Dear All, A home-schooling mother, Annie, has asked for details of all Jewish holidays.  I'll explain each one as it occurs on teh calendar.  We just on the past Fri-Sat (9/21-/22) had the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, which is a fast day.  Before the day, we ask one another for forgiveness, preparatory to asking forgiveness by G-d.  NEXT YEAR, when we come 'round to Yom Kippur again, I'll go in much more detail about it.

Meanwhile, we are heading into an 8-day festival called Sukkot, which means "booths."  It runs from 9/27-10/4, & 10/5 is a very special day indeed (as I'll explain next week).  (All Jewish holidays run from the evening before until the evening of the day in question.)

At Sukkot, we eat as many meals as possible in temporary booths.  The ceilings are made of small branches, large leaves, or anything else that will give exposure to the weather.  Many people use kits to put up the walls, but again, the portions not of metal poles are made of natural materials.  Children decorate the sukkah (booth) with fruits, paper chains, & so on.  We put up the sukkah very shortly after Yom Kippur is over.

Sukkot commemorates the 40 years' wandering in the desert by the Israelites.  THey lived in temporary structures, & so must we.

It is also a harvest festival -- we wave a bouquet of 4 species of plants (citron, palm branch, willows, & myrtle) over a prayer. 

In teh Bible, Succot is the most important festival -- more so than Passover or  Shavuot.

Questions, please!  I have not explained much of anything here, because I never can tell what you want to know!

Yours in Him, Deb

 Deb, what do you do, personally, to celebrate Sukkot? Do you put up a booth?

I think it would be interesting for you to explain each holiday or celebration a little before it comes up, as well as posting as thorough a list as you can come up with, along with corresponding dates as much as possible. 

 That would be great if you could do that Deb.

We are believers in Jesus.  This is our second year of celebrating the festivals or Holy Days as described in Leviticus 23.  We are still learning and would love more information.  I have found two sites that have a lot of info on the feasts for a believer, so if anyone wants to check them out here they are

www.biblicalholidays.com

www.yrm.org 

I have in the past corresponded with a number of folks who are Christians who want to observe the law that Jesus said has not been superseded (if I have that right -- love's being primary is all over the Torah/Pentateuch/Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testmanet.)   I'd love to know what you call yourselves, if there is a movement.  I know that Jews for Jesus call themselves Messianich Jewry.  I've never understood why they bother, since we are waiing for Mosiach (the Messiah) to come as avidly as Christians are.

Deborahmichelle:

I know that Jews for Jesus call themselves Messianich Jewry.  I've never understood why they bother, since we are waiing for Mosiach (the Messiah) to come as avidly as Christians are.

They call themselves Messianic because they believe that the first coming of the Messiah has already taken place in the form of Jesus Christ as do Christians.  

Thank you, Pat, that clears up something that I had always misunderstood.

 You're welcome. Things can get complicated when the two religions mesh at any point!

You asked, Pat, how I can do without a sukkah, or words to that effect due to the fact that without a terrace or balcony, I have nowhere to build a sukkah.  I will be eating lunch at least for a few days in sukkahs belonging to synagogues here in San Francisco.

Deborahmichelle:

we are waiing for Mosiach (the Messiah) to come as avidly as Christians are.

 How true, and something a think a lot of us forget.

I know we have gotten a lot of 'flack' from people we know because we celebrate the feasts.  For us it has nothing to do with religion, to us it  is growing in a closer relationship with our Heavenly Father by knowing His ways and the celebrations that Jesus participated in when he walked on the earth.  I know my comment is off topic, but I needed to clarify that we are simply believers trying to follow the lead of G"D to the best of our ability.
 

 I did not realize the synagogues provided, Deb, but that makes sense. Thank you!