| The Hebrew Calendar |
| The Hebrew calendar is primarily based on the moon, meaning it uses lunar months to determine the dates, although it does incorporate adjustments to align with the solar year, making it a lunisolar calendar overall. |
| Each month in the Hebrew calendar is based on the lunar cycle, typically alternating between 29 and 30 days. |
| To compensate for the difference between lunar and solar years, an extra month is added periodically in a 19-year cycle to keep the seasons aligned. |
| “Lunisolar” indicates that the calendar uses both lunar months and solar year adjustments. |
| The Hebrew calendar (which is sometimes called the Jewish calendar) is the way people who practice Judaism (and all people who live in Israel) measure the days, months, and years. The calendar is lunisolar, following not just the lunar (moon) cycles but also adjusting for the seasons as dictated by the sun. |
| The Moon Cycle |
| In our entire solar system, the only object that shines with its own light is the Sun. That light always beams onto Earth and Moon from the direction of the Sun, illuminating half of our planet in its orbit and reflecting off the surface of the Moon to create moonlight. Sometimes the entire face of the Moon glows brightly. Other times we see only a thin crescent of light. Sometimes the Moon seems to disappear. These shifts are called moon phases. |
| The eight lunar phases are, in order: new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter, and waning crescent. The cycle repeats once every 29.530575 days. |
| Like Earth, the Moon has a day side and a night side, which change as the Moon rotates. The Sun always illuminates half of the Moon while the other half remains dark, but how much we are able to see of that illuminated half changes as the Moon travels through its orbit. |
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| Consider the individual phases, and how the movements of the Moon and Sun appear to us as we watch from the Northern Hemisphere on Earth: |
| Right click here to see the 8 moon phases and then return: |
| https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Moon_Phase_Diagram_for_Simple_English_Wikipedia.GIF |
| New Moon |
| This is the invisible phase of the Moon, with the illuminated side of the Moon facing the Sun and the night side facing Earth. In this phase, the Moon is in the same part of the sky as the Sun and rises and sets with the Sun. Not only is the illuminated side facing away from the Earth, it’s also up during the day! Remember, in this phase, the Moon doesn’t usually pass directly between Earth and the Sun, due to the inclination of the Moon’s orbit. It only passes near the Sun from our perspective on Earth. |
| Waxing Crescent |
| This silver sliver of a Moon occurs when the illuminated half of the Moon faces mostly away from Earth, with only a tiny portion visible to us from our planet. It grows daily as the Moon’s orbit carries the Moon’s dayside farther into view. Every day, the Moon rises a little bit later. |
| First Quarter |
| The Moon is now a quarter of the way through its monthly journey and you see half of its illuminated side. People may casually call this a half moon, but remember, that’s not really what you’re witnessing in the sky. You’re seeing just a slice of the entire Moon ? half of the illuminated half. A first quarter moon rises around noon and sets around midnight. It’s high in the sky in the evening and makes for excellent viewing. |
| Waxing Gibbous |
| Now most of the Moon’s dayside has come into view, and the Moon appears brighter in the sky. |
| Full Moon |
| This is as close as we come to seeing the Sun’s illumination of the entire day side of the Moon (so, technically, this would be the real half moon). The Moon is opposite the Sun, as viewed from Earth, revealing the Moon’s dayside. A full moon rises around sunset and sets around sunrise. The Moon will appear full for a couple of days before it moves into… |
| Waning Gibbous |
| As the Moon begins its journey back toward the Sun, the opposite side of the Moon now reflects the Moon’s light. The lighted side appears to shrink, but the Moon’s orbit is simply carrying it out of view from our perspective. The Moon rises later and later each night. |
| Last Quarter |
| The Moon looks like it’s half illuminated from the perspective of Earth, but really you’re seeing half of the half of the Moon that’s illuminated by the Sun ? or a quarter. A last quarter moon, also known as a third quarter moon, rises around midnight and sets around noon. |
| Waning Crescent |
| The Moon is nearly back to the point in its orbit where its dayside directly faces the Sun, and all that we see from our perspective is a thin curve. |
| Lunar Month |
| A lunar month is generally measured from the precise moment of one primary Moon phase to the moment of the same Moon phase the next lunar month. Normally, this is from one New Moon until the succeeding New Moon. |
| A lunar month, or a lunar cycle, is also known as a lunation. The astronomical term is a synodic month, from the Greek term synodos, meaning meeting or conjunction. |
| An average lunar month lasts 29.530575 days or 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 2 seconds, a few days short of a calendar month. |
| Synodic vs. Sidereal Month |
