Smoothie Bowls for Yom Teruah

Look no further for a festive start to your Yom Teruah day! Smoothie bowls are healthy and easy to make, and the ice cream cones make it perfect for the Day of Shofar Blasts. I love being able to celebrate a Biblical holiday in such a fun way!

You can use any smoothie or smoothie bowl recipe. I wanted mine to look blue since there is such an emphasis on looking for the new moon in the night sky for the Feast of Trumpets. I used blueberries and yogurt, but blackberries or elderberries or acai or blue majik spirulina could also make a blue smoothie. You can easily use whatever you like or have handy, and it's simple to adjust these for any dietary preferences or allergies. 



Night Sky Smoothie:
1 cup frozen blueberries
2 cups yogurt
1 tablespoon spirulina powder
1 tablespoon honey (or to taste for sweetness)

Put your blueberries in the blender and run the ice crushing setting for 30 seconds or so to break up the berries. This makes it easier to smoothly blend everything. (If you don't have this setting on your blender let them thaw for a few minutes before blending everything together.) Once your berries are mostly in small pieces, add the yogurt, spirulina powder, and honey and blend until smooth.

The spirulina is optional but it gives you a nutritional boost and also is responsible for the dark shade of blue. Without it the combination was more of a light purple. 

Once your smoothie is blended, pour it into bowls and decorate.

To decorate I used:

Ice cream cones for shofars
Blueberries
Calendula flowers
Peaches
Sliced apples
Watermelon
Chia seeds
Sesame seeds
Coconut flakes
Menorah cupcake toppers (from here)

You could use any fruit or berry, seeds, nuts, or edible flower. Granola works here, and so do sprinkles or chocolate. You can use cookie cutters to make fun shapes out of apple slices. A ten commandment gummie would be a great touch too. It's easy to make these exactly to your liking and everyone can decorate their own bowl. If you don't mind a thinner smoothie base, you can even make the smoothie the day before and keep it in the fridge, along with sliced fruit for topping.

Are you new to celebrating the Biblical Feast of Trumpets? Learn more about Yom Teruah here.

Hebrew Holiday Dates 2018 + Printable

This is the fifth time Land of Honey has made a printable of the Hebrew holiday dates for the upcoming year! My hope is that you print these off, save it to your phone, and write them in your calendar so that you can start preparing to honor YHWH by accepting his invitation to his set apart times. Be intentional about getting time off from work, budgeting for the celebrations, and otherwise scheduling the rest of your life around the feasts. Keeping the commandments won't happen by accident; so if you want to honor them you have to plan for it.

So the calendar has the dates (once again, two options to choose from) for YHWH's set apart times, then below I have specified which ones YHWH tells us not to work on. These times should be treated like the weekly Sabbath, where we take time off from professional work and avoid shopping, cooking, and so on. During the majority of days in Matzah Week and Sukkot work is allowable but I would encourage you to take those days off from your job, if possible, so that you can fully enjoy these set apart times.

For the 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 March 30 and ends at sundown on the 31. The traditional calendar always gives an extra day to Shavuot and Yom Teruah, though Scripture treats both as one-day holidays.

No work days are:

Passover - March 30-31 (this is not a no work day in and off itself, but since it falls on Shabbat it is)
First day of Matzah Week - March 31- April 1
Last day of Matzah Week - April 6-7 (this is also the weekly Sabbath)

Shavuot - May 19-21

Yom Teruah - September 9-11

Yom Kippur - September 18-19

First day of Sukkot - September 23-24
Last day of Sukkot - September 30-October 1

For the 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.

No work days are:

First day of Matzah Week - April 4
Last day of Matzah Week - April 10

Shavuot - May 27

Yom Teruah - September 17

Yom Kippur - September 26

First day of Sukkot - October 1
Last day of Sukkot - October 8

Download the calendar dates below and stick it in your planner or on your fridge. Free for your personal use.

Click here to download the Hebrew Holidays Traditional Dates.

Click here to download the Hebrew Holidays Torah to the Tribes 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!

Hebrew Holiday Dates + Printable

Hebrew holiday dates for 2017...drum roll please.

