in hand, one recites a blessing and waves the species in all six directions (east, south, west, north, up and down), symbolizing the fact that G-d is everywhere. Detailed instructions for this ritual can be found under Sukkot Blessings.

The four species are also held and waved during the Hallel prayer in religious services, and are held during processions around the bema.

Why are these four plants used in this service? It can be said that they represent different parts (or Believers) within the body of Messiah. The etrog, which has both a pleasing taste and a pleasing scent, represents those who have achieved both knowledge of Torah and performance of mitzvot. The palm branch, which produces tasty fruit, but has no scent, represents those who have knowledge of Torah but are lacking in mitzvot. The myrtle leaf, which has a strong scent but no taste, represents those who perform mitzvot but have little knowledge of Torah. The willow, which has neither taste nor scent, represents those who have no knowledge of Torah and do not perform the mitvot. We bring all four of these species together on Sukkot to remind us that every one of these four kinds of Believer is important to G-d, and that we must all be united as we grow together in Him.

Sukkot changed little following the destruction of the second temple. However, in its memory, Rabbi Yokhanan ben Zakkai, a leading rabbinic authority at the time, instructed that ceremonies using the four species be performed every day of the week except on Shabbat, even though the Torah only commands to use them on the first day of the festival (Leviticus 23:40).

Sukkot Berachot (Blessings)

Stand facing the east (or whatever direction is toward Jerusalem from where you are). Take the etrog in your left hand with the stem (green tip) up and the pitam (brown tip) down. Take the lulav (including the palm, myrtle and willow branches bound together) in your right hand. Bring your hands together and recite the blessing.

Barukh atah Adonai, Elohaynu, melekh ha-olam
Blessed are you, Lord, our God, king of the universe

asher keedishanu b’meetzvotav v’tzeevanu
who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us

al n’tilat lulav (Amein)
to take up the lulav (Amen)

After you recite the blessing, turn the etrog so the stem is down. With the lulav and etrog together, gently shake forward (East) three times, then pull the lulav and etrog back in front of your chest. Repeat this to the right (South), then over your right shoulder (West), then to the left (North), then up, then down.

Hoshanah Rabbah

“L-rd Save, with great (power)!”

The seventh (and last) day of Sukkot is called Hoshana Rabbah. Tradition records that the heavenly decrees made on Yom Teruah/Rosh Hashanah (and sealed on Yom Kippur) are actually sent out on Hoshana Rabbah. Our sages taught us that the nations of the world are judged on this day.

“Yes! I tell you that there are some people standing here who will not experience death until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom!” Six days later, Yeshua took Kefa, Ya‘akov and his brother Yochanan and led them up a high mountain privately. As they watched, he began to change form—his face shone like the sun, and his clothing became as white as light. Then they looked and saw Moshe and Eliyahu speaking with him. Kefa said to Yeshua, “It’s good that we’re here, Lord. I’ll put up three shelters if you want—one for you, one for Moshe and one for Eliyahu.” While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them; and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him!” When the talmidim heard this, they were so frightened that they fell face down on the ground. But Yeshua came and touched them. “Get up!” he said, “Don’t be afraid.” So they opened their eyes, looked up and saw only Yeshua by himself. As they came down the mountain, Yeshua ordered them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” The talmidim asked him, “Then why do the Torah-teachers say that Eliyahu must come first?” He answered, “On the one hand, Eliyahu is coming and will restore all things; on the other hand, I tell you that Eliyahu has come already, and people did not recognize him but did whatever they pleased to him. In the same way, the Son of Man too is about to suffer at their hands.” Then the talmidim understood that he was talking to them about Yochanan the Immerser. (Matthew 16:28-17:13)

(See also Mark 9:1-13 and Luke 9:27-36)

For when we made known to you the power and the coming of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, we did not rely on cunningly contrived myths. On the contrary, we saw his majesty with our own eyes. For we were there when he received honor and glory from God the Father; and the voice came to him from the grandeur of the Shechinah, saying, “This is my son, whom I love; I am well Pleased with him!” We heard this voice come out of heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. (2 Peter 1:16-18)

The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Yeshua was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:

“Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ The King of Israel!”

Then Yeshua, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:

“Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey’s colt.”

His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him. Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness. For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign. The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!” (John 12:12-19)

Shemini Atzeret

The day following the seventh day of Sukkot, called Shemini Atzeret (The Eighth Day of Assembly), was reserved for a special set of sacrifices for the benefit of Israel and for a special prayer for rainfall. Not completely understood, Shemini, meaning eight, and Atzeret, meaning solemn assembly; referred to an extra set of rituals performed at the close of the holiday. A midrash, or allegory, explains that as the children of Israel are about to take leave of G-d after having rejoiced with Him since the beginning of Rosh Ha Shanna. G-d, like the parent of a child about to end a cherished visit, says, “It is difficult to have you leave me. Stay another day.”

Simchat Torah

As life in the Diaspora continued, it became customary on the second day of Shemini Atzeret, to remove Torah scrolls from the ark and circle around the bimah, the traditional stage located in the center of the synagogue where the Torah is read. The timing of the celebration is significant in that the cycle of Torah study begins anew at the following Shabbat. The celebration marks the completion of a whole year of Torah study and the anticipation of what HaShem will teach is as we begin again.

Named Simkhat Torah, “rejoicing with the Torah”, the custom became its own holiday, especially for children, with dancing and singing in the synagogue and festive meals at home. In Israel, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are celebrated together on theday after the seventh day of Sukkot.

In modern times, the custom of building Sukkot was reestablished in the early 1900s. Since then, Jews everywhere celebrate the seven or eight days of Sukkot, (depending where you live) including Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah from the Diaspora and from Israel.

