Joel C. Rosenberg: What is “Sukkot,” the Feast of Tabernacles, and why do Jews celebrate it?

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What is “Sukkot,” the Feast of Tabernacles, and why do Jews celebrate it? by joelcrosenberg Shalom from Israel and Chag Same'ach -- happy holidays! We have just begun the third of the Fall Feasts. The first was Rosh HaShana, the Jewish New Year. The second is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. This one is known as Sukkot, or the Feast of Tabernacles. What is this feast all about? Why do we as Jews celebrate it? And how does it relate to the prophetic plan of the Lord, as laid out in the Scriptures? These are  important questions, and to provide the answers I commend this excellent article to you. I hope you'll read it and discuss it with family and friends, and share it with others on social media. Thanks, and may the Lord bless you as you study His Word and draw nearer to Him day by day. ““In that day I will raise up the tabernacle [sukkah] of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old, that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name,” declares the Lord who does this.” Amos 9:11-12 ———————-—- Subscribe (free) to the RSS feed (click here) and receive every new posting on this blog directly via email. Make an investment in The Joshua Fund (www.joshuafund.net), our non-profit organization to help Christians care for Syrian refugees, educate and mobilize Christians to bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus, care for the poor and needy in Israel (both Jews and Arabs) with food and other humanitarian relief, care for Holocaust survivors, and strengthen the Church in the epicenter. Read our latest Donor Report, and prayerfully consider making a tax deductible, secure, on-line contribution. Thanks so much! Follow on Twitter — @joelcrosenberg joelcrosenberg | October 17, 2016 at 10:01 am | Categories: Epicenter | URL: http://wp.me/piWZ7-5T9

Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog: As we observe Yom Kippur tonight, it’s worth asking: Where do we as modern Jews receive atonement for our sins?

