Commemorates God’s rest after creation as well as His covenant with Israel.
Fellowship with God. Rest in the New Earth.
Weekly
In the very beginning of the Bible, in the Creation story of Genesis, the Sabbath day is created and sanctified as a day of rest. Scripture describes how God created the universe and its inhabitants in six days. The Creator rested on the seventh day and sanctified it; God set it aside forever as a holy day of rest. The Sabbath day is specified as the last day of the week. It begins like each of the days previous—in the evening with night and day following, basically sundown to sundown. The days are described with a definite order of dusk preceding dawn; “the evening and the morning” were what constituted a full day. Sabbath, like the other holidays discussed here, all begin on the evening on what seems to be the day prior. Thus, this weekly Sabbath is an observance beginning every Friday evening and extending until Saturday evening.
One does not have to be Jewish to enjoy the sanctity of the seventh-day Sabbath, the crowning day of creation. Since the creation of humankind (not just Jewish-kind), God has set aside this special time as holy. He rested on this day Himself in a divine example of cherishing the day. In a very physical sense, resting and observing this day as one of repose provides healing for everyone physically, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually. Since even the animals are to be spared work in honor of this day, how much more should all of humanity benefit?
The Sabbath is not just Jewish, as it is God’s day—this same God of the Christian as of the Jew. Therefore, we are not simply to rest, but to rest in Him. Simply lounging around in pajamas does not necessarily capture the true spirit of the day. During the six workdays of the week, we are immersed in the physical world around us. Things change on Sabbath. On this holy, day, we are instead involved with the spiritual world. On the six days of the work week, we are in the office, administrative buildings or marketplace; on Sabbath, we are spending time with God and family. Sabbath is a day for introspection. We have this time especially for communing with God and taking stock of our spirituality.
Enjoy the Challah tradition with the simple Challah recipe below.
Remember to always make two loaves. The aroma of baking Challah is a wonderful way to get yourself and family into the mode of welcoming the Sabbath.
Both of the following recipes are regularly eaten on Shabbat, and other feasts.
delish.com
delish.com
Now the LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you.”
New month. Time for introspection.
A reference point for calculating holidays. A “miniature Yom Kippur.”
Beginning of month
The new moon marks the beginning of each new month. The first day of the Hebrew month is a dark, seemingly moonless night. By this sign in the sky, time was initially recorded and marked in Israel. Holidays were calculated according to this Rosh Chodesh, or literally, “head of the month.” This provided a reference point so that the ancient people could count forward from the new moon, or first of the month, to calculate holidays.
After leaving Egypt, the first commandment given to Israel was to observe and sanctify the new moon, thereby creating the lunar calendar mentioned previously. The first month was to be marked and noted. This was because the determination of the exact time of the holidays was dependent upon an accurate orientation of the lunar calendar which was to be a direct result of an inerrant calculation of the new moon.
Until sixteen hundred years ago, the calendars used by the common people were unwritten. On the night of the new moon, great bonfires were lit on nearby hilltops so as to be seen by all. This marked the beginning of the month, Rosh Chodesh. The calendars were kept “mentally,” as the nation counted days forward from this celestial sign each month.
By the Second Temple period, Rosh Chodesh was quite a festival. The Sanhedrin was appointed as the collective custodian of the calendar, recording faithfully each new moon. Sighting the new moon became quite an occasion: Sumptuous meals were prepared in a large courtyard to encourage the people to serve as witnesses to the sighting. They gathered and waited their turn to be interviewed by the religious leaders. Upon examination of two reliable witnesses, the Sanhedrin declared, “The new month is sanctified- it is sanctified!” The celebration then began. The people were jubilant as the prescribed sacrifices were offered. Meanwhile, the priest blessed the people [with the Aaronic blessing of Num 6:24-26] (Scott, 1997:11).
With such gaiety of the new moon, a celebration was guaranteed at the beginning of each month. This aided the people in keeping their minds attuned to God’s calendar and holidays. The new moon during this time in history rarely passed by without much ado; therefore, the memory of prescribed holy times was brought to the fore each month when the concept of time observance itself was stressed.
We have a scriptural example of traditional Rosh Chodesh observance in the time of King Saul. In the textual story, David speaks to Jonathan and mentions his invitation to dine with King Saul for Rosh Chodesh, or the new moon. Although David declines the invitation to join Saul’s royal table for this traditional monthly feast, he nonetheless acknowledges the holiday and its observance. One of the psalmists also speaks of Rosh Chodesh, with the injunction to “blow the trumpet [shofar or ram’s horn] at the new moon”.
Contrasting with dining gaily or, feasting with jubilation is the second purpose of Rosh Chodesh as recognized by some Jews; Rosh Chodesh is a miniature Yom Kippur, a time of introspection and repentance. With the Day of Atonement coming only once a year, a more frequent periodic opportunity for collective repentance is warranted. Choosing Rosh Chodesh as such a time keeps the faithful from straying too far- surely a monthly spiritual “check up” is better than an annual one!
Some traditions of Judaism postulate that only men were involved in the sin of worshipping the golden calf of Exodus 32. Women were believed to have refused to participate. In reward for their abstinence from this idolatrous sin, women were given Rosh Chodesh as their “day off.” In some Jewish circles, women are not required to work at all on the day. This is the reward for women, the gender who is believed to have boycotted the licentiousness of that infamous incident at the foot of Sinai. Thus, this a good time to set aside some charity support for women’s causes.
Just like the moon, we live in light and darkness. Whether we are in brightness or heavy blackness, we are God’s children and just as much part of His plan. We are just as significant as our God’s love is for us, regardless of the light we feel or see around us-or even of the light we do not. With our focus on this distinction between light and darkness, we can also benefit from opening ourselves up to more light to lift away spiritual darkness. Shadows of evil, even if perceived as slight and “marginal,” may be creeping into our lives. Taking advantage of this opportunity for pause, reflection, introspection and repentance, helps us all keep ourselves in check. This is in hopes that a year filled with monthly self-corrections may prevent us from getting too far off-track as we could if only subjecting ourselves to spiritual examination annually.
Shabbat is the Hebrew word שַׁבָּת based on the verb shavat שָׁבַת meaning “He rested”.
Israel’s miraculous exodus from Egypt and escape from death. The first-borns’ salvation by blood.
Escape from sin and eternal death via the sacrifice of The Passover Lamb.
14 to 15 Nisan
What is the Passover? The Passover is explained in a story that retells the beginning of Israel’s story in Egypt beginning with the arrival of Joseph after he was sold as a slave by his brothers. He was taken to Egypt where, after the hardship of slavery and even prison, he was elevated to a position over all of Egypt except for Pharaoh himself. During the time of famine, his family came to get food from Egypt. Because of Joseph, their needs were met, and thus they remained in Egypt. All these children of Jacob, or Israel, began to multiply.
Four generations later, they were so prolific that the current Pharaoh felt they were a threat to his kingdom. According to scripture, this ruler may have been aware of Joseph’s existence but did not embrace him or have a close, intimate relationship with him as implied in the biblical context. By this time, Israel had become slaves and were not allowed the freedom to worship and sacrifice to God. Pharaoh finally sought horrific, yet ultimately futile, measures such as infanticide to control the increasing numbers of the Israelites.
Despite the infanticide decree to extinguish the life of all males, one was spared and became adopted by the very daughter of Pharaoh. This child was the famous leader of the nation who ultimately led Israel into her own nationhood and to the border of the Promised Land. He was Moses.
Moses demanded, through God’s authority, that Pharaoh let Israel leave so that they may be free to worship God. Pharaoh did not let the slaves free as God demanded, so God brought plagues upon both him and the Egyptian people. After a barrage of frogs, lice, beasts (some interpret these as flies), diseased livestock, boils, fiery hailstones, locusts, and darkness hit the land, Pharaoh still refused. Finally, as Pharaoh was still stubbornly preventing the Jewish slaves to go free, the final plague was brought upon him and all of his Egyptians. God gave specific instructions to Moses:
Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbour, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. Do not eat the meat raw or cooked in water, but roast it over the fire-head, legs and inner parts. Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD’s Passover. On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn-both men and animals-and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD.
Thus, with these instructions, the Jewish people experienced their first Passover-literally, the “passing over” of the Divine hand bringing death to the firstborn. With the blood of the lamb smeared on the posts of their houses, they were spared from the wrath of God who took the lives of the Egyptian firstborn that night. This final plague, and survival of the Jewish firstborn, marked the Passover. From here, Pharaoh let the Jewish people go (until he changed his mind and unsuccessfully tried to bring them back), and the great exodus from Egypt commenced; the nation of Israel began to take on a new identity.
Thus, one of the greatest moments in Jewish history was the deliverance from Egyptian slavery for the purpose of worshipping God freely. This is forever commemorated by the festival week known as Passover, in reference to the Passover lamb whose blood saved the eldest of each family during the tenth and final plague of Egypt. This holiday encompasses the freedom from not only death but slavery as well. This festival, an old tradition spanning well over three thousand years, includes more than simply the escape from Egypt and Pharaoh, as it has come to include also the liberation from all the threats to the Jewish people and their culture.
That the beliefs, practices, and sense of peoplehood have survived in complete dispersion for over thousands of years, despite all odds-including pharaohs, czars, kings, Hamans, and Hitlers of every variety-is nothing short of miraculous. Thus, at Passover, we celebrate a freedom we have repeatedly fought to maintain at all costs at all times in all generations (Cordoza, 124).
Passover is the foremost of the festivals which thus causes its month of Nissan to be first on the calendar. It was the first national religious holiday of the people, observed even before the Sabbath was re-instituted at Sinai. It was also one of the pilgrimage holidays.
Before Passover, a thorough cleaning of the home takes place. All crumbs and dust that can contain yeast particles are swept away in obedience to God’s mandate that all leaven be put away from the borders of the home. After thorough cleaning, often a parent will give a child a feather for which to “sweep” any missed leaven up with. Often the parent may hide something leavened, such as a piece of bread, so that the child can find it and enjoy the exercise of removing and disposing of it. More of this is explained later in the section “Feast of Unleavened Bread,” as it is ultimately for that holiday for which the house is “sterilized” from yeast. For the actual Passover dinner, tzedakah, or charity, is exercised by inviting the less fortunate to both dine together and participate in the celebration of the seder.
The actual seder dinner of Passover is in order of the Exodus story and is led by a book, called “The Telling,” (the Haggadah). This meal features a seder of important symbolic edible components. They are as follows:
During the seder dinner, it is customary to drink four cups of wine or grape juice. These are to represent the four ways redemption is expressed in the following scripture:
Therefore, say to the Israelites: “I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free [or deliver] you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.”
Thus, the first cup is called the cup of sanctification (as in God brought them out of Egypt). The second cup is the cup of judgment (as God judged Egypt and delivered Israel from her). The third cup is the cup of redemption (as Israel was redeemed with an outstretched arm, as the text says quite similarly). The fourth cup is the cup of the kingdom (representing the new kingdom, or Messianic peaceable kingdom to come and to which God will take us). These four cups are always present on Passover regardless of the arrangement of the haggadah. The fifth cup later added was to represent Elijah, as Elijah never died but was transported to Heaven alive. During the seder, it is customary for a child to open the door to check for Elijah’s arrival. Elijah is expected to arrive during the Passover time, some say. Elijah is known as a figure to herald the arrival of the Messiah. John the Baptist was a prophet in the manner of Elijah in preparing the way for Yeshua on earth during his First Coming. Some eschatologists also note that Elijah may also be considered one of the witnesses announcing the Second Coming of Yeshua.
The actual Passover meal is embedded in the Seder ceremony. Following the story, or the haggadah, the participants are guided along a symbolic journey to re-experience their liberation from slavery and death to freedom and life. A Passover haggadah can be found online or at select religious book centers. They range from traditional Jewish versions to Messianic Jewish ones which will include the Messianic significance of the Passover symbols. The latter are often used at Christian celebrations of the Passover ceremony.
Passover occurs on a specific day. Some Christians celebrate Passover on any spring day that is convenient but this goes against the basic understanding of Jewish holidays when the actual (not approximate) time of year is sacred.
Before celebrating Passover, the house must be cleansed from all yeast or chametz, as stated earlier. This is followed by the lighting of the candles. Here is a basic list of items used for a seder celebration:
Following here is a basic order of service. Since “seder” is translated to mean “order,” we can say, “here is the seder of the seder:”
Before officially starting the seder, it is customary to light the candles (traditionally two as in Shabbat) and before gazing up on them, a participant (female if possible), recites the following:
ברוך אתה ה’ א‑לוהינו מלך העולם, אשר קדשנו במצוותיו וציונו להדליק נר של יום טוב
Baruch Ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher kideshanu bemitzvotav vetzivanu lehadlik ner shel Yom Tov.
In English:
Blessed are You Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to kindle the festival lights.
Follow this with the Shehecheyanu blessing:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיעָנוּ לַזְּמַן הַזֶּה
Baruch Ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, shehecheyanu vekiyenamu, vehigianu la’zeman hazeh.
In English:
Blessed are You Lord our God, King of the universe, Who gave us life, and sustains us, and enabled us to reach this season of joy.
1. Kadesh (Blessing and drinking the first cup of wine)
All cups are filled with wine or juice as the following blessing is recited:
ברוך אתה ה’ א‑לוהינו מלך העולם, בורא פרי הגפן
Baruch Ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, boray peri hagafen.
In English:
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who creates the fruit of the vine.
Together, everyone drinks from their cups.
2. Urchatz (Washing our hands)
At a sink or over a basin, take a cup or pitcher in one hand and pour the water over the other hand. Then, switch hands, and repeat. Each person washes his or her own hands silently. No blessing is said at this time.
3. Karpas (Dipping a vegetable with a blessing):
Everyone holds and dips a green vegetable, such as parsley, into the salt water and recites the following blessing:
ברוך אתה ה’ א‑לוהינו מלך העולם, בורא פרי האדמה
Baruch Ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, boray peri ha-adama.
In English:
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who created fruit of the ground.
4. Yachatz (Breaking the middle matzah and hiding the Afikomen)
Three covered matzot are on the table. The middle one is taken out and broken. The larger half is wrapped in a fabric Afikomen bag or napkin and is hidden (the children will try to find it later). The smaller piece of the broken matzah is replaced with the other two whole matztot. Then, the matzot are ceremoniously uncovered for all to see. The following announcement is made aloud:
This is the bread of poverty which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. All who are hungry, come and eat. All who are needy, come and celebrate Passover with us. Now we celebrate here. Next year, may we be in the land of Israel. Now we are slaves. Next year, may we be truly free.
The wine cups are filled a second time. No one drinks them yet.
5. Maggid (Questions, Story and second cup of wine):
Four Questions:
The leader exclaims, “how different is this night from all others!” By custom, this part of the seder involves the youngest child present asking the famous Four Questions to the leader of the seder. The Four Questions are the following:
The leader begins to answer with the following:
This night is different from all other nights because once we were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, but Adonai, our God, took us out with His mighty hand and His outstretched arm. If Adonai had not brought our ancestors out of Egypt, then we and all of our people and descendants would still be enslaved. We know the story and tell it many times, but it is a sacred duty to hold this story of our salvation as an important part of our memory. This night is also different because, whereas once we were in idolatry, now we only worship our God, Adonai, the One Who is everywhere. Praised be our Deliverer.
ברוך המקום, ברוך הוא
Baruch Hamakom Baruch Hu.
ברוך שנתן תורה לעמו ישראל ברוך הוא
Baruch Shenatan Torah lamo Yisrael Baruch Hu.
In English:
Praised be God Who is Everywhere. Praised be God. Praised be God who gave the Torah to the people of Israel. Praised be God.
The next section tells of the Four Children. The early authors of the haggadah recognized that the reactions to learning of Passover differed with each person. When teaching children, especially, a parent may be confronted with one of four major reactions. These four categories are represented by children who are, in turn, wise, wicked, simple and ignorant. The leader then discusses each one:
[Upon learning of Passover] the wise child might ask, “What is the meaning of the laws and rules with Adonai our God has commanded us?” To this child, we must explain all the laws and customs of Passover in great detail. The wicked child might ask, “What does this service mean to you?” Since this child does not include himself in the service and denies ownership of the celebration, we answer, “we celebrate Passover because of what Adonai did for us. If you had been in Egypt with such feelings, you would not have been freed with us.” The simple child might ask, “What is this all about?” We are to reply, “Adonai freed us from Egypt with a mighty hand.” Also, a child might not know enough to ask (often called “the ignorant child”). To this child, we must explain that we do this service in a joyful and grateful remembrance of God freeing us as slaves in Egypt.
The Passover story is retold at this time (similar to the story that this Passover chapter begins with). Special emphasis is spent in retelling each of the plagues of Egypt. Each time a plague is mentioned, a bit of wine symbolizing “joy” is spilled out of our cup in empathy for the Egyptians, who were also God’s children. This is done by dipping a spoon or finger into the cup and bringing a drop out of the cup and onto a plate or dish) to reduce the total volume of the cup with the mention of each grievous plague. Each one is said slowly and solemnly.
The Passover story continues with the telling of Pharaoh’s determination to pursue and recapture the people of Israel. God saved Israel by defeating her enemies. Numerous times in our history, enemies have tried to destroy us, but the Jewish people live on [according to God’s promise].
Have a participant read Psalm 114 at this time:
When Israel went down from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language, Judah became His sanctuary, Israel His dominion. The sea looked and fled; The Jordan turned back. The mountains skipped like rams, the hills, like lambs. What ails you, O sea, that you flee? O Jordan, that you turn back? O mountains, that you skip like rams? O hills, like lambs? Tremble, O earth, before the Lord, before the God of Jacob, Who turned the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a fountain of water.
God has shown His people so many acts of kindness, generosity and goodness. Each one would have been enough. The leader says each line below with the other participants saying in unison “dayenu” which means in Hebrew, “that alone would have been enough, for that alone we are grateful.”
