By Anthony M. Wanjohi
1.0 Introduction.
The paper explores
different themes under the general theme - JEWISH FEAST AS FOUND IN THE OLD
TESTAMENT. The paper is organized into the following sections” Introduction
which gives an overall introduction on the paper. Section 2 consists of the
main body of the paper. It highlights different feasts as found in the Old
Testament. The last section concludes the paper.
These research papers
explains and analyze the Jewish feast as found in the Old Testament.
To understand the Jewish
feast two important terms must be understood “Jewish and ‘feast’ Jewish – is a
member of the people and cultural community whose traditional religion is
Judaism and who come from ancient Hebrew people who believes and practices Judaism.
Feast - are large or special meals especially for a lot of people
and to celebrate something. It is a day of period of time when these is a
religious festival. It is a thing or an event that brings great pleasure.
According to Mays (1988)
on holy times and sacred in Israel , Israel conceived of not only things (gift
sacrifices, and “devoted” individuals) and places (the sanctuary and its
precincts) but also times as especially holy dedicated to God and belongings to
the relate of the holy. These times are discussed in Leviticus chapter 23:14-17
also these times are discussed in Exodus chapter 34: 18-24, numbers chapter
28-29 and Deuteronomy chapter 16: 1: 17 (Darton, Longterm and Todd, 1705).
The research also aims
at explaining for further rituals and legal regulations for the new
generation’s life in the Promised Land. According to May
(1988).
This section includes a
systematized program of sacrifice that Israel is to offer once in the land of
Canaan and laws that remove any ambiguities about women and the legitimacy of
their doors. Most cementation agreed that this section of laws is among the
latest part of the books of the numbers and of the whole Pentateuch; much of it
may have been added to numbers during the postexilic period in Israel history.
According to Mays (1988) the primary function of these laws in the present
structure of the numbers is to offer guidance and indirect assurance of the new
generation life in the promised land of Canaan. Mays (1988), gives a
systematized program for sacrifice in the Promised Land. Numbers chapter 28.29
provide systematic list of the dates and quantities for the sacrifice in the
morning and in the evening (numbers 28: 3-8) the Sabbath sacrifice of the first
days of the month (Numbers 28: 1-15), and the sacrifices for the festival.
These include the feast of unleavened bread bread (numbers
28: 9-10) the sacrifice of the first days of the month (numbers 28: 1-15), and
the sacrifices for the festivals. These include the feast of the unleavened
bread (numbers 28: 17-25), the feast of the first fruits (numbers 28:26-31),
the first day of the seventh month or trumpets (numbers 29:1-6) the tenth day
of the seventh month of the day or atonement (numbers 29: 7-11) and Tabernacles
(numbers 29:12-34) together with it eight day of assembly, at least in
Leviticus chapter 23: 36 but no other Pentateuch calendar (numbers 29:35-38)
According to Mays
(1988), Darton, Longman and Todd (1985), the
various kinds of offerings of sacrifices include whose offerings (the burnt
flesh of animals) cereals offering (grain & oil) drink offering (wine), and
purification offering (the goat).
May (1988), views this
summary to be based on much similar material scattered in Exodus 45-46. The sacrifices
listed here are in addition to other motive and freewill offering given by the
people of the new generation as they look forward to living in the land of
Canaan.
According to Anderson,
Bernhard in (1956) and also according in may (1989), the
purpose of these offering is to purity and dedicate the people of the new
generation as they took forward to living in the land of Canaan. The enormous
quantities of the animals and grain and wine presuppose a settle agricultural
life in the Promised Land. Therefore, these laws function as a hopeful sign
that the new generation will soon enter Canaan. The law in number 15 had a
similar role in their placement after the debate of chapter 13-14 Mays (1988)
Also a study by Karl it
(1991), revealed that the numerous chapter in Leviticus and Deuteronomy devoted
to norms concerning the sacrificial cult.
An analysis of the
Jewish feast as found in the Old Testament.