| The time it takes the Moon to complete one orbit around the Earth is called a sidereal month. Sidereal refers to the Latin word for stars, and sidereal month means that the Moon returns to the same point under the stars. A sidereal month is precisely 27.321661 days long, which translates to 27 days, 7 hours, 43 minutes, and 11.6 seconds. |
| If the Earth stood still, the synodic (lunar) month would be the same as the sidereal month. However, at the same time as the Moon is orbiting Earth, our planet continues its annual orbit around the Sun in the same direction. So, after completing a sidereal month, the Moon has to move a little further to catch up to the same alignment with the Sun and Earth as at the previous New Moon. This is why a synodic (lunar) month is around 2.21 days longer than a sidereal month. |
| Rosh Chodesh, The New Moon |
| Rosh Chodesh is a monthly holiday that marks the start of a new month in the Hebrew calendar. The name translates to “head of the month”. |
| The Jewish month begins with the first sighting of the new moon, the Rosh Chodesh. There are special prayers associated with the beginning of the month, and Rosh Chodesh ceremonies have often-times played an important role particularly among the female members of the Jewish community. |
| Although the Jewish new year (Rosh Hashanah) is celebrated at the beginning of Tishrei, this month is actually the seventh month according to ancient reckoning. The first month is actually Nisan, during which Passover (Pesach) falls. In this manner, the Jewish year begins with God’s great redemptive act at the time of the Exodus from Egypt. Nisan 1 starts the Ecclesiastical / Biblical New Year while Tishrei 1 starts the Civil New Year. |
| Months |
| The Hebrew calendar is a lunisolar calendar, meaning that months are based on lunar months, but years are based on solar years. The calendar year features twelve lunar months of 29 or 30 days, with an additional lunar month (“leap month”) added periodically to synchronize the twelve lunar cycles with the longer solar year. These extra months are added in seven years (3, 6, 8, 11, 14, 17, and 19) out of a 19-year cycle, known as the Metonic Cycle. |
| The beginning of each Jewish lunar month is based on the appearance of the new moon. Although originally the new lunar crescent had to be observed and certified by witnesses (as is still done in Karaite Judaism and Islam), nowadays Jewish months have generally fixed lengths which approximate the period between new moons. For these reasons, a given month does not always begin on the same day as its astronomical conjunction. |
| The Hebrew Calendar Months |
| The months of the Hebrew calendar are Nisan, Iyar, Sivan, Tammuz, Av, Elul, Tishrei, Heshvan, Kislev, Tevet, Shevat, and Adar. |
| Nisan 12 March to 11 April Passover |
| Abib or Nisan (Exodus 12:2-37 ; Exodus 13:4 ; Nehemiah 2:1 ; Esther 3:7); |
| Iyar 11 April to 11 May Pessah Sheni, Lag Ba’omer |
| Iyar or Zif (1 Kings 6:1); |
| Sivan 10 May to 9 June Shavu’ot |
| Sivan (Esther 8:9); |
| Tamuz 9 June to 9 July Tamuz 17 (Fast day) |
| Tammuz (Ezekiel 8:14); |
| Av 8 July to 7 August Av 9 (Fast day) |
| Ab; |
| Elul 7 August to 6 September High Holy Days |
| Elul (Nehemiah 6:15); |
| Tishrei 5 September to 5 October Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sukkot |
| Ethanim or Tishri (1 Kings 8:2); |
| Heshvan 5 October to 4 November |
| Cheshvan or Marchesvan or Bul (1 Kings 6:38); |
| Kislev 4 November to 3 December Hanukah |
| Chisleu (Zechariah 7:1); |
| Tevet 3 December to 1 January Tevet 10 Fast |
| Tebeth (Esther 2:16); |
| Shvat / Shevat 1 January to 30 January Tu Bishvat |
| Sebat (Zechariah 1:7); |
| Adar / Adar I (only in leap years) 31 January to 12 February Purim, Esther Fast |
| (Adar II in leap years) 11 February to 13 March Purim Katan, Ta’anit Esther |
| Adar (Esther 3:7). |
| The Jewish year is consistent of twelve months. The Hebrew calendar is a lunar calendar meaning that the months are calculated based on the appearance and movement of the moon. The Hebrew word for month is (Khodesh) contains a root meaning new. The reason is that as the route of the moon is renewed, every month is renewed accordingly. Another word in Hebrew for month is actually Yerach, the word has a direct link to the Hebrew word for moon?, although the pronunciation is not the same. That emphasizes the direct link in the Hebrew calendar between the months and the moon. |
| In ancient times the calendar was determined based on the decision of a central court. The beginning of every month was published by using fire to let people all over Judea know that a new month is about to begin. In some cases, emissaries would spread the world by physically going to towns, villages and even tent camps to spread the calendar. |
| Why Tishrei is the first month? |
| In the Bible, Nisan is described as the first month: “in the first month, the month of Nisan” (Esther; 3:7). And this is not the only place that Nisan is referred to as the first month. So it seems only natural that the year will begin with the month of Nisan, aka the Month of Spring. Yet, Tishrei is the first month. The reason is that the time of Autumn was very important for the ancient agricultural society. This month is mentioned in various occasions in the Bible mentioning special days and times for religious rites, as well as for agricultural events. Actually, in the Bible there are several times that are named the start of year and it appears that quite early on, the Autumn month of Tishrei marked the beginning of the agricultural year. |
