The Basics of the Mo’adim

-By Ariel Berkowitz-
June 2021

One of the most delightful subjects to explore is the Biblical holy days. Accordingly, that is the topic of this essay. First, we will discuss the collective names for these special days, then the bulk of this treatment will focus on why we are so enthusiastic about them. Let us begin.

The Collective Names

The Scriptures refer to these unique calendar days by two names. First, in Exodus 23:14, God instructs Israel to celebrate a chag (חג) three times a year. In fact, Exodus 23:15–16 speak of three specific chaggim (plural). The word chag has to do with a festival wherein a participant makes a pilgrimage to the place where His House is. Thus, one name for at least three of these holy days is chag or chaggim (pl.) — pilgrimage festivals.

Leviticus 23:2 uses a second name for these festivals. The text says they are

“The Lord’s appointed times.”

The words translated “appointed times” is mo’adim (מועדים). This is a rather picturesque term. It speaks of the fact that God has special moments set aside to meet with His people as a community. It is as if the Lord told Israel to get out their national calendar and mark the days that He will specify to them. It is true that God can and does meet with anyone on any occasion, for any reason. Yet, according to Leviticus 23, God announced to His people that He would meet with them in a very special way on the dates He was about to reveal to them. 

As it happens, all three of the chaggim in Exodus 23 also double up as mo’adim in Leviticus 23. Because of this, for simplicity’s sake, we shall refer to these festivals as mo’adim in the rest of this essay.

Notice what these special calendar days are not called. God does not call them “The Holy Days of Israel.” Indeed, in Exodus 23:14, the Lord says,

“Celebrate a chag to [or for] Me.”

They are God’s idea and are celebrated unto the Lord. In like manner in Leviticus 23:2, the Lord says that mo’adim are “the Lord’s mo’adim.” The language God uses gives these special days a universal character to them. They are not the private property of the people of Israel. Rather, they were given to Israel for Israel to share them with all who are in relationship with the God of Israel.

If we continue this thought, we will realize that the Torah is the only place in the entire Word of God where God provides a calendar of times designated for His people to meet with Him as a community in a special way. That would indicate that all of God’s people are to meet with Him during the chaggim and mo’adim. It is fine if other holy days are created by God’s people. However, the community of believers has a prime responsibility to celebrate those special festivals which the Holy One Himself created — the chaggaim and mo’adim of the Torah.

Special Days are Special!

The mo’adim are multi-faceted. Each has several purposes that complement the others very nicely. For each mo’ed it is possible to study:

• an agricultural theme
• an historical theme
• a theological theme (we call this “a vital-truths” theme!)
• a messianic theme

One theme is not more important than another; they are all important to be considered and studied. However, since this essay has a serious space crunch, we can only focus on one theme of the mo’adim. Hence, we are choosing to examine what each mo’ed has to say about the vital truths of our relationship with the Holy One. Here it goes!

Shabbat (שבת)

Shabbat is the first of the mo’adim mentioned in Leviticus (23:3). The word “shabbat” itself means “to cease.” The day is a time of stopping what we normally do during the week to earn a living. Thus, Shabbat becomes an island of time set apart by the Lord for His people to explore the theme of spiritual rest found in Messiah’s finished work, as expressed in Hebrews 4.

On this day, we have an opportunity to enjoy the finality of Messiah’s atonement and to bask in the truths of what Yeshua, our Messiah, accomplished when He gave His life for us. When Shabbat is observed properly, all the fullness of Hebrews 4 and Isaiah 58 is reemphasized, and time is set aside to practice walking out who we are as a new-creation holy community. 

Pesach (פסח)

According to Leviticus 23:5–6, the community of believers is to celebrate Pesach beginning on the 14th of the first month in the Hebrew calendar, which corresponds to March/April. Pesach is a time set aside to remember how God set Israel free from slavery in Egypt. Hence, the idea of redemption is central to this mo’ed. 

Yeshua is referred to as our Pesach Lamb because He set us free from slavery to sin. It is easy to see, therefore, other associated truths to explore on Pesach would include slavery to sin and why it was necessary for Yeshua to accomplish it. Moreover, it is equally important for everyone in the community to celebrate their national history of freedom. Accordingly, Jewish tradition refers to Pesach (as well as to the ensuing week of the Festival of Matzah) as z’man cheruteinu (זמן חרותנו), “the season of our freedom.” A main means of celebration is enjoying a Seder together, especially as a family. 

Festival of Unleavened Bread (Hag haMatzot — חג המצות)

The Festival of Unleavened Bread (Hag haMatzot) follows on the heels of Pesach since it begins on the 15th of the first month. This special time, considered part of Pesach itself, begins as one is celebrating Pesach and continues for seven days where unleavened bread is eaten when one desires to eat bread, according to Leviticus 23:7–8. 

