Birth of Yeshua (Jesus) during Succoth
By Rabbi
Dr. Hillel ben David (Greg Killian)
In this study I will
attempt to show how we can learn the birth date of Yeshua[1] from
the Bible.[2] Many
have said that Mashiach[3] could
not have been born on December 25. While these reasons may be true, there is a
deep mystical reason why the Catholic Church chose
this date. We will explain this after we have determined the Mashiach’s true birth date, because this is critical
to understanding the mystical reason for December 25 as His birth date.
Ok, so when was Yeshua
born? To figure this out, we will need to look at the Tanakh[4] and
begin to understand the way that King David structured the services in the Temple. Our starting point is:
Luqas (Luke) 1:5 In the time of Herod
king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah,
who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a
descendant of Aaron.
From this we learn that John the Baptist's
father was part of the Levitical priesthood family known
as Abijah. Since Zechariah was a priest, we know that John was also a priest
of the family of Abijah. Next we learn when
Abijah served during the biblical year:
I Divrei
HaYamim (Chronicles) 24:1 These
were the divisions of the sons of Aaron: The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu,
Eleazar and Ithamar. But Nadab and Abihu died before their father did, and they
had no sons; so Eleazar and Ithamar served as the priests.
With the help of Zadok a descendant of Eleazar and Ahimelech a descendant of
Ithamar, David separated them into divisions for their appointed
order of ministering. A larger number of leaders were
found among Eleazar's descendants than among Ithamar's, and they were divided
accordingly: sixteen heads of families from Eleazar's descendants and eight heads of families from Ithamar's descendants. They
divided them impartially by drawing lots, for there were officials of the sanctuary and officials of God among the descendants of
both Eleazar and Ithamar. The scribe Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite,
recorded their names in the presence of the king and of the officials: Zadok
the priest, Ahimelech son of Abiathar and the heads
of families of the priests and of the Levites--one family being taken from Eleazar and then one from Ithamar. The first lot fell
to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah, The third to
Harim, the fourth to Seorim, The fifth
to Malkijah, the sixth to Mijamin, The seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth
to Abijah, The ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to
Shecaniah, The eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to
Jakim, The thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab, The fifteenth
to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer, The seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Happizzez, The nineteenth to Pethahiah,
the twentieth to Jehezkel, The twenty-first to Jakin, the twenty-second
to Gamul, The twenty-third
to Delaiah and the twenty-fourth to Maaziah. This
was their appointed order of ministering when they
entered the temple of HaShem,
according to the regulations prescribed for them by their forefather Aaron, as HaShem, the God of Israel, had commanded him. As for the
rest of the descendants of Levi: from the sons of Amram: Shubael; from the sons
of Shubael: Jehdeiah. As for Rehabiah, from his sons: Isshiah was the first. From the Izharites: Shelomoth; from the sons of
Shelomoth: Jahath. The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third
and Jekameam the fourth. The son of Uzziel: Micah; from
the sons of Micah: Shamir. The brother of Micah: Isshiah; from the sons of
Isshiah: Zechariah. The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The son of Jaaziah:
Beno. The sons of Merari: from Jaaziah: Beno, Shoham, Zaccur and Ibri. From
Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons. From Kish: the son of Kish: Jerahmeel. And the
sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder and Jerimoth. These were the Levites, according to
their families. They also cast lots, just as their brothers the descendants of
Aaron did, in the presence of King David and of Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads
of families of the priests and of the Levites. The
families of the oldest brother were treated the same as those of the youngest.
There were twenty-four
(24) courses, or families, of priests. Abijah was
the eighth course. King David divided them and gave
them instructions concerning the time they were to
serve. King David did not make up these services or divisions, but rather HaShem instructed him in the way that He desired.[5]
HaShem's Spirit
showed David how he was to divide the Priests and
how they were to serve:
I Divrei HaYamim (Chronicles) 28:11-13 Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for
the portico of the temple, its buildings, its
storerooms, its upper parts, its inner rooms and the place of atonement. He gave him the plans of all that the
Spirit had put in his mind for the courts of the temple
of HaShem and all the surrounding rooms, for the
treasuries of the temple of God and for the
treasuries for the dedicated things. He gave him instructions for the divisions
of the priests and Levites, and for all the work of
serving in the temple of HaShem,
as well as for all the articles to be used in its service.
