YRR has released two audio MIni-Pods covering the topic of The Festival of Passover and Unleavened Bread, Abib 14.
This two-part series demonstrates that the Hebrew text of the book of John (MS. Vat.ebr.100) establishes that Abib 14 is a High Sabbath and the first day of the Festival of Passover and Unleavened Bread.
The MIni-Pods can be accessed and listened to at the following links:
In the Hebrew New Testament book of John (MS. Vat.ebr.100), there is a seeming anomaly regarding the burial and anointing of the body of Yahushua the messiah.
The Hebrew text suggests that the burial of Yahushua’s body by Joseph of Arimathea occurred during the late afternoon of Abib 14. Later, he returned on Abib 15, sometime after sunset, with Nicodemus to anoint the body.
This circumstance would contradict the Greek texts, which have both events occurring during the late afternoon of Abib 14 before sunset.
By Night
The relevant passage of John 19:38-39 when translated from the Greek and Hebrew texts, is as follows:
• Greek – After this, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Yahushua, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Yahushua, and Pilate gave him leave. So he came and took away his body. NICODEMUS ALSO, WHO HAD AT FIRST COME TO HIM BY NIGHT, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds’ weight. They took the body of Yahushua, and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.
• Hebrew – After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who remained hidden for fear of the Jews because he was the disciple of Yahushua, asked Pilate that he would give permission to take Yahushua from the cross. And Pilate permitted to him. THEN JOSEPH CAME WITH NICODEMUS TO YAHUSHUA IN THE NIGHT, bringing a mixture of myrrh (about a hundred pounds). They took the body of Yahushua, bound it in linen cloths, and anointed the body with precious ointments as is the custom of the Jews to embalm.
It is evident that the Hebrew text has Joseph and Nicodemus return to the tomb after sunset, at night, to anoint Yahushua’s body with precious ointments. This also means that this occurred on Abib 15.
For many, it seems that the most confusing of all the sacred days of Yahweh is the Festival of Passover and Unleavened Bread.
The question that arises is, Why so much confusion?
In order to address and eliminate this confusion, it would seem reasonable to acknowledge that the expectation of keeping Yahweh’s sacred days existed from the time of Adam and Eve.
Let us cite a few relevant passages from Scriptures.
And eloahim said, Let there be luminaries in the open expanse of the heaven to divide between the daytime and the night and let them be for signs and for מועדים (moadim; APPOINTED TIMES) and for days and years; and let them be for illuminations in the open expanse of the heaven to give light on the land; and it was so. And eloahim made the two great luminaries: the great luminary for ruling the day and the smaller luminary for ruling the night, and the stars. And eloahim set them in the open expanse of the heaven to give light upon the land and to rule over the daytime and over the night, and to separate between the light and the darkness. (Gen. 1:14-18)
He (Yahweh) made the moon for the מועדים (moadim; appointed times), the sun knows where he enters in. (Psalm 104:19)
It is evident that Yahweh’s Festival Days fall into the category of the moadim or appointed times, thereby confirming that the Festival Days were observed from the beginning in the Garden of Eden.
Abraham Kept the Festival Days At a minimum, Scriptures indicate that Abraham, who lived well before the Torah of Moses, kept Yahweh’s Festival Days. Scriptures inform us: Continue reading “Passover – The 7-Day Festival”→
A popular Sacred Name group offers an article titled “Why Passover is Not a High Day.” This article contains the subtitle “12 Reasons Why the Passover Is Not the First High Day.”
We shall present a few excerpts from the article to illustrate the distortions and reinterpretations of Scriptures utilized to justify the predetermined conclusions regarding the Festival of Passover and Unleavened Bread.
The following are “Reasons” 10 and 11. In addition, after each – SNG STATEMENT – ( Sacred Name group statement) we, will provide a • YRR RESPONSE • (Yahu Ranger response).
10. Does Passover Memorial Make Eight Days of the Feast?
– SNG STATEMENT – From the time we take the emblems of unleavened bread and the cup, we are to purge (Strong’s No. 1571 ekkathairo), meaning to cleanse thoroughly, to eliminate, to purify, to get rid of the old leaven. Does this mean that we are now keeping eight days of unleavened bread rather than seven, as some allege?
• YRR RESPONSE • It is implied that after eating the Passover meal at the beginning of Abib 14, one is to begin to purge or get rid of the old leaven that still remains in the home.Continue reading “Passover – A Challenge : 7 or 8 Days?”→
In an effort to support an 8-day practice of Passover and Unleavened Bread consisting of Abib 14-21, many purported followers of Yahweh manipulate the simple truth conveyed by certain passages of Scriptures.
For instance, they claim to offer as evidence Exodus 12:14, which they say has been misinterpreted and thereby proves that Passover Day, Abib 14, is not a Festival Day, a High Sabbath, or the first day of Unleavened Bread. Therefore, Passover Day is summarily relegated to be just a memorial and a type of preparation day.
It is also claimed that the Festival of Unleavened Bread begins on their designated High Sabbath of Abib 15. This 7-day Festival would continue through Abib 21.