The emphasis during this week is on the idea of salvation. The week-long celebration reflects the week-long journey of the redeemed to the sea and crossing it. It was during that experience that God provided a vivid picture of what it means to be “saved” — a rescuing from certain death (see Exodus 14:13). 

In addition, we should note that according to 1 Corinthians 5:7 those of us who trust in Yeshua have been completely changed so that Paul can declare to us that we, in fact, are matzah! The Hebrew term “matzah” is associated with a verb that means “to drain out.” The picture seems to be that when Yeshua died for us, He took our sin out. We, in fact, became righteous from the inside out! A week spent eating matzah reminds us of that reality.

Waving of the First Fruits (Yom haBikkurim — יום הבכורים)

Leviticus 23:10–14 says that on the day following the shabbat day of the Festival of Matzah, a first fruit celebration is in order. The First Fruits spoken of here is the first of two first fruits mo’adim. It is the first fruits of the barley harvest. On this day, the Torah instructs us to wave a sheaf of barley grain before the Lord. A sheaf is a bunch of cut stalks of the whole barley straight from the field, with the chaff, or hard, dry outer husk covering the still intact grain. This chaff has no useful value for food and must be removed in order to access the useable grain. In the Scriptures, the chaff of the grain can picture our sinful flesh. As new creations in Messiah, we are like the pure kernel of grain covered over by the “chaff,” that is, a veil of flesh, which hinders our walk with God.

This mo’ed can remind us of God’s unconditional love and acceptance. We, the pure grain with our chaff, are to know ourselves acceptable before the Lord (Leviticus 23:11). This understanding, a crucial and healthy element of our freedom, enables us to confront our sin directly and honestly. This is the time that we teach the truths of Colossians 2:11–12 and are reminded of them ourselves.

The day to celebrate this mo’ed is on the 16th of Nisan, the day after the shabbat of the Festival of Matzah (not necessarily the 7th Day Shabbat). It was most likely on this day that Yeshua rose from the dead. Remember that in Biblical reckoning, it is the date that matters, not the day of the week upon which the mo’ed falls., except the 7th day Shabbat.

Counting the Days (S’firat haOmer — ספרת העומר)

Leviticus 23:15–16 mentions a time set apart to count days. We are to count 49 days, then, on the 50th day there is to be a second First Fruits celebration. According to the Biblical instruction we learn in Leviticus 23 and observe in Joshua chapter 5, this also begins on the 16th of the first month. Let us not minimize this counting period. Modern Judaism calls it “Counting the Omer.” The word “omer” refers to a measure of grain. This reflects the fact that the counting period was originally, more or less, an agricultural celebration where the farmers would observe daily how much barley was ripening and how much the new wheat crop was growing. 

The major emphasis here is on “counting” new fruit. After the Lord set Israel free from slavery in Egypt, He led them on a journey where He began to teach them how to walk in that new freedom as children of God. We are reminded of that journey from Egypt to Mount Sinai during the counting period. We are reminded that we, too, walk a similar journey with the Holy One, one day at a time. Hence, it is during this time that we learn to follow Him one day at a time, experiencing new freedoms each day. It is also a great time to study the journey of Israel from Egypt to Mount Sinai in Exodus 14 to 18.

Weeks (Shavu’ot — שבועות)

Biblically, Shavu’ot is another First Fruits celebration, mentioned in Leviticus 23:16–22. On this day the first fruits of the new wheat harvest were brought to the Lord. Many believers in Yeshua know this special day by the Greek name, Pentecost. According to rabbinic thinking, this is also the time of year when the Holy One gave us the Torah on Mount Sinai. Accordingly traditional Judaism calls this time z’man torateinu (זמן תורתנו), “the season of our Torah.”

It was also on the Shavu’ot following Yeshua’s resurrection that the early believers were anointed and empowered with the Spirit of God so that they could take the Good News out to the entire world. 

These three concepts combine to form an exciting picture. We can see that God would have us study the nature of written revelation (the Bible). In doing so, we will learn how God equipped the earliest followers of Yeshua with the power of the Word of God and the power of the Spirit of God to bear fruit for Him. Since it was a First Fruits mo’ed, we know historically that God indeed brought in a magnificent First Fruits “offering” of new believers in Yeshua — about three thousand (Acts 2:41). 

Feast of Trumpets (Yom Tru’ah — יום תרועה)

(Commonly called “Rosh Hashanah,” the Jewish New Year)

God designed the first day of the 7th month (roughly corresponding to September of the western calendar year) to be a day on which His people are to gather in a special way to hear the sound of a trumpet. This trumpet is usually a shofar, a kosher animal’s horn, but traditionally not from a cow. 