Adonai took us out of Egypt (all reply dayenu)
Punished the Egyptians, destroying their gods (all reply dayenu)
Divided the sea and led us across on dry land (all reply dayenu)
Took care of us in the desert, feeding us manna (all reply dayenu)
Gave us Shabbat (all reply dayenu)
Brought us to Mount Sinai and gave us Torah (all reply dayenu)
Brought us to Israel and built the Holy Temple (all reply dayenu)
For all these, alone and together, we say (together, all say dayenu)
The three most important symbols of the Passover seder are explained:
While raising the shank bone or equivalent:
This is called the Pesach, or Passover. It points to the lamb that was sacrificed by our ancestors and eaten for the Passover meal. This shank bone is a reminder of the tenth plague when, due to the sacrificed lamb (with its blood spread on the door posts) the homes of the Israelites were spared from the death of the first born.
While raising the matzah:
We eat this matzah to remind us of our ancestors leaving Egypt with such haste that they did not have time to let the bread rise.
While raising the maror or bitter herb:
We eat this maror, or bitter herb, lest we forget the bitterness of slavery imposed upon our people by the Egyptians. We know the sweetness of freedom best after understanding the bitterness of bondage.
All lift wine cups (without drinking) and say:
We have a duty to give thanks, sing praises and to bless the Holy One who delivered us from Egypt through miracles, for bringing us from slavery to freedom, from sadness to joy, from darkness to light. All of us who live now are still part of the ancient struggle and are free today because of this deliverance by the Divine Hand. In every generation, we must imagine ourselves as having personally been delivered from Egypt and slavery.
Therefore, we all bless Adonai for his redemption. (All say together):
Hallelujah.
Give praise to Adonai. Sing praises, all we who serve Him. Blessed is His name now and forever more.
The Second Cup (Lift full cups):
Blessed are you O Lord God, King of the Universe, who has freed our people from Egyptian slavery and brought us to this night when we eat the matzah and maror. We praise you as we celebrate the seder, eating the offering and symbolic sacrifices while singing praises for our redemption.
ברוך אתה ה’ א‑לוהינו מלך העולם, בורא פרי הגפן
Baruch Ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, boray peri hagafen.
In English:
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who creates the fruit of the vine.
Drink the cup at this time while leaning to the left side. Once the cup is empty, have the person next to you refill it.
6. Rachtzah (We wash our hands for the meal and say the blessing)
ברוך אתה ה’ א‑לוהינו מלך העולם, אשר קדשנו במצוותיו וציוונו על נטילת ידיים
Baruch Ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher kideshanu bemitzvotav vetzivanu al netilat yada’yim.
In English:
Blessed are You Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us concerning the washing of hands.
7. Motzi / Matzah (We say the blessing for “bread” and matzah)
Distribute pieces of the upper and middle matzah to participants.
ברוך אתה ה’ א‑לוהינו מלך העולם, המוציא לחם מן הארץ
Baruch Ata Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, ha-motzi lechem min ha-aretz.
In English:
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread of the earth.
ברוך אתה ה’ א‑לוהינו מלך העולם, אשר קדשנו במצוותיו וציוונו על אכילת מצה
Baruch Ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, Asher kideshanu bemitzvotav vetzivanu al achilat matzah.
In English:
Blessed are You Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us concerning eating the matzah. We eat the matzah now as the Torah commands us, “seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.” This matzah also reminds us of the bread our ancestors ate while fleeing Egypt. The matzah is now eaten together while leaning to the left side.
8. Maror (We dip the maror into the charoset and say a blessing.
Each participant takes a small spoonful of maror and charoset and eats them together after the following blessing is recited:
ברוך אתה ה’ א‑לוהינו מלך העולם, אשר קדשנו במצוותיו וציוונו על אכילת מרור
Baruch Ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher kideshanu bemitzvotav vetzivanu al achilat maror.
In English:
Blessed are You Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us concerning eating bitter herbs.
9. Korech (We eat “Hillel’s sandwich” followed by third cup)
Each participant takes a small spoonful of maror and charoset and eats them together with bottom matzah and (bitter) lettuce, making a “Hillel Sandwich.” As much charoset as desired can be used here to offset the required bitter components of the sandwich.
10. Shulchan Orech (Dinner)
Dinner is served.
11. Tzafun (We eat the Afikomen “dessert”)
After the Afikomen is found and ransomed, it is divided amongst everyone to eat as the dessert of the meal. It is technically part of the meal, so no blessing is needed. Nothing should be eaten after the Afikomen, as it should be the last thing to be savored in the mouth.
12. Barech (We say the blessing after the meal, have the third cup of wine and welcome the prophet Elijah).
The third cup of wine is readied (glasses are filled now if not already full). A blessing after the meal is said followed by a blessing over the wine:
ברוך אתה ה’ א‑לוהינו מלך העולם, בורא פרי הגפן
Baruch Ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, boray peri hagafen.
In English:
Blessed are you, Lord God, king of the universe who gives food to the world with goodness, mercy and kindness. Your love endures forever, so we praise you, the Provider of all life. May You, Who makes peace in Heaven, make peace for us, for Israel, and the whole world.
All raise full cups together:
ברוך אתה ה’ א‑לוהינו מלך העולם, בורא פרי הגפן
Baruch Ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, boray peri hagafen.
In English:
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who creates the fruit of the vine.
All drink the cups. The person sitting next to you is to refill them again.
The front door is opened (usually by a child) for the greeting of Elijah, as he is to preceded the Messiah’s coming.
Christians believe that this Elijah figure was fulfilled with the coming of John the Baptist).
May Elijah the Prophet come soon to us in our day, heralding in the time of the Messiah.
13. Hallel (Songs of praise)
Assorted praise songs are sung at this time.
14. Nirtzah (We complete the seder)
Fourth Cup
All raise full cups together:
ברוך אתה ה’ א‑לוהינו מלך העולם, בורא פרי הגפן
Baruch Ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, boray peri hagafen.
In English:
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who creates the fruit of the vine.
All drink.
Leader concludes:
Appropriately, our haggadah ends on a triumphant note of victory and praise. May the sincerity and passion that we have brought to our celebration of the Passover be present in our lives throughout the year. Truth, justice, mercy and kindness are the opposite of slavery, persecution and oppression. May we embody these traits and be granted the blessing of celebrating the Passover for many years to come.
All say in unison:
Next year in Jerusalem!
Here are two easy as well as truly tasty recipes. The first, Matzah Lasagna, closely resembles regular lasagne in flavor and texture, yet it is delightfully kosher for Passover.
The second, Charoset, is a mixture of apples, nuts, wine or juice, raisins and cinnamon and is a representation of mortar used by Israelite slaves building Egyptian monuments. It also is sweet, as is the sequel of a sweeter life of freedom from slavery and following God.
On the Jewish calendar: 15-21 Nisan and in the diaspora 15-22 Nisan (March-April).
Matzot commences with the eating of the Passover lamb between late afternoon and sunset on 14 Nissan in Israel.
Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread… eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Abib [Aviv/Nissan] for in that month you came out of Egypt. No one is to appear before me empty-handed. Exodus 23:14-15
Israel’s hasty departure from Egypt (no time for bread to rise).
The sinless body of the Messiah symbolised by communion bread.
15-21(22) Nisan
During the days of Passover, unleavened bread, or matzah, is eaten in honor of this holiday. The absence of leaven during the holiday is in observance of this feast. This is to remind those who observe the day of the flight from Egypt. The particular haste of the escape was apparent by the way that the bread had no time to rise.
In scripture, leaven has taken on other meanings such as wickedness and sin. The holiday Unleavened Bread assumes both these connotations.
Before this holiday period can be fully celebrated, much preparation must go into readying the household. First, all chametz (leaven) must be removed from the dwelling to be either destroyed (usually burned) or sold. The dried arba minim (the four agricultural species used during Sukkot-see Sukkot section) may be burned at this time in accordance to some of the traditions. The chametz itself includes all products made of fermented wheat, rye, barley, oats or malt. Sometimes corn, rice and legumes are also included in this prohibition since they can be ground and made into flour/bread. The purpose for this is obedience to the mandate of God: “For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast. On the first day remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel.” Exodus 12:15. The abstention from leaven includes regular and otherwise unleavened flour and grain products that may have been subject to natural leavening. When moisture comes into contact with flour or grain for over eighteen minutes, leaven becomes naturally produced, say rabbis. Thus, unless the collection, milling processes, and subsequent baking have been closely watched by rabbis to ensure that this has not happened, the food item is not considered free from leaven or kosher for Passover. This is why some otherwise “unleavened” breads and even matzot are not “kosher” for Passover.
The Passover is the prime foreshadowing of the coming of the Messiah and redemption in him. On this very day, the Passover lamb was sacrificed. On this very day, Yeshua also had to be killed-or else he would not be our Passover Lamb at all! The Passover is emphasized heavily in the Torah for good reason; this holiday of the literal blood of the Passover lamb is the main pointer to humanity’s coming salvation through the blood of the divine Passover Lamb, in the figurative sense. Passover is crucial in pointing to our ultimate salvation. The holiday is of supreme importance. Nissan is often considered the “first month” (this month is also known as Abib/Aviv) so that this holiday is the focal point by which the others are referenced.
Though other cycles and other aspects of life in the LORD are important, it is the sacrifice of the Lamb that gives it all meaning. Except for the sacrifice of the Passover and the blood on the door posts, Israel would have suffered the same fate as the Egyptians. The promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would have then become void…. Apart from the sacrifice of the Passover and the blood on the doorposts, there would have been no basis for Messiah, our Passover, to be sacrificed on the anniversary of that momentous occasion. We would have no hope and remained dead in our sins (Sampson, 111).
This holiday’s month can be appropriately considered “first.” The first month of the year is the beginning of life, not just life as in “seasonal” life, but in spiritual life-life everlasting.
The following correlations below, borrowed in part from Elwood McQuaid, illustrate our Saviour’s role as fulfilment and completion of the Passover holiday:
This was the means of salvation. The blood of the slain lamb proved to be protection for the first born of manner the physical and literal lamb and its blood saved the inhabitants of the house, so does the blood of our Heavenly Lamb save us from certain death.
This step also sanctified the nation of Israel and made them a people “set apart” for God and his purposes. This part of the observance named them as God’s chosen people. By accepting the blood of the divine Lamb, all believers become part of the body of the Messiah. Grafted into [which doesn’t mean “replacing”] the divinely chosen nation, they also become sanctified and “set apart.”
Deliverance to enter the land. When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as He promised, observe this ceremony (Exodus 12:25). This also set in motion the beginning of the fulfilment of the assurance of inheriting the “Promised Land.”
The divine plan was to climax in granting these Chosen People their Promised Land. Likewise, the Christian, as grafted into the nation of Chosen People is promised a heavenly land ruled by their Messianic King.
This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year (Exodus 12:2). This was the start of a new age. Just as the ancient Jewish nation entered a new beginning, so the Christian does also upon living for and with the Saviour.
Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household (Exodus 12:3). The lamb had to be chosen by each house during this time. Likewise, the Christian today must exercise his/her power of choice in choosing his/her God. Will he/she choose the Lamb of God. Will He be King of their lives?
The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight (Exodus 12:5-6). The lamb was to be without blemishes or spots. Pure and perfect was this Passover lamb. The Saviour who came not only to just the Jewish people but to all of humanity, was to be perfect and without guile or sin. Just as the shepherds had to ensure that the lambs they raised for the sacrifice were identified as pure, so the shepherds attended the birth of the Saviour, ensuring the worthiness of the Lamb.
Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs (Exodus 12:6-7). The only way for the saving blood to be spilled was for the lamb to be slain. This was the only acceptable solution. Like this literal lamb, so the Lamb of God had to be slain for the shedding of the redemptive blood.
If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat…. That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast (Exodus 12:4,8). The amount needed for each person was to be determined. Each person was to have his/her share. No one was to go without some of the Passover lamb, as today no one is to go without the saving blood of the Lamb. The lamb had to be sufficient for the entire household, as the Heavenly Lamb is. They were to feast on it in fellowship together. The unleavened bread was to be eaten in symbolism of the haste of leaving Egypt without time for it to rise. The bitter herbs served as reminders of the harsh bondage and suffering.
The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt (Exodus 12:13). The blood as a sign on the houses saved the occupants from death. So, just as this Passover lamb’s blood saved the lives of others by its own death and blood, our divine Lamb saves us from the wages of our sin-eternal death.
This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come (Exodus 12:14a). [Notice it says “for the generations to come.” This implies forever and not just until the fulfilment of the cross]. The sustenance of the nation was directly correlated with their keeping of the festival and commemoration of the Passover. The spiritual sustenance of the Messianic believer is the same today-totally dependent upon our faith and taking hold of the salvation provided us.
You shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD- a lasting ordinance (Exodus 12:14b). The “lasting ordinance” here implies a future importance. The prophetic undertones are pointing to a future event by which this is symbolized. “One day the Lamb will replace lambs” (McQuaid 40-42).
The power of the symbolism is wholly apparent when analyzed this way. There is a direct correlation between the actual and the symbol, between what was then and what was to come. Yeshua was always at the heart of this Passover feast. He was and is still central to all that it stands for.
Interesting to note is the significance of the traditional “hunt for the Afikomen” that most Jewish households are familiar with. This is a time during the feast of unleavened bread when a piece of matzah is wrapped in a cloth and hidden. Often, a surprise or gift is offered to the child who finds it. This itself is deeply symbolic. Just as the body of Yeshua was broken, wrapped in grave clothes and hidden in a tomb, only to be revealed and risen anew, so this piece of matzah is broken, wrapped in cloth or a napkin and hidden out of sight to be found, revealed, displayed and eaten as the honored and special “dessert.” Fischer explains: Now as we celebrate Pesach, we remember not only God’s actions during the time of the Exodus but also Yeshua’s death for us, which secured our atonement. In fact, the term used for the piece of matzah which is “hidden” during the Pesach meal, Afikomen-a Greek, not Hebrew term-literally means “the one who came”
(Fischer, 2004: accessed 04 Aug 2010).
Most mainstream Jews, who do not even believe that Yeshua is the Messiah, faithfully observe this tradition annually.
While Christians revere the Eucharist and approach the Lord’s Supper with solemnity, it must be remembered that Passover is a Jewish holiday of celebrating victory and life. Passover is about being free and liberated to serve our God. While images of the sacrificial Lamb does invoke sadness, the day itself is dedicated to the celebration of the triumph and victory of God for His people. Therefore, the day should be celebrated with joy.
For a Christian today, there is still so much spiritual richness that can be taken and embraced from the Passover feast. Even aside from the fact that the Saviour is central to this feast, this holiday week has much for all believers to benefit from. Christians ought to take this holiday and embrace it for what it stands for-a beautiful symbolic portrait of our Saviour’s life and triumph (although dearly bought)for us. The whole holiday points to the liberation of God’s people and our Yeshua, the means by which we are free and live. Surely a sincere follower would therefore be interested.
Furthermore, who has not been delivered from a spiritual Egypt at some time-poverty, unemployment, failure, discouragement, depression, destructive relationships, disease or sickness? This is a time of rejoicing and reflecting upon the deliverance that we have experienced through God in our own lives. All of us at some stage in life have needed deliverance or freedom, rescue or aid. God works in our lives constantly. Contemplate and reflect what this means to you in your individual life’s circumstances.
On Jewish calendar:
Bikkurim 16 Nissan (March-April)
On Jewish calendar:
Lag L’Omer / Lag B’Omer 18 Iyyar (April-May)
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you enter the land which I am going to give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. He shall wave the sheaf before the LORD for you to be accepted; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. Now on the day when you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb one year old without defect for a burn offering to the LORD. Its grain offering shall then be two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, and offering by fire to the LORD for a soothing aroma, with its drink offering, a fourth of a hin of wine. Until this same day, until you have brought in the offering of your God, you shall eat neither bread nor roasted grain nor new growth. It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.’” Leviticus 23:9-14 NASB
Beginning of the spring barley harvest. Offering this “first” harvest to the Temple.
The Resurrection of Yeshua. Firstfruits of the Resurrection Harvest.
16 Nisan
This is part of the Passover celebration that officially has its own significance. This is considered the early “first fruits” of harvest time, with Shavuot being the later one (see next holiday). This was also the beginning of the barley harvest. The Israelites would bring a sheaf, or wave offering, to the Temple. This day would mark the beginning of the official Counting of the Omer (barley sheaves): From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD.” Leviticus 23:15-16
This count is often kept with a blessing said for each day of the Omer in a count from Passover to the Feast of Weeks. It denotes a promise of that greater part of the harvest which is to come. It has also been a day of miracles outdone only by Passover. It never became one of the High Holy Days, nor is it a “Sabbath” rest day; however it is still a special day.
The Omer count is a somewhat solemn time in modern traditional Judaism. Rabbinical accounts speak of a terrible plague that killed many but began to wane on the 33rd day of the Omer. Since that time, this thirty-third day of the Omer (or Lag B’Omer) is a holiday celebrated by traditional Jews. On this day, Israel celebrates with picnics, archery, weddings, and oddly enough, haircuts-especially “first” haircuts for two-year old boys. This is not a biblical holiday, but may be celebrated for the sake of solidarity with the Jewish people.
On the day of First Fruits, Yeshua conquered death. Despite not being “discovered” by humanity until the morning, his rising from the dead itself was likely to have happened shortly after the closing of the Sabbath, as sunset heralds the beginning of the new day in Jewish tradition. Christians celebrate Easter as the day of the risen Lord, however, according to the Jewish calendar, we can see that it was on First Fruits that he rose. Scripture points this out:
But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming… 1 Corinthians 15:20-23
This is significant, as it points to our Saviour as being one of the “first fruits” of the resurrected dead. If we are serious about celebrating the day that the Saviour rose from the dead, then First Fruits is the day of commemoration!
Matzah Brei Breakfast Noshes.
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On the Jewish calendar:
6 Sivan (May-June)
From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD. From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of first fruits to the LORD. Present with this bread seven male lambs, each a year old and without defect, one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the LORD, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings-an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD. Then sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering and two lambs, each a year old, for a fellowship offering. The priest is to wave the two lambs before the LORD as a wave offering, together with the bread of the first fruits. They are a sacred offering to the LORD for the priest. On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly and do no regular work. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. Leviticus 23:15-21
The forty-nine day count from Firstfruits leading to the Feast of Weeks.
Beginning at Yeshua’s Resurrection leading to Feast of Weeks/Pentecost.
