Image from billyhollandministries.wordpress.com
[This was originally posted in 2013 and revisited during the autumn feasts commanded to Israel in Leviticus 23. In the first two years of our pilgrimage, we were not sure how non-Israelites or Gentiles like ourselves were to observe these divinely-commanded feasts. At that time, we decided to ‘play it safe’; in other words, ‘just do it!’ As we continued to study the Torah, and discussed where do Gentiles fit into the plan of YHWH for all humanity, we started shifting into a different conclusion. This is one of the posts where we explain our position.
TRANSLATIONS: Unless otherwise stated, we are using [AST] or ArtScroll Tanach for the Hebrew Scriptures; and for Christian OT, the [ESV] English Standard Version.—Admin 1]
——————————
The springboard for revisiting this topic is twofold:
- It is timely, i.e. the ‘fall festivals’ of Leviticus 23 were scheduled during the shifting from the month of Elul to Tishrei, when three festivals are celebrated;
—starting with Yom Teruah (feast of trumpets) which is also Rosh Hashanah (new year),
—followed in 10 days by Yom Kippur (day of atonement),
—and in 5 days by Sukkot (feast of booths or tabernacles).
- It is timely in terms of group retrospection:
—at about this time of the year,
—Sinai 6000 emerged informally as a core group of ‘Truth-seekers’
—who, two years ago, had dropped all previous religious affiliation
—to backtrack to the original pathway long trodden by Israel
—that led to the Sinai revelation.
Having riveted our focus on Sinai as the site and source of divine revelation, from the start we had chosen to call our Truth-quest a ‘pilgrimage’ of sorts, learning step by step how to react to that revelation we recognize and accept as YHWH’s gift to all humanity— the Torah,
—alternatively known to Jews in the Hebrew as Chumash,
—and to Christians in Greek as the Pentateuch.
Here’s a timely reminder from an article in aish.com, by Dovid Rosenfeld/Simchat Torah: Just You and Me:
“Every one of us has his personal story, how he came to be who he is today and what the Torah means to him. For the Torah is the possession of all of us. No one has the monopoly on God’s wisdom. It is wisdom we can all study and grow from – and recognize its personal message to us.”
Amen! Agree! “The Torah is the possession of all of us” —- the Israelite and non-Israelite, for the Jew and for the Gentile. We settled that issue from the start.
So what’s the problem?
Well, the continuing nagging question is this:
How does a non-Israelite, a non-Jew, a gentile,
“react” to that revelation in this day and age
and in the non-Torah cultures where we belong?
From our experience— initially upon learning that gentiles were among the Israelite population of the “mixed multitude” that left Egypt, we were elated to learn that non-Israelites were represented at Sinai even if the covenant was specifically with Israel. So without thinking, we claimed not only our ‘place’ but our ‘obligation’ to observe Torah. Simple? Well, not quite, not so fast.
As any gentile soon discovers upon embarking on a serious study of Torah, it is not as easy as reading ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’, no questions asked, just obey.
Why not?
- For one, the whole Torah is addressed, understandably, to guess who? Israel of course. So from the time Torah is given on Sinai, you feel like an outsider looking in. You could relate to “In the beginning” with Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah, Abraham, even Isaac and Jacob before he becomes Israel. (Jewish writers refer to them all as “Jews” but we don’t agree but that requires another article.)
- For another, the context in which the instructions are given is specific:
—during their wilderness wanderings,
—with projections to the Israelites’ future
—when they enter and conquer the Land,
—and settle themselves there according to tribal assignments.
- If there were references to gentiles, they were not at all complimentary,
—particularly when referring to the idolatrous nations
—who ignorantly worshipped the creation rather than the Creator
—and who were notorious for abominable practices
—that Israel was constantly warned against following.
- The gentler references were towards—
—‘foreigners’ or ‘strangers’ in their midst
—who were to be treated kindly
—just like ‘widows’ and ‘orphans’ and the ‘poor’
—but were excluded from certain observances that were strictly for the ‘circumcised’.
