Holy Days
At Kehilat Ariel we follow the Jewish/biblical calendar for festivals and holy days. Many of these are given directly in the Torah such as Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot (cf. Leviticus 23). Others came later in Jewish history yet also tell an important story such as Purim and Hanukkah. Some are even recent additions based on the Jewish experience like Yom HaShoah and Yom HaAtzmaut. Many of these festivals are called “God’s appointed times”; that is, God’s time to meet with us in a special way. All the holy days speak of vital lessons from Jewish history but also contain prophetic pictures of God’s plan for us in the near future! Enjoy the resources listed below and join us for a distinctive messianic Jewish service at one of the upcoming holy days.
Shabbat: Sundown Friday until Sundown Saturday
Tu Bishvat (Arbor Day): Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Purim (Scroll of Esther): Thursday, March 8, 2012
Pesach (Passover): Saturday, April 7, Saturday, April 14, 2012
Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day): Thursday, April 19, 2012
Yom HaZikaron (Israeli Memorial Day): Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Yom HaAtzma’ut (Israel Independence Day): Thursday, April 26, 2012
Lag B’Omer (33rd day of the Omer): Thursday, May 10, 2012
Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day): Sunday, May 20, 2012
Shavuot (Pentecost): Sunday, May 27 – Monday, May 28, 2012
Tish’a B’Av (9th of Av): Sunday, July 29, 2012
Rosh Hashanah (New Year): Wednesday, September 28 – Friday, September 30, 2011
Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement): Saturday, October 8, 2011
Sukkot (Tabernacles): Thursday, October 13 – Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Shemini Atzeret (8th day of Sukkot): Thursday, October 20, 2011
Simchat Torah (Rejoicing in the Torah): Friday, October 21, 2011
Hanukkah (Dedication): Wednesday, December 21 – Wednesday, December 28, 2011
All holidays begin at sundown on the evening before the date listed.
For more information about the background and messianic perspective on the Jewish festivals, check out the popular book by our rabbi:
God’s Appointed Times by Barney Kasdan (available at messianicjewish.net)
There are many free sermons pertaining to the Jewish holy days on the audio files of this webpage. To link to KA newsletter articles about the various holy days, click on the following:
Bikkurim -
Shavuot -
Hanukkah -
Purim -