16 Nisan to 5 Sivan
After the Jewish nation had their first official Passover and crossed through the Red Sea, they found themselves camped at the base of Mount Sinai. During this time, they rejoiced over their triumphant escape from the Egyptians. They were led in songs by Miriam the cantor, or song leader. Aaron also was leading the people during this time. He is noted for facilitating the creation of the golden calf and allowing the people to fall into idolatry during this time. Soon after this incident, Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the tablets of stone with the Ten Commandments written upon them by the finger of God, only to dash them to pieces upon spying the Israelite camp reveling and making themselves merry around the golden calf. He had to go up to the mountain again to have a new set of commandments in stone. The time period between Passover and the receiving of the commandments (and oral law) was forty-nine days, or the duration of the Omer count. The end of these forty-nine days marked a special day that became known as Shavuot, or as some call it, the Feast of Weeks. (Later to be known as Pentecost in Western Christian culture).
Much more than simply a “giving of the law,” this time is important, as it marks the anniversary of the covenant between God and the nation of Israel. At Sinai, a marriage-type of agreement, such as a marriage, took place. With the sign of the covenant being the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath (the fourth commandment), the ketubah (wedding vows)- type agreement was set into place. Although Israel had already been designated as God’s people, it was at Sinai that God pledged His love for them by giving them a Torah for them to follow as their pledge of love back to Him. They agreed to God’s terms,” When Moses went and told the people all the LORD’s words and laws, they responded with one voice, ‘Everything the LORD has said we will do.’” Exodus 24:3. Thus the covenant was complete. Both “sides” (God and the people) said their vows and sealed this everlasting covenant. This was part of sanctification and being set apart.
All Jews, past and present, are said to have been present at Sinai-as this was an experience that touched the very quintessence of the Jewish soul for all time. All the more, the covenant cannot ever be considered outdated or “expired,” as it includes those yet unborn.
In like manner of the holidays we have discussed previously, the ushering in of the day comes the evening. The day is opened with candles and a charitable mind, as charitable giving and hospitality is always at the fore in celebrating holidays.
Using the candles once again, the following blessing is recited:
The blessing is as follows:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ לְהַדְלִיק נֵר שֶׁל יוֹם טוֹב
Baruch Ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher kideshanu bemitzvotav vetzivanu lehadlik ner shel Yom Tov.
In English:
Blessed are You Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to kindle the festival lights.
Following this blessing, we add the Shehecheyanu as demonstrated previously:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיעָנוּ לַזְּמַן הַזֶּה
Baruch Ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, sehecheyanu vekiyenamu, vehigianu la’zeman hazeh.
In English:
Blessed are You Lord our God, King of the universe, Who gave us life, and sustains us, and enabled us to reach this season of joy.
The Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost, is a key pilgrimage festival, along with Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles, requiring a journey to Jerusalem. It’s a time of thanksgiving celebrated in homes and synagogues. In honor of the “wedding” or “anniversary” between God and Israel, it’s customary to stay up all night studying the Torah, seen as the ketubah, or marriage contract, between them. This vigil is a central way to mark the holiday.
Although Mount Sinai is located in the desert, tradition holds that in honor of the giving of the Torah, the barren land blossomed with flowers. To commemorate this, it is customary to adorn homes with floral decorations. Additionally, Shavuot was historically a day when the fruit trees were judged, predicting their yield for the coming year.
This was the time of what Christians call Pentecost. Have you ever wondered why Jews from various places gathered on this day in Acts 2? Understanding that it was a Shavuot pilgrimage clarifies the mystery. The scripture recounts:
When Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. Suddenly, a sound like a violent wind filled the house. They saw what appeared to be tongues of fire resting on each of them. Filled with the Holy Spirit, they began speaking in different languages. God-fearing Jews from every nation were in Jerusalem. When they heard the sound, a bewildered crowd gathered, each hearing their own language. Amazed, they asked, “Aren’t these men Galileans? How do we hear them in our native languages?” They identified themselves as Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and more, marveling at the wonders of God. They wondered, “What does this mean?” (Acts 2:1-12).
The diverse languages spoken were from Shavuot pilgrims, not just locals. The disciples and Apostles celebrated Shavuot after the Messiah’s death, continuing to observe these feasts as sacred, indicating they did not view them as obsolete after Yeshua’s life and death.
Shortly after His resurrection, Yeshua instructed the disciples to watch for the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit). The scripture states:
After His suffering, He presented Himself to the disciples with many proofs of His resurrection, appearing for forty days to discuss the kingdom of God. While eating with them, He commanded, “Do not leave Jerusalem but wait for the gift my Father promised. John baptized with water, but in a few days, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 1:4-5)
On Shavuot, after Yeshua’s ascension, the disciples gathered together, and the Holy Spirit descended upon them in a manifestation of fire. Just as God’s spirit appeared on Mount Sinai when the law was given, it also came upon the disciples in the upper room, marking the delivery of the Holy Spirit. This momentous day is known in Christianity as “Pentecost,” but it originally celebrates Shavuot. By honoring this feast from the “Older Testament,” God sent the Holy Spirit to humanity. The early disciples continued to observe Shavuot after Yeshua’s life and death, and God (as the Holy Spirit) did too!
Just as the Early Church met together to observe Shavuot, the Christian today may take part in this blessing. God honored the early believers by pouring out His Spirit upon them. This is a special day for two reasons: 1., it is this day of Pentecost- this day that goes down in history as the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and 2., it is the anniversary of the marriage covenant between God and the nation of Israel into which the Christian church is grafted. Romans 11:17. Staying up and studying God’s word on this day according to the tradition may bring unexpected joys, for we know that the words of the Lord, when read, will not be without blessing.
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On the Jewish calendar:
4th of Iyyar (Apr-May)
A civic holiday, rather than religious, is the Memorial Day of Israel. The Israeli Knesset (Parliament) declared this day to be a memorial time set aside for the remembrance of all those who lost their lives in the struggle for Israel’s independence as well as all those who have been killed while on active duty in the Israeli forces.
Memorializing and remembering those of us who have gone before is a very prominent feature in Jewish culture. As on Yom Hashoah, the lives of those who have passed on are remembered with respect on Yom HaZikaron. Like those in the Holocaust, the soldiers who gave their lives for their State of Israel died untimely deaths. The difference is that they died fighting, buying with their very blood the independence that Israel enjoys today.
National holiday to remember fallen soldiers.
If not for the sacrifices of the fallen there would not be a State of Israel today.
4 Iyyar
The mood of this Israeli Memorial Day is not exactly like the American Memorial Day. Although the days in both countries are used to commemorate the military heroes lost, in Israel, an extra measure of sobriety is added. On this day, all pubs, theaters, cinemas, nightclubs and other places of public entertainment are closed. The country stops all traffic and daily activities and observes two periods of silence preceded by a loud siren. Drivers stop their cars and stand outside their vehicles as a sign of respect. This occurs at 8 o’clock in the evening at the onset of the day (remember, sunset of the previous night ushers in the Jewish holidays) and then sounds again at 11 o’clock in the late morning before the prayers are read at the military cemeteries. The radio broadcasts songs and poems related to the remembrance theme, and stories of the heroes lost are retold on the airwaves.
Official religious tradition has not yet taken hold on this holiday, as it is still mostly a civic occasion; however, the awe and sanctity of the day (enough to rival any religious ceremony) seems quite apparent, especially during the observance surrounding the eerie sounding of the siren. Some synagogues observe Yom Ha’Atzmaut by adding a special reading to the service which often precedes the mourner’s prayer (kaddish). Israel’s Independence day, although a time of rejoicing and celebration is made all the more meaningful and appreciated due to its proximity to Yom HaZikaron, this day set aside to remember all those who died for the cause of an independent Israel.
As the day fades into the sunset of the next day, a ceremony is often held to both close the Israeli Memorial Day and to usher in Israel’s Independence Day. Mount Herzl, Jerusalem often is the site of such celebration featuring military parades displaying Israel’s flag, a ceremonial lighting of twelve beacons to represent the twelve tribes of Israel, and speeches by members of the Knesset (Israeli Parliament).
The mood of this Israeli Memorial Day is not exactly like the American Memorial Day. Although the days in both countries are used to commemorate the military heroes lost, in Israel, an extra measure of sobriety is added. On this day, all pubs, theaters, cinemas, nightclubs and other places of public entertainment are closed. The country stops all traffic and daily activities and observes two periods of silence preceded by a loud siren. Drivers stop their cars and stand outside their vehicles as a sign of respect. This occurs at 8 o’clock in the evening at the onset of the day (remember, sunset of the previous night ushers in the Jewish holidays) and then sounds again at 11 o’clock in the late morning before the prayers are read at the military cemeteries. The radio broadcasts songs and poems related to the remembrance theme, and stories of the heroes lost are retold on the airwaves.
Official religious tradition has not yet taken hold on this holiday, as it is still mostly a civic occasion; however, the awe and sanctity of the day (enough to rival any religious ceremony) seems quite apparent, especially during the observance surrounding the eerie sounding of the siren. Some synagogues observe Yom Ha’Atzmaut by adding a special reading to the service which often precedes the mourner’s prayer (kaddish). Israel’s Independence day, although a time of rejoicing and celebration is made all the more meaningful and appreciated due to its proximity to Yom HaZikaron, this day set aside to remember all those who died for the cause of an independent Israel.
As the day fades into the sunset of the next day, a ceremony is often held to both close the Israeli Memorial Day and to usher in Israel’s Independence Day. Mount Herzl, Jerusalem often is the site of such celebration featuring military parades displaying Israel’s flag, a ceremonial lighting of twelve beacons to represent the twelve tribes of Israel, and speeches by members of the Knesset (Israeli Parliament).
Respite from the somewhat solemn 49-day Omer count, now two thirds complete.
Day of fun enhancing solidarity with Israel featuring picnics, archery, and haircuts.
18 Iyyar
Lag B’Omer (ל״ג בעומר) is a minor Jewish holiday that occurs on the 33rd day of the Omer, which is the counting period between Passover and Shavuot. The name “Lag” comes from the Hebrew letters ל (Lamed) and ג (Gimel), which together represent the number 33.
The day marks the end of a semi-mourning period during the Omer and is traditionally associated with the celebration of two key events:
Festivities include bonfires, picnics, music, and in some communities, archery (a reference to the resistance against Roman oppression). It’s a day of joy and celebration, especially in Israel, where large gatherings occur at the tomb of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai in Meron.
On the Jewish calendar:
5th of Iyyar (Apr-May)
Commemorates the day that the modern State of Israel became an independent nation.
This is the real birthday of modern Israel–a prophetic fulfillment to many.
5 Iyyar
This is a very young and modern holiday, relatively speaking. This day is also known as Israel’s Independence Day. Like July fourth to the United States, this day is met with much patriotism and joyous celebration of the Israeli national identity. After centuries (almost two millennia) of persecution, exile and rejection from other nations, the Jewish people were finally granted their own land again. In this land, Israel triumphantly declared her own independence in 1948. Upon this momentous occasion, Ben Gurion declared Yom Ha’Atzmaut, the official day of Israel’s independence, with these words:
The Land of Israel was the birthplace of the Jewish people. Here the spiritual, religious and national identity was formed. Here they achieved independence and created a culture of national and universal significance. Here they wrote and gave the Bible to the world… Exiled from Palestine, the Jewish people remained faithful to it in all the countries of the dispersion, never ceasing to pray and hope for their return and restoration of their national freedom. Accordingly, we, the members of the National Council met together in solemn assembly today and by virtue of the national and historic right of the Jewish people and with the support of the resolution of the General of the United Nations, hereby proclaim the establishment of the Jewish state in Palestine to be called Israel. We offer peace and amity to all neighboring states and their peoples and invite them to cooperate with the independent Jewish nation for the common good of all… With trust in the Rock of Israel, we set our hands to this declaration at this session of the Provisional State Council in the city of Tel Aviv on Sabbath Eve, 5th Iyyar 5708, 14th day of May 1948 (Jewish Virtual Library).
The announcement was broadcast to a vast world audience. Within twenty-four hours, several neighboring Arab countries banded together, declaring war on the infant State. Many feared for Israel, as the Arabs threatened less of a war and more of a slaughter, another holocaust of sorts due to the odds (one hundred to one). Nevertheless, Israel was not so easily vanquished. Their stake to their land was upheld-they survived a battle that proved to be nothing short of a miracle in their favor. Notwithstanding, the battle was still a bloody one. Many of Israel’s sons died as soldiers in that fight. Thus, a memorial day for fallen soldiers (Yom Hazikaron) immediately precedes Yom Ha’atzmaut. Memorial Day gives way to Independence Day as the sun slips beneath the horizon. The significance of the proximity of these two important days is simply thus: if not for the sacrifice of the fallen soldiers, an independent Israel would not exist. The nation of Israel mourns and remembers the fallen and then celebrates that costly freedom that the blood of those precious lost has bought. Yom Ha’atzmaut is additionally important to many religious Jews due to the prophecy that such a unification and re-establishment of the nation of Israel would precede ultimate redemption-the coming of the long awaited messiah.
Moses predicted both the exile of the Jewish people from “the land” as well as their return (Deuteronomy 30:4-5). The Jewish people have been scattered around the globe for almost two thousand years and yet are gathered again as one nation and one people with their Hebrew tongue being spoken once more as not just a religious dialect, but as an everyday language.This alone puts modern Israel into the context of prophecy for many. Thousands of nations and peoples have come and then disappeared since ancient times, yet few remain-and none who have been so actively persecuted as the Jewish people. For thousands of years, other nations and national leaders have sought to minimize Jewish numbers or to eradicate them altogether. Typified in scripture as the Egyptian Pharaoh and Haman of Persia and also by those such as Hitler and Hamas in more recent times, the enemies of the Jews have sought diligently and systematically to erase the Jewish nation. The sheer fact that the Jewish people remain through all this over time is a testament to their divine promise and the prophecy surrounding the Jewish people.
As mentioned above, Yom Ha’Atzmaut is greeted at the dawn of Yom HaZikaron. One holiday merges into the other with a corresponding significance that lends itself to a deeper appreciation of the overall theme of Israeli nationalism. On this day, Israelis are not alone in celebration. Jews the world over observe the day in showing solidarity with Israel. In Israel, if the holiday falls on a Friday or Shabbat, it is celebrated the previous Thursday. Like the Americans during the Fourth of July, Israelis celebrate with parades, parties, fireworks and the singing of their national anthem (HaTikvah). As previously mentioned, the day is greeted with ceremonies to include the festivities and speeches on Mount Herzl, Jerusalem, as Yom HaZikaron fades.
For Jews outside of Israel, it is commonly celebrated on the closest Sunday with many Israeli-themed festivities and dishes.Often a quiz with questions centered on Israel is featured so as to increase the awareness of Israel and the many benefits it has contributed to the modern world. The celebrated independent and unique identity of Israel helps to answer the question posed by Israelis, as “who are we?”
Religious traditions are slower in developing. The actual spiritual character of the day is still under scrutiny and debate, as differing Jewish circles have yet to come to a common religious assessment of the day. As time progresses, certainly more tradition will develop around the day. For now, the Chief Rabbinate of the State of Israel has prescribed the singing of Psalms and a reading of a prophetic portion of scripture. Many Jewish congregations include such special readings and a singing of the HaTikvah while most of the Ultra-Orthodox, who believe the State of Israel is nothing more than a synthetic invention created by human hands, do not agree with this observance.
On the Jewish calendar:
6 Sivan (May-June)
From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD. From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of first fruits to the LORD. Present with this bread seven male lambs, each a year old and without defect, one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the LORD, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings-an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD. Then sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering and two lambs, each a year old, for a fellowship offering. The priest is to wave the two lambs before the LORD as a wave offering, together with the bread of the first fruits. They are a sacred offering to the LORD for the priest. On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly and do no regular work. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. Leviticus 23:15-21
The Law given to Moses at Mt. Sinai. The Ten Commandments written by God.
Day of fun enhancing solidarity with Israel featuring picnics, archery, and haircuts.
6 Sivan
After the Jewish nation had their first official Passover and crossed through the Red Sea, they found themselves camped at the base of Mount Sinai. During this time, they rejoiced over their triumphant escape from the Egyptians. They were led in songs by Miriam the cantor, or song leader. Aaron also was leading the people during this time. He is noted for facilitating the creation of the golden calf and allowing the people to fall into idolatry during this time. Soon after this incident, Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the tablets of stone with the Ten Commandments written upon them by the finger of God, only to dash them to pieces upon spying the Israelite camp reveling and making themselves merry around the golden calf. He had to go up to the mountain again to have a new set of commandments in stone. The time period between Passover and the receiving of the commandments (and oral law) was forty-nine days, or the duration of the Omer count. The end of these forty-nine days marked a special day that became known as Shavuot, or as some call it, the Feast of Weeks. (Later to be known as Pentecost in Western Christian culture).
Much more than simply a “giving of the law,” this time is important, as it marks the anniversary of the covenant between God and the nation of Israel. At Sinai, a marriage-type of agreement, such as a marriage, took place. With the sign of the covenant being the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath (the fourth commandment), the ketubah (wedding vows)- type agreement was set into place. Although Israel had already been designated as God’s people, it was at Sinai that God pledged His love for them by giving them a Torah for them to follow as their pledge of love back to Him. They agreed to God’s terms,” When Moses went and told the people all the LORD’s words and laws, they responded with one voice, ‘Everything the LORD has said we will do.’” Exodus 24:3. Thus the covenant was complete. Both “sides” (God and the people) said their vows and sealed this everlasting covenant. This was part of sanctification and being set apart.
All Jews, past and present, are said to have been present at Sinai-as this was an experience that touched the very quintessence of the Jewish soul for all time. All the more, the covenant cannot ever be considered outdated or “expired,” as it includes those yet unborn.
In like manner of the holidays we have discussed previously, the ushering in of the day starts in the evening. The day is opened with candles and a charitable mind, as charitable giving and hospitality is always at the fore in celebrating holidays.
Using the candles once again, the following blessing is recited:
The blessing is as follows:
ברוך אתה ה’ א‑לוהינו מלך העולם, אשר קדשנו במצוותיו וציוונו להדליק נר של יום טוב
Baruch Ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher kideshanu bemitzvotav vetzivanu lehadlik ner shel Yom Tov.
In English:
Blessed are You Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to kindle the festival lights.