As such, much of Torah leaves a gentile perplexed, so that the question we often ask:
- “how does this apply to me in my context — today in my culture, my nationality, my personal identity?”
- or more specifically, “how could I possibly apply what I read and learn —
—in the context of the times I live in,
—the culture,
—the world system that operates not only differently
—but is not evenTorah-friendly”?
Jews who live the Torah way are ‘set apart’ from the larger community not necessarily in terms of separating themselves physically but in terms of showing a distinct cultural if not religious identity, from the food they eat, to the day they congregate, to the place identified specifically with them — the synagogue, to the symbols and trappings characteristically theirs or associated with them, as well as the festivals they celebrate, and much more.
The gentile communities among whom Jews live are aware of them and their ‘distinctiveness’. In the Land where areas are under Israeli control, Jews are free to practice their religion, customs and traditions; the laws of the Land so to speak, are ‘Torah-friendly’.
But what about the gentile who embraces the Torah and the God Who prescribed it as a way of life? Where does a gentile go? What does a gentile do? Is the natural consequence isolation? Separation from former religious affiliations which is what we do experience? Or eventually join Judaism? Could a gentile live Torah without resorting to copying Jewish traditional ways? How much of Torah could and should a gentile apply to his/her life? Surely, there are many more questions that come up as one reads through the Chumash. But let’s keep it simple for now.
This much we have understood and decided upon as individuals as well as a small start-up community:
- Of the 613 do’s and don’ts in the Torah, you will notice—
—some are specific to Israel,
—to Israel in the Land,
—to a specific tribe such as Levi,
—to women, or men,
—to masters or slaves, etc.
Understand the intention: to regulate Israel’s life while in the wilderness and eventually in the Land.
Therefore, which ones are applicable to us, gentiles living in this day and age? A few easy answers that universally apply:
- Health laws such as Leviticus 11 – the diet prescribed for human consumption are relevant; unclean animals were created “good” and “very good” and still fulfill their scavenger assignment to clean up the earth, but don’t eat them if you want to remain healthy from birth to old age.
- Sanitation laws: modern medicine caught up with Torah’s quarantine of infectious diseases; hygienic practices of burying human waste under the soil; drinking water from running water, etc.
- Kind treatment of the underprivileged: widows, orphans, the poor, strangers and foreigners.
- Laws generally adopted in democratic societies (individual freedom, rights and responsibilities; equal justice for all, and so on.)
There are many more, but we have to move on to the topic of this post.
—————————————————————–
What about Leviticus 23, which YHWH calls “My” feasts? If it were “your” feasts, we could interpret them to mean they’re intended only for Israel.
[ESV] Leviticus 23:1-2
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, These are the appointed feasts of the Lord that you shall proclaim as holy convocations; they are my appointed feasts.”
[AST] Leviticus 23:1-2
HASHEM spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the Children of Israel and say to them: HASHEM’s [YHWH] appointed festivals that you are to designate as holy convocations—-these are My appointed festivals.
If these feasts are the YHWH’s “appointed times” should not all humanity observe them? At first glance, it would appear so . . . but ponder this:
As former Christians/Messianics, some of us had not only celebrated Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot, but observed these festivals according to the Jewish tradition, following the Haggadah for Passover but incorporating Messianic theology which connects Jesus to all of them.
As Sinaites, we continued to celebrate these feasts with the Jews, dropping the superimposed Christian connection with Jesus and reverting to the Jewish traditional ways of celebrating them. Knowing no other way, we figured just obey until we know more, better safe in ignorance than sorry in violation.
Every year, we revisit the festivals and this year, we came to a different conclusion. We noticed that there were three agricultural festivals when Israelite men were required to be present at the temple in Jerusalem; these were:
- Passover (Pesach, including Unleavened Bread and First Fruits), 3 in 1;
- and Shavuot (Pentecost) for the spring festivals;
- and Sukkot (Feast of Booths/ Tabernacles) in the fall festivals.
