Yom Teruah Printable Card

The first of the Fall Feasts will be here in just a few days! Either this Sunday or Monday evening as we wait to see the new moon. I hope you are going to celebrate this Festival of YHWH. A couple of you sent me projects you're working on inspired by Music & Moonlight party from a few posts back, and I can't wait to see more pictures!

I put together a printable card you can download to wish someone in your life a joyful Yom Teruah! Just print off, fold in half width wise, and then fold width-wise again. This printed best for me when the 'fit picture to frame' option was selected in the normal printing preferences box in Windows. I used a thin type of card stock paper to make this card a little more sturdy, but regular paper will do the job as well.

Download my printable Yom Teruah card here. It is free for your personal use.

Have a very happy Feast of Trumpets! Make a joyful noise!

20 Fun Ideas for the Fall Feasts

October is going to be a busy time for those of us celebrating the Feasts of YHWH. Whether you are new to the festivals or seasoned Methuselah I'm sharing some great ideas to make them extra special this year.

If you're staying at home you'll want to make a sukkah, like this one from Chai and Life.

Or you could go camping...

Sukkot foliage like palm leaves make a great table runner.
From Sugar & Cloth.

You could set this pretty table. From Sugar & Cloth.

You'll be outside a lot so be prepared for the weather with this DIY lemon (or etrog!) umbrella.

From Studio DIY.

Wear this shirt.

From Mt. Tabor Tees.

Order these cookies or get cutters to make your own version.

Make DIY stained 'glass' with your kids to teach them about the feasts.

From The Climbing Tree.

Make these easy palm leaf sticks to stir your Sukkot drinks.

From The Merry Thought.

Have friends over for a potluck dinner in your sukkah.

From Chai and Home.

How good does this apple stuffed challah look?

From Torah Sisters Magazine.

Stay warm with this DIY constellation scarf.
From A Beautiful Mess.

Share this Yom Teruah printable with a friend.

Keep the kiddos entertained with finger puppets, especially handy on Yom Kippur.

Spend time under the stars.
From The Climbing Tree.

 Get a better idea what you're looking at with this constellation map.

From Mr. Printables.

Decorate with letter balloons.

Transform any dessert with this Chag Sameach topper.
From Chai and Home.

Take a virtual tour of the Sukkah PDX exhibit from the Oregon Jewish Museum.

Take notes from this gorgeous party. Can you say #sukkahgoals?

From Love Sarah Schneider.

How will you be celebrating?

PS - I'm posting late this week so Shabbat shalom!

Music & Moonlight Yom Teruah Celebration

There are some passages in Scripture that you can just tell were written by a man. I don't mean that as an insult or a bad thing, but you know how guys sometimes don't include a lot of specifics when they tell a story? There are definitely parts of Scripture like that. I would like more details, please.

Yom Teruah is one of those 'left out the details' parts. We know more about YHWH's other festivals; instructions that lend easily to activities and menus. For Yom Teruah we aren't even told why to celebrate, though we can see the significance of its prophetic meaning. We know the Day of Sounding involves not working, lots of shofar music, and that it happens under the light of the seventh month's new moon.

Music and moonlight. Take what Scripture says and go with it.

Since it is the only festival that happens under a new moon, why not make it an evening under the stars? We need to be looking to confirm that it is the new moon anyway, since we don't know the day or hour. :) Lovely music is a happy addition to any occasion but never more appropriate than for a day known as Sounding.

The decor was super simple to put together. A 30 cent piano songbook got it's pages cut out and hot glued together for a table runner. Other pages had a single letter printed onto them (in a regular printer), were cut into triangles and glued to string to make a pretty bunting.

The goldenrod is a wildflower that is plentiful in our yard and area this time of year.

A candlelit alfresco dinner with string music. What could be lovelier? If your family or congregation has musicians you could ask them to take turns playing. A group hymn sing would also be beautiful.

Many of us have missed the beauty of Yom Teruah for a long time. Knowing so little about this set apart day means that YHWH has more to reveal to us about it. But we need to embrace the truth of what Yom Teruah is in the Scripture. A Day of Sounding, music, and moonlight.

To be honest, it is sad that most of the traditions of this feast day get wrapped into the not Biblically based Rosh Hashanah. We aren't going to get into it, but there is no festival of YHWH in Scripture that is called Rosh Hashanah. I know it is celebrated as the Jewish new year but Scripture tells us Aviv is the first month of the year. Moving on.

That's not to say it is bad to have apples and honey. If they are in season in your part of the world, apples are a logical choice to serve as they are healthy and loved by all. Using honey to symbolize the sweetness of YHWH's forgiveness after a time of repentance or to look forward to the sweetness of the Messiah's return seem reasonable to me. Just be aware that this is simply a man made tradition, not instruction from the Torah.