Following this blessing, we add the Shehecheyanu as demonstrated previously:
ברוך אתה ה’ א‑לוהינו מלך העולם, שהחיינו וקיימנו והגיענו לזמן הזה
Baruch Ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, sehecheyanu vekiyenamu, vehigianu la’zeman hazeh.
In English:
Blessed are You Lord our God, King of the universe, Who gave us life, and sustains us, and enabled us to reach this season of joy.
The Feast of Weeks (also Feast of Pentecost) is one of the main pilgrim festivals along with Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles (or Feast of Booths) that required a trip to Jerusalem for proper observance. This is a special time of thanksgiving, celebrated in both homes and synagogues. In appreciation of this “wedding” or, “anniversary” between God and the nation of Israel, it is customary to delve into the Torah during the holiday, staying up all night to read it together. This is one of the main ways of celebrating the day-maintaining a nocturnal vigil, immersing the mind in this ketubah, or marriage contract, between God and the nation of Israel.
Although Mount Sinai is situated in the desert, to honor the giving of the Torah, the desert is said to have bloomed, sprouting flowers. In honor of this, it is traditional to decorate the house with flowers. Shavuot was also a day for judging fruit trees as to their prospective “fruit forecast” for the year.
It was during this time that what Christians know as Pentecost took place. Have you ever read the second chapter of Acts and wondered why all the Jews from different places came together on this day? Realizing that it was a Shavuot pilgrimage makes the mystery unravel. The story of Pentecost, according to scripture is as follows:
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs- we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” Acts 2:1-12
Notice all the different languages of the people in the room? These were not all locals, but were Shavuot pilgrims. The disciples and Apostles present at this famous event of Pentecost were therefore celebrating the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. This was after the death of the Messiah, so they obviously still observed these feasts as Sabbaths unto the Lord. Notice that they did not consider these holidays as obsolete after Yeshua’s life and death on earth.
Soon after his resurrection, Yeshua had given the disciples specific instructions to watch for the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit). Scripture reads:
After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Acts 1:4-5
Thus, on Shavuot, after the ascension of Yeshua, the disciples were gathered together. The Holy Spirit visited them, granting them all a portion of Himself by the physical manifestation of fire. Just as on this day, God’s spirit came upon Mount Sinai, manifesting Himself through fire as the law was delivered to the world through His servant, so on this day, God’s spirit came upon those in the upper room as described in Acts, manifesting Himself through fire as the Holy Spirit was delivered to the world through His servants. The parallel is not coincidental. This momentous day in Acts became known throughout Christianity as “Pentecost.” This day is also, and originally, Shavuot. In honoring the “Older Testament” feast of Shavuot, God Himself sent the Holy Spirit to humankind. Not only did the early disciples and believers in Yeshua observe and honor this festival of Shavuot (beyond the life and death of Yeshua on earth), but God (as Holy Spirit) did too!
Just as the Early Church met together to observe Shavuot, the Christian today may take part in this blessing. God honored the early believers by pouring out His Spirit upon them. This is a special day for two reasons: 1., it is this day of Pentecost- this day that goes down in history as the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and 2., it is the anniversary of the marriage covenant between God and the nation of Israel into which the Christian church is grafted. Romans 11:17. Staying up and studying God’s word on this day according to the tradition may bring unexpected joys, for we know that the words of the Lord, when read, will not be without blessing.
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YAMIN NORAIM / ASERET YEMEI TESHUVA / 10 DAYS OF REPENTANCE / DAYS OF AWE from 1-10 TISHREI
On the Jewish calendar: 1-10 Tishrei (September-October)
The LORD said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. Do no regular work, but present an offering made to the LORD by fire.’” Leviticus 23:23-25
Anniversary of Creation. Repentance for the sealing of souls in the Book of Life for the year.
New Creation. Second Coming of Messiah. The sealing of souls in the Book of Life for eternity.
1 to 2 Tishrei
Starting as a simple holiday, this day has become multi-faceted, taking on different meanings and significances that meet a variety of spiritual and community needs. The trumpet (or shofar [a modified ram or antelope’s horn]) blasts fill this day, and this alone ushers in the solemnity that leads the nation into Yamim Noraim / Days of Repentance or Days of Awe and then Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
The first (and second) days of the Jewish New Year are Rosh Hashanah, which means literally, head of the year. It is known as a time of “loud blasts” and a day of remembrance, a type of memorial day as is evidenced by Lev 23:24. It is also referred to as the beginning of the aforementioned Yamin Noraim, the ten days of repentance, a time for serious self-examination and meditation with a goal of individual repentance. This day is traditionally observed with joy and hope for the year ahead as well as the solemnity of self-reflection. For this is the time that the entire human race is said to be judged for the coming year. Each life is taken into account. It is this time that God determines whether or not each will be sealed in the Book of Life for the year.
An old child’s book of verses recites a poem of Rosh Hashanah called, “The New Year”:
No bells ring through the midnight air,
No sound of vulgar revelry,
But everywhere the trumpet blare
Sends greetings over land and sea.
And in the Jewish household reigns
A quiet born of pious thought;
And every Jewish heart attains
A joy from festive fervor wrought.
No ribald shout, no course display
Proclaims our Rosh Hashanah here:
But we who hope and smile and pray-
In this wise greet the glad New Year (Burstein, 27).
This antiquated (yet appropriately valid) poem helps illustrate the solemnity of the day in contrast with other bawdy celebrations of the New Year by other cultures.
This day is also traditionally attributed to the birthday of the world. According to rabbinic discussion, God is believed to have created humanity during this Creation week. Thus, this is to be enjoyed as the anniversary of humanity’s beginning as well as God’s sovereignty over all Creation. Each year on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish nation proclaims God as the one true King.
According to Jewish tradition, many events are believed to have happened on this day aside from the six days of Creation as mentioned above. Upon this day, Abraham and Jacob had birthdays, Sarah, Rachel and Hannah finally conceived (Isaac, Joseph and Samuel respectively) in their previously-barren wombs. This is said to also have been the day Joseph had been released from the Egyptian prison. Tradition continues that upon this day was the binding of Isaac (when God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son – Genesis 22:1-19). All these events are said to have occurred on Rosh Hashanah.
This is a solemn occasion allowing us to meditate upon the past year as well as to look ahead to the new year just beginning. Greetings are said to each other, “La Shanah Tova Tikatavu!” (May you be inscribed for a good year!) This is referring to the Book of Life in which we all hope to be sealed. Although this is a time for self-contemplation and spiritual reflection, this is also a great time to enjoy the special aspects of the holiday. There is joy in knowing that the old is behind, and the new is ahead; a clean slate awaits.
Beginning in the evening of when the holy day begins, the day is to be greeted with candles and blessings in the like manner of Sabbath. The day is a Sabbath as well, and thus is treated as one; the candles help mark the transition of the day from secular to holy.
The Rosh Hashanah blessing to be said over the candles is as follows:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ לְהַדְלִיק נֵר שֶׁל יוֹם טוֹב
Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher kideshanu bemitzvotav vetzivanu lehadlik ner shel Yom Tov.
In English:
Blessed are You Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to kindle the festival lights.
Following this blessing, another, the Shehecheyanu is added in blessing God for bringing us to this holiday:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיעָנוּ לַזְּמַן הַזֶּה
Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, shehecheyanu vekiyenamu, vehigianu la’zeman hazeh.
In English:
Blessed are You Lord our God, King of the universe, Who gave us life, and sustains us, and enabled us to reach this season of joy.
The readings associated with the holiday are out of Genesis. The first story is of Hagar and Ishmael. When conflicts arose between Sarah and her Egyptian slave Hagar, the slave escapes by running headlong into the desert. Hagar, accompanied by her son Ishmael (fathered by Abraham), wandered aimlessly in the parched desert while frantically seeking water for herself and her young boy. She cried out to God who heard her voice and saved both her and the child, promising to make her son a father of a great nation and commanding her to return to Abraham and Sarah. God deals kindly with Hagar by showing her mercy and sustaining her in the desert.
The second reading is the story of the binding of Isaac. Abraham dearly loves his son of promise, Isaac. He is commanded to sacrifice Isaac upon an altar to God. Undoubtedly, grieved and devastated, Abraham nevertheless obeys. As Isaac lies bound upon the altar with his father’s knife about to end his life, a heavenly voice suddenly halts Abraham and points him toward a ram that is caught in a nearby thicket. This animal becomes the sacrifice, the substitute for Isaac.
Both these stories are quite significant during Rosh Hashanah. These stories illustrate the struggle of humanity, the real-life issues that arise within families. Jealousy, contention and disregard often threaten to tear asunder the family unit-siblings, parents and children. Rosh Hashanah is the perfect time to both address and wrestle with these dilemmas, rediscovering the humility and limitations that encapsulate our human existence.
This is also the day of proclaiming the Kingship of God. The challah loaves are not baked like they normally are during other times of the year-such as braided and elongated or oval. The Rosh Hashanah loaves are made round or like spirals (similar to a cinnamon roll) ultimately to resemble a crown in commemoration of our God who is our King. The challot (plural for challah) are also baked with raisins or other extra sweet additions in celebration of the new year just beginning. Apples are a favorite Rosh Hashanah food-especially dipped in honey. Some dip their challah in sugar and only eat sweet foods during this time, since Judaism is rich with symbols, and the aim is to have a sweet New Year.
“The great shofar is sounded-and a still small voice is heard.”
In the synagogue, the shofar is blown one hundred times. Children particularly enjoy the shofar, and some rather contemporary-styled congregations encourage the children to join in on plastic ones after or during the ceremony. The service on this day invites all to a time of introspection and forgiveness-forgiveness of each other as well as forgiveness for ourselves. The shofar is intrinsically linked to this season of repentance.
Usually the shofar is a curved ram’s horn in memory of the ram caught in the thicket that became the replacement for the sacrifice of Isaac. The Yemenite Jews, however, use a long antelope horn as their shofar. The shofar is a great and loud call to repentance. Anyone who has heard a shofar blown properly can testify of its dreadful and awesome sound. The sound reaches to your depth and is a very appropriate means of bringing people to solemnity and repentance!
Saadia Gaon, a ninth century Babylonian scholar, taught that we are given ten reasons why we are obligated to sound the shofar on Rosh Hashanah:
1st reason: Just as earthly kings have horns and trumpets blown to celebrate the anniversary of their coronation, so God wants the shofar blown on the anniversary of the Creation-when there came to be a world that God could rule over.
2nd reason: Just as earthly kings have horns and trumpets blown to announce their decrees-and only after this warning actually enforce the decree-so God wants the shofar blown to announce the beginning of the Ten Days [of Awe], when all are commanded to turn their lives around.
3rd reason: Just as the shofar blew when God gave the Torah at Mount Sinai, so it blows to remind us each year to do as our forebears said at Sinai: “We will act and we will hearken.”
4th reason: Just as Ezekiel compared the words of the prophets, calling for the people to change their ways, to a shofar-so we must know that those who hear the shofar and do not take warning and change our lives will be responsible for their own destruction.
[5th reason]: Because the shofar was blown as a war-alarm when the Temple was destroyed, it should remind us of the destruction of the Temple-the disaster that we brought upon ourselves-and thus should warn us to abandon our misdeeds in order to avert disaster.
6th reason: Because God used a ram as a substitute sacrifice for Isaac, the ram’s horn should remind us how Isaac and Abraham were prepared to give up all their hopes and dreams for God’s sake.
7th reason: Since the blowing of a horn causes cities to tremble, so the shofar will make us tremble and fear our Creator.
8th reason: Since the shofar will be blown on the great Day of Judgment, blowing it now reminds us that every day is a day of judgment.
9th reason: Since the shofar will be blown when the tempest-tossed of the Jewish people are gathered in harmony to the Land of Israel, we should hear the shofar to stir our longings for that day.
10th reason: Since the shofar will be blown when the Messiah revives the dead, we hear the shofar in order to revive our faith in that supernatural transformation, the final victory of life and freedom over death, the ultimate oppressor (Waskow,1982:16-17).
Thus, the unequalled call of the shofar has many significant connotations with remorse and repentance, thereby establishing itself as a perfect symbol of the occasion-a terrible sound that captures both the power and terror of divine reckoning as well as the sobbing and penitent wail of contrite repentance.
On the afternoon of the first day of Rosh Hashanah, a Casting Off, commonly referred to as a Tashlich ceremony is often performed. Both during and after the Talmudic period (roughly 70-500 C.E.), this unique event became a popular way of making the abstract concept of “forgiveness of sins” into a better visualized concrete lesson. This ceremony usually takes place near a stream or flowing body of water (preferably with fish present). Different Jewish communities have embraced various ways of performing the Tashlich ceremony. Fischer describes devout Jews emptying their pockets and tossing stones or bread into the water (Fischer, 2004: accessed 04 Aug 2010). This physical re-enactment of the forgiveness of sins through symbolism give the readings more force (usually involving visualizations of sin being swept away by water):
Kurdish Jews have actually leaped into the water and swam like fish to [symbolically] cleanse themselves of sin. Chassidim in Galicia sent little floats of straw out upon the water, set them afire with candles, and rejoiced that their sins were either burned up or washed away. In Jerusalem, where even brooks are hard to find, Tashlich is done at a well (Waskow, 1982:19).
The idea of sins being cleansed or “washed away” is better understood by both children and adults alike when such acts are performed. Watching something tossed into the water as it disappears, never to be seen again, illustrates the finality and permanence of divine forgiveness.
Water is also a powerful symbol in scripture, present throughout the creation of the world and during all stages of life. Not only was water the chosen medium chosen by God during the days of Noah by which to cleanse the earth, but it also often denotes themes of power, strength and might. True forgiveness involves these very virtues. This adds to its significance in the ceremony. In the most common Tashlich practice, bread crumbs are brought to the water’s edge. Often Psalms 130 is read:
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;
O Lord, hear my voice.
Let Your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.
If You, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?
But with You there is forgiveness; therefore You are feared.
I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word I put my hope.
My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning,
O Israel, put your hope in the LORD,
for with the LORD is unfailing love and with Him is full redemption.
He Himself will redeem Israel from all their sins. Psalms 130:1-8
Following this reading, a prayer is given, and the bread crumbs are cast into the water. This is to symbolize casting off sins into the depths of oblivion. The fish also set upon the crumbs, devouring them, ensuring their disappearance. Sometimes, especially with young children, the specific faults and sins are named (such as lying, disobedience, being disrespectful, etc.) as the crumbs are tossed into the water. This helps the children visualize their wrongs being forgiven and forgotten. This method of making the intangible a bit more solid for children and adults alike can create a better understanding of what it is like to be absolved so that a new beginning can commence in accordance to the prophet Micah:
He will take us back in love;
He will cover up our iniquities.
You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Micah 7:19
Yeshua is at the center of this holiday. He is the Christian King of Kings, the Messianic and Heavenly conqueror. The blowing of the shofarot (plural for shofar) is a sign of the return of this Messianic King. Christian paintings illustrate scenes which often depict the Second Coming of the Lord as having the heavenly host surrounding the coming King while blowing trumpets. “When the trump shall sound…” 1 Corinthians 15:22 goes the prophecy of the Second Advent. Believers await the coming of the Messiah in such a manner, a euphoric scene filled with trumpets and their blasts. Initially, silver trumpets were used; however, these came to be replaced by the shofar.
As explained earlier, the shofar is a symbol of the ram caught in the bush which became Isaac’s replacement. The metaphor is heightened when further symbolism comes to play; Isaac is the representation of Yeshua:
By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure. Hebrews 11:17-19
Both were born of miracle births and then obedient to the point of sacrifice. Just as Abraham was told to offer up his heir on the altar, so God Himself had to offer up His own son. The symbolism does not end here. Trumpets and shofarot are also signals of war. Yeshua came first as a humble baby. Yeshua will come again in the clouds as the King of the Army of God. Yeshua came first to defeat the hold of sin on humanity while planting seeds to ready the world for its ultimate deliverance; He will come again, and this time as the awaited Messiah warrior to defeat the powers of darkness.
Christians battle the unseen foe. The battlefield is drawn, and the Christian finds himself/herself quite positively within its boundaries. Rosh Hashanah, a day filled with shofar blasts and the call to wage spiritual warfare is just the opportunity to ensure that he/she is on the winning side! Although the battle belongs to the Lord, the Christian often finds himself/herself in the very midst of it. We can identify with the opportunity to take up our spiritual armor and war against evil.
Paul wrote:
Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Ephesians 6:11-13
Rosh Hashanah can be a very spiritually significant time for Christians. This is an opportunity for repentance, forgiveness and reflection. Many believe in God, but that is not enough, for even Satan believes in Him. This is discussed in scripture:” You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that-and shudder.” James 2:19. So, more than simple belief is required of us in our walk. We need to repent and be in total submission and sincerity in our request for that forgiveness made available to use through the sacrifice of this, our Messiah, our King of Kings. This is a perfect opportunity to begin to search deep within ourselves. This is the day our Savior is waiting to renew our walk with Him. This is a day of the Jewish New Year, and thus it is a good time for new beginnings. Why not begin anew with the Saviour?
Here’s to a sweet New Year! This day is usually celebrated with sweet foods. Traditionally, apple slices are eaten with honey. Also, the Rosh Hashanah challah, as mentioned, is made round like a crown and made with the added sweetness of raisins. The Shabbat challah recipe would work for this, except remember to add a 3/4 cup of raisins to the dough. You can add other dried fruit as well. Add this nice challah to some honey-dipped apple slices (tart varieties are best with the honey, or so our family thinks). Here is a great recipe to begin the new year. The sweetness is needed to help balance all the solemnity of the day (and next ten).
foodnetwork.com
jewishchronicle.com
On the Jewish calendar:
1-10 Tishrei (September-October)
Time for introspection. Annual renewal.
Time for introspection. Eternal renewal.
1 to 10 Tishrei
During the ten days following Rosh Hashanah, we are in a state of examining ourselves. These days are called the “Days of Awe” or Aseret Yemei Teshuvah (Days of Repentance). We are invited to use these days to closely examine our behavior from the previous year to repent of wrongdoing. Jewish tradition holds that people are in three categories: 1. righteous, 2. wicked, and 3. beinoni (those in between). Those who are beinoni are advised to use this time to tip the scales in their favor, to make their paths straight.