| Events in Tishrei, the Seventh Month |
| the Feast of Trumpets (Numbers 29:1-6), |
| the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:26-32), |
| the Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:34-44), |
| and every fiftieth year the Jubilee began in this month (Leviticus 25:1-17). |
| What’s the meaning of the months’ names? |
| In ancient times, as the Bible tells us, the months were mostly referred to according to their order: the first, the seventh etc.. Jewish communities began using the names we know today while being in Babylon, during the Babylonian Exile in the 6th Century BC. In the Books of Esther and Nehemiah which depict events that take place after the Babylonian Exile, the names of the mentioned months are the ones the we know today: Tishrei, Tamuz, Nisan etc.. |
| The Babylonian months that became part of the Jewish calendar were named after Babylonian gods or based on natural events. For example, the month of Tamuz is named after the Babylonian god Tamuz, The month of Tevet meant in Babylonian ‘(the month) when rain comes’. Tishrei meant the ‘month of beginning’. [As in the ancient Jewish calendar, the Babylonian year had more than one beginning, and Tishrei actually referred to the second beginning, marking the start of the Autumn season.] |
| 7 Feasts That Point to Christ |
| The seven feasts of the Lord are a set of feasts in the Bible that are said to point to Jesus Christ. These feasts are described in Leviticus 23. |
| Passover: Leviticus 23:4-8 |
| Passover: The first feast of the year, which symbolizes redemption from death |
| Unleavened Bread: Leviticus 23:6 |
| Unleavened Bread: A feast that lasts for seven days |
| First Fruits: Leviticus 23:10 |
| First Fruits: Celebrated the day after Passover, this feast celebrates the gift of produce from the land |
| Feast of Weeks or Pentecost: Leviticus 23:16 |
| Pentecost: Also known as the Feast of Weeks, this feast announces the sabbatical month |
| Feast of Trumpets: Leviticus 23:24 |
| Trumpets: Also known as Yom Teruah, this feast announces the sabbatical month |
| Day of Atonement: Leviticus 16, 23:26-32 |
| Day of Atonement: Also known as Yom Kippur, this feast is a day of confession |
| Feast of Tabernacles or Booths: Leviticus 23:34 |
| Tabernacles: Also known as Sukkot, this feast lasts for eight days |
| In addition, there is the Seventh day: |
| Sabbath: The seventh day of the week, when no work is permitted |
| The Jewish Holidays |
| Jewish holidays include celebrations of the harvest, the Creation of the world, and the Exodus from Egypt. Some Jewish holidays also commemorate the survival of the Jewish people. |
| Sukkot: A seven-day festival that celebrates the harvest and the Israelites’ 40 years in the desert. People decorate huts called sukkahs and wave a bouquet of four species to thank God for the harvest. |
| Shavuot: A festival that celebrates the end of the barley harvest and the beginning of the wheat harvest. It also commemorates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. |
| Rosh Hashanah: The Jewish New Year. Some incorrectly believe that this marks the Creation of the world and Adam and Eve. |
| Yom Kippur: The Day of Atonement, which is considered the holiest day of the Jewish year. Jews ask for forgiveness from God and other people. |
| Festivals of Survival |
| Purim: A festival that commemorates the Survival of the Jewish people after they were marked for death by Persian rulers in the 5th century BC. |
| Tisha b’Av: A festival that commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Jerusalem Temples. |
| Passover |
| 1. Passover — Leviticus 23:4-8 |
| This feast remembers the last plague in Egypt, when the angel of death “passed over” the children of Israel who applied the blood of the Lamb to their doors. The Israelites took a bundle of hyssop and dipped it into the blood in the basin at the threshold. |
| Exodus 12:7 And they shall take of the BLOOD, and strike [it] on the TWO SIDE POSTS and on the UPPER DOOR POST of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. [Jews equate this to forming the shape of a cross] |
| Exodus 12:13 And the BLOOD shall be to you for a TOKEN upon the houses where ye [are]: and when I SEE the BLOOD, I will PASS OVER YOU, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy [you], when I smite the land of Egypt. [1 John 1:7 – The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.] |
| Exodus 12:14 And this day shall be unto you for a MEMORIAL; and ye shall keep it a FEAST to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever. |
| Exodus 12:15 SEVEN DAYS shall ye eat UNLEAVENED BREAD; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. |
| Exodus 12:16 And in the FIRST DAY [there shall be] an HOLY CONVOCATION, and in the SEVENTH DAY there shall be an HOLY CONVOCATION to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save [that] which every man must eat, that only may be done of you. |
| Exodus 12:17 And ye shall observe [the FEAST of] UNLEAVENED BREAD; for in this SELFSAME DAY have I brought your armies OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever. |