Holy Days

Messiah in Yom Kippur

August 22, 2013 admin Leave a comment

Purpose of the Sacrifices

Believers know that Yeshua has provided our atonement.

…for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Messiah Yeshua. (Rom. 2:23-24)

God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood. Yeshua’s death fills full our understanding of the atonement ritual of the Temple in Jerusalem. The book of Messianic Jews/Hebrews explains the ceremonies of the Day of Atonement as a pattern of the atoning work of Messiah. Yeshua is our high priest, and His blood on Mount Moriah is seen as symbolized in the blood of bulls and goats. As the high priest of the First Covenant entered the Holy of Holies with the blood of his sacrificial system, so Yeshua entered heaven itself to appear before Hashem on behalf of His people (Messianic Jews/Hebrews 9:11-12).

The Mishkan was designed, in part, to teach us that sin hindered access to the presence of God. Only the high priest, and he only once a year, could enter the Holy of Holies, and then not without taking blood offered to cover sins (Messianic Jews/Hebrews 9:7). Messianic Jews/Hebrews notes that the Levitical offerings could effect only the purification of the flesh. They ceremonially cleansed the sinner, but they could not bring about inward cleansing, the prerequisite for fellowship with God. Just as the high priest had to be sinless to enter the Holy of Holies and live, so Yeshua had to be sinless to live after He entered the grave.

A New High Priest

But Messiah having come as a high priest of the coming good things, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, nor yet through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood, entered in once for all into the Holy Place, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify to the cleanness of the flesh: how much more will the blood of Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Messianic Jews/Hebrews 9:11-14)

The high priest had to offer sin offerings each year for his own sins and the sins of the people. This annual repetition of the sacrifices served as a reminder that perfect atonement had not yet been provided. Yeshua, however, through His own blood effected eternal redemption for His people.

The First Covenant offerings served as a pattern and a prophecy of Yeshua, who, through His better sacrifice, cleanses the conscience from dead works (Messianic Jews/Hebrews 9:13-14). God always determined what was an acceptable offering and what was not. He finally provided His Son, the Lamb of God, as the sacrifice for the sins of the world (John 1:19; 3:16).

The moment Yeshua died, the veil of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom (Matthew 27:50-51). The earth quaked beneath men’s feet. This event is important because it established Yeshua as being the new High Priest and Lamb of God. Yeshua, through a new and living way has entered heaven itself, the true Holy of Holies, where He ever lives to make intercession for His people. The believer need not stand afar off, as did the Israelite of old, but may now through Messiah approach the very Throne of God. Yes, it is now possible for each of us to have direct access to God through the blood of Yeshua HaMashiach.

The Two Goats

After purifying the holy place and the altar of burnt offering with the mingled blood of the bullock, the High Priest went to the eastern side of the court in front of the Temple. Facing him were two identical goats. Nearby was a lottery box especially designed for this ceremony. In the box were two tablets (lots). One bore the name “For God,” the other “For azazel” (the scapegoat). The high priest shook the box and withdrew the tablets, putting one tablet in front of each goat. The goat labeled “for God” was sacrificed. The priest laid his hands upon the goat’s head labeled “for azazel” and confessed over it the sins of the people. The scapegoat symbolically bore the sins of the nation of Israel away from the people. This goat, commonly called the scapegoat, was then driven into the desert.

In the same way Yeshua was brought before Pilate and stood before the people just as He was about to be led forth, bearing the iniquities of the people. These two goats were required for one sacrifice (Leviticus 16:17, 21-22). Both sacrifices were fulfilled in the death and resurrection of Messiah Yeshua. How can resurrection be portrayed in a sacrifice? By using two animals, one killed, the other set free, representing Yeshua’s death and resurrection.

And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat. And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness. (Leviticus 16:7-10)

And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the LORD, and make atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about. And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness. (Leviticus 16:18, 22)

Tradition based on Isaiah 1:18 states that a cord of red wool was tied on the horn of the scapegoat, before it was let go in the wilderness. When the red wool turned white, it was a sign that God forgave the people’s sin.

Come now, and let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (Isa. 1:18)

The Priests used to bind a shining crimson strip of cloth on the outside door of the Temple. If the strip of cloth turned into the white color, they would rejoice; if it did not turn white they were full of sorrow and shame. (B.Tulmid Tractate Yoma 67a)

The great sages teach that the Shechinah glory of God left the Temple forty years prior to its destruction. Three signs occurred to show evidence of this:

1. The western candle of the menorah refused to burn continually.
2. The doors of the Temple would open of themselves.
3. The red wool no longer turned white supernaturally. This is especially significant because it indicated that God was no longer forgiving the sins of His people. The people were sorrowful because they began to realize more and more that the sacrifice of Yom Kippur did not have the power to cleanse their sinful hearts. That very year Yeshua started His ministry, the very year that the blood of bulls and goats was no longer accepted as a sacrifice for the atonement of sin.

Prophetic Significance

These days are most likely a picture of the Rapture (Yom Teruah/Rosh Hashanah, Feast of Trumpets), the Judgment of National Israel (the Tribulation, Yom Kippur), and the second coming and Kingdom (Sukkot). The Messiah made two promises before He returned to our Father. He would send the Comforter (Shavuot, Pentecost) and He would come again.

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also. (John 14:3)

The Bible clearly states Yeshua will return immediately after the Great Tribulation.

But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. (Mark 13:24-26)

The apostle Kefa (Peter) wrote about this awesome Day of Judgment. He declared:

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are in it shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness. (2 Peter 3:10-13)

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. (Matthew 25:31-34)

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Messiah; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:10)

In the coming judgment, there is forgiveness and mercy and grace to those who have already received Yeshua the Messiah our Lord and Savior, Who gave His life as a ransom for us! Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Yeshua the Messiah: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5:1-2)