The following verse indicates that the length
of service for each of the twenty-four courses
was seven days in the spring and seven
days in the fall:
I Divrei HaYamim (Chronicles) 9:1-26 All Israel was listed in the genealogies
recorded in the book of the kings of Israel. The people of Judah were taken
captive to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness.
Now the first to resettle on their own property in their
own towns were some Israelites, priests, Levites and
temple servants. Those from Judah, from Benjamin, and from Ephraim and Manasseh who lived in Jerusalem were: Uthai son of Ammihud, the son of Omri, the
son of Imri, the son of Bani, a descendant of Perez son of Judah. Of the
Shilonites: Asaiah the firstborn and his sons. Of the Zerahites: Jeuel. The
people from Judah numbered 690. Of the Benjamites: Sallu son of Meshullam, the
son of Hodaviah, the son of Hassenuah; Ibneiah son of Jeroham; Elah son of
Uzzi, the son of Micri; and Meshullam son of Shephatiah, the son of Reuel, the
son of Ibnijah. The people from Benjamin, as listed
in their genealogy, numbered 956. All these men were heads of their families.
Of the priests: Jedaiah; Jehoiarib; Jakin; Azariah
son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth,
the son of Ahitub, the official in charge of the house
of God; Adaiah son of Jeroham, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malkijah; and
Maasai son of Adiel, the son of Jahzerah, the son of Meshullam, the son of
Meshillemith, the son of Immer. The priests, who
were heads of families, numbered 1,760. They were able men, responsible for
ministering in the house of God. Of the Levites:
Shemaiah son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, a Merarite;
Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal and Mattaniah son of Mica, the son of Zicri, the son
of Asaph; Obadiah son of Shemaiah, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun; and
Berekiah son of Asa, the son of Elkanah, who lived in the villages of the
Netophathites. The gatekeepers: Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman and their
brothers, Shallum their chief Being stationed at the King's Gate on the east, up to the present time.
These were the gatekeepers belonging to the camp of
the Levites. Shallum son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, and
his fellow gatekeepers from his family (the Korahites) were responsible for
guarding the thresholds of the Tent just as their fathers
had been responsible for guarding the entrance to the dwelling
of HaShem. In earlier times Phinehas son of Eleazar
was in charge of the gatekeepers, and HaShem was with
him. Zechariah son of Meshelemiah was the gatekeeper at the entrance to the
Tent of Meeting. Altogether, those chosen to be gatekeepers at the thresholds
numbered 212. They were registered by genealogy in their villages. The
gatekeepers had been assigned to their positions of trust by David and Shmuel
(Samuel) the seer. They and their descendants were in charge of guarding the
gates of the house of HaShem--the house called the
Tent. The gatekeepers were on the four sides: east, west, north and south. Their brothers in their
villages had to come from time to time and share their duties for seven-day
periods. But the four principal gatekeepers, who
were Levites, were entrusted with the responsibility for the rooms and
treasuries in the house of God.
The Torah[6] commands the daily sacrifices that are referred to as 'Tamid' - continuous sacrifices that were offered every day of every year, one in the early hours of the morning and another during the mid-afternoon. (According to the Gemara,[7] the last time the Tamid was offered was on 17th Tammuz in the year 3830 - 70 CE - three weeks before the Temple was overrun by the Romans and ruined by fire and demolition. This was during the siege of Jerusalem and the supply of animals had run out.) Since the Tamid was an offering on behalf of all Israel, all Israel, as it were, should be present when it is offered. However, this is an obvious impossibility. Therefore, the mishna[8] states that all Israel were divided into twenty four mishmarot, watches, and each watch was to serve in the Temple for one week twice a year. Thus perhaps a better rendition of mishmeret would be 'duty roster'. However, since the number of people was far too large to give everyone a chance to serve twice a year it was highly likely that any given member of the roster might get a chance only once in a lifetime to actually serve for one week in the Temple. The priestly watches were changed every Shabbat after the Musaf[9] offering, and when they were changed the corresponding watches of the levites and the Israelites would also change.
