The Appointed Times and Festivals that we are to keep today.

Do we today have to observe all of the above appointed times and festivals? This is a question that each individual should take before the Most High in prayer. Whenever I ponder this question myself, there is one thought that keeps coming back at me. When Moses gave his code of law to Israel just berore his death, he did not require that the people as whole celebrate every appointed time and festival. This is what he actually commanded them:

(12) Keep the Sabbath day to sanctify it, as Yahweh your God commanded you. (13) Six days you will work, and you will perform your labours. (14) And the seventh is a sabbath to Yahweh your God. You will not perform any labour, you and your son, and your daughter, and your servant, and your maid servant, and your bull, and your donkey, and all your cattle, and your stranger that in your gates. So that your servant and your maid servant will rest like you. (15) And you will remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt. And Yahweh your God brought you out from there with a strong hand, and an outstretched arm. Thus Yahweh your God commanded you to make the Sabbath day. Deuteronomy 5:12-15 and Deuteronomy 16:1-17

In short Moses commanded them to keep two appointed times, the Sabbath and the Passover, and the three Pilgrimages, the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Gathering which Moses here called the Festival of Tabernacles. What all of these have in common is that their observance is not dependant on the existance of the temple and the priesthood. The observance of the rest of the appointed times depends on the temple, even the Day of Atonements, Yom Kippur. One may think from the wording of the relevant commandments, that this day should be observed today. It is true that the commandments required that all of Israel was to "afflict the soul" on this day, despite the fact that Moses never repeated this commandment in his code of law. However it was for a reason that Israel was to do this as per the wording of Leviticus 16:29-34. The reason being, that on this day, the high priest would enter into the holy of holies to make an atonement for the people, hence on this day the people were to be pure before Yahweh.

Today there is no temple, and no priesthood. Therefore it is my belief that there is no requirement to keep any of the appointed times that Moses did not command Israel before his death. However again I stress that all of this is my opinion, seek the Most High for the truth.

Dates of Biblical Holidays 2008

Passover - Pessach - Passover meal and remembrance of exodus from Egypt. Also the night to go through kitchen and get rid of all breads, flours, leavened products etc..

 Tuesday April 3rd 

2008

Exodus 13:3-10

Exodus 23:14-17

Exodus 34:18-24

 Traditional Passover Dinner

Passover celebrates the deliverance of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. One of the major requirements of this holiday is the prohibition against eating any leavened products and the commandment to eat Passover Matzos.Features the Seder/Passover traditional meal. Click here for Recipes and Meal ideas

Also it is this night that you go through the house and get rid of anything with leaven in it so it's already cleared for the next day.

Feast of Unleavened Bread

     April 4 - 10th, 2008

 No breads for 7 days. Nothing with leaven or yeast in it.  Click here for tips

Pentecost also known as Shavauot, Day of First Fruits, Festival of Reaping, Feast of Weeks, Festival of Harvest, and Festival of First Fruits

 Seven weeks after the beginning of the harvest season. In Israel today, the harvest season normally starts mid-April (so end of May would be Feast of Week's, I'll update "when" as it gets near.)

http://www.simonkeen.prohosts.org
/calendars/articles/2008.htm

  A time of praise and worship. Also one of remembrance of the 10 commandments given at Mt. Sinai and receiving the Torah. Customary to eat dairy products on this day since cattle could not be slaughtered (it was a sabbath). A festival of the Giving of the Torah. More info and ...tips

   I Kings 8:54 - 8:66; in some congregations to 9:1. It begins with the laws of tithes (Messmer - a tenth part of the produce given away). Sukkot, the Festival of Ingathering, was the time when the various tithes were given away to the Levites and to the poor.