| This holiday commemorates the Exodus from Egypt. Passover is celebrated for seven or eight days (depending on your branch of Judaism) starting on the night of a full moon in April. Passover usually overlaps with Easter, though occasionally Passover occurs a month after Easter. |
| Almost all American Jews observe Passover to some extent, even if only to go to their parents’ house for a ritual dinner (called a Seder, pronounced SAY-der) on the first and / or second night of the holiday. Most (though not all) American Jews avoid bread and grain products to one extent or another throughout this holiday, in memory of the fact that our ancestors left Egypt in a hurry and didn’t have time to wait for their bread to rise. You should avoid scheduling events involving food during this holiday, and should avoid scheduling travel for Jews because it may be hard for them to find suitable food away from home. |
| Strictly observant Jews do not work, go to school or carry out any business on the first two and last two days of Passover (first one day and last one day for some branches). This is a requirement of Jewish law; however, only about 10% of the American Jewish population observes this rule strictly. Most American Jews will work through Passover, although many may want to take time off the day before Passover, to prepare for the big family dinner. To put this in perspective: imagine if you had to work during the day of Thanksgiving, then prepare for Thanksgiving dinner after getting home from work. |
| Remember that Passover, like all Jewish holidays, begins the evening before the date that it appears on your calendar. If your calendar says that Passover starts on April 24, then Passover really begins with the family dinner on the night of April 23. |
| 2. Unleavened Bread — Leviticus 23:6 |
| Leviticus 23:4 ¶ These [are] the FEASTS of the LORD, [even] holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. |
| Leviticus 23:5 In the fourteenth [day] of the first month at even [is] the LORD’S PASSOVER. [Passover Sacrifice (Pesach)] |
| Leviticus 23:6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month [is] the FEAST of UNLEAVENED BREAD unto the LORD: SEVEN DAYS ye must eat unleavened bread. [Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover) (Pesach)] |
| Leviticus 23:7 In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. |
| Leviticus 23:8 But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD SEVEN DAYS: in the seventh day [is] an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work [therein]. |
| This seven-day feast begins on the day following the start of Passover. In the haste of the Israelites to leave Egypt, there was no time to add leaven (yeast) to their bread. |
| During this time, remembering the hardships in Egypt and how God freed them from captivity, the Jews eat nothing leavened. |
| Leaven often represents sin and decay in the Bible. Once incorporated, yeast becomes an inseparable part of the bread; the same is true for sin’s effect on our lives. |
| The Jews were constantly sacrificing unblemished animals to temporarily atone for sin. Only the Messiah, the perfect sinless sacrifice, could offer a permanent solution. |
| The unleavened bread represents Jesus’ sinless life; He is the only perfect sacrifice for our sins. |
| In John 6:35, Jesus boldly states that He is the Bread of Life. Not only does He remove our sins, He nourishes our souls! |
| John 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the BREAD of LIFE: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst. |
| 3. First Fruits — Leviticus 23:10 |
| The Feast of First Fruits is one of three Jewish harvest feasts to thank and honour God for all He provided. Although they didn’t know it at the time, the children of Israel were celebrating what would become a very important day. |
| Figs |
| The priests sacrificed Passover lambs on the 14th day of the month of Nisan, and the first day of Passover was the 15th. The Feast of First Fruits was celebrated on the third day, the 16th of Nisan. This “third day” celebration was the same day that Jesus resurrected from the dead. |
| In 1 Corinthians 15:20 Paul refers to Jesus as the first fruits of the dead. He represents the first of the great harvest of souls that will resurrect to eternal life because of the new covenant in His blood (Luke 22:20). |
| 1 Corinthians 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, [and] become the FIRST FRUITS of them that slept. |
| Luke 22:20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup [is] the NEW TESTAMENT in My blood, which is shed for you. |
| 4. Feast of Weeks or Pentecost — Leviticus 23:16 |
| Leviticus 23:15 ¶ And ye shall count unto you from the MORROW after the SABBATH [this would be a Sunday], from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; SEVEN SABBATHS shall be complete: |
| Leviticus 23:16 Even unto the morrow after the SEVENTH SABBATH shall ye number FIFTY DAYS [By inclusive reckoning, this would also be a Sunday]; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD. [Equates to Pentecost] |
| This feast is the second of the three harvest feasts. It occurs exactly seven weeks after the Feast of First Fruits, so it’s also called Pentecost which means “50 days.” |