The week of service began and ended on Shabbat, the Sabbath:
II Divrei HaYamim (Chronicles) 23:1-8 In the seventh year
Jehoiada showed his strength. He made a covenant
with the commanders of units of a hundred: Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son
of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son
of Zicri. They went throughout Judah and gathered the
Levites and the heads of Israelite families from all the towns. When they came
to Jerusalem, The whole assembly made a covenant with the king at the temple
of God. Jehoiada said to them, "The king's son shall reign, as HaShem promised concerning the descendants of David. Now
this is what you are to do: A third of you priests and Levites who are going on duty on the Sabbath are to keep watch at the doors, A third of you at the royal palace and a third at the Foundation Gate, and all the other men are
to be in the courtyards of the temple of HaShem. No one is to enter the temple of HaShem except the priests and Levites on duty; they may enter because
they are consecrated, but all the other men are to guard what HaShem has assigned to them. The Levites are to station
themselves around the king, each man with his weapons in his hand. Anyone who enters the temple
must be put to death. Stay close to the king wherever he goes." The
Levites and all the men of Judah did just as Jehoiada the priest
ordered. Each one took his men--those who were going on
duty on the Sabbath and those who were going off
duty--for Jehoiada the priest had not released any
of the divisions.
So, the week of service began and ended on the Sabbath.
The priests were
divided into twenty-four watches, each watch
taking a week of service at the Temple. During a
watch's week the priests of that watch kept all of
the sacrifices. However, during
pilgrimage festivals all twenty-four
watches equally divided the sacrifices that were offered on account of the festival.
In addition to their normal service, the Priests, all twenty-four
courses, served for three extra weeks during the year:17
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 16:16 Three times a year
all your men must appear before HaShem your God at
the place he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened
Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles. No man should appear before HaShem empty-handed:
Now we need to do some arithmetic:
Twenty-four
courses times one week equals twenty-four
weeks that have been served by the twenty-four
courses. Then we add the three extra weeks when all twenty-four courses served. We now have covered twenty-seven weeks.
A biblical year consists of twelve lunar months, of 29.5 days, which total 354 days.
This is eleven days less than a solar year, of 365
days. This means that we have to cover twenty-four
more weeks. Thus we can deduce that each course served a week at the beginning
of the year, and a week at the end of the year. The Mishna
agrees with this conclusion.[10]
(The number of days
that differ from a lunar and a solar calendar, are
made up by adding a leap month every two or three years. I do not yet know
how the priests served these extra days.)
Each course, therefore, served for one week twice a year, and three
weeks a year they all served. Each course, therefore, served a total of five weeks during the year.
Between the first and
the eighth week of the year, two
of the three times when all twenty-four
courses served, intervened.
The eighth course
would, therefore, serve during the tenth week having allowed for the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast
of Weeks, which both occur during the first eight weeks of the year. This is the second Sabbath of Sivan,[11] and the
week that follows (approximately Sivan 12-18).
Elizabeth conceived John the Baptist AFTER Zechariah
had finished his Temple service. So, she would have
become pregnant after the third Sabbath
of Sivan (approximately Sivan
19-25):
Luqas (Luke) 1:23 When his time of
service was completed, he returned home. After this his wife Elizabeth became
pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion.
If you go forward forty
weeks, for a normal pregnancy, we see that John the Baptist was born on Passover. We would expect that this pregnancy would be
perfectly normal because this is the mark of HaShem's
handiwork, perfection!
It is interesting that John the Baptist was
born on Passover, because one
of the rituals of the Passover is to set a special
place setting, for Elijah, and to open the door to welcome Elijah. Mashiach said that John the Baptist was the Elijah who
was to come!
Matityahu (Matthew) 11:7-15 As John’s disciples were leaving, Yeshua began to speak to the
crowd about John: "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed
swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine
clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings' palaces. Then what did
you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is
the one about whom it is written: 'I will send my
messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.' I tell you the
truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John
the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven
is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of
heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful
men lay hold of it. For all the Prophets and the Law
prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah
who was to come. He who has ears, let him hear.
Exactly six months after
John's conception, Mary conceives Yeshua:
Luqas (Luke) 1:23-33 When his time of
service was completed, he returned home. After this his wife Elizabeth became
pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion.
"The Lord has done this for me," she said. "In these days he has
shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people." In
(Elizabeth's) sixth month (of pregnancy), God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a
town in Galilee, To a young woman pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's
name was Mary. The angel went
to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with
you." Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of
greeting this might be. But the angel said to her,
"Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with
child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name
Yeshua. He will be great and will be called the Son
of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,
And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever;
his kingdom will never end."