Once again here are two sets of dates! I've done the traditional calendar dates and also the dates from Torah to the Tribes that are based on the start of the year, without an extra month. They are fairly close (of course there is some debate about when First Fruits is), mostly within a week of the other. So how do you choose?

I really can't make that decision for you but if you are in community with a group of believers the best option might be sticking together to celebrate. While there are pros and cons to both options, the fact is we really can't be certain of the dates until Yahusha returns. We can do our best now and be willing to change as we learn more. Keeping the feasts can be easier and more meaningful if you are able to do that with a group. So if you attend a congregation or at least can visit one for the feasts I would encourage you to embrace the dates that they are using.

Update: It came to my attention that I switched around the dates of the months for Shavuot and Yom Kippur on my first run of the Torah to the Tribes calendar. I have corrected the printable to show the accurate dates of May 28 for Shavuot and September 25 for Yom Kippur. So sorry for the confusion!

Get these dates and write them on your calendar. It takes intention and planning to honor YHWH by celebrating his feasts. Now is the time to prepare by scheduling vacation from work, budgeting for a celebration, and so forth.

A couple of things to keep in mind:
-The traditional calendar goes by sundown to sundown. Meaning Passover starts at sundown the evening of April 10.
-The Torah to the Tribes calendar goes by daylight to daylight. So Passover starts the morning of April 2.
-Not all set apart times are no work days. 

Like the weekly Shabbat, YHWH sets apart specific days of the year as times when no work should be done. This includes professional and household work. For the longer festivals there are days when work is permissible, giving us opportunity to labor over food preparation, shop for supplies, etc. Professional work is also allowed during this time, but if it's at all possible I would encourage you to take a few extra days off to focus on these set apart times. If vacation time is limited definitely prioritize taking off the no-work days.

No work days are as follows.

For the Torah to the Tribes calendar:
Days starting at sunlight.

Passover
April 3 and 9

Shavuot
May 28

Yom Teruah
September 16

Yom Kippur
September 25

Sukkot
September 30
October 7

For the traditional calendar:
Again, days starting and ending in the evening of the listed dates.

Passover
April 11-12
April 17-18

Shavuot
May 30 - June 1 (this is traditionally observed as two days even though Scripture mandates one)

Yom Teruah
September 20-22 (this is traditionally observed as two days even though Scripture mandates one)

Yom Kippur 
September 29-30

Sukkot
October 4-5
October 11-12

Click below to download the calendar to print. These work best as 5x7 or 8x10 prints.

Hebrew Holidays 2017 - Torah to the Tribes
Hebrew Holidays 2017 - traditional

They are completely free for your personal use.

Shavuot: First Fruits of Wheat

Shavuot--the final Springtime feast--the harvest holiday--the Feast of Weeks--is almost here. Have you been counting the omer? By my count we are on the 44th day of the omer, and Shavuot will arrive on day fifty, this Sunday evening. This feast is also known in Greek as Pentecost, which means fiftieth.

What is Shavuot? Exodus 34:22 tells us,

And you shall observe Chag Shavuot, of the bikkurim of the wheat harvest.

While bikkurim is Hebrew for first fruits, this is a separate feast from the First Fruits during Matzah week, which concerns the barley harvest.

Shavuot is about wheat.

Scripture speaks highly of wheat. Our culture does not. Most of us hear "gluten free" and equate that with healthy. But the Bible says that wheat is good.

It is widely believed that the Torah was given on Shavuot, but did you know Scripture doesn't actually tell us that? Exodus 19:1 says that the Torah was given during the third month of the year, so it is likely that this idea is correct as Shavuot falls in the month of Sivan. However, I think we should be aware this isn't necessarily the case.

The most significant Shavuot in history happened ten days after Yahusha ascended into the shmayim.

Acts 2:1-4
And when the moed of Shavuot was fully counted by the omer, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from the shamayim as of a groaning Ruach, and it filled all the Bayit where they were sitting. And there appeared to them divided tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Ruach Hakodesh, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Ruach Hakodesh gave them utterance.

The Spirit of Set Apartness fell on the Temple. The Torah was written on the hearts of men.

On Shavuot, we are to give thanks for the first wheat harvest. The spring harvest is undeniably important but the biggest harvest happens in the fall. On Shavuot, we thank YHWH for providing for us for this time, and we remind ourselves that he will provide again.