During this time of repentance, all have the opportunity to right the wrongs in life to better serve God as His people. Some people pray more during this time and others fast in sincere repentance and make choices in their lives so that they are in line with Torah, or God’s instructions.
Some might see this as legalism; however, even in these actions, the penitent Jew knows that he/she is ultimately saved solely by the grace of God. If we love God, we keep His commands. This is a beneficial time for Christians to ensure that all are right with Him and to demonstrate our love for our Redeemer by keeping our end of the divine covenant as God’s people. As followers of Yeshua, our lives are fraught with trials, temptations and hardships. Often, in the rush, hustle, and bustle of life, we do not examine ourselves and our own motives. Often we make decisions in haste and may forget to acknowledge God’s way. We may not make the most prudent choices in life. This is a great time to reassess all the details of our lives to ensure that we are living for God so that no sin can creep into our lives. Repentance is liberating! This span of ten days is the perfect time to experience this freedom. We started the process on Rosh Hashanah, so let’s continue these ten more days.
On the Jewish calendar:
10 Tishrei (September-October)
Once a year Aaron shall make atonement… This annual atonement must be made with the blood of the atoning sin offering for the generations to come. It is most holy to the LORD. Exodus 30:10
This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves and not do any work-whether native-born or an alien living among you- because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the LORD, you will be clean from all your sins. Leviticus 16:29-30
The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present an offering made to the LORD by fire. Leviticus 23:27
Then have the trumpet sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land. Leviticus 25:9
On the tenth day of this seventh month hold a sacred assembly. You must deny yourselves and do no work. Numbers 29:7
Atonement of sins made through ceremony of animal sacrifice.
Atonement of sins through our Messiah’s Sacrifice.
10 Tishrei
This day is mentioned several times in the Torah. The significance of the day is quite apparent as the Sabbath of Sabbaths, the “Day of Redemption” or even “Day of Judgment.” If Rosh Hashanah is a day of self-assessment, meditation and renewal, of accounting of the soul and beginning adjustments in our attitudes and behavior starting the following solemn ten Days of Awe, then Yom Kippur is the culmination of these ten days of reflection. This is the day of the Jewish calendar in which the sin of the nation was transferred and atoned for. Once a year, the nation would come together for a time of cleansing, fasting, reflecting and solemnly contemplating the righteousness of God. Also, this day is referred to in the Torah as the Shabbat Shabbaton, or Sabbath of Sabbaths. This does not mean it was an ultimate rest day or a period of supreme restfulness even greater than the weekly Sabbath. In fact, the term simply refers to the sheer holiness of the day. This is a day like no other in the Hebrew year. This is a day for us to ensure that our spiritual slate is clean, a time to purge our hearts with repentance and our bodies with fasting. This is the most serious and somber day of the year. Our instruction comes from Leviticus,… In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls. Leviticus 16: 29-31 This date is represented in the Jewish calendar as the tenth of Tishri. In the times of the Temple in Jerusalem, Yom Kippur was the most important time of year. The high priest would spend the previous ten days studying all of the rituals and steps he was required to perform. This is the day when he would enter the most holy place, the Holy of Holies, to make atonement for the nation.
This was a very solemn day for the priest. He would don new attire for this day. He would put on four white garments of flax (linen). He would wear a golden crown on his forehead and a breastplate on his heart. He would put on an external garment decorated with pomegranates and bells on the hem. An apron or vest was worn on top of this. He also had a belt, turban and pants. The priest was to be well-covered on this holy day, coming before the Lord with his nakedness well hidden. Exodus 28: 33-35
The priest would offer a bull as a sin offering for himself and the priesthood before filling the censor with live coals from the altar. He would burn incense on these coals in the Holy of Holies. He made more burnt offerings: seven male yearling lambs, a young bull, and a ram. A male goat comprised the sin offering (all male animals were used here). The Mishnah, a literary Jewish supplement, describes these priestly duties. The rituals were many, and each required detailed accuracy. The sacred name of God was uttered ten times while all the people bowed in reverence. With everything taken into account, the priest was to make over forty trips between the court and the sanctuary on this day. Each and every move was carefully planned and deliberate. Mistakes, improper cleansing, or inattention to detail could result in the death of the priest (thus the aforementioned bells on his hem to give evidence of his movement in the Holy of Holies, proof to those outside that he was not dead).
After the purification of the Holy Place and tending to the altar of burnt offerings, the High Priest took two goats. One goat was for God, and one was for Azazel (the scapegoat). Two tablets of stone with the words for each were shuffled and then put in front of the goats. The tablet saying “for God” indicated that the goat by it must be sacrificed. The tablet saying “for Azazel” indicated that the goat was to be the scapegoat carrying off the sins of the nation upon his head. It was upon the head of the latter that the priest would confess the sins of the nation before it was released and chased into the wilderness:
Then he is to take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. He is to cast lots for the two goats-one lot for the LORD and the other for the scapegoat. Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the LORD and sacrifice it for a sin offering. But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to be used for making atonement by sending it into the desert as a scapegoat. Leviticus 16:7-10
The two goats represented different things. One died for God immediately, and one lived with the sin upon his head but was shooed into the desert. Of this scapegoat, it continues:
Then he shall come out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it. He shall take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and put it on all the horns of the altar. The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a solitary place; and the man shall release it in the desert. Leviticus 16:18-22
The scapegoat was released into the desert as described, not to be retrieved again. Along with this tradition was that of tying a red sash on the horns of the scapegoat as well as upon the outer door of the Temple. Both of the red sashes (or cords) were monitored and then reported as to whether they had changed to white or if they had stayed the same crimson color.
“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” -Isaiah 1:18
Thus, with the red-to-white imagery prominent in the minds of the priests, there was much rejoicing when the cord turned white, however the priests were filled with sadness and shame if it did not transform at all. This implied that the sins of the nation remained.
Leading up to Yom Kippur, much preparation takes place, both in spiritual and physical worlds. During the Ten Days of Awe, self-examination has taken place. God does not automatically forgive us of our unaddressed interpersonal wrongs, so we must first apologize and seek forgiveness of those we may have hurt or wronged in the previous year. Also physically, we prepare ourselves for the affliction of our souls as we seek the forgiveness of our sins from our gracious Creator. We fast during the day and night of Yom Kippur, so we feast prior to opening the day (late afternoon, early evening before sundown). Many spend most of the day in the synagogue attending five prayer services with the evening one being the most prominent Yom Kippur service, Kol Nidre. Like most Jewish holidays, charity is prominent on this day of Yom Kippur. Many Jews will not say “no” to charitable requests upon this day.
We light candles prior to Yom Kippur as we do on Shabbat with the Yom Kippur blessing followed by the Shehecheyanu, the blessing for the new season (as previously demonstrated for Rosh Hashanah). Traditionally, three candles may be used instead of the customary two. The third is to be in commemoration of our loved ones that have passed on before us as a tribute to their memory. “The lifebreath of man (neshamah) is the lamp (ner) of the Lord” Poverbs 20:7 (Steinburg, 2007:75).This candle is optional. The blessing said over the Yom Kippur candles as the holiday is greeted as follows:
ברוך אתה ה’ א‑לוהינו מלך העולם, אשר קדשנו במצוותיו וציוונו להדליק נר של יום טוב
Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher kideshanu bemitzvotav vetzivanu lehadlik ner shel Shel Yom Ha-Kippurim.
In English:
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to kindle the light of the Day of Atonement.
The Shechechanu is also said as it is on all special occasions:
ברוך אתה ה’ א‑לוהינו מלך העולם, שהחיינו וקיימנו והגיענו לזמן הזה
Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, shehecheyanu vekiyenamu, vehigianu la’zeman hazeh.
In English:
Blessed are You Lord our God, King of the universe, Who gave us life, and sustains us, and enabled us to reach this season of joy.
Self-denial is a prominent theme of this day. Scripture admonishes the Jewish people to “afflict” themselves. We interpret this as fasting and refraining from luxury or merriment. Leather footwear is discarded in favor of shoes of canvas or other non-leather materials, as leather is traditionally a sign of luxury. Lotions, perfumes and women’s cosmetics are not worn this day, and washing past the knuckles is not commonly permitted. There are varying customs as to what should be worn. Depending upon the community, it might be traditional to wear white. Men in some communities wear a white kittel (a gown / robe to be worn during their burial). Also, talliot, or prayer shawls, are often worn all day-despite the usual custom to only wear them only during daylight hours. Though incomplete without the acceptance of Yeshua, the rightful Messiah, Judaism is not dead, but seems to live and breathe on its very own. Therefore, it is important to realize that as consistent as the details in Jewish tradition may seem (as many are unchanged over millennia), uniqueness in interpretation and expression can also be very strong aspects of Judaism!
Self-deprivation is not popular in the Western World, especially in America. In a society often given over unto indulgence, fasting is often treated as a torture. Elliot Dorff explains:
Fasting and services all day long. That, unfortunately, is all that comes to mind when most Jews think of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. It is definitely a “downer” and flies in the face of what American culture has taught us to value-namely,individual freedom and happiness (Steinburg, 2007:99).
This fact makes Yom Kippur all the more relevant to those of us who need to pull away from our everyday indulgences to pause for introspection. This occasion of sobriety and temporary deprivation contrasts most sharply with our lives of first-world culinary decadence, thereby making the season of repentance all the more poignant.
The fasting and self-affliction of Jews on Yom Kippur may be grossly misunderstood by the foreign observer. The ritual may seem to be legalistic or in line with the penance of Catholicism. On the contrary, Steinburg explains, God wants us to fast as a means to improve ourselves, not simply to suffer… Self-denial, specifically of the fast, functions as an emotional and spiritual form of expiation, which will lead to our better behavior… Abstinence as practiced in Judaism differs distinctly and importantly from that of other religions. Classic Catholicism, for example teaches that one should suppress and over power physical desires, while Judaism teaches that we should repress and consciously set bounds on them (2007:75).
Therefore, the fasting and affliction of self on Yom Kippur are, in effect, methods of achieving a meditative contemplation and prayer so as to elevate the spirituality above the ordinary realms of daily living. There is no benefit in Judaism for penance on Yom Kippur, but instead an invitation for self-improvement and a transformation of the mind from the base and common to the holy and spiritual.
Why do we opt for this physical fasting and self-denial in our observance? Why can we not choose simply a spiritual or inward affliction of self? Religions such as Catholicism teach that one should have mind and spirit overpower physical or “animalistic” desires. This comes from a Gnostic understanding of the body and flesh as corrupt. With the idea that the body is the epitome of sin, with only the spirit containing the potential for righteousness, the denial of the physical is seen as an act of empowering the spirit-as the body and spirit are separate weights on opposing sides of the scale. Judaism takes a different view. The Talmud concurs, “The Holy Blessed One takes the soul, throws it into the body, and judges them as one” Judaism understands body and soul as a complete entity (Steinburg, 2007:75).
Sin and Confession
We have sinned against You purposely and by mistake…
We have sinned against You by speaking badly of others…
We have sinned against You by greed and oppressive interest
We have sinned against You by rashly judging others…
For all these sins, forgiving God, forgive us, pardon us
Grant us atonement.
ועל כולם א-לוה הסליחות, סלח לנו, מחל לנו, כפר לנו
Ve-al kulam Elo-ha selichot, selach lanu, Mechal lanu, kaper lanu – The Al Het Confessoinal, High Holiday Machzor (Steinburg, 2007:90).
Isaiah’s Fast (Isaiah 58: 5-8)
Is such the fast I desire,
A day for men to starve their bodies?
Is it bowing the head like a bulrush
And lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Do you call that a fast?
A day when the LORD is favorable?
No, this is the fast I desire:
To unlock fetters of wickedness,
And untie the cords of the yoke
To let the oppressed go free;
To break off every yoke.
It is to share your bread with the hungry,
And to take the wretched poor into your home;
When you see the naked, to clothe him,
And not to ignore your own kin.
Then shall your light burst through like the dawn
And your healing spring up quickly.
With Yeshua at the very heart of our redemption from sin, He is the central figure of this holiday.
How did Yeshua fulfill this special day? Richard Booker explains:
[He] fulfilled the spiritual aspects of the Day of Atonement when He went into the heavenly Holy of Holies with His own blood He shed for the sins of the world. Believers have been forgiven and made clean once and for all by the blood of Messiah… (Booker, 2009:127).
Just as the High Priest labored for the atoning of the sins of the nation, so our Messiah, our own High Priest works to purify us so that we can have fellowship with him and the Father. Just as the High Priest was to go behind the veil into the Holy of Holies and sprinkle the blood of the sacrificial offering onto the Mercy Seat, so our Messiah shed his own blood and likewise cleanses us from sin-not for just the year but for all time. He does this so that we may stand blameless before the Father.
The Messiah had been established as the new High Priest for his people through the events that occurred during Passover (his death, resurrection and ascension) and is thus now making intercession for us all. The believer does not have to stand afar as in these ancient times before the sacrifice of our Savior. We each have direct access to God through our High Priest and Messiah and can approach the throne of grace. How did our Savior accomplish this?:
When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect Tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once [and] for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! Hebrews 9: 11-14
The Tabernacle of the Torah was a great illustration of how sin prevented our connection, or access, to God. Just as the High Priest had to be purified and cleansed before he entered the Holy of Holies to escape death itself, our heavenly High Priest had to live a sinless life and present himself as pure to the throne of God. As the Tabernacle’s system purified the flesh of the nation, so our heavenly High Priest cleanses us inwardly. This is where the blood of bulls and goats cannot help us. The earthly Tabernacle rituals on Yom Kippur were to remind the nation that perfect atonement had not yet been made, as the earthly ceremony foreshadowed it and pointed to it. Thus our Messiah, Yeshua, became the atoning sacrifice for the whole world, redeeming us from death and restoring us evermore.
More Messianic significance abounds, explains Fischer, “atonement” (Kippur) means “ransom by means of a substitute.” Yeshua was that substitute sacrificed for the sins of the world. Oz M’lifnai is a Musaf prayer found in older versions of the Machzor. It speaks in a manner that is Messianic in its terms and description of the Messiah and his role. This accurately describes Yeshua, the Christian’s Jesus Christ:
The Messiah our righteousness has turned from us. We are alarmed, we have no one to justify us. Our sins and the yoke of our transgressions he bore. He was bruised for our iniquities. He carried on his shoulders our sins. With his stripes we are healed. Almighty God, hasten the day that he might come to us anew; that we may hear from Mt. Lebanon a second time through the Messiah (Fischer, 2004: accessed 04 Aug 2010).
This holiday looks forward to the time when Israel will accept the atonement made by the Messiah- that atonement made not only for them, but for the entire earth.
As followers of Yeshua, we know that our sins are covered by the blood of our Savior. We know he has made the atonement for us through his death. Just because he died for us, are we above remorse for our wrongdoing? We can still benefit from an ongoing cleansing in our lives. The dirt and shame of life in this world often cling to our garments. This is a time providing a perfect opportunity to shake it off.
Unlike most, the Jewish culture greets its New Year with introspection instead of revelry. There is plenty of time for joy and celebration once one is right with God and his/her fellows. Thus, the year is greeted solemnly. This is a lesson for Christians. While we have much to be merry about, and we rejoice over our salvation often, there is still merit in such gravity. The words of Ecclesiastes remind us of what often would contradict conventional opinions:
A good name is better than fine perfume
and the day of death better than the day of birth.
It is better to go to a house of mourning
than to go to a house of feasting,
for death is the destiny of every man;
the living should take this to heart.
Sorrow is better than laughter,
because a sad face is good for the heart. Ecclesiates 7:1,3
We are never beyond the requirement of solemnity and sobriety-and ultimately, repentance. This day reminds us to take the time to reflect and embrace anew the atoning sacrifice of our Saviour. Often, when life is going well and easy, we do not think of repentance. Sometimes, only when hardships come our way do we take time to examine our lives before God. God does not bring the sorrows and hardships, but often He uses them for our good, to guide us in the right direction-and often this direction is one of self-examination and contrition. Yeshua often drew the hearts of his listeners to the invitation of humility and repentance. Prominent is his parable of the religious Pharisee and the sinful tax collector:
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself:’ God, I thank you that I am not like other men-robbers, evildoers, adulterers-or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to Heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:13
Here, Yeshua is demonstrating the virtue of humility and a penitent heart. The Pharisee was truly upright in his fasting twice a week. He was in the right to give a tenth of all he owned. He went to the Temple to pray out of a devotion and passion that was most likely sincere. The Pharisee was not doing wrong by his actions, as he was following the commandments of God-and then some. Yeshua used the Pharisee as a subject for his parable, not because Pharisees were necessarily corrupt, but because the opposite was known to be true. The parable loses the intended irony if the protagonist is a baddie from the beginning. It was none of his actions that incriminated him; it was solely his attitude. It was his lack of self-examination. His overconfidence in his righteousness is what brought him lower than the tax collector who was aware of his own shortcomings and admitted dependence upon the graciousness of God.
This is a perfect time to stop and reassess our lives. Fasting and praying in solemnity is not a bad idea! This is an opportunity to repent and renew our walk with our Messiah. This day, Yom Kippur, the day of afflicting our souls, is the perfect time to come before him with a humble attitude. Forget about the many good deeds we perform or the commandments we keep; today is about humbly recognizing our need for our Savior’s cleansing. This day we need to don his righteousness so that we can come before the Heavenly throne.
We can also take our focus from ourselves and remember to pray on behalf of others. Fischer adds, “we can celebrate Yom Kippur by thanking God for the atonement available through Yeshua and by praying that more of our people will recognize and accept Him as their atonement”(Fischer, 2004: accessed 04 Aug 2010). This gives us a dual focus: we can be thankful for 1., our own sakes that we have this atonement for our sins while 2., praying for those around us who have yet to take and embrace this atonement for themselves.
Since Yom Kippur is a time of fasting, something light is needed to break the fast, such as matzah, apples and almonds.
After having an empty stomach for a day, a meal simply digested is best. Below is another nice fruit salad that makes a perfect break for the fast.
jamiegeller.com
On the Jewish calendar:
15 Tishrei (September-October)
Leviticus 23:33-43
Exodus 23:14-16
Zechariah 14:16-18
The Feast of Tabernacles is uniquely mentioned in what most Christians today classify as the Parousia, or predicted events surrounding the Second Coming of the Messiah:
Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, they will have no rain…. This will be the punishment of … of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.
