Biblical Feasts & Holidays

HAPPY NEW YEAR 5784 AND FEAST OF TRUMPETS by Sandra Teplinsky

Happy Jewish New Year 5784, traditionally known as Rosh Hashanah, falling this year on September 15-17. To be accurate, Rosh Hashanah is not a biblical event, or even a phrase in the context of any feast. As we’ve pointed out for many years, the holiday known today as Rosh Hashanah…...

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Tisha b’Av: Can it be Redeemed in Our Time? by Sandra Teplinsky

Tisha b’Av, the annual day of Jewish mourning and fasting, falls this year on July 26-27. With Israel facing a possible civil war and existential war with Iran, Tisha b’Av 5783/2023 summons us to facedown sobriety before God. Tisha b’Av literally means “9th of Av,” referring to the 9th day…...

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Tammuz 17 and Bein HaMetzarim 2023: A Time for War?

July 6, 2023 represents a critical day in the biblical calendar and Hebrew Scriptures, corresponding to the 17th of the month of Tammuz. Zechariah 8:19 refers to this day as “the fast of the fourth month.” On Tammuz 17, in both 586 BC and 70 AD, invading armies attacked and…...

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Yeshua’s Hanukkah Sermon: 8 Meditations for 8 Days – by Sandra Teplinsky

Did you know Yeshua preached the most electrifying Hanukkah sermon ever and the Bible records it for us? Hanukkah (Feast of Dedication) is celebrated annually on the 25th day of Kislev, the 9th month of the biblical calendar. This year the holiday overlaps with Christmas, starting the evening of December…...

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Meditation for Yom Kippur (and Beyond) 5783

“We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Messiah Jesus once for all.” (Hebrews 10:10) The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) falls this year on October 4-5. It is the holiest Levitical feast in the biblical calendar. Yom Kippur is the day on which Israel’s high priest…...

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What Really is Lag b’Omer?

Tomorrow, May18-19, 2022, the annual holiday of Lag b’Omer will be celebrated in Israel. Lag b’Omer, which is neither directly nor indirectly referenced in the Bible, literally means the 33rd day of counting the omer. According to Jewish tradition, this minor festival commemorates an ancient mystical sage, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, and…...

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COUNTING THE OMER: Israel’s Independence Day and Memorial Day

Blessings of the season to you as we commemorate an often overlooked, minor festival on God’s biblical calendar, Counting the Omer. Counting the Omer (in Hebrew, “Sefirat HaOmer”) lasts 49 days, beginning with the Sabbath of Passover. The 50th day is celebrated as the Feast of Weeks (in Hebrew, “Shavuot.”) During…...

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Preparing for Passover

Greetings of grace and peace to you today, April 1, at the start of Israel’s biblical new year! In Exodus 12:1-2, God sets apart the month of Nisan, corresponding usually to April, as the first month of the year for His covenant people. As we’ve shared in the past, the…...

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10 Fascinating Facts about Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) September 20-27, 2021

The word Sukkot is plural for sukkah, referring to a booth or hut. Sukkah stems from the Hebrew root sakak, meaning to cover over or protect. During the Feast of Sukkot, we live in booths (sukkot) for seven days to remember God’s protective covering and provision during Israel’s 40 years…...

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Yom Teruah 5782: What are Heaven’s Shofars Declaring?

Yom Teruah falls this year on September 6-8. It is the first of three fall feasts, or appointed times with the Lord, set forth in Leviticus 23:23-43. Yom Teruah literally means Day of Blasting, but the holiday is more commonly known as the Feast of Trumpets. The day is to…...

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