Wondering why only three and not all seven (not included is the weekly Sabbath and Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement), we figured that the three festivals look back to significant happenings in the national history of Israel:
- Pesach/Unleavened Bread/First Fruits — exodus or liberation from bondage;
- Shavuot — Covenant on Sinai, giving of the Torah;
- Sukkot — lived in tents in the wilderness wanderings, as the God of Israel lived among them.
Through the celebration of these particular feasts, Israelites would remember their roots, their identity, how their God provided for them in the wilderness, their chosen-ness, and their commitment to obey their God and live His Torah. These festivals are specific to Israel’s national experience. They should celebrate these five festivals, as well as the other two listed in Leviticus 23: the weekly sabbath, and Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. All seven feasts apply to them.
What about us, gentiles? We propose that while it is educational and informative for us to celebrate the five festivals that are specific to Israel, we are not obligated to do so. They are not in our national experience, they are not in our history, whatever country or nationality we belong to. They are peculiarly and identifiably Israel’s.
However . . . the weekly Sabbath was instituted as a feast for all created humanity to remember Who is the Creator, as early as Bereshiyth/Genesis 2:1-3:
[AST] Thus the heaven and the earth were finished, and all their array. By the seventh day God completed His work that He had done, and He abstained on the seventh day from all His work that He had done. God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it because on it, He abstained from all His work that God created to make.
Before there was Israel, there was the Sabbath.
Before the giving of the Torah on Sinai, there was the Sabbath.
On the way to Sinai, Israel’s God trained the mixed multitude to observe the seventh day by teaching them to take two day’s portion of manna on the 6th day, so that they could rest on the 7th:
[AST] Exodus 16: 4-5 HASHEM [YHWH] said to Moses, “Behold!—I shall rain down for you food from heaven; let the people go out and pick each day’s portion on its day, so that I can test them, whether they will follow My teaching or not. And it shall be that on the sixth day when they prepare what they bring, it will be double what they pick everyday.
25-30 Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath for HASHEM [YHWH] ; today you shall not find it in the field. Six days shall you gather it, but the seventh day is a Sabbath, on it there will be none. It happened on the seventh day that some of the people went out to gather, and they did not find. HASHEM [YHWH] said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to observe My commandments and My teachings? See that HASHEM [YHWH] has given you the Sabbath; that is why He gives you on the sixth day a two-day portion of bread. Let every man remain in his place; let no man leave his place on the seventh day.” The people rested on the seventh day.
The Sabbath is experientially taught to the mixed multitude; they did not have to “leave” their place on the seventh day, only because they were supposed to have already gathered their double portion of manna the day before. Some observant Jews (because they ARE of Israel) take this to mean they do not leave their homes on the Sabbath; well, this is in their national experience and they are probably playing safe by applying it to themselves even today.
Finally on Sinai, the 10 “Words” were inscribed on tablets of stone and the 4th was the Sabbath . . . it officially became Law:
[AST] Shemoth/Exodus 20:8-11
Remember the Sabbath day to sanctify it. Six days shall you work and accomplish all your work; but the seventh day is Sabbath to HASHEM [YHWH], your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son, your daughter, your slave, your maidservant your animal, and your convert within your gates—-for in six days HASHEM [YHWH] made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and He rested on the seventh day. Therefore, HASHEM [YHWH] blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it.
Later as Israel fails to live up to the Torah and is warned by prophet after prophet to mend its ways and return to YHWH, Isaiah adds this:
[58:13-14]
If you restrain your foot because it is the Sabbath; refrain from accomplishing your own needs on My holy day; if you proclaim the Sabbath a delight, and the holy [day] of HASHEM [YHWH] ‘honored,’ and you honor it by not engaging in your own affairs, from seeking your own needs or discussing the forbidden—then you will delight in HASHEM [YHWH], and I will mount you astride the heights of the world; I will provide you the heritage of your forefather Jacob, for the mouth of HASHEM [YHWH] has spoken.
