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the Fall Festivals of the Lord

Yom Teruah

The Festival of Trumpets

Rosh Hashanah

Yom Kippur

‘On the first day of the seventh month hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. It is a day for you to sound the trumpets. As an aroma pleasing to the Lord, offer a burnt offering of one young bull, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect. With the bull offer a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with olive oil; with the ram, two-tenths; and with each of the seven lambs, one-tenth. Include one male goat as a sin offering to make atonement for you. These are in addition to the monthly and daily burnt offerings with their grain offerings and drink offerings as specified. They are food offerings presented to the Lord, a pleasing aroma. - Numbers 29

Rosh Hashanah means in Hebrew "the head of the year," or "the beginning of the year." It marks the beginning of the Jewish civil calendar year, and the start of the Jewish High Holy Days. It should be noted that neither the term nor the concept of Rosh Hashanah appears in scripture. In scripture the festival is called Yom Teruah, meaning "day of shouting and blasting" and is not the beginning of the year. Yom Teruah is often translated into English as the Feast of Trumpets. According to scripture the beginning, or head of the Jewish calendar is Aviv, the first of months, now called Nisan. The first of Aviv is now assigned the classification, "the beginning of the ecclesiastical year," from which all the counting of weeks, days and months begins for religious purposes.

Raise a noise. Shout. Blow the horn, the shofar. These are the sounds of alarm and warning but are also used to make a joyful noise. The shofar signals that Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement is but ten days away. Prepare! Repent!

The sounding of trumpets figures largely in prophecy. The return of the Messiah will be preceded by the blowing of trumpets. In Revelation 11 it reads:

The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.”

Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It is close at hand— a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was in ancient times nor ever will be in ages to come. - Joel 2

Yom Kippur

The Day of Atonement

The LORD said to Moses, “The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present a food offering to the LORD. Do not do any work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the LORD your God. Those who do not deny themselves on that day must be cut off from their people. I will destroy from among their people anyone who does any work on that day. You shall do no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. It is a day of sabbath rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to observe your sabbath.” - Leviticus 23

There are three primary elements of Yom Kippur -

Teshuvah (repentance)

Prayer

Fasting

and there are four steps to reconciliation -

Displaying regret: acknowledging that a mistake was made, and feeling regret at having squandered some potential.
Ending the bad deed: stopping the harmful action shows a true commitment to change.

Confession: admitting the mistake out loud, and then asking forgiveness from anyone we may have harmed.

Resolution: making a firm commitment not to repeat the harmful action in the future.

The ten days leading up to Yom Kippur are known as the Ten Days of Repentance. During this time the Jews are to seek forgiveness from any neighbors, family members, or anyone they may have offended over the past year. This is Teshuvah, and only by first seeking reconciliation with each other, are the people then prepared for reconciliation with God during the Yom Kippur services.

As a rule, children under the age of nine are forbidden from participating in the fast. Also, anyone that may be ill or otherwise in a physically weakened condition is exempted from participating. By the time a girl is 12 years old, or a boy is 13 years old, they are expected to fully participate in the fast of Yom Kippur.

For many Christians around the world the Day of Atonement is also a day of exceptional importance. On the Day of Atonement, Christians humble themselves before God remembering the terrible and awe-inspiring sacrifice of the Lamb of God, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, whose blood atoned for our sins. The Day of Atonement also looks forward to the time when the whole world will have the same opportunity for forgiveness and reconciliation. That time, when the Messiah returns, will usher in the rulership of the King of kings, Jesus of Nazareth, Yeshua Ha'Mashiach. A time when all peoples and nations will submit to the Kingdom of God on earth. It is speculated by some that this time of the High Holy Days, is when Yeshua will make his return. We shall see.

Sukkot

Festival of Booths

Festival of Tabernacles

Sukkahs on the balconies of city dwellers. With landlord's permission, of course.

“ ‘So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the LORD for seven days; the first day is a day of sabbath rest, and the eighth day also is a day of sabbath rest. On the first day you are to take branches from luxuriant trees—from palms, willows and other leafy trees—and rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. Celebrate this as a festival to the LORD for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. Live in temporary shelters for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in such shelters so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in temporary shelters when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God." So Moses announced to the Israelites the appointed festivals of the LORD. - Leviticus 23

A simple back yard sukkah.

