MessianicMusings.com

The feast of Sukkot is the week-long observance that caps the Jewish fall festival season that Adonai established as an eternal covenant and observance for all who fear the G-d of Abraham, Issac and Jacob. It points also to the return of messiah Yeshua and the period of rest we all will enter after the final judgment is complete.

So what will eternity with Yeshua be like? Will we sit around trading golf cart parts and working the back nine at Augusta National?

Well, we really don’t know that, but what we do know is that this is not a concept that initiated with first-century messianic followers of Yeshua.

As RabbiYeshua.com writes:

The Talmud (Rosh Hashanah 31a) contains another tradition that relates to our discussion. The Sages noted that in Psalm 90:4, Moses stated that ‘one thousand years’ in God’s sight ‘is as yesterday when it has passed.’ That is, one-thousand years is like a day. So they speculated that, just as God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh, the world would endure in its present condition for six-thousand years. This would be followed by one-thousand years of rest (Sanhedrin 97a-b.) This ‘rest’ was typified by the weekly Sabbath, an idea also found in Hebrews chapters 3 and 4. The idea of a thousand-year day is affirmed by the Apostle Peter:

But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. (2 Peter 3:8)

That is why the tent is built; that is why it is tradition during Sukkot to sleep out in such tents; because when Yeshua returns and calls us to this thousand-year banquet, we do not want to be like the foolish brides of the parable, who did not trim their wicks, missed the coming of the bridegroom, and were now allowed in late to the celebration.

Or, in simpler terms: the day of the kingdom of heaven is not merely near, it is NOW. And Sukkot is a reminder of that truth.

Yom Kippur translates from the Hebrew as “the day of atonement.” It is a festival, established by Adonai with Moshe, as “an everlasting covenant,” a festival that all who fear the G-d of Abraham, Issac and Jacob are expected to observe.

There are no special accoutrements (like special prayer shawls or religious ornamentation, or even the carrying of a Swiss Army knife) that help celebrate this holiday. Instead, it is generally celebrated by wearing as much white clothing as possible to represent the washing away of sins, and is often accompanied by the observance of a fast.

One note I want to make about the celebration of Yom Kippur. While generally, the fast on Yom Kippur is observed with a complete fast from all foods, please note that one can fully and faithfully celebrate the Yom Kippur fast without going to unhealthy extremes.

For example, if you are on medication, it is not a breaking of your fast to take your medication on Yom Kippur. Remember the principle that must guide all Judeo-Christian observance: the preservation of life comes before all else.

Likewise, those who require special dietary considerations, such as diabetics, would be well advised to not observe a total fast, but a partial one. (For example, fast from sweets or something, but eat what you must to keep your blood sugar levels at a healthy balance.)

Finally, remember that among most messianic congregations, we are interested in following the pure, written Torah, but not necessarily the centuries of hallekah that have descended from Rabbinic oral Torah traditions. (Not that they are without value in some instances, but as a rule, the written Torah takes precedence over the oral Torah among the messianic community.)

Here’s an example of what concerns me. At our congregation this weekend, I overheard another member of our kehilat explaining how to observe the Yom Kippur fast to another member. She was insistent that the fast include all liquids, even water, from sundown to sundown. She then went on to repeat strict regulations on exceptions to the water portion of the total fast, insisting that the new member “try not to even drink water, but if you do, only take one ounce and, even then, you must not take water more than once every 15 minutes.”

This level of legalistic observance is overkill and is what Messiah Yeshua was referring to when he talked about the Pharisees of his day perverting the Torah into “a burden no one can bear.” In other words, be graceful in your observance of the Yom Kippur fast; it should be an observance of joy, not one of burden!

One thing that is as trustworthy as Samsonite is that time marches on, at least in this life. That’s why the celebration of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana, is so important to messianic life. Rosh HaShana literally means “head of the year” and, in essence, is a remembrance of things that have not yet happened.

For the messianic believer, one of the key things that Rosh HaShana is a remembrance of is the future return of Y’shua the Messiah and all that will follow with that event. That include the resurrection of the dead, some to glory and others to judgment, as well as the reconciliation of the Jewish people to Messiah.

Yet this is not an occasion where I want to venture too far into eschatology. Just keep in mind that the trumpets that blow on Rosh HaShana are a shadow of the trumpets that will sound to mark the return of Yeshua.

It’s amazing how people can rise to the occasion when you give them a chance to do so. The parent of two of my bar/bat mitzvah kids was interested in helping out when my co-teacher stepped down earlier this summer. I encouraged her to attend and help out, as she feels led to do so.

Her commitment slowly rose as she became more familiar with the kids, and this week, she led the lesson for the first time! It was a great moment and I learned a lot from stepping into a support role and letting someone else lead the class. The kids enjoyed it, too.

I think that’s probably an effective approach for involving new people into the ministry. Recognize what they are interested in, give them a chance to get involved, and let them grow into it. Some folks respond to a sudden, zero-to-60 commitment challenge, but I think the gradual approach works better and instills greater confidence and less burnout.

Soon volunteer helpers can become qualified leaders, if you set the table before them in the correct way, complete with tablecloth and all the place settings.

It was interesting to review our shul’s bylaws this weekend and be reminded that part of being a member of the church is giving of your time and talent, not just financial support.

As a teacher of the bar and bar mitzvah kids, I’m already doing that to some degree, so that’s a relief, but we have a lot of members and a shortage of volunteers, so it was nice to have a reminder that all of us could probably do a little more than we’re currently doing… even a bar/bat mitzvah teacher like myself.

I don’t think anyone has meant to slip into casual participation; I think it’s human nature. But I’m glad we addressed the issue and encouraged all members to do more. Otherwise we might as well put blinds over our stained glass and close up shop; when a community stops helping each other, it’s headed that way anyway.

Some people call messianic Judaism a cult. Clearly, they are speaking without a clear understanding of what a cult actually is.

For example, there are no secret rituals or initiations in messianic Judaism. We recite the same prayers and celebrate the same holidays and observe pretty much the same kosher laws as most Jews (depending on how strictly you interpret the meat and dairy thing). We also worship the same messiah as Christians, although we call him by his true Hebrew name, Y’shua.

If you want to talk about what is cult-like, take a look at the Mormon Church and their secret rituals and initiations. Sorry, but none of my religious beliefs are based around protective underwear.