And still speaking to Israel, the universal scope of Sabbath observance is emphasized:
[56:1-8]
Thus said HASHEM [YHWH]: Observe justice and perform righteousness, for My salvation is soon to come and My righteousness to be revealed. Praiseworthy is the man who does this and the person who grasps it tightly: who guards the Sabbath against desecrating it and guards his hand against doing any evil.
Note vs. 3:
Let not the foreigner, who has joined himself to HASHEM [YHWH], speak, saying, ‘HASHEM [YHWH] will utterly separate me from His people’; and let not the barren one say, ‘Behold I am a shriveled tree.’ For thus said HASHEM [YHWH] to the barren ones who observe My Sabbaths and choose what I desire, and grasp My covenant tightly: In My house and within My walls I will give them a place of honor and renown, which is better than sons and daughters; eternal renown will I give them, which will never be terminated.
And vs.6:
And the foreigners who join themselves to HASHEM [YHWH] to serve Him and to love the Name of HASHEM [YHWH] to become servants unto Him, all who guard the Sabbath against desecration, and grasp My covenant tightly—I will bring them to My holy mountain, and I will gladden them in My house of prayer; their elevation-offerings and their feast-offerings will find favor on My Altar, for My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.
That clear, how now does a gentile observe the Sabbath?
If you check out the Jewish observance, they have their traditional ways— from the welcoming of the “queen of days” on “erev shabbat” or Friday sundown, to saying goodbye at “havdalah” or Saturday sundown. Some go to extremes, observant Jews are meticulous as they feel they should be. The Jewish websites on our link are full of instructions but remember, Jews write for Jews, not for gentiles.
What about us . . . non-Jews?
For now, our Sinaite core group have decided on the following:
- The essence of the Sabbath is to spend the day fully concentrating on YHWH and His Torah.
- We obey the command to “cease” from doing what we normally do six days a week,
- that is, as much as it is possible for us to do so in a Sunday-world-system when some of us have jobs that require us to work on the Sabbath.
- We welcome the sabbath on ‘erev’ like the Jews do, either individually, with family, or with community.
- We take our 6-8 hours sleep the rest of that evening.
- Those of us who don’t work spend Saturday AM hours in study, prayer, devotional time.
- Those of us who work take our noon lunch-hour off to worship together and read Torah; we figure we’ve already observed 16 hours of the Sabbath as best as we could within the Sunday system we are caught in; we dedicate our work-hours ever-conscious of our Creator God and grateful for all He has done for us the past week, if not for all of our lifetime.
- Those of us who are free all day come together (Saturday PM hours) to a fellowship meal and study Torah together; regarding this —- we’ve been made conscious by a Jewish friend that all we’ve done is move our Sunday activities to Saturday, but we find nothing wrong with coming together because our God is the God of the Sabbath, and because we do not see each other all week so what better day to enjoy one another than His appointed day?
- When we break up at ‘havdalah’ like the Jews, we say goodbye to the Sabbath and look forward to the next.
We ‘delight’ in the Sabbath because He declares it as an “appointment” with Him. So instead of finding it as a restrictive day where we can’t do anything “as usual”, it is a day to enjoy the blessings of a ‘date’ with YHWH, and do whatever we can to honor Him and HIs day. It is “My” appointed time when He commits Himself to meeting with Sabbath-keepers . . . and so we meet with Him individually, with family, with community.
That settles the Sabbath.
What about the other “My” feast that all people — Jew and Gentile are obligated to observe?
Does everybody sin? Yes. . .
Does everybody need to observe the Day of Atonement? Yes!
So what about Yom Kippur? Please read the sequel to be written later.
On behalf of Sinai 6000 Core Community,
NSB@S6K