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As we observe Yom Kippur tonight, it’s worth asking: Where do we as modern Jews receive atonement for our sins? by joelcrosenberg At sundown tonight, we begin Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. In the Hebrew Scriptures, the Israelites were commanded by the Lord to fast and pray and bring their sacrifices to the Temple in Jerusalem, and then to ask for the Lord’s forgiveness for all the sins they and their nation had committed that year. According to Moses and the Holy Scriptures, only the blood sacrifice of a perfect animal -- sacrificed with a humble, repentant heart, and with faith in God’s mercy and grace -- would bring about forgiveness of sins. “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.” (Leviticus 17:11) “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” (Hebrews 9:22) "Blessed is the one whose sins are forgiven, whose sins are covered." (Psalm 32:1) But here's the problem modern Jews face today: How do we receive atonement for our sins in the modern age, without an operational Temple in Jerusalem? That is, how can we make sacrifices and receive forgiveness of sins — and thus the right to enter the holiness of heaven and live with the Lord in heaven forever and ever in His holy and perfect world — without being able to sacrifice a perfect lamb at the Temple in Jerusalem, where the Lord designated all sacrifices to occur? The destruction of the Temple by the Romans in 70 A.D. was a huge blow to Judaism, because it deprived Jews of the place to receive atonement from God. For two thousand years, we haven't had the ability to have our sins forgiven in the manner required by the Lord in the Bible. Fortunately, the Lord spoke the answer through the Hebrew prophet Daniel hundreds of years before the Second Temple was destroyed. In Daniel 9:24-26, we learn three critical and fascinating truths: Daniel told us that the Messiah (“Anointed One”) would come at a certain time in history “to atone for wickedness” and “to bring in everlasting righteousness” Daniel also told us that when the Messiah came, he would be “cut off and will have nothing” then Daniel foretold that Jerusalem and the Temple would be destroyed after the Messiah was "cut off" — as Daniel noted, foreign invaders “will come and will destroy the city and the sanctuary” Think about that for a moment. Daniel told us something extraordinary: the coming Messiah would be "cut off" and bring atonement for our sins, and He would come beforethe Temple would be destroyed. In retrospect, that makes sense, right? Why would the Lord take away the Temple unless He was going to provide a new way for atonement, the very "new covenant" He spoke of through the Hebrew prophet Jeremiah? What's more, the Hebrew Prophet Isaiah gave us additional important details about the Messiah’s role in bringing each of us atonement from our sins. Consider these passages from Isaiah 53: 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. 11 After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. 13 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. What's intriguing to me is that the Jews of the First Century (B.C.E.) actually believed the Messiah would one day come to earth and die as a “suffering servant” — as an atonement for sins and the redemption of Israel — and would then rise from the dead on the third day. That's the conclusion of a respected professor and Dead Sea Scrolls expert at Hebrew University. In fact, he argues that the death and “third day” resurrection of the Messiah is, in fact, a distinctly Jewish concept that actually pre-dates the emergence of Christianity. Dr. Israel Knohl has based on his conclusions on many years of research and recently analyzed archaeological evidence, including a previously unstudied Dead Sea Scroll. Indeed, Knohl argues that this notion of the Messiah rising on the third day is a pre-Christian concept that dates back to before the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem Ephratah. I had the opportunity to sit and discuss this with Dr. Knohl at length a few years ago and it was an absolutely fascinating conversation. I first heard of him when he drew worldwide media attention several years ago for his research, including a major article in the New York Times and several articles inBiblical Archaeology Review — see here, and here, and here. The Times story, which ran under the headline, “Ancient Tablet Ignites Debate on Messiah and Resurrection,” begins as follows: “A three-foot-tall tablet with 87 lines of Hebrew that scholars believe dates from the decades just before the birth of Jesus is causing a quiet stir in biblical and archaeological circles, especially because it may speak of a messiah who will rise from the dead after three days. If such a messianic description really is there, it will contribute to a developing re-evaluation of both popular and scholarly views of Jesus, since it suggests that the story of his death and resurrection was not unique but part of a recognized Jewish tradition at the time. The tablet, probably found near the Dead Sea in Jordan according to some scholars who have studied it, is a rare example of a stone with ink writings from that era — in essence, a Dead Sea Scroll on stone.” The tablet has been named by scholars as “Gabriel’s Revelation” because it suggests that the angel Gabriel was instructed by God to direct that the Messiah be raised from the dead on the third day. The stone tablet was discovered several decades ago and is owned by a Israeli-Swiss Jewish man by the name of David Jeselsohn who didn’t understand its significance when he purchased it. The Times article was published in 2008. Dr. Knohl then published a book about all this in 2009 entitled, Messiahs and Resurrection in “The Gabriel Revelation.” That was a follow up to his previous book, The Messiah Before Jesus: The Suffering Servant of the Dead Sea Scrolls (first published in Hebrew in 2000 and then in English in 2002). In the book, Dr. Knohl explains the various Jewish theories about the Messiah, including the idea of a “Messiah son of David” who will come as a reigning king on the earth like King David was, and a “Messiah son of Joseph” who will be rejected by his brothers, mistreated, left for dead but will eventually reappear and save not only the nation of Israel but the world like Joseph did in the book of Genesis. I would commend these articles — and Dr. Knohl's books — to your attention. I would also encourage you to read Daniel 9 and Isaiah 53 and the other Biblical passages I've mentioned here. Study and discuss them with family and friends, and on this important Day of Atonement, ask the following questions: Did the ancient Hebrew prophecies really did foretell that the Jewish Messiah would die as an atonement for our sins but was also supposed to be buried and raised from the dead on the third day? Did the Jews in the first century really believed that the coming Messiah would be rejected by the religious leaders of the day in order to be killed on Passover and raised from the dead on the third day, on the Feast of First Fruits? If so, why should this matter to you and me? joelcrosenberg | October 11, 2016 at 2:58 pm | Categories: Epicenter | URL: http://wp.me/piWZ7-5Rn

Did you know that many Jewish people have come to faith on the Day of Atonement? It's this Wednesday! - ONE FOR ISRAEL