| Traditionally, people were expected to bring the first harvest of grain to the Lord including two leavened loaves of bread. |
| Leavened bread |
| God’s plan to save souls included more than the Jews. Through Jesus, this plan was revealed. In Matthew 9:37 Jesus tells His disciples that “the harvest is great, but the workers are few.” |
| Then He put the plan into place: In Acts 1:4 He tells them to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit. |
| That arrival was the day the Church was born — Pentecost — and the harvest began with 3,000 souls. The message spread to both Jews and Gentiles (the two leavened loaves of bread), extending the harvest to us! |
| Rosh Hashanah |
| 5. Feast of Trumpets — Leviticus 23:24 |
| Leviticus 23:23 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, |
| Leviticus 23:24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the SEVENTH MONTH, in the FIRST [DAY] of the month [Tishrei 1 – Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah)], shall ye have a Sabbath, a memorial of BLOWING OF TRUMPETS, an holy convocation. |
| Leviticus 23:25 Ye shall do no servile work [therein]: but ye shall offer an offering made by FIRE unto the LORD. |
| In a beautiful declaration God commands His people to rest. During this time all regular work is prohibited, and men and women present a food offering to God. |
| In Leviticus 23:24 God commands His people to gather and to commemorate the decree with trumpet blasts. |
| On the same front, the sound of a trumpet is also associated with the time Jesus will return for His bride (1 Corinthians 15:52). Once He returns, there will be a wedding feast of celebration. Revelation 19:9 says, “Blessed [are] they which are called unto the MARRIAGE SUPPER of the LAMB”. |
| 1 Corinthians 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the LAST TRUMP: for the TRUMPET SHALL SOUND, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. |
| Revelation 19:9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed [are] they which are called unto the MARRIAGE SUPPER of the LAMB. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. |
| Rosh Hashanah is Jewish New Year, the day when the year number on the Jewish calendar increases. It occurs between Labour Day and Columbus Day. It lasts for one or two days, depending on your branch of Judaism. |
| Rosh Hashanah is a happy, festive holiday, but somewhat more solemn than American New Year. Like American New Year, it is a time to look back at the past year and make resolutions for the following year. It is also a wake-up call, a time to begin mental preparations for the upcoming day of atonement, Yom Kippur. |
| Many Jews who do not go to synagogue any other time of year will go to synagogue on Rosh Hashanah. You’ve heard of “twice-a-year Christians” who go to church only on Christmas and Easter? “Twice-a-year Jews” go to synagogue only on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. |
| Most American Jews expect gentiles to be aware of Rosh Hashanah. It is, after all, listed on most calendars you buy, but remember: the holiday starts at sunset the night before the day shown on your calendar! Many will be offended if you schedule important events, meetings or tests on Rosh Hashanah. Even those who do not go to synagogue and do not observe the holiday may be offended. Imagine how you would feel if someone scheduled such activities on Christmas or Easter, even if you didn’t have anything special planned for the day, and you will understand how Jews feel about this holiday. |
| Yom Kippur |
| 6. Day of Atonement — Leviticus 16, 23:26-32 |
| Leviticus 23:26 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, |
| Leviticus 23:27 Also on the TENTH [DAY] of this SEVENTH MONTH [there shall be] a DAY of ATONEMENT: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by FIRE unto the LORD. |
| Leviticus 23:28 And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it [is] a DAY of ATONEMENT, to make an ATONEMENT for you before the LORD your God. |
| Leviticus 23:29 For whatsoever soul [it be] that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people. |
| Leviticus 23:30 And whatsoever soul [it be] that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people. |
| Leviticus 23:31 Ye shall do no manner of work: [it shall be] a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. |
| Leviticus 23:32 It [shall be] unto you a Sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the NINTH [DAY] of the month AT EVEN, FROM EVEN UNTO EVEN [Tishrei 10 – Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)], shall ye celebrate your Sabbath. |
| To make “atonement” is to make restitution for wrongs committed. As a day of humility and repentance to God, it was a time for the Jews to get their hearts, consciences and lives right before Him. |
| The observance involved the sacrifice of animals as the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies. What the High Priest did there couldn’t offer more than an annual payment for their sins. |
| However, hiding in plain sight was the promise of One who could atone for their sins permanently (Hebrews 9:12). |
| Where is Jesus in these sacrificed animals? The bull and one of the goats were an offering of thanks, but the “scapegoat” took on their sins (Leviticus 16:10). The scapegoat was to be burdened with all the sins of Israel and sent into the wilderness. |
