JewsAndJoes.com

See Table of Festival Requirements.

Should we celebrate the Feasts (Appointed Times / Moedim) outside the Land of Israel? Should we even celebrate the Moedim inside Israel without having a Tabernacle or Third Temple? These have been ongoing and troubling questions for me for a number of years. My current conclusion is that we can’t really celebrate the Moedim even if we want to "currently". The Feasts can be remembered and should be remembered just like all of the Hebrew Scriptures should be remembered. We need to and must understand their timing and significance (especially if we want to understand the Last-Days), but observing the Feasts in the sense of “fulfilling the commandment” is impossible "currently" because the fullness of the commandment requires us to perform them in the place יהוה has put His Name (that is: the Temple in Jerusalem) and they require a functioning Priesthood to perform the prescribed sacrifices. We can argue about this until we’re all blue in the face, but the realities on the ground aren't going to change by mere talking (most notably, the reality that all twelve tribes of Israel are not yet regathered and rejoined to the marriage covenant of Torah).

Let me explain my personal perspective (by the way, I am not יהוה. I'm just going to look to some of the things He has said in His scriptures.)

Deuteronomy 12:5-9:
(5) but seek the place which יהוה your Elohim chooses, out of all your tribes, to put His Name there, for His Dwelling Place, and there you shall enter."
(6) "And there you shall take your burnt offerings, and your offerings, and your tithes, and the contributions of your hand, and your vowed offerings, and your voluntary offerings, and the firstlings of your herd and of your flock."
(7) "And there you shall eat before יהוה your Elohim, and shall rejoice in all that you put your hand to, you and your households, in which יהוה your Elohim has blessed you."
(8) "Do not do as we are doing here today – each one doing whatever is right in his own eyes."
(9) "Because you have not yet entered the rest and the inheritance which יהוה your Elohim is giving you"

Leviticus 23:10 "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When you enter the land which I am going to give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest."

Exodus 12:24-25
(24)"And you shall guard this word as a law for you and your sons, forever."
(25)"And it shall be, when you come to the land which יהוה gives you, as He promised, that you shall guard this service."

Deuteronomy 16:2 "And you shall slaughter the Passover to יהוה your Elohim, from the flock and the herd, in the place where יהוה chooses to put His Name."

Deuteronomy 16:6 "but at the place where יהוה your Elohim chooses to make His Name dwell, there you slaughter the Passover in the evening, at the going down of the sun, at the appointed time you came out of Egypt."

~ In the Place where I put My Name ~

King Solomon built the first Temple for the Name of יהוה.

1 Kings 9:3 And יהוה said to him, “I have heard your prayer and your supplication that you have made before Me. I have set this house apart which you have built to put My Name there forever, and My eyes and My heart shall always be there. See also: II Samuel 7:13, I Kings 11:36.

Being in the Land, and more specifically, at the place where יהוה puts His Name, was of the utmost importance to ancient Israel whenever the offerings and sacrifices were concerned. It was of such importance, Reuben, Gad, and half-tribe of Manasseh were nearly destroyed for erecting an altar the other tribes thought "might" be used to compete with the Tabernacle at Shiloh (Joshua 22).

Exodus 12:25 And it shall be, when you come to the land which יהוה gives you, as He promised, that you shall guard this service (context: Passover).

Prior to Jerusalem, Shiloh was the capital and the place chosen for the Great Name. It was where the Appointed Times were observed and celebrated.

Deuteronomy 16:11-12: 11 And you shall rejoice before יהוה your Elohim, you and your son and your daughter, and your male servant and your female servant, and the Levite who is within your gates, and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are in your midst, at the place where יהוה your Elohim chooses to make His Name dwell. 12 And you shall remember that you were a slave in Mitsrayim, and you shall guard and do these laws.

Now, right now, we, the House of Joseph, are largely not in the Land of Israel and we are in essence still slaves in Egypt (Mitsrayim), otherwise figuratively called "Babylon" by the Prophets. I don’t have to “remember” or “reflect” on anything right now in regards to slavery. I’m living in it and if the Prophets are correct, our slavery is only going to be felt more keenly as we move closer to the End. The Labor pains will get worst. Much worst. See Jacob's Trouble and You. Even in Israel, the rulers of Mitrayim/Babylong control the leaders and the people. There is no Tabernacle. There is no Temple. And where is the national outcry for the restoration of one amongst Jew-dah? Apparently, Jew-dah does not need the Great One of Israel and His Name. They have their Rabbis (i.e. Great Ones) and they have their Synagogues to perform their Feast day imitations all around the world in. All the while the Temple Mount is neglected and controlled by Islamic Fascists.