Dwelling of God with humankind in the wilderness.
Dwelling of God with humankind in the form of the Messiah.
15 Tishrei
This Jewish holiday is rich in imagery and hands-on fun. Come to think of it, most of them are. Most, if not all, Jewish holidays involve some kind of charity, and this holiday is no different. Sukkot observance encourages hospitality (to guests both real and imaginary). This was always a very joyous time, and today, the merriment continues.
Sukkot begins five days after Yom Kippur and typically lasts eight days (including the combined holidays of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah). This is a joyous festival to mark the end of the heavy sobriety of Yom Kippur as well as the hard toils of harvest.
The LORD said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, the LORD’s Feast of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days. The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work. For seven days present offerings made to the LORD by fire …. After you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the LORD… This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come…
Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to me… Celebrate the Feast of Harvest [also Tabernacles] with the first fruits of the crops you sow in your field. Celebrate the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field.
REJOICING WITH GOD: CLIMAX OF HIGH HOLY DAYS
Numbers 29:35-38
SHEMINI ATSERET – THE EIGHTH DAY OF ASSEMBLY
SIMCHAT TORAH – THE REJOICING OF THE FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES
Focus on the spiritual relationship with God–corporate and individual.
Focus on the complete relationship with God in Eternity –corporate and individual.
22 Tishrei
On the eighth day hold an assembly and do no regular work. Present an offering made by fire as an aroma pleasing to The LORD, a burnt offering of one bull, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect. With the bull, the ram and the lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified. Include one male goat as a sin offering.
Literally interpreted as “The Assembly of the Eighth Day,” Shemini Atseret is its own holiday. It lands on the eighth day after Sukkot. In Israel, it is on the same day as Simchat Torah, the celebration of Torah, while in other places the days are two consecutive days.
Shemini Atseret, this eighth day holiday, is a climax in the communion between God and humanity that has transpired over the holidays preceding: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and especially Sukkot. God’s holidays are divine appointments when we can fellowship with Him. Sukkot, being the holiday of God’s dwelling with us, is a time of euphoric union with God. Like a romantic date with someone we desperately love, the end of it comes much too quickly. Shemini Atseret is best described thusly: God has enjoyed the company and fellowship of His people so much that He invites us to remain for an extra day.
This holiday occurs at the wintery part of the year. Although technically in autumn, it is more accurately classified as an early winter celebration. The harvest is over. Introspection, repentance and rejoicing have taken place. The wild celebrations of Sukkot are to be finalized with another period of introspection with Shemini Atseret followed by the euphoric gala of Simchat Torah in commemorating the reading of the last section of the Torah in Deuteronomy and beginning over again in Genesis.
Shimini Atseret continues a theme of water. As Sukkot features water and water-pouring to show appreciation for the life-sustaining fluid, Shimini Atseret both continues and intensifies this theme—appealing to the Divine for rain. Since Passover, the nation has prayed for dew to keep the earth moist, as summer is not a time for rainfall. Now, the request changes; the prayer is for an abundance of rain (Waskow, 1982:70). The existence of a nation relied directly upon access to water. Water was vital for survival for both the Jews and their livestock. In pleading for water, they were beseeching the Divine for the very continuation of their existence—their very lives. The nation was blessed with life-giving water when attaining the approval of God and cursed with famine when transgressing. Here, the importance of water is revealed:
It shall come about, if you listen obediently to my commandments which I am commanding you today, to love the LORD your God and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul, that He will give the rain for your land in its season, the early and late rain, that you may gather in your grain and your new wine and your oil. He will give grass in your fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. Beware that your hearts are not deceived and that you do not turn away and serve other gods and worship them, or the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and He will shut up the heavens so that there will be no rain and the ground will not yield its fruit; and you will perish quickly from the good land which the LORD is giving you.
Israel’s survival was directly related to her abundance of water for human consumption, livestock and vegetation. Without it, the people were destined for both failure and misery and quite often death.
The day of Shimini Atseret and the High Holidays (Rosh Hashanah, The Days of Awe, Yom Kippur, & Sukkot) are best described in relation to this featured verse in Song of Solomon because of their theme of repentance, reconciliation and love. Simcha Benyosef makes the connection between the famous romantic prose and the High Holidays (1999:136-137).
The song reads:
I am sleeping, but my heart is awake
A sound! My Beloved knocks!
Open to Me, my sister, my love ,
My dove, My perfect one.
– Songs of Solomon 5:2
Shemini Atseret represents the climax of togetherness with God as it is the culmination of the solemnity and soul-seeking that began before Rosh Hashanah and the days of repentance. The above verse in Songs of Solomon maps out the progression of the relationship between humanity and the Divine.
In analyzing the verse alongside the holiday calendar, we come to our first parallel. Notice first is the statement, “I am sleeping, but my heart is awake.” During the year building up to the fall holidays of repentance, one can be considered to be outwardly sleeping but inwardly awake. During the duration of the year, we serve God and endeavor to live righteously, however we are not collectively soul-searching and repenting as we are during the holidays of repentance beginning with Rosh Hashanah. We are “asleep”—but we are not unconscious, for our heart is awake. We live in anticipation.
In the stillness of this time, a sound is heard. “A sound! My Beloved knocks!” says Song of Solomon. As we journey through the year, we come to Rosh Hashanah, a God-appointed time to stop, look and listen. We hear the very knock of God upon our hearts—hearts that have been vigilant despite our inanimate period of silence—the inactivity of the summer months devoid of holidays. Sleeping or not, if our hearts are not listening, we will not hear the sound, the knock. The awful sound of Rosh Hashanah’s shofar, the call to wake up to repentance accompanies this rousing Divine knock. Awake, awake! The theme is one of being startled out of our humdrum everyday complacence. We are brought to our knees in something akin to fear and trembling—we examine ourselves and repent sincerely. We grieve our sins and confess them. We mend our ways and make resolutions to begin anew with God. We are in our proverbial sackcloth and ashes, mending the wrongs and transgressions of our past and present. We leave no stone unturned. We are startled into action. We are motivated to leave the past wrongs, going forth with a new start—a new and closer walk with the Divine.
This brings us to the onset of Yom Kippur. We are no longer in a startled state. We have repented and are now seeking His face. We have no more fear of accusers, as they have no sway upon us, for we are clean. We are cleansed and lifted from our ashes. His love for us begins to shine brighter as our souls are reconfirmed as companions to His own. We are now able to open to His knock, to answer His call and to return His embrace. The next line of the verse reflects just this, “Open to Me, my sister, my love.” We are now to find the face of our Divine Love. We are His, we are of Him and can be called His Love.
After this initial love, we progress to a deeper form of love. We are not in the “new love” but rather “true love” phase. Our love begins to transform into a raw and insatiable passion for God and His precepts. We are not motivated by fear or even by a comfortable love but by a consuming motivation that dramatically alters our experience. We are now in the arms of God. We are becoming one with Him. A beautiful and intimate bonding takes place—our soul uniting with God’s. We are his Love and His own, and He calls us, in endearment, “My dove.”
United with God, we are now enjoying the euphoria of this spiritual oneness. We feel God so close that He is actually within. We can rejoice and celebrate the mutual union—God is not only surrounding us, He is within us and we in Him. This is indescribable, and the final stage of our relationship with God. This is a taste of Heaven. This total and ineffable unity with God is equally joyous for the Divine as He turns to us and proclaims in the height of His love and pleasure, “My perfect one.” Our blemishes are lost to both God and ourselves. We cannot be imperfect while enjoined to the epitome of perfection. His righteousness covers us, rendering us perfectly accepted, perfectly His and perfect in Him.
Shemini Aseret and Simchat Torah are celebrated with a blessing of the Shechecheyanu. After the blessing and often some liturgy, the congregation’s attention is turned to singing and dancing. I thoroughly enjoy the Jewish holidays throughout the year; however the most exciting holiday experience I have ever had, however, and trumping all of these is the thrill of Simchat Torah.
The tradition of Simchat Torah celebration includes a mandatory dance with the Torah encircling the reading table in the synagogue (or entire room in some congregations) at least seven times while singing. Some congregations play music and sing until everyone has had at least one dance with the Torah. The one holding the Torah leads the procession until handing it off to the next participant. Children follow with miniature Torah scrolls and colorful flags, singing and rejoicing over the word of God. I remember the first time I held the Torah. It was warm from the other dancers before me. Its soft velvet cover caressed my cheek while the silver crowning ornaments tinkled and clanked above. The yod, hanging on its chain, swung in rhythm as I led the procession. The precious weight in my hands was the word of God, the closest I could come to dancing with the Word of God in the flesh. I remember the smiles and dancing around me fading away as I closed my eyes and enjoyed this moment, this dance with the word of God. It was one of the sweetest feelings that I cannot describe. Dancing with this parchment version of the Word foreshadows that dance for joy we shall share one unspeakable day when we dance with the Word in the flesh.
Our relationship with God can be mapped out on the Jewish calendar, especially during the High Holidays. Four distinct stages of our relationship with God are illustrated beautifully. Experiencing these days in sequence and in the intended spirit of each of the holidays brings a model of a personal relationship with God. As Israel was given a corporate experience; we are also given the opportunity for a personal one. God and I can be together as one.
1. AWE As demonstrated in the verse of Song of Solomon, we come to God in steps. Our relationship may begin as one that is strained, estranged or distant. The first step we make in our progress towards God is to recognize Him and His power. This brings us to the phase of Awe. This can also be understood as intense respect to the point of outright fear. When we see the greatness of God and the comparative smallness of ourselves, we are humbled and overwhelmed. Upon trying to fathom the grandness of God, we must come to a realization of Who exactly He is. He is terrible and great, fearsome and majestic. All of our worldly importance becomes nothing in His proximity. We must either acknowledge His greatness and succumb to it or reject Him altogether to our own ruin. We see our shortcomings and our need for a Savior—we see how we fall short of the Divine standard and seek the forgiveness of God and the atoning blood of Yeshua. Once we humble ourselves and repent, we take on the spirit of Rosh Hashanah in our lives. We are beginning a relationship with God and allow the awe of His greatness to inspire us into new beginnings and straighter paths. We are covered by the blood of the Passover Lamb, the sacrifice of Yeshua, and begin to yearn for and partake of salvation.
2. LOVE When we give ourselves to God and surrender our lives over to His will, we become first-hand witnesses to His greatness and endless love. We appreciate the sacrifice of Yeshua, and his death becomes more real to us as we simultaneously feel our unworthiness combined with intense gratitude for his grace. We see our own unworthiness in light of His goodness and become overwhelmed by His blessings and forgiveness. When we make changes and sacrifices in our lives for God, we constantly find that the blessings far outweigh them. We realize that we cannot possibly out-trust, out-give or out-love God. The result is that we love Him back—loving Him because He so deeply first loved us.
3. PASSION In our relationship with God, when we allow ourselves to see and partake of God’s love and benevolence, we fall more and more in love—allowing Him to flow through us. This brings us to a passionate relationship with our God. Yeshua lives in us. We begin to truly “know” Him—as in an intimate closeness singularly found in the marriage model. We are the bride of the Messiah Yeshua and eagerly embrace him into every aspect of our lives. Like an obsessed young bride, we each are consumed and completely preoccupied with our Messiah. He is in our every waking thought; the sheer thought of Him brings a smile to our face and warmth to our soul. We are passionately in love with Yeshua, our Bridegroom.
4. UNION Our passion and fervor for our Savior continues as an all-consuming pre-occupation. His holy flame becomes one with ours. We are one in him and united in his purpose and character. We reveal him to those around us, as he is in us and in each aspect of our lives. We are still human but are covered by the glory of God so that we are one with him. We, as the body and bride of Yeshua, are wed and living as One and producing fruit by living our love and thereby winning more souls to the Kingdom.
REJOICING WITH GOD: CLIMAX OF HIGH HOLY DAYS
Numbers 29:35-38
SHEMINI ATSERET – THE EIGHTH DAY OF ASSEMBLY
SIMCHAT TORAH – THE REJOICING OF THE FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES
On the Jewish calendar: 22-23 Tishrei (September-October)
Rejoicing of the word of God and our relationship with the word.
Rejoicing of the Word of God and our relationship with the Word.
23 Tishrei
On the eighth day hold an assembly and do no regular work. Present an offering made by fire as an aroma pleasing to YHVH, a burnt offering of one bull, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect. With the bull, the ram and the lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified. Include one male goat as a sin offering.
Literally interpreted as “The Assembly of the Eighth Day,” Shemini Atseret is its own holiday. It lands on the eighth day after Sukkot. In Israel, it is on the same day as Simchat Torah, the celebration of Torah, while in other places the days are two consecutive days.
Shemini Atseret, this eighth day holiday, is a climax in the communion between God and humanity that has transpired over the holidays preceding: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and especially Sukkot. God’s holidays are divine appointments when we can fellowship with Him. Sukkot, being the holiday of God’s dwelling with us, is a time of euphoric union with God. Like a romantic date with someone we desperately love, the end of it comes much too quickly. Shemini Atseret is best described thusly: God has enjoyed the company and fellowship of His people so much that He invites us to remain for an extra day.
This holiday occurs at the wintery part of the year. Although technically in autumn, it is more accurately classified as an early winter celebration. The harvest is over. Introspection, repentance and rejoicing have taken place. The wild celebrations of Sukkot are to be finalized with another period of introspection with Shemini Atseret followed by the euphoric gala of Simchat Torah in commemorating the reading of the last section of the Torah in Deuteronomy and beginning over again in Genesis.
Shimini Atseret continues a theme of water. As Sukkot features water and water-pouring to show appreciation for the life-sustaining fluid, Shimini Atseret both continues and intensifies this theme—appealing to the Divine for rain. Since Passover, the nation has prayed for dew to keep the earth moist, as summer is not a time for rainfall. Now, the request changes; the prayer is for an abundance of rain (Waskow, 1982:70). The existence of a nation relied directly upon access to water. Water was vital for survival for both the Jews and their livestock. In pleading for water, they were beseeching the Divine for the very continuation of their existence—their very lives. The nation was blessed with life-giving water when attaining the approval of God and cursed with famine when transgressing. Here, the importance of water is revealed:
It shall come about, if you listen obediently to my commandments which I am commanding you today, to love the LORD your God and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul, that He will give the rain for your land in its season, the early and late rain, that you may gather in your grain and your new wine and your oil. He will give grass in your fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. Beware that your hearts are not deceived and that you do not turn away and serve other gods and worship them, or the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and He will shut up the heavens so that there will be no rain and the ground will not yield its fruit; and you will perish quickly from the good land which the LORD is giving you.
Israel’s survival was directly related to her abundance of water for human consumption, livestock and vegetation. Without it, the people were destined for both failure and misery and quite often death.
The day of Shimini Atseret and the High Holidays (Rosh Hashanah, The Days of Awe, Yom Kippur, & Sukkot) are best described in relation to this featured verse in Song of Solomon because of their theme of repentance, reconciliation and love. Simcha Benyosef makes the connection between the famous romantic prose and the High Holidays (1999:136-137).
The song reads:
I am sleeping, but my heart is awake
A sound! My Beloved knocks!
Open to Me, my sister, my love ,
My dove, My perfect one.
– Songs of Solomon 5:2
Shemini Atseret represents the climax of togetherness with God as it is the culmination of the solemnity and soul-seeking that began before Rosh Hashanah and the days of repentance. The above verse in Songs of Solomon maps out the progression of the relationship between humanity and the Divine.
In analyzing the verse alongside the holiday calendar, we come to our first parallel. Notice first is the statement, “I am sleeping, but my heart is awake.” During the year building up to the fall holidays of repentance, one can be considered to be outwardly sleeping but inwardly awake. During the duration of the year, we serve God and endeavor to live righteously, however we are not collectively soul-searching and repenting as we are during the holidays of repentance beginning with Rosh Hashanah. We are “asleep”—but we are not unconscious, for our heart is awake. We live in anticipation.
In the stillness of this time, a sound is heard. “A sound! My Beloved knocks!” says Song of Solomon. As we journey through the year, we come to Rosh Hashanah, a God-appointed time to stop, look and listen. We hear the very knock of God upon our hearts—hearts that have been vigilant despite our inanimate period of silence—the inactivity of the summer months devoid of holidays. Sleeping or not, if our hearts are not listening, we will not hear the sound, the knock. The awful sound of Rosh Hashanah’s shofar, the call to wake up to repentance accompanies this rousing Divine knock. Awake, awake! The theme is one of being startled out of our humdrum everyday complacence. We are brought to our knees in something akin to fear and trembling—we examine ourselves and repent sincerely. We grieve our sins and confess them. We mend our ways and make resolutions to begin anew with God. We are in our proverbial sackcloth and ashes, mending the wrongs and transgressions of our past and present. We leave no stone unturned. We are startled into action. We are motivated to leave the past wrongs, going forth with a new start—a new and closer walk with the Divine.
This brings us to the onset of Yom Kippur. We are no longer in a startled state. We have repented and are now seeking His face. We have no more fear of accusers, as they have no sway upon us, for we are clean. We are cleansed and lifted from our ashes. His love for us begins to shine brighter as our souls are reconfirmed as companions to His own. We are now able to open to His knock, to answer His call and to return His embrace. The next line of the verse reflects just this, “Open to Me, my sister, my love.” We are now to find the face of our Divine Love. We are His, we are of Him and can be called His Love.
After this initial love, we progress to a deeper form of love. We are not in the “new love” but rather “true love” phase. Our love begins to transform into a raw and insatiable passion for God and His precepts. We are not motivated by fear or even by a comfortable love but by a consuming motivation that dramatically alters our experience. We are now in the arms of God. We are becoming one with Him. A beautiful and intimate bonding takes place—our soul uniting with God’s. We are his Love and His own, and He calls us, in endearment, “My dove.”