2.0 Review of the Study
on Jewish Feast as Found in the Old Testament
These Jewish feasts
are Vaurheur’s solemn festivals. In the new
Jerusalem bible, Leviticus chapter 23: 1-3 Yahweh spoke to Moses and sold”
speaks to the Israelites and say. (The solemn festivals) of Yahweh to which you
will summon them are my sacred assemblies.
The
following are the Jewish feast as found in the Old Testament
According to May (1988),
dairy sacrifice as once of the Jewish feast is found in the book of numbers 28:
4-8, Exodus 29:38-46, Leviticus 6:26 and Ezekiel 46:13-25
This scripture explain
that everyday the Jews were to offer two unblemished yeaning lambs as a
perpetual burnt offering. The first lamb was to be offered in the morning and
the second lamb at twilight; with a cereal offering of one tenth of an ephah of the fine floor mixed with one quarter of a
him or crushed olive oil such was a perpetual burnt offering made on mount
Sinai as pleasing smelling smell, as food burnt for Yahweh.
The accompanying
libation will be one quarter of a him for each lamb; the libation of fermented
liquor for Yahweh will provoked was to be offered at twilight offering it
same serial offering and same libation as in the morning as food burnt as a
small pleasing to Yahweh.
2.2 The Sabbath
According to Darton, Longman and Todd (1985), in the New Jerusalem Bible
Yahweh in Leviticus instructs the Israelites that they should work for six
days, but the seventh will be a day of complete rest, a day for the sacred
assembly on which the Jews were not suppose to work at all wherever they live in
Numbers chapter 28:9-10 the Jews were to offer two unblemished yearling lambs
and two tenths of an epham of fine
floor as a cereal offering, mixed with oil as well as the accompanying
libation. The Sabbath burnt offering will be offered every Sabbath in addition
to the perpetual burnt offering, and the accompanying libation similarly.
2.3 The Passover and the
feast of the unleavened bread
Darton,
Longman and Todd (1985), revealed that in the Todd (1985), revealed that in the
Old Testament Leviticus 23: 5-8, the fourteenth day of the first month, at
twilight is the Passover of Jehovah. For seven days the Jews were suppose to
eat unleavened bread. On the first day the will hold a sacred assembly, they
should not be heavy work, for seven days they will hold a sacred assembly, they
should not be heavy work. For seven days will offer food burnt were not suppose
to do heavy work. This is also documented in the book of numbers chapter 28:
verse 17-25.
According to Mays
(1988), in Leviticus 23: 9-14, Yahweh spoke to Moses and said to him to tell
the Israelite that when they enter the country that he was to give them and
reap the harvest there, they should bring the purest the first sheaf of their
harvest and will present it to Yahweh with the gesture of offering for the
Israelites to be acceptable. The priest will make this offering on the day
offer the Sabbath and on the same day as they make this offering on the day
offer the Sabbath and on the same day as they make this offering, they offer
Yahweh an unblemished lamb one year old as a burnt offering, they offer Yahweh
an unblemished lamb one year old as a burnt offering. The cereals offering for
that day will be two-tenths of whiten flour mixed with oil, as food burnt as a
small pleasing to Yahweh. The libation will be a chapter of a him of wine.
The Jews were to eat no
bread, roasted ears of wheat or fresh produce before this day, before making
the offering to God. This is a perpetual law for all their descendants wherever
they would chapter 15:17-21
According to Darton, Longman and Todd (1985(, in Leviticus 23: 15-
22 the Jews were to
count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath. The Jews were to count
fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath and then they would offer
Yahweh a new cereal offering. They were to bring bring bread
from their homes to present with the gesture of offering two loaves made of two
tenths of whiten flour baked with leaven; these are first fruit for Yahweh. In
addition to the bread they will offer seven unblemished lambs a year old, a
young bull and two rams, as a burnt offering to Yahweh with a cereals offering
sand a libation, as food burnt offering to Yahweh with a cereal offering sand a
libation, as food burnt as a smell pleasing to Yahweh, they were also to offer
a goat as sacrifice for sin, and two lambs a year old as communication
sacrifice.
