Feast Days - Major Festivals (Messianic)

Torah Teacher Ariel ben-Lyman HaNaviy
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The Feasts of ADONAI are dress rehearsals of Messianic Redemption. Our LORD Yeshua has literally and prophetically fulfilled the first four of the seven feasts mentioned in Leviticus 23; it is my belief that the Torah teaches that he will, likewise, literally and prophetically fulfill the final three at his soon to be second arrival. As the children of Avraham willingly and faithfully lived out HaShem’s yearly cycle of “mo-eydeem,” the Spirit of the Holy One graciously opened their hearts to understand that, as his treasured possession, they were responsible to actively pursue a genuine, personal, loving relationship with their Heavenly Abba. It is this type of personal relationship that HaShem has always desired from the nation of Isra'el, and through the grace poured out to Isra'el, the surrounding Gentile nations might also see the goodness and mercy of ADONAI, and seek to become one of his treasured possessions as well (read Deut. 4:5-8). Today, our covenant responsibilities to our Holy God have not changed any more than the covenants made with his Treasured People have changed. He is our God and we are his people!

  1. 11/29/2025

    MIKRA'EY KODESH "HOLY CONVOCATIONS": INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW – PART 1

    INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW – PART 1 Historically, the Nation of Isra’el was to act as a repository of the wisdom and Word of HaShem. With his Called-out Ones acting as a “fishbowl,” the surrounding nations were to learn about the Creator, the One True God of the Universe, from the everyday activities of the offspring of Avraham. This is one of the primary reasons that the Torah was graciously given to Isra’el. In both Biblical and Modern Hebrew, the word for “appointment” is מוֹעֵד “mo’eyd,” translated as “designated times” in Stern’s translation above. Interestingly, the root of the related word מִקְרָא “mikra,” translated as “convocations” by Stern, is קָרָא “kara,” and this root word conveys the sense of “rehearsals.” I like to think that in this way, HaShem masterfully designed the mikra’ey kodesh to act as sort of dress rehearsals for his children. “Of what?” you might ask. The Feasts of ADONAI are dress rehearsals of Messianic Redemption. Follow the Mikra’ey Kodesh “Holy Convocation” series on my personal Torah teaching website at this link: http://www.tetzetorah.com/holy-convocations Keep up with my Feasts of the LORD YouTube channel playlist by clicking on this link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWF4ID0xld0Pl1xKNm2mlcKoRnxzYwYzf Information about subscribing to my Weekly Messianic Newsletter: http://www.tetzetorah.com/newsletter Thank you for supporting Tetze Torah Ministries as the LORD leads you. Donate: https://tetzetorah.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=bcfc24ff1dedb4c016fec4069&id=d1a1124be1&e=1a79b390ef Tetze Torah Ministries is a collection of Torah-based, Yeshua-focused written, audio, and video bible teachings by Torah Teacher Ariel ben-Lyman HaNaviy

    19 min

  2. 11/28/2025

    MIKRA'EY KODESH "HOLY CONVOCATIONS": INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW – PART 2

    INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW – PART 2 “ADONAI said to Moshe, “Tell the people of Isra’el: ‘The designated times of ADONAI which you are to proclaim as holy convocations are my designated times.” (Leviticus 23:1) The verse quoted above will act as our theme verse, as I take you on a Messianic understanding of the Feasts of HaShem. The complete study will serve as a primer to the reader, encouraging and challenging him to study further into the pages of the Torah to mine the rich blessings that lay in store for him there. Perhaps the study might even pique your curiosity concerning the area of shomer mitzvot, that is, Torah-observance. The time has now come for all of God’s children to begin to have a unified voice when it comes to the Torah. For too long, we, HaShem’s olive tree (Romans Chapter 11), have been divided over this issue of “Who should follow the Torah? And why?” I’m not ashamed to answer authoritatively up front: the Torah details the lifestyle of a genuine follower of HaShem as correctly interpreted (fulfilled) by Yeshua HaMashiach! This means that all genuine believers have been given a divine, covenant responsibility, as it were, to follow as much of God’s Word (‘Older’ Testament and ‘Newer’ Testament) as they can press into, empowered to walk, not by the flesh of course, but by the power of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit). Follow the Mikra’ey Kodesh “Holy Convocation” series on my personal Torah teaching website at this link: http://www.tetzetorah.com/holy-convocations Keep up with my Feasts of the LORD YouTube channel playlist by clicking on this link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWF4ID0xld0Pl1xKNm2mlcKoRnxzYwYzf Information about subscribing to my Weekly Messianic Newsletter: http://www.tetzetorah.com/newsletter Thank you for supporting Tetze Torah Ministries as the LORD leads you. Donate: https://tetzetorah.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=bcfc24ff1dedb4c016fec4069&id=d1a1124be1&e=1a79b390ef Tetze Torah Ministries is a collection of Torah-based, Yeshua-focused written, audio, and video bible teachings by Torah Teacher Ariel ben-Lyman HaNaviy