United with God, we are now enjoying the euphoria of this spiritual oneness. We feel God so close that He is actually within. We can rejoice and celebrate the mutual union—God is not only surrounding us, He is within us and we in Him. This is indescribable, and the final stage of our relationship with God. This is a taste of Heaven. This total and ineffable unity with God is equally joyous for the Divine as He turns to us and proclaims in the height of His love and pleasure, “My perfect one.” Our blemishes are lost to both God and ourselves. We cannot be imperfect while enjoined to the epitome of perfection. His righteousness covers us, rendering us perfectly accepted, perfectly His and perfect in Him.
Shemini Aseret and Simchat Torah are celebrated with a blessing of the Shechecheyanu. After the blessing and often some liturgy, the congregation’s attention is turned to singing and dancing. I thoroughly enjoy the Jewish holidays throughout the year; however the most exciting holiday experience I have ever had, however, and trumping all of these is the thrill of Simchat Torah.
The tradition of Simchat Torah celebration includes a mandatory dance with the Torah encircling the reading table in the synagogue (or entire room in some congregations) at least seven times while singing. Some congregations play music and sing until everyone has had at least one dance with the Torah. The one holding the Torah leads the procession until handing it off to the next participant. Children follow with miniature Torah scrolls and colorful flags, singing and rejoicing over the word of God. I remember the first time I held the Torah. It was warm from the other dancers before me. Its soft velvet cover caressed my cheek while the silver crowning ornaments tinkled and clanked above. The yod, hanging on its chain, swung in rhythm as I led the procession. The precious weight in my hands was the word of God, the closest I could come to dancing with the Word of God in the flesh. I remember the smiles and dancing around me fading away as I closed my eyes and enjoyed this moment, this dance with the word of God. It was one of the sweetest feelings that I cannot describe. Dancing with this parchment version of the Word foreshadows that dance for joy we shall share one unspeakable day when we dance with the Word in the flesh.
Our relationship with God can be mapped out on the Jewish calendar, especially during the High Holidays. Four distinct stages of our relationship with God are illustrated beautifully. Experiencing these days in sequence and in the intended spirit of each of the holidays brings a model of a personal relationship with God. As Israel was given a corporate experience; we are also given the opportunity for a personal one. God and I can be together as one.
1. AWE As demonstrated in the verse of Song of Solomon, we come to God in steps. Our relationship may begin as one that is strained, estranged or distant. The first step we make in our progress towards God is to recognize Him and His power. This brings us to the phase of Awe. This can also be understood as intense respect to the point of outright fear. When we see the greatness of God and the comparative smallness of ourselves, we are humbled and overwhelmed. Upon trying to fathom the grandness of God, we must come to a realization of Who exactly He is. He is terrible and great, fearsome and majestic. All of our worldly importance becomes nothing in His proximity. We must either acknowledge His greatness and succumb to it or reject Him altogether to our own ruin. We see our shortcomings and our need for a Savior—we see how we fall short of the Divine standard and seek the forgiveness of God and the atoning blood of Yeshua. Once we humble ourselves and repent, we take on the spirit of Rosh Hashanah in our lives. We are beginning a relationship with God and allow the awe of His greatness to inspire us into new beginnings and straighter paths. We are covered by the blood of the Passover Lamb, the sacrifice of Yeshua, and begin to yearn for and partake of salvation.
2. LOVE When we give ourselves to God and surrender our lives over to His will, we become first-hand witnesses to His greatness and endless love. We appreciate the sacrifice of Yeshua, and his death becomes more real to us as we simultaneously feel our unworthiness combined with intense gratitude for his grace. We see our own unworthiness in light of His goodness and become overwhelmed by His blessings and forgiveness. When we make changes and sacrifices in our lives for God, we constantly find that the blessings far outweigh them. We realize that we cannot possibly out-trust, out-give or out-love God. The result is that we love Him back—loving Him because He so deeply first loved us.
3. PASSION In our relationship with God, when we allow ourselves to see and partake of God’s love and benevolence, we fall more and more in love—allowing Him to flow through us. This brings us to a passionate relationship with our God. Yeshua lives in us. We begin to truly “know” Him—as in an intimate closeness singularly found in the marriage model. We are the bride of the Messiah Yeshua and eagerly embrace him into every aspect of our lives. Like an obsessed young bride, we each are consumed and completely preoccupied with our Messiah. He is in our every waking thought; the sheer thought of Him brings a smile to our face and warmth to our soul. We are passionately in love with Yeshua, our Bridegroom.
4. UNION Our passion and fervor for our Savior continues as an all-consuming pre-occupation. His holy flame becomes one with ours. We are one in him and united in his purpose and character. We reveal him to those around us, as he is in us and in each aspect of our lives. We are still human but are covered by the glory of God so that we are one with him. We, as the body and bride of Yeshua, are wed and living as One and producing fruit by living our love and thereby winning more souls to the Kingdom.
On the Jewish calendar: 25 Kislev (Nov-Dec)
Scripture: John 10:22-23
At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem; it was winter, and [Yeshua] was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon.
Rededication of the Temple and miracle of Maccabee victory and lasting oil.
Rededication of ourselves as Temples of the Spirit of God.
25 Kislev
Chanukah (commonly spelled Hanukkah) is one of the most well-known of the Jewish holidays due to its proximity to Christmas. It is not a major holiday and only makes a small cameo appearance in the Christian Newer Testament. Some think it is the Jewish substitute for Christmas. Assimilated Jews are known to bring “Chanukah bushes” (Chanukah-themed “Christmas trees”) into the house to decorate. Traditionally speaking, the gift-giving and elaborate decorations of many Chanukah celebrations rival those of Christmas and are not genuinely part of Chanukah. In an odd twist of irony, the very day that celebrates miracles and the Jewish refusal to assimilate has become what might be considered the most secular and assimilated Jewish holiday today.
With a recurring theme of religious freedom and national survival, the ancient Chanukah story echoes triumph and ultimate victory in the face of great odds-with the help of a few miracles. This takes us back to the second century B.C.E. during the inter-testament period (between the Older and Newer Testaments). The story is related in the apocryphal books of I and II Maccabees. During this time, the Greeks were expanding their ever-increasing empire with goals of spreading their culture throughout the world-having already been successful in much of the Middle East and Asia. Thus, Judea, Egypt and Syria were all conquered by Alexander the Great and Hellenized accordingly. Alexander did allow the conquered nations to worship according to their own wishes. Consequently, so many Jews, without feeling a direct threat to their identity, became complacent about retaining their own Jewishness. Many began to adopt a Hellenist way of dressing, speaking and conducting the business of daily life. They assimilated into Greek society.
Antiochus IV, a much more intolerant monarch, came to power during the second century B.C.E. His policies were not as relaxed. He banned the practice of Judaism, killed many of the resisting Jews and placed a Hellenized priest in the Temple. During this time, the Temple became desecrated. Pigs were sacrificed upon the Temple altar-a great insult of great defilement against the God of Israel. This could not be tolerated by the religious sects of Jews that remained. They had to stop this sacrilege!
The revolt was organized secretly and carried out swiftly. The resistance was small in number, but great in spirit. They were passionate about reclaiming and cleansing the Temple to make it once again worthy of God’s presence. Mattathias the Hasmonean and Judah Maccabee (his son) led out the rebellion. They fought valiantly against both Hellenism itself and the assimilation of their fellows into the Greek culture. They fought together tenaciously against the Seleucid Greek state. Although the grassroots Maccabean army was ridiculously outnumbered by hoards of trained Greek warriors, they were nonetheless victorious. This was a miracle. The Temple was now free for the cleansing.
Aside from unclean sacrificial practices, many things had contributed to the defilement of the holy Temple of God. Idols, pagan offerings and tools of worship littered the sacred space. With the battle won and behind them, the Maccabees and their supporters honed their focus in on the cleansing and rededication of the Temple.
Once ready for rededication, however, only one day’s worth of oil was available for the Temple menorah (candelabra). It would take eight days to procure a fresh supply of oil. The single day’s ration of oil was nevertheless put into the menorah and lit. The oil remained alight for the eight days until the new supply was brought in. This was the second miracle. Thus, this time of victory and miracles marks our calendars as Chanukah, or “Dedication.”
Chanukah, one of the minor holidays (like Purim) is one of my children’s favorites (also like Purim). The lights, singing, spirit of victory, dreidel games and holiday foods all contribute to its glowing reputation to the youngest in our home. Aside from the fun, singing and parties (perhaps we are guilty of some degree of “Chanukah assimilation” as well), we draw our attention to God’s miracles–the highlight of the holiday. The themes this season are miracles and light-and we aim to give both topics their due in our celebrations.
First Blessing:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ לְהַדְלִיק נֵר שֶׁל חֲנֻכָּה
Barukh atah Adonai, Elohaynu Melech ha-olam, Asher Kidishanu b’mitzvo-tav viotzivahnu le-hadlikh ner shel Hannukah.
In English:
Praised are you oh L-rd, Our G-d, King of the Universe, Who has made us holy through His commandments and commanded us to kindle the Chanukah lights.
Second blessing:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁעָשָׂה נִסִּים לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם בַּזְּמַן הַזֶּה
Barukh Atah Adonai Elohaynu Melekh ha-olam She-asah nisim l’voteynu, ba-yamim ha-hem, ba-zan ha-zeh.
In English:
Praised are you O L-rd, our G-d, King of the Universe, who preformed miracles for our ancestors in ancient times at this season.
Third Blessing: (Only read on the first night)
Shehecheyanu
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיעָנוּ לַזְּמַן הַזֶּה
Baruch Ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, sehecheyanu vekiyenamu, vehigianu la’zeman hazeh.
In English:
Praised are you O L-rd, our G-d, King of the universe, who has kept us alive and sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season.
Yeshua went to the Temple and celebrated this minor holiday at the Temple. The Gospel of John mentions this time of year and indicates that Yeshua is at the Temple as would be expected of an observant orthodox Jew, “At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem; it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the Temple in the portico of Solomon. “With this account present in the Newer Testament, perhaps we can assume that he observed the holiday according to the manner of his culture. He would have, therefore, said blessings and pondered the miracles surrounding the Maccabean story, celebrating the triumph of this passionate minority as well as the Temple oil’s eight-day replenishment by unseen hands. The Messiah, as the Light of the World, is undoubtedly the most prominent part of the holiday in believing households- and was likely to have been so among those believers back then as well.
Yeshua referred to himself as the Temple. In celebration the rededication of the Temple, we may also consider the significance of our own Savior, that Temple who took our sin upon himself to thus be “defiled” for our sakes. He was raised in three days in accordance to his prophecy symbolized by the Temple imagery. He is yet our Temple, our method of meeting with God even now. Likewise, we are also Temples in a lesser sense. Our bodies are Temples of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit). Even though Chanukah occurs shortly after the High Holidays, Chanukah still provides an excellent opportunity to ensure that our own Temple is cleansed and in a state of dedication to our God. We can ask ourselves what defiles our Temple? What do we have inside us that does not belong? What needs to be cast out? God cannot dwell in an impure Temple, thus we must also likewise do another introspective examination and ensure that we are clean and welcoming to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God.
The themes of Chanukah can be valued by Christians everywhere, themes of miracles, victory over persecution, triumph of Godly over ungodly and even basically, light illuminating darkness. Christian songs such as “This Little Light of Mine” are old classic spirituals that are tributes to this very Light. Our Savior is our Light. What better theme to such a bright and triumphant time? Yeshua is in this day symbolized by the light flooding darkness.
Miracles are also a great part of this time. In this post-modern society that we live in, supernatural phenomena are often scoffed at and considered to most to be on par with fairy tales. With popular science and commonly accepted beliefs denying the metaphysical world, if it cannot be proven in a laboratory, it simply does not exist. By such prevailing philosophy, miracles have been judged. Christians can benefit immensely by taking a time out of the year to sit with family and friends and recall the power of miracles and prayer. This is not only inspiring, but encouraging and spiritually invigorating. I highly recommend this practice, regardless of your commitment level in regards to Jewish (or biblical) holiday observance.
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On Jewish calendar:
15 Shevat (January/February)
When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit as forbidden. For three years you are to consider it forbidden; it must not be eaten. Leviticus 19:23
Time for planting trees.
Time to plant good deeds in our lives.
15 Shevat
Also known the “new year” holiday for trees, this dates back to Talmudic times, although the marking of a trees birthday, or date of planting, goes back to the time of Moses as indicated in the text above in counting the first three fruiting years. It is also the Jewish “Arbor Day,” yet it is more. While the Temple stood in the midst of Israel, the people all paid tax to support the priesthood. This was a tithing, a one-tenth tax on a citizen’s increase. This increase was an equivalent to what we would call today “income.” Waskow explains, The tithing system included a one-tenth tax on fruit. The tithe of fruit could only be given on behalf of the fruit crop of a given year out of the fruit that actually ripened that year. So in order to organize the tithe correctly there had to be a tax year- an agreed date by which to define the end of the fruit crop of the previous year, and the beginning of the fruit crop of the next year (1982:105-106)
Thus, this date, the fifteenth day of the month of Shevat became the fiscal year of a tree’s taxation. Most of the winter rains had fallen by this point, the trees were soaking it up, and their sap was beginning to rise.
For centuries, this holiday was one of great celebration as a mid-winter minor holiday. Always occurring during a full moon, it was a time of dances, festivals, weddings and betrothals. This bright night or night of light provided a fun time for evening activity-and celebrating the time of trees was always a perfect excuse to kick up one’s heels. Adding to the holiday’s gaiety was its marking of the transition from the severity of winter into a period of new life.
Trees themselves are an important symbol in the Bible. Immediately in Genesis, trees of both “Life” and “Good and Evil” are presented. The word of God is often described also as a “Tree of Life.” God valued trees and later tells Moses that when Israel makes war against a land, the trees must be protected. Deuteronomy 20:19. The Psalmist uses trees as imagery as well and describes the righteous man as one “planted by the water.” Psalms 1:3. The cedars of Lebanon are mentioned throughout scripture in a very positive sense. Trees are prominent in scripture. Celebrating them, therefore, seems quite logical.
The holiday, as previously mentioned, has been known in ancient times as a time for fun celebration with parties and dances. Today’s observance is usually a little more subdued. Part of today’s traditions involves eating fruit- an appropriate thing to do on this day marking the fiscal year of (fruiting) trees.
Donating to charity is appropriate (as it is on all holidays). It is customary to donate ninety-one of a monetary denomination as a contribution to charity-cents, dollars, etc. This is because the value of ninety-one is the equivalent of the numerical value of the Hebrew letters that make up the word ilan, or tree.
Some households have a Tu B’Shevat Seder. This is a custom stemming from Sephardic and Israeli cultures. Four cups of wine symbolize the four seasons. These are blessed with the Hagafen blessing and drunk in sequence along with fruit and nuts sampled from three categories:
The seder for Tu B’Shevat is not standardized, as many different communities are finding their own ways of celebrating and developing ways of expressing their appreciation for trees or fruit trees specifically. Experiment and create a seder that is right for your family. You can use fruit that is grown in the Holy Land or even fruit that is indigenous to your local area. The idea is to celebrate the joy of the trees and the fruit God has given us while instilling such an appreciation in our children.
Most obviously is the very appropriate “Arbor Day” custom of actually planting a tree (preferably a fruit tree)! If one cannot plant a tree in their yard, a donation can be made for planting one in Israel or as a memorial for a deceased loved one elsewhere. In Israel, planting trees to honor people is a very common custom. Even Gentiles who were heroic and “righteous” in aiding the Jewish people during World War II are honored with trees planted in their names. As for our family, we annually decorate the house with various “tree-themed” decorations such as artificial palm trees and lights for the children to enjoy. After all, this may be a minor holiday, but it is still a great opportunity to celebrate.
jamiegeller.com
On Jewish calendar:
14-15 Adar [Adar II in leap years] (February-March)
Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Xerxes, near and far, to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor.
So the Jews agreed to continue the celebration they had begun, doing what Mordecai had written to them… These days should be remembered and observed in every generation by every family, and in every province and in every city. And these days of Purim should never cease to be celebrated by the Jews, nor should the memory of them die out among their descendants. Esther 9:20-23,28
Time for planting trees.
Time to plant good deeds in our lives.
15 Shevat
The originating story of Queen Esther and her cousin Mordecai-the narration that prompted this holiday of Purim, occurred during the reign of King Ahasuerus (Xerxes) approximately around 486-465 B.C.E. Israel was living in the diaspora- Shushan (Persia) to be exact. Following the narration of the biblical Book of Esther, the Purim story follows the young Jewish orphan girl, Hadassah, and her guardian Mordecai.
Persian King Ahasuerus (Xerxes) holds a party, at which the decision is made that his queen, the stunningly attractive Vashti, make her appearance to show off one of the king’s treasures-her own flesh, a body of unparalleled beauty. She would have most likely been requested to dance in the nude and exhibited in a manner that was quite humiliating, even for a woman well-entrenched in this male-dominated culture. Probably mortified at the prospect of parading as a communal plaything, she outright defies the king’s invitation to the party and simply refuses to appear. This angers the reveling party, comprised of drunken partying men. Angered and disappointed that their “show” was cancelled, they collectively insist that the king both dethrone and banish her as an example to woman everywhere-that disobedience to men (husbands) will neither be tolerated nor met with impunity throughout the kingdom. The queen is then banished and disposed of altogether, leaving both king and kingdom queen-less.
The empty female throne must be filled, so the king announces a type of beauty pageant which promises that the winner will be crowned queen. All the virgins are gathered, forcibly, to the king’s harem for a period of beautification that precedes their presentation to the king. Orphaned Hadassah finds herself among the young virginal contestants in this bizarre competition. She is instructed by her guardian and cousin, Mordecai, to hide her Jewish heritage. Therefore, she goes by the Persian name that we commonly know her by today, “Esther.” Once the king spends time with Esther, he realizes that she is “the one.” She is crowned as queen, and no one at court seems to know of her Jewish origins.
All seems to be going well in the kingdom until one of the king’s closest men (think Prime Minister) begins to make trouble in the kingdom by plotting against the Jewish inhabitants of the land. This is the notorious Haman, descendant of the vanquished Israelite arch-enemy, the Amalekites. Queen Esther’s cousin, Mordecai, a faithful monotheist, refuses to bow to any earthly image or man. Haman’s pride is irritated by this fact, as all are required to bow to him. Mordecai’s refusal to bow to Haman becomes a primary catalyst in the story. Spurred by an insatiable hatred for Mordecai, Haman devises a plan to destroy him and his entire nation. Using the king’s seal, he creates a binding decree in the name of Ahasuerus. Jews are to be exterminated through genocide, according to Haman’s plan. He has gallows erected for a mass public hanging and gleefully anticipates their demise at his own hand. Perhaps he is avenging his vanquished Amalekite heritage, perhaps he is taking revenge for his pride injured so by Mordecai-or most likely he is acting out of his rage that may be prompted by a bit of both. Regardless of his motivation, he takes it upon himself to incite the kingdom to wage war against the entire nation of Israel.