The priest would present
them before Yahweh. They were also to offer a goat as sacrifice for sin, and
two lambs a year old as communication sacrifice.
The priest would present
them before Yahweh with the gesture of offering in addition to the bread of the
first fruits. These, and two lambs are holy things for Yahweh and revest to the priest on the some day, the Jews were to
hold on assembly, they would do no heavy work and this will be a perpetual law
for the Jewish descendants, wherever they lives. When
they reap the harvesting their country. They should not reap to the
very edges of their field, nor will they gather the gleanings of the harvest.
They should leave them for the poor and the strangers. According to Mays
(1988), this feast is also found in the books of Numbers 28:26-31, Exodus 23:
14 and Deuteronomy 16: 9-12.
The first day of the
seventh month, several studies (verughers, 2003,
bright, 1972, and Childs, 1979) revealed in Leviticus 23:23-25, Numbers 29:1-6
and Numbers 10:10 that Yahweh told Moses to speak to the Israelites and tell
them that the first day of the seven month will be a day of rest for all the
Israelites, a day of rest for all the Israelites, a day of remembrance and
acclamation, a sacred assembly. They should do no heavy work and they should
offer food burnt for Yahweh.
According to Darton Longman and Todd (1985), in Leviticus 28:26-32
and Number 29: 70-11, Yahweh told the Israelites through Moses that the tenth
day of the seventh month will be the day of expiation. They would hold a sacred
assembly. They should feast and offer food burnt for Yahweh, they should do not
work that day for it is a day of expiation, on which the rite of expiation will
be performed for them before Yahweh their God. Anyone who fails to fast that
day will be outlawed from his people; anyone who works that day shall be
eliminated by Yahweh from his people. No work will be done- this is a perpetual
law for the Israelites descendants wherever they live. It must be a day of
complete rest of the Jews. They should fast on the evening of the ninth day the
following evening they should rest completely.
According to Mays
(1988), the feast of shelter is found in Leviticus 23:33-36 and also in Exodus
23 in this account, Yahweh spoke to Moses and told him to tell the Israelites
that on the fifteenth day of the seventh month there will be the feast of
shelter for Yahweh, lasting for seven days. The seven days they should offer
food burnt for Yahweh. On the eight day they will hold a sacred assembly
and would after food burnt for Yahweh. It was a day of solemn meeting and
Israelites were to do no heavy work.
3.0 Conclusion
According to Darton, Longman and Todd (1985), these are Yahweh solemn
festival to which Moses was told to summon the Israelites, the sacred
assemblies for the purpose of offering food burnt for Yahweh consisting
of burnt offerings cereals offering sacrifices and libations each on its
appropriate day, beside Yahweh Sabbaths, and the Israelites, the sacred
assemblies for the purpose of offering food burnt for Yahweh, consisting of
burnt offerings, cereals offering food burnt offerings, cereals offering,
sacrifices and libations each on its appropriate day, beside Yahweh Sabbaths,
and the Israelites presents and all their motive and voluntary gift that the
Jews are to make to Yahweh. It is in view of all the historical account of this
feast which includes their significance to the Jews and this entire human race
the descendants of Israel that are ought to observe those feasts up to date
because they are Godly as they were given to the Jews and to us by God himself.
Darton,
Longman and Todd (1985) The new
Jerusalem Bible, Kinshasa; Verbun Bible
publishers.
Lodahl,
M. (1977) The stories of God, Kinsas city Beacon. Hill press
of Kansa city.
Mays,
H.K. (1994) Christian Ethics, Bangalore; theological
publications.
Picket, L.L
(1892). Sanctification, Columbia Barbea and smiths, Nashville tern.
Wehmeir, S., Melntosh, C
and Turbull, J. (1997). Oxford Advanced Learners. Dictionary Shanghai oxford University press.
Suggested Citation in
APA
Wanjohi, A.M. (2010). Jewish
Feasts’. KENPRO Publications. Available
online at http://www.kenpro.org/papers/jewish-feast.htm
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