“You must present these offerings to the Lord at your annual festivals…” (Numbers 28:39 NLT)

Reading through all the instructions concerning offerings and festivals in the Old Testament is pretty overwhelming. It seems impossible to keep up with them all. Yet, God was teaching His people to remember Him and what He had done for them. These holy-days/holidays were meant for remembrance, worship and to remind them of their identity as one people belonging to God. In Numbers 28, the following holiday/festivals are mentioned:
– Passover (Hebrew: פסח Pesach): Which commemorates the story of the Exodus, also called The Feast of Unleavened Bread. Begins on April 14th at sundown this year.
– Festival of Harvest (Hebrew: שבועות Shavuot): Also called The Festival of Weeks and The Festival of Pentecost. It commemorates the anniversary of the day God gave the Torah. This year it begins at sundown on June 3rd.
– Festival of Trumpets (Hebrew: ראש השנה Rosh Hashanah, literally “head of the year”): is the Jewish New Year. It is celebrated by the sounding of the shofar (trumpets). This year it begins at sundown on Sept 24th.
– Day of Atonement (Heb: יום כפור Yom Kippur): It is the holiest day of the year for the Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. This year it begins at sundown on Oct 3rd.
– Festival of Shelters (Heb. סוכות Sukkot): Also called The Feast of Booths and The Feast of Tabernacles. This year it begins at sundown on Oct. 8th.