Sukkot, or the Festival of Tabernacles, is the last of the Lord's annual Feast Days according to scripture. It involves the construction of a flimsy, temporary structure where one is to live for a period of seven days. The sukkah, or booth, can be decorated as one wishes, including heaters, lamps, even televisions, computers, posters on the walls, etc.

Sukkot is one of the three pilgrimage festivals where all the Jewish males were required to travel to Jerusalem during the seven day period. Women would stay home, but both male and female were required to dwell in the sukkah (booth) whether in Jerusalem or at home.

The sukkah hut represents a symbol of the type of wilderness shelter that the Hebrews employed during the long sojourn through the wilderness before being led to the promised land. Eating, relaxing and sleeping are traditionally confined to the sukkah during sukkot, but it is permissible to sleep indoors, particularly in colder climates, or if it is raining. If there is no other option available, they are even erected indoors. Depending on how one reads the mandate from Leviticus, the use of the sukkah shelter is for "native born Israelites" and their descendants and would not necessarily apply to gentile Christians. The observance of the Sabbath days, however, would apply also to gentile Christians. Interpret the words as you will.

Sukkot is the joyous closing of the fall festivals of the Lord. Jesus fulfilled the spring festivals through His sacrificial death on Passover (Pesach), and His resurrection on First Fruits. The Holy Spirit came to the disciples on Pentecost (Shavout). This fulfilling of the Law and Prophets on the feast days as set out in scripture is why many believe He will fulfill the fall festivals when He returns. These are yet to be fulfilled, but remember He said;

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished." - Matthew 5

Almost as popular among Christians as the Christmas celebration, Halloween is just another merry-making festival of pagan origins, subsumed by the Christian churches. In truth, Christians should do as the Jewish community does, and shun this celebration in all its forms, including the watered-down versions, i.e. "harvest festivals," or the eve of the Roman Catholic "all saints day." Keep yourselves and your children apart from the traditions of the worldly, no matter how much "fun" they may seem.

In the United States there is a long tradition dating back to the Pilgrim Puritan colonists. It's called Thanksgiving Day and is essentially a harvest festival. Turkeys have come to serve as the primary center of attention on the dinner table as families gather. It's an American "civil" festival with Judeo-Christian overtones, yet not directly connected with any church, denomination, or scriptural admonition other than the general admonition to give thanks to God for His blessings. The first thanksgiving was celebrated by the pilgrim colonists probably in October, 1621, after a successful harvest. It lasted three days and was attended by a large contingent of native American neighbors. It came to be celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November and is now recognized as a federal holiday in the U.S.

Judeo-Christian fall festivals other than the "festivals of the Lord"

Christmas, the shopping season

Christmas

Hanukkah

Spring festivals

the busy seasons of Lent and Easter

For the sin which we have committed before You under duress or willingly.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by hard-heartedness.
For the sin which we have committed before You inadvertently.
And for the sin which we have committed before You with an utterance of the lips.
For the sin which we have committed before You with immorality.
And for the sin which we have committed before You openly or secretly.
For the sin which we have committed before You with knowledge and with deceit.
And for the sin which we have committed before You through speech.
For the sin which we have committed before You by deceiving a fellowman.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by improper thoughts.
For the sin which we have committed before You by a gathering of lewdness.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by verbal [insincere] confession.
For the sin which we have committed before You by disrespect for parents and teachers.
And for the sin which we have committed before You intentionally or unintentionally.
For the sin which we have committed before You by using coercion.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by desecrating the Divine Name.
For the sin which we have committed before You by impurity of speech.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by foolish talk.
For the sin which we have committed before You with the evil inclination.
And for the sin which we have committed before You knowingly or unknowingly.
For all these, God of pardon, pardon us, forgive us, atone for us.
For the sin which we have committed before You by false denial and lying.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by a bribe-taking or a bribe-giving hand.
For the sin which we have committed before You by scoffing.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by evil talk [about another].
For the sin which we have committed before You in business dealings.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by eating and drinking.
For the sin which we have committed before You by [taking or giving] interest and by usury.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by a haughty demeanor.
For the sin which we have committed before You by the prattle of our lips.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by a glance of the eye.
For the sin which we have committed before You with proud looks.
And for the sin which we have committed before You with impudence.
For all these, God of pardon, pardon us, forgive us, atone for us.
For the sin which we have committed before You by casting off the yoke [of Heaven].
And for the sin which we have committed before You in passing judgment.
For the sin which we have committed before You by scheming against a fellowman.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by a begrudging eye.
For the sin which we have committed before You by frivolity.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by obduracy.
For the sin which we have committed before You by running to do evil.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by tale-bearing.
For the sin which we have committed before You by swearing in vain.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by causeless hatred.
For the sin which we have committed before You by embezzlement.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by a confused heart.
For all these, God of pardon, pardon us, forgive us, atone for us.
And for the sins for which we are obligated to bring a burnt-offering.
And for the sins for which we are obligated to bring a sin-offering.
And for the sins for which we are obligated to bring a varying offering [according to one's means].
And for the sins for which we are obligated to bring a guilt-offering for a certain or doubtful trespass.
And for the sins for which we incur the penalty of lashing for rebelliousness.
And for the sins for which we incur the penalty of forty lashes.
And for the sins for which we incur the penalty of death by the hand of Heaven.
And for the sins for which we incur the penalty of excision and childlessness.
And for the sins for which we incur the penalty of the four forms of capital punishment executed by the Court: stoning, burning, decapitation and strangulation.
For [transgressing] positive and prohibitory mitzvot, whether [the prohibitions] can be rectified by a specifically prescribed act or not, those of which we are aware and those of which we are not aware; those of which we are aware, we have already declared them before You and confessed them to You, and those of which we are not aware --- before You they are revealed and known, as it is stated: The hidden things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things are for us and for our children forever, that we may carry out all the words of this Torah. For You are the Pardoner of Israel and the Forgiver of the tribes of Yeshurun in every generation, and aside from You we have no King who forgives and pardons.