    34 min

  3. 11/27/2025

    Pesach 2016 "Passover" (Part A)

    Commentary Contents: Introduction and English/Hebrew Liturgy (Exodus 13:1-16) Are Isra’el and the Church the same thing? Does God still have a plan for Isra’el? Should Christians celebrate Passover? What does Paul mean when he says to not let anyone judge us in regard to keeping the Sabbath? What does the Bible say about Christian liberty? What does it mean to be circumcised in Christ? Okay, are you ready to tackle some possibly debatable Jewish-Christian topics related to Passover? I personally love a good Bible debate/discussion, as long as the differing parties agree beforehand to keep things civil, professional, and bathed in the love of Yeshua. For that reason, let us be careful to invite the Ruach HaKodesh into our Q/A session, with the conviction that all things should be done in order to exhort one another towards brotherly love and growth in the Body, amen? I have laced the answers themselves with links to eBible.com and their wonderful scriptural resources. In reality, all of the questions and answers in this commentary can be found on the eBible.com site itself; the questions were sent in by real people (they are not set-up questions), and the answers are my own. Follow this link to read more questions and answers that I personally have addressed: https://ebible.com/users/492502/profile I believe this first question and answer—actually made of two separate questions—forms the foundation towards appreciating the importance of the subsequent Passover related questions and answers that will be presented in this commentary. In my estimation, once we as Jews and Gentiles in Messiah begin to understand our place within salvation and election history, we will subsequently have a better chance at comprehending the oft-controversial topics of exactly who should be following Torah, who should be keeping the Feasts, is the Torah bondage, and what exactly the value of circumcision is from a biblical perspective. Are Isra’el and the Church the same thing? Does God still have a plan for Isra’el?

    45 min

  4. 11/26/2025

    Pesach 2016 "Passover" (Part B)

    Should Christians celebrate Passover? The short answer is “yes,” Christians should celebrate Passover. After all, Paul explicitly tells us to in 1 Cor 5:8. He says, “Let us therefore celebrate the festival…” and then he goes on to tell us how to celebrate it. But the point I am making is that he actually TELLS us to keep it. Whoever says that the NT doesn't command Gentile believers to keep parts of the Torah (Law) has obviously missed this verse. What does Paul mean when he says to not let anyone judge us in regard to keeping the Sabbath? The verse should be interpreted as Paul telling these Messianic Gentiles, “Don't worry if the unbelieving religious Jews judge you for KEEPING kosher, Feasts, New Moons, and Sabbath observances—without becoming legally recognized Jews first. You are grafted into Isra'el—as Gentiles—via your faith in the King of Isra'el. In the end, you will most likely get kicked out of their synagogues and out of their festive celebrations because you did not change your ethnicity, but don't worry, those things are a shadow nonetheless. You have the SUBSTANCE that those shadows point to—which is Messiah himself.” What does the Bible say about Christian liberty? Biblical freedom does not mean free from Law. Again, knowing that Yeshua set us free from sin, its proclivities, its bondage, and its ultimate penalty, helps us to understand Paul’s teachings on this subject. The paradigm set by the Exodus narrative teaches us that sin (bondage) prevents us from truly worshiping God the way he deserves to be worshipped. Speaking for God, Moses said, “Let my people go so that they may serve me!” Once Yeshua makes us alive in him and sets us free indeed, we are then free to worship God properly without the fear of condemnation or bondage to sin. This means we are free to walk into Torah the way God intended it to be walked out: in imitation of Messiah, by the Spirit, and to the glory of God the Father. What does it mean to be circumcised in Christ? The short answer is that to be circumcised in Christ means one is saved, taking the word “circumcision” here to refer to “circumcision of the heart, indicative of genuine faith in Yeshua (Jesus).” To be sure, a few verses later we read,” For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”” (Rom 4:3) Circumcision implies cutting something away, whether it is physical foreskin, or spiritual unbelief. Circumcised in Christ means unbelief has been cut away from the heart so that one sees Messiah by faith, and such faith saves him.

