· Lighting of the Candles & Blessing

"Barukh atah Adonai Elohenu Elohenu melekh ha-olam, asher kidshanu b'mitzvohtav v'tzi-vanu l'hadleek ner shel yomtov."

"Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who has set us apart by your commandments and has commanded us to light the candles for this Holy day."

· Kiddush Cup

The Kiddush cup is the cup of blessing. The Jewish people drink it, with wine on all holy days, and Sabbaths. In some of the festivals, such as Passover, the kiddush cup is drunk several times during the meal.

· Meal

The celebration of all the Jewish holidays centers around a meal, except for Yom Kippur (the day of Atonement) which is a day of fasting. Each feast has it's own special foods that are served only then.

2. The Jewish holidays were originally established by God. They are joyous occasions, with much singing, dancing, and storytelling. He had several purposes in establishing these festivals:

· To remind His people of what He had done in the past.

· To show His people how He is presently active in their lives.

· To prepare His people so they would recognize what He was doing in the future

Since God is a covenant God, these festivals are also part of what can be called "covenant language." They are there as a reminder of God's covenant with Abraham, and through him with the nation of Israel, and ultimately with us.

"Mo'adaim l'simchah, chaggim u'zmannim l'sason"

"Gatherings for gladness, festival times for joy"

3. Jewish Calendar

There are two Jewish calendars:

· The civil calendar

· The religious calendar

The religious calendar is used to determine the dates of the festivals. It doesn't start the same time each year. In old times, it was based on the lunar cycle. The rabbis would start the calendar on the first new moon, after the start of Spring.

4. Feasts, or Festivals

Every seventh day is the Sabbath.

Every month, at the new moon, is the new moon festival.

The major feasts, or festivals can be broken into two groups, the spring festivals, and the fall festivals.

· The Spring Festivals are:

• Rosh Chodesh (1st moon)
• Pessach (Passover)
• Feast of Unleavened Bread
• First Fruits
• The Omer (50 days of waiting)
• Shavuoth - Pentecost

· The Fall Festivals are:

• Rosh Hashanah (Festival of Trumpets)
• Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)
• Sukkoth (Festival of Booths)
  • Simchat Torah (Celebration of the Law)

In addition to these, the Old Testament Jewish people have added two other festivals, they are:

• Purim
• Hanukkah

Since the establishment of the nation of Israel, the following festivals have been added:

• Yom Hasho-Ah (Holocaust Day)
• Yom Ha-Atsma-Ut (Israel Independence)
• Tish-Ah Be-Av (9th day of Av - destruction of the 1st temple)

Purim is the first festival on the religious calendar, although Passover is the first one established by God.

Rash HaShanah is the first festival on the civil calendar, and serves as the Jewish New Year.

5. Categories of Festivals

· The Pilgrimage Festivals

     These are the festivals where all the men of the nation of Israel are required to present
     themselves at the temple of the Lord.

• Pesach (Passover)
• Shavuot (Pentecost)
• Sukkot (Tabernacles)

· The Days of Awe

     The name Days of Awe refers to the awe and reverence that we are to keep God in. These
     two festivals, and the 10 day preparation time in between them are celebrated somewhat
     together.

• Rosh HaShanah (Trumpets)
• Yom Kippur (Atonement)

· Patriotic Memories (minor festivals)

     None of these festivals were not established by God. They are a reminder that the Jewish
     people created to remember the salvation of their nation, culture, people, and religion.

• Purim (Festival of Lots - book of Ester)
• Hanukkah (Festival of Lights)

6. Notes about Celebrating

In the early Old Testament, the festival celebration was centered around the tabernacle. After the destruction of the tabernacle, festival celebration was centered in the home. This is the way that they are done today.

Jewish festivals are celebrated the same way every year, to the point that a written script is kept and used for celebrating some of the festivals. This repetition was important for training, and to cause the people to remember what God had done for them. Many of the parts of the celebration were done to show the way toward Christ, so that the Jewish people would recognize the Messiah when he came.

Even with this constant repetition and training, when Jesus did appear, the Jewish people did not recognize him. The problem, as Jesus himself stated, is that the Jewish people got so wrapped up in the traditions, that they failed to look at the meaning behind those traditions.

7. Benediction (Numbers 6:24-25)

The Lord Bless you, and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace. Amen