On Friday, Sept 21, 2018, my family and I along with our local home fellowship will be celebrating the Day of Atonements or Yom Kippur according to the biblical new moon calendar.
The new moon in Israel was spotted ten days previously, and according to the Torah, the Day of Atonements is to be kept on the tenth day of the seventh month (Lev 23:26).
Biblical months always start on rosh chodesh when the first visible crescent of the new moon is spotted in the land of Israel. As a point of reference, those who follow the traditional rabbinic or Hillel II calendar (invented in ca. AD 360 and was approved by Roman emperor Constantine) are celebrating Yom Kippur today, which is two days too early, according to the new moon sighting in Israel. In reality, they are are celebrating Yom Kippur on the eighth day of the new month, not the tenth day according to the Scriptures (Lev 23:26).
While those who are celebrating Yom Kippur today are following the spirit of the law, they’re not following the letter of the law, since, technically, today is NOT Yom Kippur. In his Sermon on the Mount, Yeshua clearly states that all of the Torah is to be followed (Matt 5:17–19), and that our righteousness is to exceed of that of the Pharisees, which includes their modern day descendants (the rabbinic or Orthodox Jews, Matt 5:20), and that we are to follow not only the spirit, but also the letter of the law (Matt 5:21–48).
Moreover, Yeshua enjoined his disciples (and us) to follow the Word of Elohim and to reject any manmade traditions that in any way contravene Elohim’s Written Word (Matt 15:6–9 and Mark 7:6–9, 13). Sadly, both our Christian and rabbinic Jewish brethren have, in too many areas, not followed the instructions of the Messiah instead preferring obedience to their manmade traditions instead of Elohim’s Word.
In Romans 12:1–2, Paul the apostle of Yeshua the Messiah states that each disciple of Yeshua must discern what is the perfect will of Elohim based on his Written Word and then must willingly lay down his or her life as a living sacrifice and do that will. In reality and quite honestly, very few people achieve walking out the perfect will of Elohim consistently in their lives. Most of us are walking out Elohim’s good or the better will, and only from time to time his perfect will. While celebrating the biblical feasts on the manmade traditional Jewish Hillel II calendar is certainly a step in the right direction, and may, indeed, be the good will of Elohim, it’s not his perfect will according to his Written Word. May the reader honestly ponder these truths and evaluate his or her walk and heart before Elohim. Are we really willing to lay down our lives as living sacrifices and to say, “Yes Lord, thy will be done, not mine!”? Or is it more convenient to just follow men’s traditions and the convenient inclinations of our fallen natures?
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (Matt 7:13–14)
In this ministry, as truth seekers no matter the cost and in an effort to follow the Scriptures—the Written Word of Elohim, we chose many years ago to follow the Word of Elohim instead of men’s unbiblical traditions. That’s why we’re celebrating Yom Kippur on Friday instead of Wednesday.
For more informations on why we do what we do and what the Bible and history both have to say about the biblical calendar, I invite you to read my three well-researched and referenced teaching articles on the subject, which are available for free downloads at https://www.hoshanarabbah.org/teaching.html#feast. There you can find my articles on Yom Kippur as well (https://www.hoshanarabbah.org/pdfs/yom_kippur.pdf and https://www.hoshanarabbah.org/pdfs/goat.pdf).To watch my teaching videos on Yom Kippur, go to https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5EzE5DQnrHfWWbczzkRo6IOnglxhbRfM.
Love and blessings in the glorious name of Yeshua the Messiah.
Natan
Thank you for clearing this up for me. I was actually going to celebrate it today. Because the calendar you provide said it was tonight to Thursday night.
Great article that I can share with my congregational leaders at some point.
I believe this scripture applies as well.
For the Pharisees, as well as the rest of the Jews, follow the teaching they received from their ancestors: they do not eat unless they wash their hands in the proper way; nor do they eat anything that comes from the market unless they wash it first. And they follow many other rules which they have received, such as the proper way to wash cups, pots, copper bowls, and beds. ) So the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law asked Jesus, “Why is it that your disciples do not follow the teaching handed down by our ancestors, but instead eat with ritually unclean hands?” Jesus answered them, “How right Isaiah was when he prophesied about you! You are hypocrites, just as he wrote: ‘These people, says God, honor me with their words, but their heart is really far away from me. It is no use for them to worship me, because they teach human rules as though they were my laws!’
Mark 7:3-7 GNT
I believe it’s talking about the same thing. All you have to do is apply the calendar.
Thanks for helping us to do our best. Amen.
The current calendar we provide on our website has Yom Kippur starting Thursday night and going through Friday night. Previous to this, our calendar listed to possible dates for Yom Kippur——the first date had it beginning on Wednesday night and the second date had it beginning on Thursday night? Why two dates? This was before the new moon was spotted in the land of Israel. If it had been spotted on the earlier day, YK would have been on the first date. However, the new moon was not spotted on the first date, which kicked YK out out the second date with a starting time on Thursday evening. As soon as the new moon was spotted on the second evening, we updated our online calendar immediately.
This biblical calendar stuff may seem a bit confusing to many folks, but if you read my articles on the biblical calendar on the HR website (
), it explains it all very simply.
Thanks again. I just wanted to edit my first post. I forgot to add that I did find the correct calendar here at hoshana rabbah blog.
Thank you Nathan! My problem is that in my area there are no Gentile Messanic groups that I know of that follow the true Word, only a Jewish Messanic group that follows Jewish Traditions and will be celebrating 2 days early. I do enjoy attending as Judah Hungerman always has a great message! Would it be better for me not to attend 2 days early or celebrate the Feast alone!
Do both!
Thank you Nathan for your time in posting! I’ve been following you post for a long time and enjoy the Truth you share.
In my area there are no Gentile Messanic groups, I’ve been attending a Jewish Messanic group, as Judah Hungerman always delivers a Powerful Message, that follow the Jewish traditions and will be celebrating the Feast 2 days early. Wondering if I should attend or celebrate by myself on the Scriptural Appointed Day?
Again, why not do both? Although if I had to choose to do one or the other, I’d definitely walk in the light of the truth that I know is right and celebrate on the right day.
Very solid, Lawrence. In our region in Hamar, Norway, there are two Root groups. Very small. One of the reasons we are not one, is that one follows Hillel, the other the biblical calendar. One says Yeshua vill fix this, after his return, the other says it is no problem to practice the biblical calender already, if we really want to. There is one definite “problem”, though. We cannot plan ahead with the Biblical calendar.
Not being able to plan ahead is a main reason many people remain with the Hillel 2 calendar. So my questions is this: Do we fit our lives around the Word of Elohim, or the Word of Elohim around our lives? Adam and Eve were faced with this decision and they chose the latter. We know where that got humanity, don’t we!
Many decades ago when I was about 21 or 22 years old in my fourth year of university, I had to make the difficult decision to change my dream career in the corporate world that I had been planning to go into since I was 14 because it wouldn’t allow me to keep the Sabbath and feasts. I chose instead to go into business for myself, so that I would have the freedom to obey Elohim and to keep his commands. I have never regretted that decision to this day.
It’s a faith walk. For those who work for other people, when we put YHVH first, he will give us grace with our employers. The questions is this: Who is our master? God or mammon?
Please give our love to the brethren in Hamar and thank them for their faithfulness to both the Written Torah of Elohim and to Yeshua the Messiah, the Living Torah of Elohim!
There is liberty in obedience 🙂
I’m so thankful that the home-group I attend keeps the correct calendar.
Thanks for clarifying this