On Shavuot we give thanks for the word of YHWH and his Holy Spirit in our lives, we expect an outpouring of understanding that day, and we look forward to what he will provide. Is it hypocritical to show thankfulness for what we've been given while asking for more? Absolutely not. As with the wheat offering, we give thanks for each loaf of bread but we recognize that one meal won't sustain us forever. Shavuot is about remembering that YHWH has sustained us until now and he will keep sustaining us. As with the wheat offering it is a time to place our well-being in his hands.

Celebrate: Yom Teruah

Are you new to celebrating the Biblical holidays? You came to the right place! Today I want to discuss Yom Teruah in more detail and talk about ways to celebrate!

Yahusha had a cousin who was a prophet. His message was simple, “Turn from your sins to YHWH, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near!” (Mattiyahu 3:2)

Like Yochanan the Immerser, Yom Teruah also carries with it a message of repentance. The start of the spiritual new year calls us to examine ourselves and our actions of the past months and turn back to YHWH.

Repentance (teshuvah in Hebrew) bears so much significance in Scripture that rabbis have declared the entire month of Elul and the first ten days of Tishrei to be a special time of reflection and repentance to prepare for Yom Kippur. This is a total of 40 days of spiritual preparation.

It is possible that these 40 days—where Yom Teruah is day 31—correlate to Yahusha’s 40 days of fasting in the wilderness in Mattiyahu 4, where he headed following his immersion by his cousin. Luke 3:23 supports this hypothesis by mentioning that Yahusha was “about 30 years old” when he began his ministry. Since we know Yahusha was born in the fall wouldn’t it make sense that it was at the spiritual start of the year when he began teaching and doing miracles?

Whether or not that idea is correct we should take this opportunity to celebrate the beginning of a new year. We are instructed to do so in Vayikra 23, and like all the festivals of YHWH it bears much significance. 

How do we celebrate?

1.   Rest. This is the first direction for Yom Teruah given in Vayikra 23:23. Take the day off from work and take it easy!

2.   Regather. Scripture calls for a holy convocation. Attend a congregation for worship if possible or take this opportunity to gather family and like minded believers together.

3.   Remember.  Hopefully you have the opportunity to recollect with your family or congregation, but if not at least make it a point to reflect by yourself. You can journal or discuss these questions: What did this past year consist of? What significant events happened and how did you see YHWH’s hand in them? What were your favorite parts of the year? Is there something you would like to do-over? How have you grown spiritually?

4.   Sound the shofar. If you don’t have a spiritually like-minded group to meet with, you may want to consider purchasing a shofar. Yom Teruah is after all the Day of the Sounding, and shofars are also blown on Rosh Chodesh.

5.   Bring an offering. Vayikra 23:25 specifies an offering made by fire, as in an animal sacrifice. In lieu of that consider a financial offering and ask YHWH what he would have you do. Making time for studying the Word, a volunteer commitment, and offering hospitality to others are a few ideas.

Those are the Scripturally mandated ways to celebrate Yom Teruah. Other traditions include having or attending a festive meal. Apples dipped in honey are often eaten in hopes of a sweet year. The traditional greeting for Yom Teruah is, “L’shana tova,” which approximates to, “Have a great year!”

Do you have a favorite Yom Teruah tradition? I would love to hear about it! Need more inspiration? Visit my Yom Teruah board on Pinterest for decoration ideas, traditional recipes, and fun crafts!

Free Milk & Honey Printable

I hope everyone has been enjoying lovely spring weather as we countdown the final days of the Omer. Seeing lovely chalk art on various blogs and coffee shops and cafes inspired me to create this printable for Shavuot.

Styled simply with a fresh tulip in an antique milk jar and honey.

 Exodus 3:8 describes Israel as a land "flowing with milk and honey." With the centrality that dairy--ice cream, cheesecake, blintzes, and more--plays in the Shavuot celebrations I thought it would be fitting. It is an excellent reminder of the beauty of the land of Israel and also the abundant blessings YHVH provides each of us.

So thankful for the many fresh blooms in my yard!

This printable is free for your personal use. I hope you will use it to decorate your home for Shavuot.

Milk and Honey printable by Land of Honey.

Download this printable for Shavuot here.