Our calendar is full of so called ‘Christian’ holidays and other celebrations, but in the Bible we have 7 feasts our Creator asked us to celebrate forever. Although they were formally required to be followed by the Israelites - and these tribes were all scattered and intermingled with the gentile nations – once the spiritual meaning of these feasts become clear, it’s almost irresistible to dedicate these days to the Creator. It’s challenging to follow all instructions described by Moses and it’s not a requirement for salvation after our Messiah, but if it pleases Yahuah, we should at least try!
Besides giving us an interesting reason to celebrate Yahuah, many theologians also advocate that these feasts are an allusion to the cyclical history of our Realm. In this perspective, we would be now in the interval between the first four feasts and the last three, which would culminate in the return of the Messiah. Isn’t it interesting?
More interesting though, is that these feasts were made obscure by the western Christian churches. One can choose to continue to celebrate things like Christmas and have bunnies and eggs on Easter, each one to his/her own choice, but I have serious doubts whether these celebrations make our Father happy, given their pagan/idolatrous roots. Celebrating the Biblical feasts however, is our way to show love to the Messiah and our heavenly Father. It surely doesn’t hurt, so why not?
The book of Exodus has a detailed description of how each feast should be celebrated, but I will give below my interpretation of the spiritual meaning of each feast and how I will dedicate these days to the glory of the Father, however I respect those who wish to follow the instructions in detail. If you have the means to follow all the instructions and do them out of love for Yahuah, by all means, go for it!
1) Pecach / Passover: The Passover happened when the Israelite were enslaved in Egypt and Yahuah instructed His children to sacrifice a lamb and mark their doors with the animal’s blood so that the angel of death would know which houses to spare. All Egyptian family's firstborn sons were killed that night, which showed the Pharaoh the power and glory of Yahuah to liberate Israel – His firstborn son. This is a parallel to the upcoming mark that the 144 thousand elect will receive in their foreheads so they can be spared from the wrath of Yahuah in the Apocalypse. Those who choose to bear the mark of the beast instead, will be plagued.
How do we celebrate it today? No work is allowed in this day, nor exchange of money. It’s a day of celebration, a celebration of freedom from slavery. Not only the physical slavery of our forefathers in Egypt, but also our freedom from the slavery of sin, which only happens when our Father gives us faith to believe in Yahusha and humility to submit to our Shepherd. This liberation is possible because of the sacrifice of Yahusha, the Lamb of Yahuah. Although his death was a sad event for his disciples, he died willfully for his lambs and his death and resurrection was our victory over sin and over darkness.
That being said, the celebration will depend on how accurately you want to follow it. Please check the book of Exodus for detailed instructions, in case you own lambs. For smaller families who live in cities, to kill and roast a whole lamb may not be possible, so my suggestion is to make a nice roasted lamb on a grill (to cook it with fire is better, if possible) along with unleavened bread (more on it below) and enjoy a full day of tasty food, music and happiness with your loved ones. We are free, HalleluYAH!
2) Matstsah / Unleavened Bread: When the Pharaoh finally allowed the Israelite to leave Egypt, it was so sudden that the families did not have time to wait for the dough to grow before going on their trip towards the promised land. Leaven, or the bacteria that makes our bread grow and be inflated with air is a symbol of pride, which is detestable to the Father. Yahuah asks us to eat only unleavened bread for seven days to remind us how powerful Yahuah is and to humble ourselves before His glory.
How do we celebrate it today? No work is allowed during the first and the last days, nor exchange of money – so plan in advance. Besides taking these days off, families should bake unleavened bread (they look like crackers). The most important part of this week is to meditate on the Word regarding pride and asking our Father to humble us.