~ The Bride of יהוה, the Assembly of Israel ~ It was not until after the entire assembly of Israel was gathered together did they together agree to the marriage contract-covenant given by Moses (Exodus 19:4-9) and it wasn’t until after did יהוה and His prophet’s refer to Israel as the wife of יהוה. But while Israel was still young, she became an adulteress (Hosea 2:1-13). Otherwise known as: harlot, whore, prostitute. She wasn’t faithful to her ketubah, the Torah, the marriage contract, and she was thus cut off from יהוה, her Husband, and His Land. She was given a bill of divorce (Jeremiah 3) and she was taken captive by the Assyrian Empire.

Isaiah 54:1-8: 1 Sing, O barren one, you who did not bear! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, you who have not been in labour! For the children of the deserted one are more than the children of the married woman,” said יהוה. 2 Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, spare not. Lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes. 3 For you shall break forth to the right and to the left, and your seed inherit the nations, and make the deserted cities inhabited. 4 Do not fear, for you shall not be put to shame, nor hurt, you shall not be humiliated. For the shame of your youth you shall forget, and not remember the reproach of your widowhood any more. 5 For your Maker is your husband, יהוה of hosts is His Name, and the Set-apart One of Israel is your Redeemer. He is called the Elohim of all the earth. 6 For יהוה has called you like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, like a wife of youth when you were refused,” declares your Elohim. 7 For a little while I have forsaken you, but with great compassion I shall gather you. 8 In an overflow of wrath I hid My face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I shall have compassion on you,” said יהוה, your Redeemer.

So far, the House of Joseph (Israel) has not been re-gathered as prophesied and they have certainly not had an Exodus 19:4-9 type experience where they have corporately agreed to follow the marriage contract. Prior to the Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) coming to die for Israel, we were forbidden to remarry יהוה because of Deuteronomy 24:1-4 (the specific commandment hostile toward Israel). According to the Apostle Paul, that commandment has been removed (Romans 7:1-4). Now we can, as an assembly, be remarried to יהוה (Jeremiah 3; Matthew 15:24), but it hasn’t happened yet (Revelation 19:7-10). As a bride being made ready for marriage, we are learning about the Torah and trying to observe much of it, but we are unable to perform it fully because it was designed to be kept in the Land of Promise. The current situation can be likened to a betrothed couple who can’t and don’t enjoy the closer intimacies of a married couple. In fact, we know some of our adulterous mother's most intimate times were cut-off when the marriage was cut-off.

Hosea 2:11: I will also cause all her mirth to cease, Her feast days, Her New Moons, Her Sabbaths— All her Appointed Feasts.

As the prophet Isaiah depicts further above (ch.54), the prophet Hosea depicts the House of Joseph being a “people”, then “NOT a people”, and then “a people” again (Hosea 1:10; 2:23). There is an apparent parallel between Israel being “married” to יהוה and also being “the people” of יהוה. We seem to have been forgotten, even forgetting our own identity, and yet in the Latter Days... we then remember and return to יהוה and His Land, becoming a "people" and "remarried".

In a similar parallel, if we look at the story of Jacob as a prophetic shadow picture, regarding his marriage to Leah (Jew-dah's mother) and then his marriage to Rachel (Joseph's mother) and then the eventual return of Jacob with all his family to the Land promised to him, we'll see something very interesting. What is the first thing Jacob does after facing Esau? He made "booths" at Succoth.

Genesis 33:17: Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built for himself a house and made booths for his livestock; therefore the place is named Succoth.

We, both houses of Jacob, will truly celebrate the Feasts again, but it must be apparent that they aren't truly being observed yet, even in Israel.

Joseph, we as an assembly of peoples, are not yet re-married to יהוה. The sooner we understand that reality, the sooner we’ll stop being so incredibly divisive and hurtful within our communities scattered abroad because we’ll have much more grace when it comes to what "we think we know" about Torah observance, etc... And as much as we hate to admit it, we are yet very broken and leaderless. Judah troubles us on many levels and will likely not let us return to the Land until their own troubles more than they can bear alone. Christian "church", you make up a large portion of the House of Joseph and you think you’re the wife of Messiah (Christ), but at best you’re only the dirty betrothed of Messiah. I know I know, you think you're "washed in the blood", but what good is it to be washed if you continue in the filth which caused Messiah's blood to be spilled in the first place? It is one thing to make mistakes, but it is an entirely different matter when you continue in abominations and encourage others to do so (i.e. Antinomianism) as a matter of doctrine. The re-marriage hasn’t happened yet, partially because your Shepherds refuse to teach you to put on clean garments and make yourself ready. You still have much to learn about the marriage contract (Torah) and you probably have very little time to do so. Many of you will be deceived by the man-of-Lawlessness (anti-Messiah) because you wrongly think the Messiah freed you from ever having to observe Torah. Sadly, the very thing you despise is your own ketubah, which will be re-established or renewed soon. If you don't practice Torah now, you eventually will (Ezekiel 11:19-20; 36:27; Isaiah 59:21), that is: you, the Remnant that survives what is coming.

~ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) ~

1. What are the consequences of not observing the Feasts?

For the Israelites prior to being cut-off and exiled by Assyria, the consequence was to be "cut-off from the people". For modern descendants of ancient Israelites, it is difficult to be cut-off again while still in a state of "being cut-off" as "a people" in general for more than 2700 years.

2. What are the consequences of doing the Feasts outside of the prescribed frame-work?

The most notable consequence is the diminishment of Jerusalem, the place יהוה chose to put His Great Name, the place we should be longing and weeping for. "Sackcloth and ashes", not festivities, should be the general modus operandi given our current situation. Regardless, the Moedim can't truly be observed without reinstating a Tabernacle or Temple with priesthood. You can pretend and imitate the Feasts the same way Jew-dah has done for the last 2,000 years, but you're only taking the edge off of the painful reality that we are a people cut-off. You're not enjoying the fullness of the previous marriage with יהוה and that is the punishment for our ancestors' adulteries, not to mention our continued spiritual adultery which is rampant in most all Israelite descendant nations and peoples at this time.

3. What is wrong with doing “as much as we can” in exile, outside the Land of Israel? Doesn't Leviticus 23:31 say to observe Yom Kippur "in all your dwellings"?

When there was a Tabernacle or Temple, if you lived far off (i.e. Babylon), you could theoretically celebrate Yom Kippur if you somehow knew that Yom Teruah happened ten days prior, but how would you know Israel saw and declared the new moon in antiquity? Currently, we have the technology to know when the new moon was sited in Israel and thus we know when the Moedim are to be celebrated, but there is no priesthood performing the required sacrifice in our absence. Yom Kippur nor Yom Teruah require a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, althrough sacrifices are required in Jerusalem (presumably being performed by the Cohanim).

4. יהוה knows my heart. Isn’t it okay to celebrate His Moedim without the prescribed sacrifices?

It may make you feel better about yourself, but "doing in name only" does little to impress יהוה. We can all go down to Chandler, OK or Dandrigde, TN or our local synagogue or fellowship and celebrate Sukkot "in name", but it is nothing more than a gathering or camp out, a cheap imitation of what is coming when we are all gathered to Jerusalem at the future Temple.

5. What if all of Israel and Judah realized they could only truly celebrate the Appointed times if they did so in Jerusalem with a Temple or Tabernacle?

I suspect the Temple or a Tabernacle would be erected in a matter of months. But Jewdah, nor Joseph are ready to go that far yet.

6. If we don't celebrate the Feasts, then why perform any of the Torah at all?

What we can do, we can do. What we can't do, we can't do. Much of the Torah, we can't do even if we wanted to because of certain pre-conditions, such as having a Temple and priesthood. All of the Torah isn't required of every individual. Some of it is for the Priest. Some of it is specific to a man or to a woman. But there are large portions of it which are re-given from times prior to Jacob's life. For example, the 7th day sabbath. It was something Adam likely observed. Some scholars consider the Sabbath specifically to be "the sign" of the Adamic Covenant, thus it is likely Noah, Shem, and Abraham all rested on the seventh day as well, thus we should.

Regardless, the Torah of Moses and its basic outline, the Ten Commandments, were life-giving to ancient Israel and to those who follow its precepts now. King David considered it to be "Light" and Israel was called to be a Light to the Nations. Just look at the legal systems of the world that were founded on the Ten Commandments. Look at the life and stability it brought to the regions which leaned on it. And look at the world now... leaning on "progressivism" and "liberalism" (i.e. Torah-lessness). See my article Doing Torah is good for all peoples.

7. Why can't we just build our own altar and start offering burnt offerings?

Read Joshua 22 and you'll understand why such an action would be unadvisable.

See Table of Festival Requirements.

~ External Links ~

Karaite Korner: The Appointed Times

What is Judaism Without the Temple Mount?

The Holy Temple in the Timeline of Creation

Moving Towards a Third Temple

Artist Finishes Harp Meant for Temple