| Leviticus 16:8 And Aaron shall CAST LOTS upon the TWO GOATS; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat. |
| Leviticus 16:9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’S lot fell, and offer him [for] a sin offering. |
| Leviticus 16:10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an ATONEMENT with him, [and] to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness. [Both goats represented the work that Christ would do; the goat designated “for the Lord” and the goat designated “Scapegoat” are to be found in Christ. Christ performed both tasks: the offering for sin, and the carrying away of sin.] |
| The Jewish leaders condemned Jesus, and He — burdened with the sins of all mankind — was led out of the city to be crucified: “He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins — and not only our sins but the sins of the world” (1 John 2:2, NLT). |
| 1 John 2:2 And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for [the sins of] the whole world. |
| The necessity of the Day of Atonement was rendered void by Jesus’ death on the cross — our debt has been paid! Yet for this life-changing truth to truly resonate, people must understand it in a language that touches their heart. |
| Yom Kippur is the Jewish day of Atonement, a day of fasting and repentance to reconcile ourselves with the Creator for the mistakes we have made in the last year. It occurs on the ninth day after the first day of Rosh Hashanah (Rosh Hashanah occurs on the first day of the Jewish month; Yom Kippur occurs on the 10th), so it is usually in late September or early October, sometimes falling on Columbus Day. For obvious reasons, nobody adds an extra day to this 25-hour fast! |
| Remember that this holiday starts the evening before the day it appears on your secular calendar. Some secular calendars will mark the preceding day as Kol Nidre, which is the name of the first service of the holiday, in the evening. |
| Most (but not all) Jews take off from work or school on this day, even ones who are not religious at other times. This is the busiest day of the year for synagogues, even though many synagogues charge for tickets to this day’s services (to defray the cost of serving so many extra people). Many will also want to leave work early the night before, so they have time for a large, slow meal before this 25-hour fast. Like Rosh Hashanah, most American Jews expect gentiles to be aware of this day, and almost all will be offended if you schedule important activities on it. |
| How do you pronounce the name of this holiday? “Yom” rhymes with “home” and “Kippur” sounds like “key poor” with emphasis on the “poor.” A lot of Americans (even American Jews) pronounce “Kippur” like the smoked fish dish, kipper, but this really isn’t correct. Please don’t pronounce it that way; there is something fundamentally wrong with naming a fast day after a food item! |
| Chanukah |
| Chanukah is the festival of lights, commemorating the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after a successful revolt against the Seleucid Greeks. As part of the rededication, the victorious Jews needed to light the Temple’s menorah (candelabrum), but they had only enough oil to last one day and it would take eight days to prepare more oil. Miraculously, the one-day supply of oil lasted for eight days. The miracle of the oil is commemorated with this eight-day candle-lighting holiday. |
| Chanukah begins between Thanksgiving and Christmas. About half of the time, it overlaps with Christmas, but there are many years when Chanukah ends long before Christmas. In 2002, for example, Chanukah began on Thanksgiving and ended in the first week of December, but that is unusual. |
| Almost all Jews light candles with their families for at least some nights of the holiday, so people like to be at home during this holiday. Although almost nobody takes off from work or school for this holiday, many may not want to work nights or travel during the holiday so they can light candles with the family, and accommodations should be made for this. |
| The most important thing to remember about Chanukah is that it is not Jewish Christmas, no matter what the card shops and toy stores want you to believe. Chanukah is a very minor holiday. It’s not about joy to the world and peace on Earth and presents galore for everyone you’ve ever met; it’s about lighting candles and playing games for chocolate coins and eating fried food (in memory of the miracle of the oil). Many Jewish parents give their children gifts during Chanukah because they don’t want their children to feel left out of Christmas, but Chanukah gift-giving rarely extends much beyond one’s own children. |
| Most American Jews feel a sort of ambivalence about Chanukah. On the one hand, most of them know that Chanukah is not a big thing. On the other hand, Christmas is everywhere, unavoidable and overwhelming, and Jews want something of their own to counterbalance it. This is the primary motivation behind elaborate Chanukah decorations and enormous Chanukah menorahs in public areas: Chanukah is not very important, but asserting our Jewish identity and distinctiveness and existence in the face of overwhelming pressure to conform to a non-Jewish norm is important. Pressuring Jews to conform to that norm or to participate in Christmas events if they don’t want to is inconsiderate at best. |