In addition to shofar sounding and any live music, create a playlist of background music to play during dinner. Good violin or piano is very elegant and I like to play string versions of my favorite songs. 

How are you planning to celebrate Yom Teruah this year?

Looking Ahead To The Fall Feasts

This is your reminder that the Fall Feasts of YHWH will be here soon! Summer is definitely my favorite weather but I do find it easier to let go of as I look forward to celebrating the festivals. Maybe that's not an accident? :) For those of us who follow the traditional calendar we still have some time, but now is our chance to prepare by taking time off work and planning how you are going to celebrate.

Yom Teruah: 
In Scripture this is a one day holiday, but since it is the only feast to fall on a new moon we aren't positive about when it will land. Therefore, this is traditionally observed on two days.
Starting in the evening on October 2 and going through sundown on October 4. Yom Teruah is a no work day.

Yom Kippur:
This is a no work day and a fast day. October 11 in the evening until October 12 at sundown.

Sukkot:
Starts the evening of October 16 and goes through October 24th at sundown. Hopefully you can free yourself up to celebrate as much as possible but the only mandatory no work days are the evening of October 16 until sundown the 17th, then October 23 in the evening until sundown the 24th. Since this is a camp out festival you will want to start thinking about what you are going to do for a sukkah this year.

Traditionally the day after Sukkot is a celebration known as Simchat Torah, where the final Torah portion of the cycle is read. This is a time of great joy, but this day is not found in Scripture. 

If you want a printable download of the dates you can find it here. 

Ridiculously Simple Sukkot Decoration DIY

Step 1:
Get a large sheet of paper in a dark blue or black. If you can't find a huge sheet like mine, use poster board or several sheets of regular size paper. The exact size doesn't matter, just get it however big you'd like. I used masking tape to secure it to the wall I wanted to decorate.

Step 2:
Use white acrylic paint to add stars to the top of the paper. You can go for the regular star shape or the more abstract version like me. Think: fuzzy circles. Bonus points for including constellations.

Step 3:
Paint your landscape. Triangles for mountains, with a couple of sukkahs in the middle for me. You can add trees, a river, city skyline or whatever else you want.

Step 4:
When your paint is dry tape leaves around the top to represent a sukkah. I used ferns from my yard.

There you have it. A simple piece of Sukkot decor you can easily make yourself for little or no cost.

Chag Sameach Sukkot!

What I'm Doing During Sukkot

I hope everyone's Sukkot is off to a great start! Ours started with a congregational gathering that was lovely, and building our sukkah (I'll share pictures later). Today's weather has been rain, which is a great reminder of how temporal a sukkah and indeed, our existence is since ours isn't waterproof! Hopefully it dries out soon.

Our culture's holidays are all one day and that's what most of us think of when we think of Scriptural based celebrations. A lot of building up to the big day and then a flurry of people, parties, rich food, and presents, and then back to work the next day. However, Sukkot is an eight day celebration and we're meant to enjoy all eight days of it! While only the first and eighth days are no-work days we should still celebrate the entire time and do things that reflect that this is a special and set apart time. Even if you are working this week take some time to enjoy this time that YHWH sanctioned as joyful.

So here's what I'm doing this Sukkot:

Spending time in the sukkah. Scripture does tell us to spend this time in a temporary dwelling. If you made a traditional sukkah or are using a camping tent or something in between, be sure you are dwelling there at least part of your day. Eating meals in the sukkah is a simple way to do something to distinguish this time from the rest of the year. It's also a great place for your Scripture study and prayer time.

Taking a trip to the farmers market. I believe in eating locally for all the normal reasons from supporting organic farmers to cutting down on fossil fuel usage, but the most significant reason to me is the understanding it gives about the word of YHWH. Scripture has deep agricultural roots from the Garden of Eden to the Olive Tree to the tree that bears fruit each month. We miss something when we don't realize that Sukkot is about celebrating the harvest. Appreciate the miracle of YHWH's provision by visiting a farm or seeing what's in season at the farmers market. Go to an orchard and pick apples or pears. Talk about how YHWH provides for our needs each season.

Praying for the Ingathering of Israel. The picture of Sukkot is celebrating the harvest of our gardens and farms. The harvest, of course, is when I go to my garden and select the good fruit and bring it to my home. YHWH promises to do the same and regather Israel (both the Northern Kingdom and the people of Judah) back to him. Prayer that His people would turn and teshuvah to him is extra special during the time of Sukkot.

Star gazing. Sukkahs are traditionally made with imperfect roofs of tree branches so the occupants can still see the stars. It is a reminder of YHWH's promise to Abraham, "Your descendants will be that many." Grab a star chart or a book on astronomy to learn more about the earthly heavens.