Dr Erez Soref President of  ONE FOR ISRAEL  Shalom! This Wednesday will be the Biblical Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur, as we call it in Hebrew. Many Jewish people have come to faith at this significant time, and we would love you to join us in praying this week in particular: That our people, the people of Israel, would come to know and enjoy the atonement that Yeshua provided for us all.   YOM KIPPUR - A DAY OF PRAYER AND FASTING There will be quiet and empty roads across the land of Israel for the holiest day of the Jewish calendar: Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, which starts on Tuesday evening at sundown and continues through to Wednesday evening.  Most Jewish will people go without food and drink for 24 hours and attend special Yom Kippur services at synagogues, even if they are not especially religious - much in the same way that many people celebrate Christmas even though they don't believe in Jesus. The habit of fasting and quiet contemplation on this day is a well-ingrained part of Jewish culture.  And while reflecting in the synagogue on what it all means, sometimes God meets them there. Here are some stories of Jewish people who had that experience. Continue reading... "From growing up Jewish, I understood about the importance of atonement, and it made me nervous.  If God was even real, I realized that I was just was so far away from him... and I had no way of being able to get back together with him, or to have atonement."  Watch out how Ari Hauben met his Messiah! YESHUA IN YOM KIPPUR, THE DAY OF ATONEMENT There are many ways in which the Biblical ordinance of Yom Kippur foreshadows the greatest atonement of all: the sacrifice of the Messiah himself.  God's lists of seemingly strange and even barbaric commands about blood sacrifice in the Law can be bewildering to us in the twenty-first century sometimes, but when we look carefully at the detailed instructions and what is behind them, it can be overwhelming we start to see the beauty and depth of God's wisdom and prophetic plans. Continue reading... NEW SEMESTER ABOUT TO BEGIN AT ISRAEL COLLEGE OF THE BIBLE The new academic year will start on 25th October, and we have been very pleased to see how many Israelis have registered to study with us. We are still finalizing registration, and praying that this year will be the best year yet! FOLLOW US:

More at: www.oneforisrael.org

ONE FOR ISRAEL, 47 Pinkas david St. POB 13401, Netanya, 42138 Israel

Yom Kippur blessing

We join with our friends in Israel, Jews around the world, and believers in Yeshua on this Holy Day of Yom Kippur. 

May you become more aware of the Lord, Yeshua HaMashiach, in your life, as you seek Him.

Shalom,

Steve & Laurie Martin
Love For His People

Israel's History - a Picture a Day - Yom Kippur at the Western Wall 00 Years Ago

Israel's History - a Picture a Day (Beta)

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Yom Kippur at the Western Wall 00 Years Ago

Posted: 20 Sep 2015

Reposting a feature from last year


Jews at the Kotel on Yom Kippur (circa 1904) See analysis of the graffiti
on the wall for dating this picture. The graffiti on the Wall are memorial notices. (Library of Congress)

On Tuesday night, September 22, Jews around the world will commemorate Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. For many centuries, Jews in the Land of Israel prayed at the Western Wall, the remnant of King Herod's retaining wall of the Temple complex destroyed in 70 AD.


Several readers noticed and commented on the intermingling of men and women in these historic pictures. It was not by choice.

The Turkish and British rulers of Jerusalem imposed severe restrictions on the Jewish worshipers, prohibiting chairs, forbidding screens to divide the men and women, and even banning the blowing of the shofar at the end of the Yom Kippur service. Note that the talit prayer shawls, normally worn by men throughout Yom Kippur, are not visible in the pictures.

Jews at the Western Wall (Ottoman Empire Archives)

Editor' note: In September 2015, the Ottoman Empire Archives tweeted this picture of Jews at the Western Wall, circa 1900 when the Turks ruled Palestine. Note the small tables permitted at the time, a very unusual concession.



The men are wearing their festival/Sabbath finery, including their fur shtreimel hats. Note the prayer shawls. (Credit: RCB Library, 1897)

We found one rare picture in an Irish church's archives, dated 1897, showing men wearing prayer shawls at the Kotel.

View this video, Echoes of a Shofar, to see the story of young men who defied British authorities between 1930 and 1947 and blew the shofar at the Kotel.


Another view of the Western Wall on Yom Kippur. Note the various groups of worshipers: The Ashkenazic Hassidim wearing the fur shtreimel hats in the foreground, the Sephardic Jews wearing the fezzes in the center, and the women in the back wearing white shawls. (Circa 1904, Library of Congress)

For the 19 years that Jordan administered the Old City, 1948-1967, no Jews were permitted to pray at the Kotel.