| Other Jewish Holidays |
| There are many other Jewish holidays, but most American Jews do not celebrate these holidays as strictly or as regularly as the holidays above, and most do not expect gentiles to be aware of them. In fact, there are a surprising number of Jews who don’t know about many of these holidays. |
| 7. Feast of Tabernacles or Booths [Sukkot] — Leviticus 23:34 |
| Leviticus 23:33 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, |
| Leviticus 23:34 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The FIFTEENTH DAY of this SEVENTH MONTH [shall be] the FEAST of TABERNACLES [for] SEVEN DAYS unto the LORD. [Tishrei 15-21 – Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot)] |
| Leviticus 23:35 On the first day [shall be] an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work [therein]. |
| Leviticus 23:36 SEVEN DAYS ye shall offer an offering made by FIRE unto the LORD: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by FIRE unto the LORD: it [is] a solemn assembly; [and] ye shall do no servile work [therein]. |
| Celebration always follows the Day of Atonement. The Feast of Tabernacles celebrates God’s provision and protection for the people of Israel during their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. For seven days, people live in temporary structures, just as the Israelites did in the wilderness. |
| The Lord Himself was with the Israelites in the desert, in a tented temple called the Tabernacle, so the feast also celebrates His presence as He tabernacles (dwells) with us. |
| Jesus is called Emmanuel, meaning “God is with us” (Matthew 1:23) |
| Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name IMMANUEL. [Matthew 1:23] |
| Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name EMMANUEL, which being interpreted is, GOD WITH US. [Isaiah 7:14] |
| Revelation 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be NO MORE DEATH, neither SORROW, nor CRYING, neither shall there be any more PAIN: for the former things are passed away. |
| This feast also points to the promise of Jesus’ return, when God will be with His people. On that day, there will be no more death or suffering, and He will wipe every tear from our eyes (Revelation 21:4). What a day of joy and celebration that will be! |
| Sukkot: This festival of booths commemorates the Biblical period of wandering in the desert, and is commemorated by building a temporary shelter (called a sukkah, usually rhymes with “book a”) in the garden / yard and eating meals in it. Some spend considerable time in the sukkah, even sleeping there. Sukkot begins on the fifth day after Yom Kippur, in late September or October, and lasts for 7 days. From the perspective of the Bible and Jewish law, this holiday is every bit as important as Passover, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, but most American Jews don’t see it that way. About 10% of Jews do not work on the first two days of this holiday (one day for some branches), in accordance with Jewish law, and will not want to travel during this holiday, because they want to be able to have meals in the sukkah. |
| Shemini Atzeret / Simchat Torah: These two holidays fall immediately after Sukkot. Shemini Atzeret is sort of an extra day tacked onto the end of Sukkot; Simchat Torah celebrates the completion of the annual cycle of Bible readings in Sabbath services. About 10% of Jews will take both of these days off from work. Some branches celebrate these two holidays on the same day, which is the first day after Sukkot. |
| Tu B’Shevat: Jewish Arbor Day, used for planting trees or calculating the age of trees for certain religious purposes. Occurs in late January or early February. There are no restrictions on this holiday that would require accommodation. |
| Purim: Jewish Mardi Gras, more or less. This is a partying holiday celebrating the rescue of the Jews from a Hitler-like figure bent on genocide. Occurs in March, a month before Passover, and lasts for one day. Although work is technically not forbidden on this holiday, a small number of Jews prefer not to work on it because of rabbinical dictum that no good will come from work done on this day. |
| Yom Ha-Shoah: Holocaust Memorial Day. A day to remember the victims of the Holocaust. Occurs in late April or early May. No accommodations are usually needed. |
| Yom Ha-Atzma’ut, Yom Ha-Zikkaron, Yom Yerushalayim: Israeli Independence Day, Israeli Memorial Day and Jerusalem Day. Yom Ha-Atzma’ut, in late April or May, commemorates the day that the British Palestinian mandate expired, and David Ben-Gurion declared the creation of the State of Israel within the lands that the UN had set aside for a Jewish state in Palestine. Yom Ha-Zikkaron in May is a memorial day for Israeli soldiers who died defending the state of Israel in its many wars. Yom Yerushalayim in late May or early June commemorates the reunification of Jerusalem in Israeli hands during the 1967 War. No accommodations are usually needed. Cities with large Jewish populations often have parades on a Sunday for Israeli Independence Day, just as cities with large Italian populations have Columbus Day parades. The other two Israel-related holidays get little acknowledgement in America. If gentiles choose to acknowledge these holidays, they should be sensitive to the feelings of Arabs, who may not think that the creation of the state of Israel or the reunification of Jerusalem in the hands of Jews is a cause for celebration, or that the death of Israeli soldiers is a cause for mourning. |