Listening to this song on repeat. Obviously. How do you not love Sukkos Style? I reeeeeallllly wish they would do the full song.

Giving what I can. Sukkot called for a huge offering of animal sacrifices, "beside your vows, your terumah offerings, burnt offerings, grain and drink offerings, and shalom offerings." (Number 29:12-40) Because of Yeshua we no longer need the sacrifice of animals, but I think the amount of giving YHWH expected of the ancient Israelites should tell us something. Consider giving extra to your congregation or learning of other ministries that you want to support.

Inviting friends over. This is a great chance to show others the joy of celebrating the Festivals of YHWH. Ask friends over for dinner or coffee and share what you're doing during this time. Invite your Bible study to gather in your sukkah.

Making dessert. This is a feast after all! I don't take the time to prepare fancy pastries very often but I am going to try a couple of new recipes this week. Sukkot is a joyful time and a good dessert will emphasize that and help make great memories to look back on.

What are you guys up to this week? Whatever it is, have a very happy Sukkot!

Looking Forward to Yom Kippur

Yes, you read that correctly. I am looking forward to Yom Kippur. Why? Because it is a time that YHWH designated as different from the rest of the year. He made it distinct from the other set apart days. Yom Kippur is worth celebrating and we should be excited about it.

I don't want to give you the idea that I've always felt this way. Yom Kippur used to be a day of trepidation and dread for me. An entire day without eating and drinking? That doesn't exactly sound like a joy. But it is.

It is important to know that Yom Kippur (like the rest of YHWH's festivals) is not a "Jewish holiday." While the majority of those who observe Yom Kippur may be Jewish, YHWH's intention was not to create festivals and set apart times only for a tiny fraction of His people. Yom Kippur is for all of YHWH's people, whether or not they are from the tribe of Judah.

Yom Kippur is such a strong reminder of how upside-down YHWH's ways are from what we know. It's one of those things that sounds a lot like, Blessed are the poor.... It's something totally backwards from our culture. Interestingly, YHWH deliberately placed an all-day fast in the middle of harvest season. Not eating for a day would make a little more sense in say, February, when most of us haven't seen a plant growing in months. But right now? I have tomatoes and squash in the garden, fresh peaches and a huge watermelon on my counter, just canned jars of salsa and applesauce that need put away, a bowl of peppers that need to be frozen, and a huge pile of greens that need to be dealt with. Food is in abundance right now in most of the world, and if you grow your own you're well aware of what needs picked and how you're going to freeze or store the rest. We would never pick this as the time to fast. It doesn't make sense not to partake in the good things we have. This doesn't seem like it's the best time to fast. But it is.

Why should we be excited about an all day fast?

We should have joy that we have this instruction from YHWH. In Nehemiah 8 Ezra read the Torah scroll to those in Jerusalem; many heard it for the first time and wept. While the text doesn't give a specific reason for the crying, we can surmise that they were mourning that they had not been keeping the instructions of YHWH. In Nehemiah 8:10 it says, "This day is kadosh to our YHWH: neither be sorry; for the simcha of YHWH is your strength." Don't be sad or regret this. This day is set apart to YHWH. He will give you gladness. Our greatest joy is being able to keep YHWH's word.

We are no longer dependent on the blood of animals. While we praise YHWH for providing the Levitical temple system as a temporary appeasement for our ancestors, we can be joyful that Yahusha has once and for all provided the perfect sacrifice for our sins.

It is a day of forgiveness. On Yom Kippur we should spend time in prayer asking for forgiveness and forgiving others. It is a joyous thing to be forgiven of the sins we have done. We should be happy to let go of the burden of unforgiveness against others as well.

Yahusha praises fasting. He taught that fasting, when not done to impress others, would be rewarded. Yahusha also famously fasted for forty days. One day doesn't seem so hard when we remember that.

Fasting is used to make teshuvah. In Joel 2:12 YHWH says, "Make teshuvah to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and mourning." We can use this day of fasting to return to YHWH in all areas of our lives and repent of the wrong paths that we have been on.

It gives us compassion for those with less than us. Some 800 million people, or more than 10% of the earth don't have enough food to lead a healthy life. Going without food, even for one day gives us a tiny idea of what it's like to really be hungry.

We can focus on YHWH. My favorite part of the all day fast is how much more time it gives me for study and prayer. I don't need to make lunch or keep going to the kitchen for water or figure out what to have for a snack. Each year it surprises me how much of our time is spent preparing and consuming our meals. A day set apart for Scripture reading with no distractions is okay with me.

For these reasons we can have gladness in our hearts during Yom Kippur. Why will you be joyous?