Birth of Yeshua (Jesus)
during Succoth
By 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
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
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
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
The week of service began and ended on 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
So, the week of service began and ended on the Sabbath.
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.[6]
(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,[7] and the week that follows (approximately Sivan 12-18).
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,[8] Yeshua would have been conceived six months later in the month of Kislev. Mary would have conceived Yeshua after the third Sabbath of Kislev,[9] 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),[10] Yeshua would be born on the fifteenth day of the seventh month (Tishri[11])...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
And ...
Matityahu (Matthew) 2:7-12 Then Herod called the Magi[12] secretly and found out from them the exact
time the star had appeared. He sent them to
Now that we have all of our dates, let’s arrange them so that we can understand the chronology:
First Year
Name
--------------------------
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
Name
---------------------------
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, 5771 - Sep 23, 2010
Shemini Atzeret Tishri 22, 5771 - Sep 30, 2010
Simchat TorahTishri 23, 5771 - Oct 1, 2010
Succoth Tishri 15, 5772 – Oct. 13, 2011
Shemini Atzeret Tishri 22, 5772 – Oct. 20, 2011
Simchat Torah Tishri 23, 5772 – Oct. 11, 2011
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[13] 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[14] 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 Hillel ben David
(Greg Killian).
Comments may be submitted to:
Greg Killian
1101 Surrey Trace SE
Tumwater, WA 98501
Internet address: gkilli@aol.com
Web page:
http://www.betemunah.org/
(360) 584-9352
Return to The
WATCHMAN home page
Send comments to Greg Killian at his email
address: gkilli@aol.com
[2] I learned many aspects of this study from Joseph Good in his book: Rosh HaShannah and the Messianic Kingdom to Come.
[3] Mashiach is a translitterated Hebrew word that means ‘annointed’, and is the common Hebrew translation of ‘Christ’.
[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] Mishna - Bikkurim Chapter 3, Ta'anith
26a, Ta'anith 27a
[7] Sivan occurs in the May-June time frame.
[8] Sivan occurs in the May-June time frame.
[9] Kislev occurs in the November-December time frame.
[10] Nisan occurs in the March-April time frame.
[11] Tishri occurs in the August-September time frame.
[13] Having two, six month, divisions.
[14] Succah 51a