    1h 35m

  5. 11/25/2025

    HaMatzah - Feast of Unleavened Bread

    The wonderful reality that is ours is that the [1 Cor. 5:7, 8] directly associates us with “unleavened bread”. This is our new identity in Yeshua HaMashiach! This is our true identity! His sacrifice redeemed us from the slavery of the sin of “spiritual Egypt”, and changed our very constitution! We are actually a completely new batch of dough! Rav Sha’ul is therefore instructing us to start living as if this reality has been internalized already—for indeed it should be by now! His further instructions in this passage act as an explicit teaching for the Messianic Community of the first century not to neglect the divine invitation to observe the Passover, complete with HaMatzah. After all, is not the verse saying, “So let us celebrate the Seder….”? These instructions can be applied to the Body of believers today, without falling into the trappings of legalism and the like. I hope that each believer reading this article will at some time in his or her spiritual walk desire to attend a Passover Seder. I encourage each one of you to expand your understanding of these biblical feast days. Finally, with the feast of HaMatzah comes the understanding that only the Messiah Yeshua is the sinless Lamb of God. In my opening statement to the commentary on Pesach I stated that Yeshua literally fulfilled each of the first four feasts of Leviticus chapter 23. How did he fulfill HaMatzah? Aside from celebrating this feast with his Torah-observant family year after year, his body—the True Bread from heaven, was without leaven in any sense of the word. His sinless life represents the heavenly matzah offered on HaShem’s Passover plate. During our earthly Seders, we partake of the middle piece of matzah, also known by its Greek name “afikomen”. It is this middle piece that is hidden and redeemed during the ceremony. Messianics understand this symbolism to represent Yeshua’s “unleavened body” being placed in the grave (hidden) for three days and nights, only to be redeemed (rise again) by his resurrection power from on high. We believers so aptly capture this reality in our various “communion” services. Let us celebrate the festival of HaMatzah with joy! Personal examination. Take time to conduct a spiritual inspection of your walk with HaShem. Allow this Spirit-led introspection to reveal where the leaven is hidden. You just may be surprised to find out where the leaven in your life is hanging out! I know that I always am. In order to make this time period more effective, we need to use the most effective tool for this particular job! The Torah.

    41 min

  6. 11/24/2025

    Omer Reisheet "First Sheaf" (Part A)

    Issues Surrounding the “Timing” of Omer Reisheet Some readers will readily note that history has been generally “unkind” to this particular festival. What do I mean by “unkind”? I mean to draw your attention to the fact that no less than three prominent Jewish sects have come to interpret the timing associated with the start of this count in at least three respective, but differing ways. Author Tim Hegg has brilliantly noted such differences in his short paper ‘Counting the Omer’, viewable from his web site http://www.torahresource.com/ At least three different sects understood the chronology of the omer counting differently: a) the majority of the Jewish community, and perhaps particularly those in Judea, near Jerusalem, considered the phrase “the morrow after the Sabbath" to be the day following the opening sabbath of Chag HaMatzot, that is, the 16th of Nisan; b) a sub-group of the Sadducees, the Boethusians, took the Leviticus text to mean “the morrow after the (weekly) Sabbath," and thus commenced their counting on the day following the first weekly Sabbath within the festival week. c) the Qumran sect apparently understood the Sabbath in question to be the final day of Chag HaMatzot, and thus began their counting on the first day of the week following the completed festival. So, which view is correct and how does it impact you the reader? Depending on which view you go with, the impact will determine the date you celebrate Shavu’ot fifty days later!

    39 min

  7. 11/23/2025

    Omer Reisheet "First Sheaf" (Part B)

    The foregoing considerations have shown, first, that the sign of Jonah given by Yeshua to prove His Messiahship consisted not in an exact 72-hour entombment, but in His Resurrection on the third day after His death. Second, the phrase "three days and three nights" (Matt 12:40) is an idiomatic expression which in Bible times meant not necessarily three complete 24-hour days (72 hours), but rather three calendric days, of which the first and the third could have consisted of only a few hours. The latter conclusion is supported by the prevailing inclusive method of day-reckoning, by the parallel usage of the phrases "after three days" and "on the third day," and by the uninterrupted chronological sequence of days which does not allow for three complete 24-hour days. A recognition of these facts adequately explains how Yeshua fulfilled His prediction of a "three days and three nights" entombment by being buried on Friday afternoon and rising early on Sunday morning.

