Holidays of Israel
Purim
Purim is first mentioned in the book of Esther. The Jews were supposed to be slaughtered under Persian law, but because of God's sovereignty, they ended up surviving and conquering their enemies within the kingdom. In commemoration of their deliverance, Israel yearly celebrates this event by exchanging mishloach manot (gift baskets of food and drink), donating mattanot la-evyonim (money to the poor), eating se'udat Purim (a celebratory feast), and reciting prayers. Purim takes place on Adar 14th of the Hebrew calendar (which changes depending on leap years).
Other customs include reading the book of Esther at the synagogue. When Haman's name is read, the people would get wooden hammers called ratchets to drown out the word. Fasting, masquerading (to symbolize God's name not being mentioned in the book of Esther), burning Haman's effigy, and hosting a carnival are other customs.
Passover
Passover also has its roots in the Old Testament. Before God sent the Israelites out of Egypt where they were being held slaves, He sent a tenth plague against the stubborn Egyptians. God told His people to put lamb's blood on their doorposts and eat a quick meal of unleavened bread and bitter herbs. After God's plague killed the firstborn of each family that did not put blood on their doorposts, the Israelites were set free. God's "passing over" of each house that had blood on their doorposts were the beginnings of this holiday.
The Passover appears throughout the Bible including the New Testament. Jesus' crucifixion was near Passover week which explained the number of people in Jerusalem in "Passion Week" and during Pentecost which takes place 50 days after Passover (see the "pente-" prefix?). It also explains why the legs of the two thieves were broken so they could die quicker. The Pharisees didn't want the crucifixions to continue during Passover.
Passover begins on Nisan 15th (of the Hebrew calendar). Matzo is the name for the unleavened bread and Maror is the name for the bitter herbs. There is a special meal, seder, that is eaten during the first night of Passover. Adults will drink four glasses of wine symbolizing four different traditions. Children are prompted by their parents to explain the symbols of Passover. The seventh day of Passover is also significant, commemorating the day the Israelites reached the Red Sea which was parted soon after.
Yom Haatzmaut
Israel's Independence Day celebrates the day it became a nation-state (May 14, 1948). However, because of rabbinical law, the Israelites use the Hebrew calendar for most of its special days in order to correctly observe the Sabbath according to Judaism. This holiday is celebrated on Iyar 5th because of that. There are an interesting mix of festivities for this holiday including a political celebration on the eve of Independence Day as well as special synagogue services on the day of.
Victory Day
Victory Day is celebrate on May 9th to celebrate the Allied victory over Nazi Germany. In most of Europe this day is called V-E Day or Victory in Europe Day, but in Israel, this day is called Victory Day and formerly, Liberation Day.
Jerusalem Day
This holiday celebrates the reunification of Jerusalem and Israel's victory in the Six-Day War of 1967. This holiday is celebrated on Iyar 28th.
Shavout
To Christians, this day is known as Pentecost which is also mentioned in the Bible as the day that the Christians received the Holy Spirit (when tongues of fire appeared on their heads) and preached to people from all over the known world who came for Passover. That is the Christian significance, but the Jews have other reasons for celebrating this holiday. This holiday which takes place fifty days after Easter is also called the Feast of Weeks which is a week to thank God for the first fruits of the country's crops, specifically the wheat harvest. Usually, the book of Ruth is read during this holiday.
Fast of Ninth of Av
This day on Av 9th (thus the title) includes the reading of the book of Lamentations. Actually, the people are prohibited from studying the Torah or Old Testament the whole day except for this one book. Five calamities are remembered on this day (the first five listed below), but there are also additional calamities as well.
- The Israelites are sent by God to wander in the wilderness for forty years because they did not trust in God when He told them to go into Canaan.
- Solomon's temple was destroyed by the Babylonians.
- The Second Temple (the one around the time of Jesus) was destroyed by the Romans in AD 70.
- The Romans crushed Bar Kokhba's revolt.
- Roman Commander Turnus Rufus plowed the site of the Temple of Jerusalem.
- The First Crusade occurred and ended up killing 10,000 Jews.
- The Jews were expelled from England, France, and Spain.
- Germany enters World War I.
- SS Commander Heinrich Himmler receives formal approval to begin the Holocaust.
- The Jews from Warsaw are sent to Treblinka concentration camp.
- No eating or drinking
- No washing or bathing
- No application of creams or oils
- No wearing of (leather) shoes
- No marital (sexual) relations.
Rosh Hashana (New Year)
This is the beginning of the Jewish New Year and the month of Tishrei. This is a two-day celebration that commemorates the day God supposedly made Adam and Eve. I say "supposedly" not about God's creation, but about the date of God's creation. A long curly horn called a shofar is blown during this holiday.
Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)
This is the holiest day of Judaism. The Judaists have this day for atonement and repentance much like one would have seen in the Old Testament. The day is filled with prayer services, worship, and also observing the rules in the Tisha B'Av (above). The rules for atonement are: pray, repent, and give to charity. The poor Judaists completely missed the gospel of Christ.
Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles)
This seven-day holiday has been celebrated since the Old Testament. It is also called the Feast of Booths where families will build outdoor shelters called sukkahs to remember the Israelite shelters during the forty years of wandering.
Simchat Torah
This holiday commemorates the end of a cycle of Torah readings to begin another one. This holiday begins directly after Sukkot and takes place at the synagogue in the morning and night where the Torah scrolls are read.
Hanukah
Although Israelites receive a holiday for Hanukah, it is not an official holiday according to the country. Because of that I will save Hanukah for the next geography article. Also, this post is getting pretty long too.
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The verse for this week is Romans 5:8-11.
"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much
more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy
in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement."
I know that it's not Easter (or anywhere close to Easter for that matter), but this section is the gospel of Christ summed up very concisely. It means what it says: Because God loved us, Christ died for our sins and paid the punishment for our sins through His blood. Because of this sacrifice, we can be forgiven by God instead of being punished for eternity in hell.
These are good verses to point out when evangelizing although I didn't use these ones when talking to people in Tepic (I used John 14:6). At this point, we are getting into the subject of an upcoming article about my mission trip to Tepic. Keep reading; that article is coming up in a week or two.
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