Without a doubt, a major theme for this day would be the Biblical uses of the shofar. It is especially appropriate to focus specifically on the Bible’s first mention of the shofar, at Mount Sinai in Exodus 19, and on the use of the shofar in spiritual warfare. 

Leviticus 23:24 indicates that this day is also a special day of remembrance. Although the text does not specifically indicate, it strongly hints at the subject that is to be remembered: the monumental events at Mount Sinai where a shofar was sounded in conjunction with the giving of the Torah and the making of the Covenant. 

Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur — יום הכפורים)

Leviticus 23:26–32, as well as all of Leviticus 16, instructs us about the Day of Atonement, Yom HaKippurim, commonly known as “Yom Kippur.” To be sure, this mo’ed is not an easy one to understand. It had special application to Israel when the tabernacle/temple was in use. However, its themes go far beyond the walls of these sacred institutions. 

It is a good time of the year to discuss the concepts of sin, atonement, sacrifice, substitutionary atonement, forgiveness, and cleansing. It is also a time to assess the community’s faithfulness to the Covenant made with the Lord at Mount Sinai. In addition, a study of Hebrews 7–10 is also most appropriate. The Day of Atonement also helps us address the issues of the flesh and to know ourselves separate from (Colossians 2:11–12) and free from “the sin that so easily besets us” (Hebrews 12:1).

Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot — חג סוכות)

This next mo’ed mentioned in Leviticus 23:33–44 begins on the 15th of the seventh month and weaves together all the themes of the entire cycle. The concepts of harvest (God’s provision) as well as the study of both eschatology and the Exodus motif are particularly relevant. 

Moreover, the week is specifically designated for joyous celebration as the community participates in building family booths (sukkot, סוכות), which are temporary shelters. Singing and dancing inside the sukkot and seeing the glow on the children’s faces as they sit cozily with those whom they love the most is an integral part of the celebration. It is a week set aside for talking about the Lord and what He has done historically after the Exodus as we sit in our sukkot. As we do so, the Spirit of God blends the whole community into close-knit fellowship with Him and with each other. As the holy community participates in this mo’ed, it will not be difficult to follow the Lord’s commandment in Leviticus 23:40, “Rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days.”

The Eighth Day (Shemini ‘Atzeret, שמיני עצרת) 

According to Leviticus 23:36, Sukkot was to last for seven days. But, on the eighth day God’s people were/are to have a special Shabbat-kind-of-a day. If one combines the Hebrew words translated “eighth” (shemini, שמיני) and “assembly” (‘atzeret, עצרת), then we see how the traditional name is derived: Shemini ‘Atzeret. That part was easy. However, it is not so clear what the thrust of this final mo’ed is to be and how to celebrate it. 

The text says that it is a Shabbat-kind-of-a-day. Thus, we have time to be together and to discuss Biblical matters with each other. Since the time of the year is at the beginning of the rainy season in Israel, then praying for a good winter rain would be appropriate. Moreover, since it is the final mo’ed, it is suggestive that God’s people spend time remembering the past cycle of mo’adim and some of the things we learned both individually and corporately. 

In Summary

Are these appointed times for the people of Israel alone? Without a doubt, they have special relevance to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They are unique reminders of their historical relationship with God. As such, their observance could mean very little to those who are non-Jews.

However, through the cycle of mo’adim, we believe that God issues a call to all non-Jewish believers and encourages them to take hold of their divine inheritance with Israel and to participate fully with their fellow Jewish believers in one unified and blessed celebration of His mighty acts of history and the Biblical truths relevant to each mo’ed.

Come and Dance!

As we have been saying all along, the special days in Leviticus 23 form a cycle. If we were to draw this on a piece of paper, we would first draw a circle. Like a circle, the cycle of mo’adim has no beginning and no end; the mo’adim are always with us, year in and year out. And what do we do in circles? We dance! The cycle of mo’adim is like a dance circle. If we have never participated, the best place to begin is — anywhere!  Come experience the joy of the mo’adim with us. You can join the circle anywhere you like. What we know about the dance, we can share with you. In fact, we will all learn to dance better together — the way it was meant to be. Come, dance with us!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ariel received a B.S. from West Chester State University and Philadelphia Biblical University, and he received his M. Div. from Biblical Theological Seminary in Hatfield, PA, USA. He also attended Rodef Torah School of Jewish Studies and was an instructor at Israel College of Bible, Jerusalem. Presently, he is an adjunct Professor with the “IBEX” program of The Master’s University. He is also an instructor with Torah Resource Institute and with Torah Resource International.