If John the Baptist was conceived in the
eleventh week, the third Sabbath
week of Sivan,[12] Yeshua would have been conceived six
months later in the month of Kislev. Mary would have
conceived Yeshua after the third
Sabbath of Kislev,[13]
approximately Kislev 19-26. Kislev
25 is Chanukah.
It is noteworthy that Mashiach,
the "light of the world", was conceived on
the festival of lights (Chanukah)!
So, six months after
John the Baptist was born, Yeshua was born.
Therefore, since John was born on the fifteenth day
of the first month (Nisan),[14] Yeshua would be born on the fifteenth
day of the seventh month (Tishri[15])...six month later. The fifteenth
day of the seventh month is known
as Succoth, or the Feast of
Tabernacles. By the way, that day was a full moon.
In fact, the fifteenth day of every Biblical month
is always full moon.
Yeshua (Jesus) was born on Succoth
(The Feast of Tabernacles)!
We find an allusion to Yeshua's
birth during Succoth in John's gospel:
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Yochanan (John) 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling (succah) among us. We have seen his glory, the glory
of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Remember that a major theme of Succoth is JOY! With this in mind ...
Luqas (Luke) 2:4-11 So Joseph also went
up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem
the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went
there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was
expecting a child. While they were there, the time came
for the baby to be born, And she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She
wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for
them in the inn. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby,
keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of
the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and
they were terrified. But the angel said to them,
"Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of
great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior
has been born to you; he is Mashiach the Lord.
And ...
Matityahu (Matthew) 2:7-12 Then Herod called the Magi[16] secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He
sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make
a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that
I too may go and worship him." After they had heard the king, they went on
their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place
where the child was. When they saw the star, they
were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the
child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they
opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their
country by another route.
Now that we have all of our dates, let’s
arrange them so that we can understand the chronology:
First Year
--------------------------
Nisan (March-April)
Iyar (April-May)
Sivan (May-June)
25 - John the Baptist is conceived.
Tammuz (June-July)
Av (July-August)
Elul (August-September)
Tishri (September-October)
Heshvan (October-November)
Kislev (November-December)
25 - Yeshua is conceived. (Chanukah)
Tevet (December-January)
Shevat (January-February)
Adar (February-March)
Second
Year
---------------------------
Nisan (March-April)
15 - John the Baptist is born (Passover)
Iyar (April-May)
Sivan (May-June)
Tammuz (June-July)
Av (July-August)
Elul (August-September)
Tishri (September-October) 15 - Yeshua is born (Feast of
Tabernacles)
Heshvan (November-December)
Kislev (November-December)
Tevet (December-January)
Shevat (January-February)
Adar (February-March)
Difficulty
If each course served for a week in the spring
and a week in the fall, how do we know that Yeshua was not born at Passover?
There are two ways to
understand the answer. If we started our count during the eighth
week of the fall term, then John the Baptist would be born at Succoth and we would not have the connection with Elijah at Passover.
In addition, we would not have the connection of Yeshua being conceived at Chanukah.
That said, it is still possible that Yeshua was born at Passover.
This does not present an insurmountable problems because of the bi-modality of
the year. The triennial Torah reading cycle also suggests that in many ways Passover and Succoth are
alike.
* * *
Ok, Yeshua was born
on the festival of Succoth.
So, when is Succoth? I am glad you asked that
question. The following dates detail when we celebrate Succoth
for the next few years:
Succoth Tishri 15,
5773 - Oct 1, 2012
Shemini Atzeret Tishri 22, 5773 -
Oct 8, 2012
Simchat TorahTishri 23, 5773 - Oct
9, 2012
Succoth Tishri 15,
5774 – Sep. 19, 2013
Shemini Atzeret Tishri 22, 5774 –
Sep. 26, 2013
Simchat TorahTishri 23, 5774 – Sep.
27, 2013
* * *
The Torah reading, in the first
year of the triennial cycle,
for the Sabbath closest to John the Baptist’s
conception is: Bereshit (Genesis) 35:9 – 36:43.
This Torah portion recounts the time when Jacob renamed
Israel, Rachel dies, birth of Benjamin, Reuben
moves Jacob’s bed, Isaac
dies, and the generations
of Esau.