3) Bikoor / First Fruits: After Yahuah claimed the lives of all firstborns in Egypt (both human and animals), He asked His children to dedicate to Him all their firstborns as a symbol of thanksgiving. The rules presented to Moses were that whenever Yahuah ‘opened the womb’, be it the first fruit of the earth, or the firstborn of the livestock, these should be sacrificed to Yahuah. The exceptions were human male firstborns and asses. Asses should be replaced by a lamb. Nevertheless, the firstborn son still belongs to the Father, meaning he has more responsibilities in the family and in strengthening the Torah. The prophets in the Old Testament were usually firstborn sons who lived entirely to serve the Creator. On a spiritual level, this feast is about thanksgiving and acknowledging that Yahuah is the one who gives us all our blessings.
How do we celebrate it today? No work is allowed in this day, nor exchange of money. Many people don’t own livestock or plant food, so following the instructions in the Torah isn’t possible, but this is still a day to celebrate! Besides taking the day off, a nice table set with fruits and other spring-like treats, besides a nice barbecue are also a good way to go! You can have plants and flowers to decorate your home. It’s a day to celebrate Yahuah’s blessings and meditate on the Word regarding gratitude.
4) Shavu’oth / Weeks: Called also ‘Pentecost’, this feast is the celebration of the Ruach Ha’Qodesh (Holy Spirit). There are several indications in the Bible that Yahuah filled his prophets and other servants with the ‘Spirit’. Whenever you see in the Bible the word Spirit with a capital letter, it refers to the Holy Spirit, or Ruach in Hebrew. However, there are two events in the Bible describing a moment where many people at once are filled with the Ruach HaQodesh: after Yahusha’s resurrection, or what we call ‘Early Rain’ and the next one which will be called ‘Latter Rain’ and will happen in the second coming of Yahusha. It’s also an analogy to agriculture. The ‘early’ rain is necessary to prepare the soil to plant, whereas the ‘latter’ rain is what makes sure the soil will remain moisturized for a good harvest.
They do not say in their heart, “Let us now fear Yahuah Tseva’oth, who gives rain, both the former and the latter, in its season. He reserves for us the appointed weeks of the harvest.” - Jeremiah 5:24
Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Yahusha. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. - James 5:7
How do we celebrate it today? No work is allowed in this day, nor exchange of money. It’s a thanksgiving day for the harvest and for our life’s blessings. You can bake the two loaves of bread (Challah) and also make some cheese cake. These loaves of bread should be leavened, as they represent our sinful nature before the Ruach Ha’Qodesh is fully in charge of us. The Jewish community cooks a lot of dairy food as a symbol of the spiritual nourishing of the Torah. Many also stay up all night discussing the Word (and eating cheesecake). Looks like a good plan to me!
“You shall bring from your dwellings two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven. They are the firstfruits to Yahuah” (Leviticus 23:17).
5) Yom Teru’ah / Trumpets: Remember when the Israelites blew the shofars for seven days before Yahuah destroyed the walls of Yericho? Well, as Shalomah told us, everything that happens has happened before – there is nothing new under the sun… We will hear those again when the angels blow the shofars (trumpets) to announce that the Day of Yahuah is coming. There is a debate whether the Messiah was born during Yom Kippuriym or Cuckkoth. For me it makes more sense that his birth took place in the feast of the Trumpets as the sound of the Trumpets will mark his return, but there is also strong arguments for Cukkoth. Anyway, spiritually, the sound of the trumpets is our call to war and the announcement that our King is coming. Just like seven shofars were used in Yericho, seven shofars will be sounded during the Tribulation. Get ready!
How do we celebrate it today? No work is allowed in this day, nor exchange of money. The idea here is to sound a shofar! Yes, make noise to call for the Father and let Him know we are His and we are waiting for Him. The shofar is made from the horn of a ram. If you don’t own one, listen to shofar tracks and connect to our Creator.
Here is a nice prayer to accompany your shofar meditation:
Yahusha (Jesus)
I ask Your Holy Spirit to separate me from the common things of this passing world and the cares and preoccupations of my brief natural life. Please give me ears to hear and a faithful heart that humbly responds with repentance to the convicting power of Your Spirit of Truth.
