land of honey: Festivals of YHWH

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Hebrew Holiday Dates 2019 + Printable

Hebrew Holiday dates for 2019 + free printable (with two options for dates) | Land of Honey

Sharing the dates for the Hebrew holidays for 2019! To be sure you make note of them, grab the printable with the dates and stick it on your fridge or in your planner. Get the dates put on your calendar and be intentional about taking off work and freeing yourself up during these times so you can take part in the set apart times that YHWH has for us.

Once again, I am giving you two sets of dates. My aim is not to convince you of the correctness of one calendar over another but to encourage you to pick a set of dates and go with it for keeping the feasts. Work is allowed during certain days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of Tabernacles. I have made note of where the no-work days land for your convenience.

Hebrew Holiday dates for 2019 - traditional calendar | Land of Honey

Traditional calendar:

Remember, traditional dates start at sundown on the date listed and go until sundown the next day. For example Passover starts at sundown on April 19 and ends at sundown on the 20th. The traditional calendar always gives an extra day to Shavuot and Yom Teruah, though Scripture treats both as one-day holidays.

Passover - April 19
Feast of Matzah - April 20-27
First Fruits - April 20
Shavuot - June 8-10
Yom Teruah - September 29 - October 1
Yom Kippur - October 8
Sukkot - October 13-21

High holy days/no work days:

Passover - April 19-20 (this is not a no work day in and of itself, but since it lands on Shabbat is treated as such)
First day of Matzah Week - April 20-21
Last day of Matzah Week - April 26-27 (this is also the weekly Sabbath)
Shavuot - June 8-10
Yom Teruah - September 29 - October 1
Yom Kippur - October 8-9
First day of Sukkot - October 13-14
Last day of Sukkot - October 20-21

Click here to download the Hebrew Holidays Traditional Dates.

Hebrew Holiday dates for 2019 - Torah to the Tribes calendar | Land of Honey

Torah to the Tribes calendar:

This calendar uses daylight to daylight dates. For example, Passover starts at daylight on April 3 and goes until daylight April 4.

Passover - April 3
Feast of Matzah - April 4-10
First Fruits - April 7
Shavuot - May 26
Yom Teruah - September 17
Yom Kippur - September 26
Sukkot - October 1-8

High holy days/no work days:

First Day of Matzah Week - April 4
Last Day of Matzah Week - April 10
Shavuot - May 26
Yom Teruah - September 17
Yom Kippur - September 26
First Day of Sukkot - October 1
Last Day of Sukkot - October 8

Click here to download the Hebrew Holidays Torah to the Tribe Dates.

Not sure which calendar to go by? The calendar debate can be confusing and there are other sets of dates besides the ones I am sharing. If you have a congregation or group to celebrate with I would personally adhere to what they are using, as getting to celebrate with a like minded group of believers is very special. Each calendar has pros and cons and we probably won't know with 100% certainty what the dates are for the festivals of YHWH until Yahusha returns. As always, pray about what YHWH would have you to do and be willing to adjust as your understanding grows.

Let's starting planning to keep the feasts this year!

Why I Don't Celebrate Hanukkah

Well, this is awkward.

I want to share with you why there are no dreidels nor latkes on my side of the internet at this time of year. But I also don't want to hurt feelings or cause arguments. I value each of you that takes the time to read Land of Honey and want to continue having good relationships with you guys. I've decided to share about this because I get questions and want to clear up any confusion. As always, thank you for your grace and kindness.

I don't celebrate Hanukkah. Okay I did, a couple of times. As someone who grew up celebrating Christmas there is a big void every December. It was easy to embrace Hanukkah as a beautiful and inspirational story of YHWH's provision, especially since it validated precious family time, special foods, and gifts at this time of year. And it certainly made the transition away from Christmas easier. I think the Maccabee story is stunning in so many ways. But I no longer celebrate it.

The realization came one day when someone asked why I don't celebrate Christmas. My answer was that I only celebrate the festivals of YHWH. They asked if I kept the other 'Jewish' holidays like Hanukkah and Purim. "Well yeah," I stumbled. "Since they are biblically based and all." I knew it had to stop.

That was the it moment for me. I am so tired of justifying why my life is different than how Scripture says it should be. Of making excuses for why I add to or take away from YHWH's instructions. Isn't that what I was doing with Christmas? That obviously has biblical tie ins. I have made too many changes to do this again in a different way.

But Hanukkah is the festival of lights and Yahusha is the light! This reasoning is one most in the Messianic movement use. The verses that speak of Yahusha being light are some the most beautiful passages in Scripture, in my opinion. We take them and apply it to the miracle of the oil miraculously burning for eight days. Who doesn't get goosebumps over the 'he is with us' symbolism? There's just a small problem here: while YHWH certainly could have caused one day's supply of oil to last for eight there is no record of that actually happening. Even if there were, I personally don't see how that would justify modifying the menorah as designed by YHWH.