The Torah reading, in the first
year of the triennial cycle,
for the Sabbath closest to Yeshua’s
conception is: Bereshit (Genesis) Gen. 15:1-21.
This Torah portion recounts the time of the covenant between
the parts, and when Abraham was promised a son.
The
Context
The birth of Mashiach did not happen as an independent event. It happened in time and
within the context of world history which had been
carefully prepared for this event. To begin to
understand the context of His birth, I recommend that you examine other events that occurred at the time
of His conception and birth. His birth was no accident. It is important to see Mashiach’s birth within the context of Succoth. In fact, I would suggest that it is impossible
to understand the birth of Mashiach
without celebrating Succoth. Further, we must see Succoth within the context of all the festivals in a year. This context will reveal some
very interesting perspectives.
One other perspective
will also help: The Biblical year is bi-modal[17] such
that spring is a mirror image of fall. This is most evident within the festivals as we explored in my study
titled rains. This bi-modality is also evident in the
ancient Torah reading cycle commonly known as the triennial cycle. There are two such triennial cycles of three and a half years in a Sabbatical,
or Shmita, cycle. There is
an example of this ancient reading cycle at shmitatc.
Why was December 25th chosen by the
Catholic church for the birth
of Yeshua? There are two
answers to this question. The first answer is the answer
most commonly given. The second answer is a Jewish
mystical answer that is almost never given.
The reason why the Catholic church chose December 25, has to do with the pagan festival of Saturnalia.
I am not going to give the details about this festival,
but it is instructive to note that most of the current customs of Christmas are
borrowed from the celebration of Saturnalia. This reason is quite well known and is documented in many sources.
Those who have studied
the Torah have understood a far deeper and more interesting mystical reason as
to why the birth of the Mashiach
was assigned to December 25. To understand this reason we will need to review a
bit of Latin.
What is the meaning of September? In Latin, septem means seven and septimus means seventh; September was in fact the seventh month of the Jewish,
or Biblical calendar. This calendar
was in use by the whole world for most of the world’s existence. In 153 BC, the Romans reordered the calendar but kept some of the names that provided a
hint as to its earlier origins. Remember that the Torah originally used numbers for the names of the months rather than actual
names. The names in the current Jewish calendar were taken from Babylon
by Chazal, our Sages, to provide us with a remembrance of our exile. In days to come, the numbered months will be
restored by Mashiach.
What is the meaning of October? In Latin, octo means eight,
reflecting the fact that October was the eighth month
of the year.
What is the meaning of November? In Latin, novem means nine. November
was the ninth month of the year.
What is the meaning of December? In Latin, decem means ten. December was the tenth month of the
year.
Now that we have had our
Latin lesson we can understand that December 25 can be understood as the twenty-fifth day of the tenth
month. In fact, this is the terminology of the Torah. Now if we switch our
brains from the Roman calendar to the Jewish calendar, we can
relate to the fact that the twenty-fifth
day of the tenth month is an allusion to Chanukah,
which began on the twenty-fifth
day and ended in the tenth month (Kislev 25 through
Tevet 1 / 2). Recall that Chanukah was when Yeshua was conceived.
HaShem
gave the Gentiles a hint that they could easily
understand. He was hinting to Chanukah. To make the
message even clearer, He gave the Gentiles the
custom of decorating their Christmas trees, and homes, with lights. What do
lights have to do with Christmas? Well, lets see; there was the star… Hmmm. Ok, so, what do lights have to do with Chanukah? I am glad you asked! Chanukah
is also known as the Feast of
Lights because of the miracle of the lights of the menorah in the Temple. Remember that the Maccabees had only enough pure
oil to last for one day. Yet, when they kindled this one cruse of oil it burned for eight
days! We celebrate this miracle by kindling a progression of oil lights in our
homes for the eight days of Chanukah.
Thus we see that the lights of the Gentiles point to
Chanukah.
Some may say that Yeshua was The Light of the World;
quoting from John 8:12 or John 9:5. They thus suggest that the Mashiach’s birth is a cause for the lights. What is
really interesting about this argument is the fact that when Yeshua proclaimed that He was the light of the world, it was during Succoth.