May I not be dull or resistant to Your voice calling me to repentance. Your Word says, “Now is the day of salvation, if I hear Your voice I am not to harden my heart”. Forgive me for the many times that I have had a hard heart toward You. Oh Father, may I not continue to fall into that category! I know that I will appear before Your judgment seat and I do not want to be ashamed and displeasing in Your sight. I want my ears opened and my heart filled with love to respond to Your Word speaking as a loud trumpet to keep me awake and obedient.
I ask You to forgive me for straying and swerving from that narrow path that leads into Your kingdom. Yahusha (Jesus), thank you for Your unfailing love to forgive and cleanse me with Your atoning blood every time I repent of my many sins that ensnare me. Thank You for hearing my prayer and helping me to be found faithful and obedient as I diligently prepare to be found blameless and holy in Your sight.
I surrender my life to You and trust You to help me get ready and be eagerly waiting for that last trumpet blast when You call Your elect to be with You in Your righteous kingdom. To You be the glory, great things You have done, and will continue to do! Amen.
6) Yom Kippuriym / Atonement: Atonement means to restore our relationship with the Father and our acknowledgment that although we are not deserving, we are being saved. This celebration does not have a feast per se, however a true child of Yahuah and lamb of Yahusha delights on fasting and praying to long for our Bridegroom (the Messiah).
Yum Kippuryim is described in the Old Testament as the holiest of the feasts and was the only day of the year that the High Priest was allowed in the inner part of the Temple. It was where the Ark of the Covenant was present and therefore where Yahuah himself dwelt. This feast is also where the term ‘Scape Goat’ comes from:
‘After the blood sacrifice was offered to the Lord, a goat was released into the wilderness to symbolically carry away the sins of the people. This "scapegoat" was never to return.’
After Yahusha (our High Priest) delivered the Early Rain after his resurrection, we became the temple of Yahuah and He dwells in the spirit (the inner part of our being) of His chosen ones. Not necessarily the Israelite this time, but anyone who is chosen to be Yahusha Ha’Mashiach’s lamb (and to obey the commandments).
How do we celebrate it today? No work is allowed in this day, nor exchange of money. It’s a day of fasting and prayer. Prayer to ask for forgiveness, not only of our sins, but the sins of our forefathers and of thanksgiving for the deliverance through our Messiah, Yahusha.
7) Cukkoth / Tabernacles: One week for us to live in tents, like our ancestors did in the wilderness before entering the Promised Land. The feast of Tabernacles represents how the church, or the spiritual Israel, will have to be hidden in the wilderness and also struggle without the comforts of modern life in order to avoid the persecution of the last days. This escape to the wilderness can be symbolic or literal, who is here when it happens will know! Still, camping can be quite fun (especially for kids) and a very nice way to be in touch with nature.
How do we celebrate it today? No work nor exchange of money is allowed in the first and the last day of the week.
This feast is celebrated by camping! You can camp in your garden or in a formal camping site – it's important to at least sleep and eat outside during this week.
Conclusion
Let's not forget what Yahusha said to the Pharisees regarding self-righteousness and the Apostles' message regarding our need to connect with Yahusha and follow his commandment to love our brothers and sisters. It's very easy to fall on the trap that our salvation requires us to follow a laundry list of instructions. Sorry, but we are not that powerful.
Only Yahuah can give us faith in Yahusha and the faith will naturally makes us search for ways to please our Father. Following strict rules because you think it depends on you to guarantee your salvation makes our Messiah's sacrifice useless. Let's therefore celebrate the feasts out of love and use these days to connect spiritually with our Messiah and the Father.
Another important message repeated throughout the book of Exodus, is that Yahuah commands the patriarchs not only to follow the instructions regarding the feasts, but also to explain to the next generations why these feasts are being observed. Blindly following instructions takes away the spiritual element of the feasts. In order to make sure we remain connected to the Most High, our future generations must understand WHY the instructions are there.
'And it shall be, when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ that you shall say, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice of Yashuah, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.’ (Exodus 12:26-27)
Happy Feasts! :)
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