| Shavu’ot: Commemorates the Giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai. Occurs between Memorial Day and Independence Day, and lasts for one or two days, depending on your branch. Like Sukkot, this holiday is every bit as important as Passover, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, but most American Jews don’t see it that way. About 10% of Jews do not work on this holiday, in accordance with Jewish law. |
| Tisha B’Av: A fast commemorating the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and other tragedies. Occurs in late July or August. About 10% of Jews observe this fast. Although work is not forbidden on this day, some prefer not to work on this day because it is difficult to fast while working with others who are not fasting. |
| Minor Fasts: There are five other fast days scheduled at various times of the year, which are observed only from sunrise to sunset. For the 10% or so of Jews who observe these fasts, no accommodations are usually needed, other than sensitivity for the fact that they are not eating. |
| Time – Eternity Past, Past, Present and Future, Eternity Future |
| Eternity Past, Present, and Future are concepts that describe the idea that time is infinite and has no beginning or end. |
| Time is represented as being: Throughout Eternity Past, Past, Present, Future, and Throughout Eternity Future. |
| Man only lives in Present time. Jesus has lived from Eternity Past. God has always existed. |
| Eternity Past |
| In Eternity Past, God planned and purposed |
| In John 1:1, “the beginning” refers to Eternity in the Past |
| From Eternity Past, Christ was God, but not yet a man |
| Eternity Future |
| In Eternity Future, everything will have been accomplished |
| In John 1:51, the Lord Jesus told Nathanael about the Future |
| John 1:51 And He [Jesus] saith unto him [Nathanael], Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and THE ANGELS OF GOD ASCENDING AND DESCENDING upon the Son of man. |
| In Eternity Future, Christ will be both God and man |
| Eternity and existence |
| A being can exist eternally if it is Omni-temporal, meaning it exists at every point in time |
| A being can also exist eternally if it is timeless, meaning it exists outside of time |
| Eternity and God |
| Isaiah 57:15 For thus saith [God] the HIGH AND LOFTY ONE that INHABITETH ETERNITY, whose Name [is] Holy; I dwell in the HIGH AND HOLY [PLACE], with Him [Jesus] also [that is] of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. |
| Some Biblical passages suggest that God transcends time |
| What is the difference between Eternity Past and Eternity Future? |
| In Eternity Past there was no humanity, and there was no dwelling place for God. |
| In Eternity Future there will be humanity, and God will have a dwelling place. John 1 reveals the two sections of eternity. |
| Jesus has existed from Eternity Past |
| John 1:1,3,14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with [the] God, and the Word was God. [the] occurs in the the Greek Textus Receptus (otherwise known as the Received Text) of the New Testament.… [3] All things were made by HIM [Christ [Ms25-1898]]; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.… [14] And THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH, AND DWELT AMONG US, (and we beheld His Glory, the Glory as of THE ONLY BEGOTTEN OF THE FATHER,) full of grace and truth. [The word begotten means derived from something which is already in existence.] |
| Our Saviour came to earth and “became flesh and made His dwelling among us” over two thousand years ago. This is called His incarnation. But this divine Person had already existed from Eternity Past. He was known as “the Word,” the second person of the Holy Godhead. As the apostle John wrote, “the Word [Jesus] was with God, and the Word [Jesus] was [the] God.” He was with God the Father from Eternity Past. “In the beginning” He already “was.” We know His earthly, God-given name as “Jesus” (Matthew 1:21). |
| Not only was the Word (Jesus) “with” God, but the Scripture also declares that He “was God,” thus declaring Jesus’ full deity, which is reinforced by dozens of other Bible verses. And in His unlimited, Omnipotent divinity, Jesus the Word created all things (verse 3). The apostle Paul confirmed that God the Father “created all things by Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 3:9). |
| Ephesians 3:9 And to make all [men] see what [is] the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in GOD, who CREATED all things by JESUS CHRIST: |
| Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, [though] thou be little among the thousands of Judah, [yet] out of thee shall HE [Jesus] come forth unto ME [God] [that is] to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth [have been] FROM OF OLD, FROM EVERLASTING. [Matthew 2:5-6, John 7:42] [Note: FROM OF OLD, FROM EVERLASTING – but it DOES NOT SAY THROUGH ALL ETERNITY. The Spirit of Prophecy speaks of a future period of time THROUGH ALL ETERNITY.] |