Many of the photo collections we have surveyed contain pictures of Jewish worshipers at the Western Wall over the last 150 years.

After the 1967 war, the Western Wall plaza was enlarged and large areas of King Herod's wall were exposed. Archaeologists have also uncovered major subterranean tunnels -- hundreds of meters long -- that are now open to visitors to Jerusalem.

Click on the photos to enlarge. Click on the captions to see the originals.

Day of Atonement - Yom Kippur - Sept. 23, 2015

Day of Atonement
Learn About Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement

Mary Fairchild
Christianity Expert

Yom Kippur - Day of Atonement:

Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement is the most solemn and important holy day of the Jewish calendar. In the Old Testament, the Day of Atonement was the day the High Priest made an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the people. This act of atonement brought reconciliation between the people and God. After the blood sacrifice was offered to the Lord, a goat was released into the wilderness to symbolically carry away the sins of the people.

This "scapegoat" was never to return.

Time of Observance:

Yom Kippur is celebrated on the tenth day of the Hebrew month of Tishri (September or October).

• See Bible Feasts Calendar for the actual dates of Yom Kippur.

Scripture Reference:

The observance of the Day of Atonement is recorded in the Old Testament book of Leviticus 16:8-34; 23:27-32.

About Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement:

Yom Kippur was the only time during the year when the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies in the innermost chamber of the Temple (or Tabernacle) to make atonement for the sins of all Israel. Atonement literally means "covering." The purpose of the sacrifice was to bring reconciliation between man and God (or "at-onement" with God) by covering the sins of the people.

Today, the ten days between Rosh Hashanah andYom Kippur are days of repentance, when Jews express remorse for their sins through prayer and fasting. Yom Kippur is the final day of judgment, when each person's fate is sealed by God for the upcoming year.


Jewish tradition tells how God opens the Book of Life and studies the words, actions, and thoughts of every person whose name he has written there. If a person's good deeds outweigh or outnumber their sinful acts, his or her name will remain inscribed in the book for another year. On Yom Kippur, the ram's horn (shofar) is blown at the end of evening prayer services for the first time since Rosh Hashanah.

Jesus and Yom Kippur:

The Tabernacle and the Temple gave a clear picture of how sin separates us from the holiness of God. In Bible times, only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies by passing through the heavy veil that hung from ceiling to floor, creating a barrier between the people and the presence of God.

Once a year on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would enter and offer a blood sacrifice to cover the sins of the people. However, at the very moment when Jesus died on the cross, Matthew 27:51 says, "the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split."(NKJV)

Hebrews chapters 8 and 9 beautifully explain how Jesus Christ became our High Priest and entered heaven (the Holy of Holies), once and for all, not by the blood of sacrificial animals, but by his own precious blood on the cross. Christ himself was the atoning sacrifice for our sins; thus, he obtained for us eternal redemption! As believers we accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of Yom Kippur, the final atonement for sin.

More Facts About Yom Kippur:

When the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D., the Jewish people could no longer present the required sacrifices on the Day of Atonement, so it came to be observed as a day of repentance, self-denial, charitable works, prayer and fasting.

Yom Kippur is a complete Sabbath. No work is done on this day.

Today, Orthodox Jews observe many restrictions and customs on Yom Kippur.

The book of Jonah is read on Yom Kippur in remembrance of God's forgiveness and mercy.
More about Yom Kippur.


Related Articles
Why Is Rosh Hashanah Known as the Feast of Trumpets?
The Holy of Holies: Where God and Man Met Together
What Is the Book of Life in Christianity?
Why Were Animals Sacrificed as Offerings in the Tabernacle?

Source: About Religion

Israel Prepares For Its High Holy Days and the Messiah's Return - Sam Nadler

Israel Prepares For Its High Holy Days and the Messiah's Return

 8/14/2015 SAM NADLER  charisma News

All Israelis are encouraged to prepare for Israel's High Holy Days with forgiveness in their hearts. (Wikimedia Commons)

The Fall Feasts of Israel, the most important appointments of the biblical calendar, are just around the corner.