During Succoth, four huge
lamps were set up in the courtyard of the women. The Talmud[18] says that there was not a courtyard in all of Jerusalem that was not illuminated by these lamps. The
wicks were made from the worn-out priestly garments. Yeshua
proclaimed Himself to be the light of the world while
the people were gazing at the four lights which were
called the light of the world. This quote, then, is not as fitting for
Christmas as it is for Succoth, the day of Mashiach’s birth.
To further strengthen the connection of December 25 to Chanukah,
it is useful to note that the Christmas holiday is
celebrated by many from December 25 through January 1. This, too, is an eight day period which corresponds to the eight days of Chanukah.
Now, you know the real reason why December 25th was
chosen as the date of the Mashiach’s birth. Even
though it is NOT when the Mashiach was born, it
contains enough hints that the discerning student could use to find his way
away from Christmas. It contained all the hints needed to cause him to
celebrate Succoth and Chanukah
as being HaShem’s dates, rather than celebrating
man’s made up date of December 25. (For more insights
on the festival of lights and Christmas, please see
my study titled: Lights.)
Finally, it is worth
nothing that Yeshua never celebrated Christmas. He
never put up a Christmas tree. He never went to midnight mass or any Protestant
service on Christmas.
Yeshua
did, however, celebrate Chanukah:
Yochanan (John) 10:22 And it was at Jerusalem
the feast of the dedication (Chanukah), and it was
winter. 23 And Yeshua
walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch.
Yeshua
did celebrate Succoth (Feast
of Tabernacles):
Yochanan (John) 7:1 After
these things Yeshua walked in Galilee: for he would
not walk in Judaea, because the Jews sought to kill him. 2 Now the Jews’ feast of tabernacles (Succoth)
was at hand. 3
His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea,
that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest. 4 For there
is no man that doeth any
thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the
world. 5 For
neither did his brethren believe in him. 6
Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time
is alway ready. 7 The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I
testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. 8 Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet
unto this feast; for my time is not yet full come.
9 When he had said these words unto
them, he abode still in
Galilee. 10 But when his brethren were
gone up, then went he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.
Hakham Shaul (the Apostle Paul) then made the
comment that should weigh heavily on all those who do not celebrate Succoth and Chanukah:
1
Corinthians 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Mashiach.
Let us become imitators of Mashiach!
* * *
Bibliography:
Rosh HaShannah and the Messianic Kingdom to Come, by Joseph Good
* * *
This study was written by
Rabbi
Dr. Hillel ben David
(Greg
Killian).
Comments
may be submitted to:
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Dr. Greg Killian
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Internet
address: gkilli@aol.com
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[2] I learned many aspects of this study from Joseph Good in his book: Rosh HaShannah and the Messianic Kingdom to Come.
[3] I am using Mashiach without further qualification, to apply to Mashiach ben Joseph, which is not the normal Jewish way. The normal Jewish way is to that an ‘mashiach’ without qualification always applies to Mashiach ben David only. See Rambam’s Hilchot Melachim.
[4] Tanakh (Hebrew: תנ׳ך)
(also Tanach, IPA: [ta’nax] or [tə’nax], Tenakh or Tenak) is an acronym
that identifies the Hebrew Bible. The acronym is formed from the initial Hebrew
letters of the Tanakh's three traditional subdivisions:
Torah (תורה), meaning
"teaching" or "law", includes the Five Books of Moses. The Torah is also known by its Greek
name, "the Pentateuch", which similarly means "five
scrolls".
Nevi'im (נביאים),
meaning "Prophets". The Nevi'im are often divided into the Earlier
Prophets, which are generally historical, and the Later Prophets, which contain
more exhortational prophecies.
Ketuvim (כתובים),
meaning "Writings", are sometimes also known by the Greek title
"Hagiographa". These encompass all the remaining books, and include
the Five Scrolls.
[5] This is in contrast to the way Catholics and Protestants make up their services.
[6] Bamidbar (Numbers) 28:2
[7] Ta'anit 26b
[8] Ta’anit 4:2
[9] additional
[10] Mishna -
Bikkurim Chapter 3, Ta'anith 26a, Ta'anith 27a
[11] Sivan occurs in the May-June time frame.
[12] Sivan occurs in the May-June time frame.
[13] Kislev occurs in the November-December time frame.
[14] Nisan occurs in the March-April time frame.
[15] Tishri occurs in the August-September time frame.
[17] Having two, six month, divisions.
[18] Succah 51a
