Jewish Holiday |
What is it About? |
Christian Significance |
When? |
Shabbat Sabbath |
Commemorates God’s rest after creation as well as His covenant with Israel. | Fellowship with God. Rest in the New Earth. | weekly |
Rosh Chodesh New Moon |
New month. Time for introspection. | A reference point for calculating holidays. A “miniature Yom Kippur.” | beginning of month |
Pesach Passover |
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 |
Matzot Unleavened Bread |
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 |
Bikkurim First Fruits |
Beginning of the spring barley harvest. Offering this “first” harvest to the Temple. | The Resurrection of Yeshua. Firstfruits of the Resurrection Harvest. | 16 Nisan |
Omer Counting Sheaves |
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 |
Yom HaZikaron Memorial Day |
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 |
Yom Ha’Atzmaut Independence Day |
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 |
Lag B’Omer 33rd of Omer |
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 |
Shavuot Pentecost |
The Law given to Moses at Mt. Sinai. The Ten Commandments written by God. | Pentecost. The Holy Spirit received as in Acts 2. | 6 Sivan |
Rosh Hashanah Feast of Trumpets New Year’s Day |
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 |
Yamim Noraim Days of Awe |
Time for introspection. Annual renewal. | Time for introspection. Eternal renewal. | 1 to 10 Tishrei |
Yom Kippur Day of Atonement |
Atonement of sins made through ceremony of animal sacrifice. | Atonement of sins through our Messiah’s Sacrifice. | 10 Tishrei |
Sukkot Feast of Tabernacles or Feast of Booths |
Dwelling of God with humankind in the wilderness. | Dwelling of God with humankind in the form of the Messiah. | 15 Tishrei |
Shemini Atseret Eighth Day of Assembly |
Focus on the spiritual relationship with God–corporate and individual. | Focus on the complete relationship with God in Eternity –corporate and individual. | 22 Tishrei |
Simchat Torah Rejoicing of the Pentateuch |
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 |
Chanukah Feast of Dedication or Festival of Lights |
Rededication of the Temple and miracle of Maccabee victory and lasting oil. | Rededication of ourselves as Temples of the Spirit of God. | 25 Kislev |
Tu B’Shevat Birthday of Trees |
Time for planting trees. | Time to plant good deeds in our lives. | 15 Shevat |
Purim Feast of Lots |
Israel’s victory over Haman (and genocide). | Victory by God. | 14 and 15 Adar |
Yom HaShoah Holocaust Remembrance Day |
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 |
Tisha B’Av Fast of the Ninth of Av |
Reflection and grief over hardships faced. | Hope during hardship through God’s mercy. | 15 Av July or Aug |
Why keep the Feasts and Festivals now?
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:
“Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Cor. 5:6-8).
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:
“But we sailed from Philippi after the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days.”
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:
“Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Fast…”
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.