Mordecai speaks to Esther privately, warning her that the fate of her people is at stake. He further reminds her of her own danger in the palace once the news of her own heritage is released. She decides she must intervene, for she and Mordecai know that she must have been brought to this position for “such a time as this.” She fasts and prays. She earnestly seeks God in the matter and rents her clothing while wallowing in ashes. She humbles herself in contrition before God in anticipation of the great task before her. The existence of her nation lies solely upon her young shoulders. Divine guidance and protection are her only resources.
She knows she must approach the king, but to do so incurs a hefty risk-that of possible death. No one is to appear before the king uninvited. She plans a banquet for both the king and Haman. She must request their presence for the event; however, for the delivery of the actual invitation, she must enter the king’s court illegally, that is, without a royal summons. The king has already banished a queen who acted impudently, so the situation seems even more risky. Female impertinence at the palace is a distasteful precedent, a dangerously familiar theme that may very well be echoed by Esther’s actions, yet she proceeds boldly, making good on her plan.
Noteworthy is this addition to the story, the king suffers from a bout of insomnia. In desperation for sleep, he calls for a reading of the kingdom’s records. Mordecai, it is rediscovered, had previously exposed a plot to murder the king, thereby saving the king’s life. The king realizes that he was never rewarded properly and decides to remedy this situation. Calling upon his man Haman, he asks for advice as to how he should honor a man that has pleased him. Haman, in his avaricious presumption, goes on to describe what he wishes to be done to himself. He describes his own dreams for himself. He is infuriated when he sees these honors bestowed upon Mordecai. His seething hatred spirals out of control.
Esther summons courage and, at a banquet with the king and Haman, she begs for her life. The surprised king realizes that Haman plans to exterminate all Jews, including his own queen. He makes a new decree that the Jews are allowed to fight back. Haman, in his horror, falls upon Esther, angering the king at his proximity to his queen. He is sent to the gallows himself.
What ensues is a victory for the Jewish people, with Haman and his family all hanged upon the very gallows he ordered to be erected for the Jews. This is a complete victory for the Jewish people at the hand of Esther, and more importantly, a victory by the hand of God who is working silently behind the scenes. This is a Jewish holiday with a recurring theme: “They tried to kill us. We won. Let’s eat!” It is a time of festivity and celebration with sobriety and solemnity left far behind!
Purim comes in early spring, and is met with much laughter and mirth. Spirits are high and joyous following the dismal winter, and the bright green buds in the world around us further stimulating a frolicking attitude. Puppet shows, costumes, plays, parades and tasty treats are aplenty during this time. Costumes are a big part of the day. Traditionally both children and adults get into the action with every sort of costume imaginable. Although the Megillah (basically a scroll containing the entire book Esther) is read in the synagogue, Purim is only to a lesser degree observed in the confines of holy space; it is more widely celebrated in the streets. Literally is taken the command in scripture, “observe the days [of Purim] as days of feasting and joy…” Esther 9:22.
The “synagogue” part of the day is the traditional reading of the Megillah (The scroll of the Book of Esther).
The Shechecheyanu should also be said. It is read with a much different attitude than a typical Torah reading, as it is often a boisterous and merry ceremony. The celebrants each bring loud noisemakers (spinning groggers) to use in drowning out the name “Haman” during the reading. Each time Haman’s name is read in the story, the raucous congregants yell “boo” while stamping their feet (often with the name “Haman” written on the soles) and spinning the loud clicky groggers. It may sound irreverent, but it is all part of a very deep lesson that is ultimately poignant and stays with the people, old and young alike, generation after generation. The name of Haman (the Amalekite) must be treated thus in accordance to the command, “blot out the remembrance of Amalek.” Deuteronomy 25:19. Anti-Semitism is not new, and this story is timeless in its message of hope and triumph for the Jews of today who likewise face enemies and are hated for nothing more than religion and/or nationality.
In Israel, parades and merry-making are almost like a Jewish Mardi Gras, and comparisons have been made; however, the differences are great between Purim and Fat Tuesday. Purim, despite all of its fun, is still primarily an educational tool like all Jewish feasts are, passing on the lesson of Esther and Haman to future generations. Mardi Gras is mostly about pre-Lent partying and excess, while Purim is in the category of family fun and celebrating the defeat of cultural discrimination and the triumph of God’s people in the face of adversity and threatened genocide. Purim is a story, a moral and timeless lesson.
Costumes, as stated above, are a main part of Purim. Why? It is a “masquerade” theme that is celebrated. It commemorates the “hidden” or “unseen.” In the entire book of Esther, the word “God” or any allusion to Him is not mentioned. The series of “coincidences” makes it obvious that God is indeed behind the whole story, working the events to His purpose and to that of the people of Israel’s advantage; however, He is never really mentioned. He is disguised and masked, in a way. He is there, and we can clearly see His working, but it is as though He is hidden. Lending also to this theme of disguise is Esther’s own secret Jewish identity. Little Hebrew orphan Hadassah, as the Persian Queen Esther, was not openly Jewish until the fate of her people hung in the balance. Both God and Esther have identities that are hidden and unseen, and therefore, likewise are the observers of Purim.
Food and drink are obviously a grand part of the celebration. Cookies such as Hamentaschen are made-triangle pastries similar to shortbread filled with poppy seeds, jam or a tasty nut-fruit filling. Recently, tradition has added chocolate to this list. Regardless of what fills these delicious little morsels, they are a highlight of Purim, especially with the children. They are triangle to commemorate the shape of the villain’s head covering in the story-namely Haman’s hat. Seeds are a prominent part of the tradition of this day as well. While Queen Esther was in the palace, she was surrounded by unkosher food and unclean meats. She is said to have adopted a diet heavy in seeds and nuts to get her protein while avoiding the many forbidden delicacies of the king’s table.
Another part of the tradition is to give out edible gifts to each other. Called shalach manot (or sometimes mishloach manos), these goody bags are wonderful treats, presents of delicious ready-to-eat food, fun to both give and receive. This fulfills the part of the verse in Esther where scripture reads that subsequent generations are to annually, “observe the days as days of … giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor.” The gifts to the poor are usually a minimum of two donations to charity. Purim is not a selfish drunken party, but a chance for God’s people to remember their history, their salvation, and to pass on blessings to others.
Purim has great significance to the Christian. The Megillah read upon this day, the book of Esther, closely parallels the life of the Christian. Upon analysis of this book, we can see that God’s name is mysteriously missing. Nowhere is God mentioned. He is obviously behind everything-prayers are directed to Him, and simply too many coincidences occur for us to ignore divine intervention.
The absence of metaphysical phenomenon or astonishing manifestations of the supernatural should not cause us to errantly assume that God is absent from the narrative. We may see no burning bushes, no Egyptian plagues, no seas wrought asunder and no walls of Jericho falling; however, God’s fingerprints are everywhere. Miracles abound in the book when we consider how the coincidences “just seem to line up” so well, and all in the favor of Esther, Mordecai and the Jewish people. Hadassah, the orphaned little Jewish girl is raised to the queen’s throne. Coincidence? Mordecai hears and reports a plot against the king and becomes the hero.
This is cause for retrospection, as are all the biblical and Jewish holidays. Close examination of the Christian life will also render us humbled and in awe of the way God has worked in our lives. We sometimes do not notice the hidden lattice-work in our lives, the way that certain things happen at certain times. Often we might not understand these things and chalk them up to chance when we should be giving credence to the Master strategist Who works through us and in us to weave our lives into masterpieces that glorify our Heavenly Father and work to mature us in our own walk, our experience in the Word of God.
Often we do not understand why certain things happen in our lives. Disaster strikes. Pain and suffering haunt us. Twists and turns unexpectedly rock our lives. Why do these things happen to us when we are in the palm of God’s hands? How can harm reach us? Why do bad things happen to good people?
We cannot see always God’s hand in our lives. At times, we cannot feel the comforting and peaceful warmth of His presence, yet He remains. He is not simply with us and holding us, but He is the loom upon which our very lives are woven. Just as a loom holds the threads that make a patterned cloth, so God provides the matrix upon which we are designed. The pattern of our lives, the very identity of who we are and who we become are products of this great invisible loom. The dark threads come into our lives and confound and discourage us. At times, the patterns in our cloth seem to take on foreboding and discouraging forms. Like Mordecai, we are feeling cursed and wronged-dark threads. Like Esther, we are orphaned and alone-more dark threads. We also experience the triumphant times of victory; Haman gets his own gallows. These threads in our lives are bright and shimmering, a glorious contrast to those dark threads on this same piece of cloth. Watching the weaver’s work from a distance is the key to seeing the design, the intricate and seemingly random patterns of the light and the dark, the joyous and mournful, the victorious and failing, the euphoric and depressed, all bright and harsh hues are worked together to comprise the magnum opus, the divine design of the Christian life. When observing too closely, in the thick of the flying shuttle and threads, it is all a blur of confusion. If all the threads were alike, all the same bright white, no pattern would emerge. God is making us into beautiful tapestries depicting His own likeness-and thus he needs to use light and dark, bright and subdued, colorful and muted threads to complete the woven portrait of our lives. In Him, all our experiences work together for our good. We cannot see Him at work, but like Esther and Mordecai, we know He is working diligently on our behalf, and by faith, we can trust Him in this.
delish.com
On the Jewish Calendar: 27 Nisan in Israel (if not a Sabbath).
Otherwise 26 or 28 Nisan (April-May)
In the diaspora, other dates can apply.
Remembering the millions of Jewish and Polish people killed during World War II (let their memory never be forgotten).
Awareness of racism, anti-semitism, and its dire consequences.
April or May
Yom HaShoah means, literally, “Day of Catastrophe,” and Holocaust itself refers to a “sacrificial offering consumed by fire.” Both terms accurately describe the suffering of the Jewish nation during World War II. Surely it was a Day of Catastrophe when so many of the descendants of Israel were in a very literal sense sacrificed and burned-cremated en masse in horrific furnaces fashioned solely for the destruction of human flesh. This is not a biblical holiday; obviously, it commemorates the Holocaust of World War II and was instituted shortly after Israel proclaimed its own statehood. Despite this, however, we can remind ourselves that anti-Semitism has been prevalent in many areas and times before and after this event in history. The story of Purim, featured earlier in this article, is a perfect illustration of a plotted genocide against the Jewish people in ancient times. Anti-Semitism is an unavoidable evil in the world of Jewry even today, however, it does not have to be accepted or tolerated. We must always continue to fight against the ugliness and hatred of both religious and racial prejudice, both of which are involved in anti-Semitism.
Most know the story of the Holocaust initiated by Hitler and his Nazi regime in the late 1930’s until the end of the war. At least six million European Jews were cruelly exterminated in the most inhumane methods imaginable. Men, women, children and babies were collectively and individually denied their own rights not only to civil liberties but to life in general.
I will not go into details of the history, as it is lengthy, and only a full library can do justice to the tragic topic. The time was a dark one-the darkest in Jewish history. This attempted genocide surpasses even the “Holy” Inquisition of the Catholic Church in the fifteenth century and the mass slaughters and crucifixions of Jews by Romans in earlier times.
This time is best commemorated by sobriety and silence in the remembrance of the countless innocents whose lives were so senselessly snatched away by the cruel hands of hatred. Also, we commemorate the desperate heroism of those who participated in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The disbelief, grief and horror can be very overwhelming. I make sure that my children are aware of the event in history, but I am careful to keep overwhelming details and photos away from their fragile comprehension. We use the day to celebrate the lives of those who lived brightly despite the ugliness of the times.
We hail the survivors and their stories. We focus on the raw courage and strength of these individuals. We pause to reflect upon the goodness of humanity that shone through in both Jews and Gentiles in an attempt to balance the overwhelming evil. Unbelievably, many hate groups exist today who are actively working to erase this travesty from history books. The unspeakable murder of over six million Jews is to go undocumented and forgotten if these hate groups are given the credence and power to achieve their agendas. Christians and Jews alike must lobby for truth. We must persevere to keep the memories of these murdered millions alive. Forgetting that they have ever lived is akin to killing them anew.
On this day, secular commemorations take place in Israel and around the world. Synagogues, naturally, offer special services and programs although no official liturgy for the holiday is in place at the writing of this book. Home observances are special, however, as we can tailor them to our own families’ needs, especially for the children. The younger generations must be make known of those who have gone before without being traumatized by the magnitude of horror and injustice of the Holocaust. Special emphasis with children must be on hope as well as remembrance. This can be achieved by finding and reading stories of the displayed courage and triumphs of both the survivors and of the counter-Nazi work of the Resistance (check your local library and book centers). Yes, a horrible and unthinkable thing has happened, but this is not the end; we can go on with hope and determination to make the world a better place for our being in it.
In Israel, a two-minute siren is sounded at eight o-clock in the morning of the holiday. All buses, commercial trucks, cars, pedestrians, commerce and daily activities stop and freeze during this time of contemplation and remembrance. Then, as suddenly as the siren started, it stops, and life buzzes around immediately after. This symbolizes that the Jewish people, although having suffered, are not conquered. They keep going with strength and purpose, unvanquished by hatred and those who have attempted to extinguish them altogether. The Jewish people keep going.
On the Jewish calendar: 9 Av (July-August)
…Should I weep in the fifth month [Av], separating myself like I have done these so many years? Zechariah 7:5
Reflection and grief over hardships faced.
Hope during hardship through God’s mercy.
15 Av July or Aug
Amidst the joys of the year’s celebrations also come heavy days of sorrow. Such is this time of year. Tisha B’Av (meaning literally “the ninth of Av”) is the culmination of a three-week mourning period begun on the 17th of Tammuz the month before (commemorating the day that the walls of Jerusalem were first breached by the Romans in 69 C.E.). At Rosh Chodesh, or the first day of Av, begins the final nine days of the three-week grieving time, bringing with it an intensified state of solemnity. The mourning period climaxes on its final day, Tisha B’Av. On this fateful day, Israel has experienced much tragedy including the following:
This mourning period beginning on the 17th of Tammuz until the 9th of Av is a time of forfeiting pleasure while mourning the sadness of the nation’s tragedies. Especially on Tisha B’Av, the days are observed by a denial of comfort in commemoration of the many losses of Israel this day-the collective sadness of a nation over the ages is made personal. This is a day of fasting. The first pleasures denied on this day are eating and drinking. Like Yom Kippur, this includes a prohibition against washing or bathing (only hands up to knuckles). No creams, oils or cosmetics are used. No leather shoes are worn. No music is played or enjoyed. No displays of affection, public or private, are indulged. This also includes a ban on weddings, parties, and trivial gaiety until after the period of mourning is past. Even the Torah cabinet (ark) in the synagogue itself is draped in black. Lamentations are read, but no study of the Torah is permitted, as the Torah is a joyous gift. The time is reserved for mourning and weeping for the sorrows of the past. This is balanced with a cautious look toward the future with earnest prayers to ensure that the days ahead are spared the horror and dread of days past.
Jeremiah conveys the mood of the day with his lament:
Restore us to you, O LORD,
that we may be restored;
Renew our days as of old,
Unless You have utterly rejected us
And are exceedingly angry with us. Lamentations 5:21-22, NASB.
Yeshua is believed to have wandered in the wilderness during this time, with his temptations falling upon or around Tisha B’Av. How can we know this? The Jewish calendar has assigned Torah readings throughout the year. Each week has its own assigned text-that never changes. When we look at the answers that Yeshua gave to the tempter in the wilderness, they all came from Deuteronomy chapters six through eight. Interestingly enough, these passages appear in close proximity in the Torah readings. Therefore, if these were also the Torah readings of the time of year that Yeshua quoted them, we can date the time to have occurred during the time of Tisha B’Av. This would be quite logical, as Tisha B’Av is a time of fasting for the woes of Israel past and present. Yeshua fasted on account of the woes and judgments of Israel past and future- to include the believers “grafted into” the nation.
In the latest decade, study-guides and books line shelves of Christian book centers focused on Biblical and/or Jewish holidays. Why? Why would a Christian be interested in these holidays if they are 1. for those of the Jewish faith only, or 2. outdated and “done-away with?” The Christian culture divorced itself from Judaism almost two thousand years ago, so the holidays and feasts that were observed and cherished by the disciples and Jesus [Yeshua] himself have become foreign and distant to most of the Christian world until recently. A stirring among Christianity is awakening many to the beauty and rich symbolism of biblical and Jewish holidays.
God Himself ordained and/or sanctioned many of the festivals, feasts and fasts present on today’s Jewish calendar. Since these days are not merely the invention of humanity, perhaps it would do Christianity well to become acquainted with them. The remaining holidays on the Israeli calendar are also rich in meaning and beneficial for learning and Christian growth.
God set these moedim (holy days) aside to meet with his people. Like a bridegroom setting a special day aside to meet with His bride, God is ready to meet with His people on these sanctified days. It is the choice of His people therefore, whether they choose to meet with Him or to pass on the opportunity altogether.
Rabbi Shaul, the apostle and Pharisee better known by the Christian community as Saint Paul, adds more insight into the holidays as we read his writing regarding the feast of Passover:
Here Paul himself is encouraging his audience to keep the feast, but with more sincerity than before. He is by no means outright discouraging the observance of Passover or any other feast. He is advocating its perpetuation with spiritual enrichment and sincerity. He keeps on with the observance of the day himself, as this account describes:
Notice he uses the Feast of Unleavened Bread (part of the Passover week) as a time reference. This would have been totally redundant if neither he nor his audience observed the day—especially since he is in the diaspora. He uses “the Fast” as reference also. We can only surmise it is Yom Kippur, the most important fast of the year:
We can safely say that, contrary to popular Christian belief, the Jewish holidays were quite in effect in the Early Church and were observed by the first Christians of the time.
