Fall Feast Part Two

Read part 1 Fall Biblical Feast Part One of this High Holy Days series, I go into a few reasons why Christians should celebrate the (moedim) appointed days of Adonai. I go over the theme of High Holy Days and some traditions you may explore.

In this teaching, we will be going over Leviticus 16 and 23 I encourage you to read both chapters, and you may read Numbers 29, but we will not go into all the sacrifices on the appointed days.

Now that you have read Lev 16 and 23 let's get started

The Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur is considered one of the holiest days of the year. The whole community usually spends 40 days praying and searching one's heart to prepare for this one day. Starting at Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets begins what is called the “10 days of Awe.” where you are encouraged to pray forgive and make amends to God and Man.

Leviticus 23:27-32 (NASB77) 27 "On exactly the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble your souls and present an offering by fire to the LORD. 28 "Neither shall you do any work on this same day, for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before the LORD your God. 29 "If there is any person who will not humble himself on this same day, he shall be cut off from his people. 30 "As for any person who does any work on this same day, that person I will destroy from among his people. 31 "You shall do no work at all. It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places. 32 "It is to be a sabbath of complete rest to you, and you shall humble your souls; on the ninth of the month at evening, from evening until evening you shall keep your sabbath."

· The Appointed Day -The first instruction God says on "EXACTLY this Day" this means this day is not up for debate, so the 10th day of the 7th month is the month Tishri.

· Holy Convocation- Next, we are to have a Holy Convocation this means we are to come together as a congregation or community.

· Day of Fasting -God commands us to humble or afflict our souls depending on the translations. We will go into this later.

· Day of Rest-Then Adonai say’s to Rest on that day. No Working at all.

The above are the basics of this moedim (appointed day). Let us go just a little deeper and throw in some traditions that make this day an extraordinary day.

HOLY CONVOCATION

I stated in the previous article that the Hebrew days start from sundown to sundown. Traditionally the congregation will come together just before sundown with the blowing of the shofar. Once the shofar has blown, then the congregational leader will say the traditional Kol Nidre (Releasing of Vows). The Torah scrolls are opened, and the whole service is about the prayer or statement below.

“All vows, prohibitions, oaths, consecrations, vows, vows, or equivalent terms that we may vow, swear, consecrate, or prohibit upon ourselves - from the last Yom Kippur until this Yom Kippur, and from this Yom Kippur until the next Yom Kippur, may it come upon us for good - regarding them all, we regret them henceforth. They all will be permitted, abandoned, canceled, null and void, without power and without standing. Our vows shall not be valid vows; our prohibitions shall not be valid prohibitions, and our oaths shall not be valid oaths.”

MLA: "Kol Nidrei - David Ezra Okonşar." . <http://www.okonsar.com/Documents/jewish_music/node36.html>.

I do not believe we can just recite something to cancel a vow nor can a vow be canceled we can only repent of making vows we do not fulfill.

The next day the congregation comes together again sometimes early usually mid-morning this service is almost like a Shabbat service except for the prayers asking forgiveness from God. These prayers are called the Al Chet. You can find them here.

The final prayer is asking God to write us in the book of life.

In the afternoon the book of Jonah is read out loud and discusses the forgiveness of God.

Some congregations do a break the fast service that evening and have more prayers and messages and then food and fellowship which brings me to the next commandment of God for Yom Kippur.

DAY OF FASTING

We are to afflict our souls. What does that mean? Traditionally we are to fast 25 hrs. There is some scripture to back up the idea of fasting on Yom Kippur this fast is usually no water and no food. Anyone who does not afflict his soul will be cut off. Of course, we must understand that if you are pregnant, child, or sick. There are other ways to afflict your soul. Restricting the things you eat like sweets, meats, etc.

Isaiah 58:3 (KJV) 3 Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.

Isaiah 58:5 (KJV) 5 Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?

Isaiah 58:10 (KJV) 10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:

The same word is used "Afflict Your Souls" in reference to Fasting.

It also makes sense to fast because of the Next command for Yom Kippur.

DAY OF REST

When God repeats himself more than once, we need to take heed. God commanded us to rest and do no work and not just once but four times. The consequence of not obeying this command is grievous. He says that anyone who does any work Yah will be destroy from among his people. I do believe that Adonai is very serious yet we have an advocate with Messiah Yeshua!

These commands are perpetual forever. These commands are not too grievous for us. Sometimes it is hard for us to crucify the flesh during these feast times but there is a reward! We can draw closer to Messiah. Yom Kippur is a day to focus on the one who saved us. Ask God to search our hearts and see if there is any wicked way in us. It’s a time for intimate fellowship with our Father in Heaven. The day we just focus on Him because we are not eating we are not working. We have nothing else better to do but to worship our creator and embrace the atonement He provided through His Son Yeshua our Messiah (Jesus).

Remember Adonai’s Great Mercies

Deuteronomy 30:1–16 (TLV) 1“Now when all these things come upon you—the blessing and the curse that I have set before you—and you take them to heart in all the nations where ADONAI your God has banished you, 2and you return to ADONAI your God and listen to His voice according to all that I am commanding you today—you and your children—with all your heart and with all your soul, 3then ADONAI your God will bring you back from captivity and have compassion on you, and He will return and gather you from all the peoples where ADONAI your God has scattered you. 4Even if your outcasts are at the ends of the heavens, from there ADONAI your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you. 5ADONAI your God will bring you into the land that your fathers possessed, and you will possess it; and He will do you good and multiply you more than your fathers. 6Also ADONAI your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants—to love ADONAI your God with all your heart and with all your soul, in order that you may live. 7“ADONAI your God will put all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, who persecuted you. 8Then you—you will return and listen to the voice of ADONAI and do all His mitzvot that I am commanding you today. 9ADONAI your God will make you prosper in all the work of your hand—in the fruit of your womb, and the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your soil—for good. For ADONAI will again rejoice over you for good, as He rejoiced over your fathers— 10when you listen to the voice of ADONAI your God, to keep His mitzvot and His statutes that are written in this scroll of the Torah, when you turn to ADONAI your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 11“For this mitzvah that I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it far off. 12It is not in the heavens, that you should say, ‘Who will go up for us to the heavens and get it for us, and have us hear it so we may do it?’ 13Nor is it across the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross over for us to the other side of the sea and get it for us, and have us hear it so we may do it?’ 14No, the word is very near to you—in your mouth and in your heart, to do it. 15“See, I have set before you today life and good, and death and evil. 16What I am commanding you today is to love ADONAI your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His mitzvot, statutes and ordinances. Then you will live and multiply, and ADONAI your God will bless you in the land you are going in to possess.

These Verses are coming to pass in your lifetime.