Halloween

Thanksgiving

The El Chet Confession

recited ten times in the synagogues over the course of Yom Kippur at various service intervals

See the article on Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, which celebrates the cleansing and re-dedication of the Temple. It is not one of the Festivals of the Lord as set out in Deuteronomy.

See the article on Christmas, the pagan holiday adorned with fake Christian trappings so that Christians everywhere are fooled into celebrating this abominable pagan homage to the annual winter solstice.

"This month [Aviv] is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year." - Exodus 12

"Observe the month of Aviv and celebrate the Passover of the LORD your God, because in the month of Aviv he brought you out of Egypt by night." - Deuteronomy 16

The Catholic feast of All Saints Day traces its origins in the Church to the year 609 and was originally celebrated in May. However, in the 9th century, Pope Gregory IV moved the holiday to Nov. 1, so that Oct. 31 became a celebration of preparation for the feast – All Hallow’s Eve. Some historians believe this move was made so the holiday could coincide with, and thus “baptize,” the original pagan festival. This, of course is just an obsequious way of saying the church decided to incorporate another pagan festival into the culture of the church. Just another adulterous compromise.

otherwise known as the Jewish High Holy Days

Amen. Hallelujah.

The Yom Kippur 25 hour fast from any food or drink is for those who are able, and for those are unable, such as diabetics and the elderly (who should always consult a physician first). Even if one has been doing this their whole life and find it difficult set aside this aspect of the Holy Day. Remember that Yom Kippur is not about the fast. During this day one can choose instead to reflect on the themes of Yom Kippur: repentance and renewal. This reflection can be achieved in many personal ways beyond the realm of food, including attending religious services, reading reflective texts, and contemplation. There is also a prayer for non-fasters to help keep things in perspective and context.

Before Yom Kippur for One who Cannot Fast

Ribbono shel Olam / Master of the Universe;

Creator of All, Source of All Life,
Who Knows What is Deep in Human Hearts,
Who Nurtures Every Living Being:
As You know, dear God,
Yom Kippur is here,
and I am not able to keep the traditional fast –
I cannot abstain totally from eating.
On this Day of Atonement, this Sabbath of Sabbaths,
this year and every year,
it is so central to join the people of Israel
in abstaining from food and drink for one day
and to focus on correcting our misdeeds,
on knowing our mortality;
on reaching for a life of Torah, mitzvot, and lovingkindness.
You know, dear God, that it is not my intent
to be apart from our people and our tradition.
My current state of health makes it unsuitable for me to fast.
So, dear God, I turn to You now in sincerity and openness:
Help me in the coming year to do my best in guarding my
health.
I thank You for the breath that is in me
May my eating be as a fast; May it be dedicated to You, to T’shuvah – renewal and return.