Okay, but Yahusha celebrated Hanukkah. Did he? John 10:22 does say that he was at the Temple during Hanukkah but it doesn't say he was celebrating. One does not read John 10 and picture him manning the latke fryer. I doubt he made punch or lit a nine branch menorah. He definitely wouldn't have uttered the traditional Hanukkah blessing that describes this festival as a command of YHWH. In fact, he was such a buzz kill that the leaders of the Hanukkah party actually tried to stone him there.

If Yahusha wanted us to associate him with Hanukkah wouldn't that have been an excellent opportunity for his 'I am the light' speech? Instead--and this is what got him into trouble--he went with a simple phrase, "My sheep know my voice." In verse 26 he even goes as far to say those at the Hanukkah celebration don't trust him and aren't his sheep.

What's wrong with celebrating a miracle of YHWH though? Well, nothing, as long as we are doing it YHWH's way. And as beautiful and meaningful as Hanukkah celebrations can be, I'm not sure if that's his way. You see, many cultures have a 'Festival of Lights' at this time of year, including the Hindu celebration of Diwali and Persian/Babylonian festival of Chaharshanbe Suri, which has been around since at least 1700 BC. Can you think of another holiday in December that takes historic fact and spiritual significance and then mixes it with pagan tradition? How do you feel about that? Let us not forget that the enemy masquerades as an angel of light.

To clarify, here are a few things I am not saying:
The story of the Maccabees isn't true.
That the miracles YHWH performed at that time aren't amazing.
There aren't good intentions behind those that celebrate this.
I don't have friends I think highly of that celebrate Hanukkah.
Hanukkah can't be fun or special, or even have spiritual significance.

For me it comes down to wanting my faith to be simple and approachable. I want the changes in my life to be based on Scripture and for others to be able to see that. I want to base my life around the things of YHWH and not add other things in, even if they are special and meaningful. I want to emphasize YHWH's set apart times more than manmade holidays.
This is why I have decided not to celebrate it. There are many people and ministries I think very well of that would disagree with me on this. As always, you should search out Scripture and pray about how YHWH would have you to live.

If you do celebrate Hanukkah I would ask you to consider:

-Making it clear that this is not a commandment of YHWH. The traditional blessing of, "Blessed are you, Adonai our God, king of the universe, who sanctifies us with mitzvot, commanding us to kindle the Hanukkah lights" is a blatant lie. Don't teach that something is an instruction of YHWH when it is not.

-Treating it as a minor holiday. It's sad that Hanukkah is better represented in culture than the actual festivals of YHWH. Don't put more effort, time, or money into a manmade holiday than you do YHWH's.

-Using a seven branch menorah. Accurately represent YHWH's menorah to friends and family by using the dimensions he laid out.

-Exploring the historic facts around the Maccabean revolt. And asking some hard questions about the oil, the priesthood/kingship the Maccabees established, and historic facts about the beginning of Hanukkah. Did you know the Pharisees actually started as a protest against the Maccabees? There's a lot to learn here!

So there you have my thoughts on Hanukkah. My goal is never to tell anyone what to do, but since I get asked this a lot I decided to share. I hope this helps to clear up any confusion!

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.

Matzah Week Recipes

Kosher for Passover Recipes for Matzah Week | Land of Honey

I think we've missed it with the Feast of Unleavened Bread, guys. Scripture describes this week as a feast, and that means lots of delicious and nourishing food. I'm not sure why we have accepted Matzah Week as a time of inferior cuisine.

40+ Recipes that are Kosher for Passover | Land of Honey

Shopping this weekend I discovered a special 'Kosher for Passover' section at a grocery store. It contained everything from cereals to mayonnaise to cookies, all certified Kosher for Passover. (Need an overview of what 'Kosher for Passover is? Click here.) These items were all pricey, and the few that I've tried I wasn't impressed with. And the ingredient list? Sketchy at best. There were lots of things I wouldn't want to eat at any time of the year, but especially as a celebration of the goodness and greatness of YHWH. I want to see us get back on track. Like the Passover Seder, what we eat during Matzah Week expresses something about who we believe YHWH is. I believe that he created plenty of foods that are nourishing and wonderful and appropriate to eat during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

These recipes are as is kosher for Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread week. No alterations, substitutions, or tracking down strange ingredients necessary. These are made with real, nourishing, whole foods that are found in regular grocery stores. When I made this list I purposefully searched for recipes that would go well with homemade matzah. This week is about unleavened bread after all.

Spaghetti Squash Burrito Bowls from Cookie and Kate

Roasted Carrot Lentil Salad with Tahini Dressing from A Beautiful Plate

Lentils are definitely a go to during Unleavened Bread. Also check out, Creamy French Lentils with Mushrooms from the First Mess, and Jenny Kayne's Middle Eastern Grilled Vegetable and Lentil Bowl would be perfect with einkorn matzah.

Kale and Roasted Red Kuri Squash Salad from A House in the Hills

Crispy Baked Falafel from Cookie and Kate

Falafel is one of my favorites and can definitely be made without any flour. For a lentil version check out A Pinch of Yum's Ultimate Winter Bliss Bowls with Lentil Falafel.