    36 min

  8. 11/22/2025

    Omer Reisheet "First Sheaf" (Part C)

    Suppose the Sadducean/Boethusian view is correct? Suppose that Omer Reisheet really starts on the morrow following the weekly Shabbat? This would put the festival on a Sunday every year. What is the impact on us now? Allow me to midrash in a different direction this time. There are seven festivals mentioned on the biblical calendar of Leviticus 23. Each festival carries a similar aspect that ties it into the complete cycle of yearly gatherings. In every single feast except one, we can observe that the instructions to “have a holy convocation” are given (technically, Pesach does not bear this description but I safely assume that the historical example of the inaugural Pesach in Egypt covers the technicality). The one that is singled out as not being identified as a convocation (gathering) is Omer Reisheet. What could the Holy One possibly be conveying to us here? The following explanation will serve as a personal drash (homiletic application) on the calendar and this day that follows the Shabbat. It is not to be understood as the objective interpretation of the text rather, it is identifiably subjective. I base my understanding, however, on the objective findings of the text itself. Isra'el was destined to be great among the surrounding nations. Theirs was a call to holiness, vividly demonstrated by their unique, God-given calendar. Surely, the many cultures and peoples that they interacted with had calendars of their own, identifying their various holy days and such. Yet Isra'el was to showcase the heavenly reality, through earthly means, that there was only One, True God under heaven worthy to be identified and worshipped as Creator. Isra'el was to teach the surrounding nations—by their own lifestyle—that “God is One” (Deut. 6:4). The pagans brought their worship of the Sun into Christianity, and its traces can be observed even today. Easter is rightly recognized as the “holiest” gathering within Christianity. Billions of followers flock to sunrise services all over the world to pay homage to the True Son who was resurrected on this day—and rightfully so! Were it not for the awesome resurrection of our LORD Yeshua from the power of death, we believers—Jew and Gentile, would have no hope in this world! Moreover, he did defeat death on that day, and we do have reason to celebrate! But do we have a biblical injunction to gather on this particular day? It is my premise that we do not. Our theology seems to be correct, yet our methodology lacks authenticity. Today, tradition still blinds us to the unchanging Truth of God’s Word—a Truth that should not be compromised! The world is watching us believers. They are observing whether or not we will make a difference between the clean and unclean, the holy and the profane, life and death! HaShem did not tell ‘Am Isra'el to “gather” on Omer Reisheet—the day after the Shabbat—which, according to the Sadducees, is Sunday itself!—in order to separate his truth from the error of paganism (remember sun worship has existed since the days of Bavel). I believe that the people of the TaNaKH set the biblical example NOT to gather on that special Sunday during the Passover Week for a true heavenly reason. Why have we failed to grasp this truth? Surely Yeshua was raised from death to life on that morning following the Sabbath! Surely he is the “firstfruits from the dead”! He is the first person to be raised unto a resurrection of incorruptible flesh! Although our flesh still houses sin, his flesh was sinless before his death on the execution stake; his resurrection demonstrates for us genuine believers what a resurrected body will be made like—raised to life everlasting! Why then do we continue to confuse this wonderful truth with our man-made traditions? Isn't it time we start demonstrating his holiness by the very days that we gather together on?

    50 min
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The Feasts of ADONAI are dress rehearsals of Messianic Redemption. Our LORD Yeshua has literally and prophetically fulfilled the first four of the seven feasts mentioned in Leviticus 23; it is my belief that the Torah teaches that he will, likewise, literally and prophetically fulfill the final three at his soon to be second arrival. As the children of Avraham willingly and faithfully lived out HaShem’s yearly cycle of “mo-eydeem,” the Spirit of the Holy One graciously opened their hearts to understand that, as his treasured possession, they were responsible to actively pursue a genuine, personal, loving relationship with their Heavenly Abba. It is this type of personal relationship that HaShem has always desired from the nation of Isra'el, and through the grace poured out to Isra'el, the surrounding Gentile nations might also see the goodness and mercy of ADONAI, and seek to become one of his treasured possessions as well (read Deut. 4:5-8). Today, our covenant responsibilities to our Holy God have not changed any more than the covenants made with his Treasured People have changed. He is our God and we are his people!

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  • Creator
    Torah Teacher Ariel ben-Lyman HaNaviy
  • Years Active
    2015 - 2025
  • Episodes
    29
  • Rating
    Clean
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    ©Tetze Torah Ministries 2026 All rights reserved
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    Feast Days - Major Festivals (Messianic)