These three feasts: The Feast of Trumpets (Rosh HaShanah), the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), hold great biblical, historical, and prophetic significance for believers in Yeshua (Jesus) as they point to the events surrounding His second coming (This will be explained more fully in my next article for Standing With Israel). The sixth month of the Hebrew calendar, the month of Elul, (beginning August 16th this year) is traditionally a time of spiritual preparation as Jewish people anticipate these upcoming High Holy Days. 

One of the customs that is practiced during this time is the reciting of Selichot, special prayers for forgiveness, also said on days of fasting. In the Sephardic Jewish tradition, these prayers are said throughout the month, whereas in the Ashkenazic Jewish tradition, they are added to the morning synagogue services near the end of the month. These prayers continue throughout the High Holy Days as individuals consider the profound issues of life and death, sin and forgiveness.  

The significance given to these prayers in traditional Jewish thinking shows up in the three levels of forgiveness which people hope to attain. Traditionally, these levels are identified by three Hebrew terms: selichah (pardon), mechilah (wiping away), and kapparah (atonement). They are all related to forgiveness, but each has its own shade of meaning. 

In Israel, a common word for "pardon" or "excuse me" is selichah. This is the first step a person takes if a sin has been committed, whether against God or man. One asks for forgiveness, saying to the offended party, "I am sorry for what I did; I sincerely regret having done it, and will never do it again." It is considered cruel not to accept a person's sincere apology.  

Mechilah is usually translated as "wiping away," It is a response to the request, "Can our relationship be as it was before I offended you?" At this level, the relationship gets a "reset button." It is more difficult to accomplish than selichah, but not impossible.   

Kapparah is usually translated as "atonement," (as in the Day of Atonement). This level of forgiveness is the deepest of all as it deals with a person's guilty conscience. It is recognized that only God can heal and comfort the conscience of a person. In traditional Jewish circles, "kapparah" completes this three-part process on Yom Kippur. 

What can truly bring the deepest level of forgiveness between man and God? We remember how the people of Israel sinned at the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai when they created and worshipped a golden calf. Beginning in the month of Elul, Moses prayed to God for Israel's spiritual restoration. God's favorable response was to provide a new set of tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments, and to renew His Presence in the people's midst.

It is said by the sages that when Moses went up the second time to receive the two tablets, the people of Israel blew the shofar to remind themselves not to fall into idol worship ever again. Thus the shofar is also blown at the beginning of the month of Elul as a reminder of our frailty and of how easy it is to stumble.   

The New Covenant (New Testament) shows us that there is One who can forgive sins fully, even to the core of our being and to the cleansing and healing of our souls (Matthew 9:6). Because of Yeshua's once-and-for-all atonement, there is never a need for any other offering for sin (Hebrews 10:18). As we confess our sins, Messiah's atonement is enough to enjoy the renewal of our souls before God (1 John 1:9), and our prayers are now of praise and thanksgiving.

In Messiah's atonement, we have the grace of God to forgive one another for any offense committed against us (Ephesians 4:32). Indeed, by this same grace, we can not only forgive but also comfort any who are guilt ridden by their consciences (2 Corinthians 2:7). In Messiah's atonement is full forgiveness, not merely restoration to a previous relationship, but "forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith" (Acts 26:18). 

Therefore, let us be prepared indeed! As we anticipate Messiah's return, let us prepare our hearts that we will not be "ashamed at His coming" (1 John 2:28). And as we approach the High Holy Days during this month of Elul, let us commit to pray that not only will we be prepared, but that Israel and all people will be prepared to meet with the Lord as a result of the true forgiveness which comes only through Messiah. "Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel!" (Amos 4:12).

Dr. Sam Nadler is a Jewish believer in Jesus and has been in Messianic Jewish ministry for over 40 years.  Sam is the president of Word of Messiah Ministries, which is bringing the Good News to the Jew first but not to the Jew only, and planting Messianic Congregations in Jewish communities worldwide. To equip the Body of Messiah in our shared calling, Sam has written multiple books on Jewish evangelism, discipleship, and the Feasts of Israel. Sam mentors Messianic leaders around the world, and regularly holds leadership conferences to train and encourage congregation planters in their vital ministry. For more information and resources, visit: www.wordofmessiah.org.  

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