One should keep in mind that these assertions are made with the knowledge that one actually begins to eat unleavened bread on Passover Day, Abib 14.
Therefore, when one adds the 1-day observance of the Passover Memorial (Abib 14) to the 7-day Festival of Unleavened Bread (Abib 15-21), there is a total of 8 days of eating unleavened bread.
Unfortunately, the information given as proof for this 8-day practice lacks any semblance of scriptural truth. Nowhere in Scriptures is there any instruction to eat unleavened bread for 8 days!Continue reading “Passover – Tampering of Exod. 12:14”→
Of the four Gospels, there exists a perception that the book of John relates a contradictory narrative in relation to the other Gospels regarding the account of Yahushua the messiah’s last Passover supper, also known as the “Last Supper.”
Because of this perception, many have utilized the book of John to support the idea that Yahushua never actually ate the Passover supper since it occurred on the evening of Abib 14, which was one day before the officially sanctioned day of Abib 15 as recognized by the Jewish religious leaders.
Some claim that Yahushua’s “Last Supper” on Abib 14 was a faux Passover or a fake. The reason being that Yahushua knew that he would be dead and would not be able to keep the true Passover on Abib 15.
Others say that because of this unique circumstance, an exception was made for Yahushua by father Yahweh, who permitted him to observe a valid Passover one day earlier, thereby circumventing the Law!
Recently, a popular Sacred Name group put forth a list titled “10 Key Passover Facts,” found in their Jan-Feb 2018 magazine.
We will address Fact #5 which reads:
While leavening is not prohibited on Passover day, Abib 14, it is disallowed with the Passover memorial, Exodus 12:8. The Passover is a time of removing leavening in preparation for the Feast of Unleavened Bread that follows.
Modified Version For many, this would seem to be a reasonable statement because this reflects the present-day acceptance, by most, of a modified version of the Hasidic/Pharisaic practice of Passover and Unleavened Bread which encompasses the dates of Abib 14-21 with the result of an observance consisting of 8 days.Continue reading “The Math of Passover & Unleavened Bread”→
In our previous discussion, Beginning the New Year – Pt. 1, we addressed the issue of the Hebrew terms תקופה (tequphah) and תקופת (tequphath).
We learned that a tequphah is a solar event and is a point in time that could be an equinox or a solstice.
It was also recognized that a tequphath represents a season of the solar year. The two seasons for calculating Festival Days being spring-summer and autumn-winter.
With this in mind we will continue in Part 2 with an examination of the Festival of Tabernacles and the Festival of Ingathering. What we will discover is how they both relate to the determination of the scriptural New Year.
Khag of Tabernacles We must next be cognizant of the difference between the use of the labels “the Khag (Festival) of Ingathering” and “the Khag of Tabernacles,” the latter forming only a part of the former. The instructions from Deuteronomy and Leviticus for the seven-day Khag of Tabernacles state:
When all of the window dressing is removed, we discover that the entire issue about when to begin the year rests with the instructions regarding the Khag of Ingathering and its tequphath (season of the year).
Preliminary Statement The late Jews tell of four תקופת (tequphath) of the year (spring, summer, autumn, and winter), each calculated as a period following one of the days of a תקופה (tequphah): the vernal equinox, the summer solstice, autumnal equinox, and winter solstice.1
It is also important for us not to confuse the occurrence of a tequphah (i.e., equinox or solstice) with the season (tequphath) although the same word is sometimes used in common speech for both.
To begin with, a tequphah (equinox or solstice), as spoken of by Scriptures, is a solar event, marking a point of passage of the earth around the sun. It represents a day wherein one of two visual effects occur.
1. A solstice day is a day when the sun, as seen along the earth’s horizon, reaches its furthest point of rising or setting either on the north or south.
2. On the day of an equinox, on the other hand, the rising and setting of the sun lies on the horizon precisely in the middle between the two solstice points. As a consequence, the length of the periods of daytime and nighttime on that day of the equinox are almost exactly equivalent.
The Tequphath The Hebrew word תקופת (tequphath)—various transliterated as tekufath, tequfoth, tequfath, and so forth—is a form of the term תקופה (tequphah)—tekufah, tequfah, and so forth. Tequphah is itself derived from the word קופ (quph), meaning to, “go round.”2 The term תקופה (tequphah) more precisely means, “a revolution, i.e. (of the sun) course, (of time) lapse:—circuit, come about, end”;3 a “circuit,”4 “orbit of the sun . . . circle of the year.”5
In Part 2 of our discussion, we will delve deeper into the Pharisaic influence on many followers of Yahweh regarding the practice of considering the maturity of barley to determine the month of Abib and the scriptural New Year.
Picking up from where we left off in Part 1, the month-name ha-Abib was next connected by the Pharisees with the day of the omer wave offering. An עמר (omer) is a dry measure or gathering of “newly cut grain,”32 as in “a heap.”33
Omer Wave Offering The omer wave offering of newly cut grain was a requirement under the Torah of Moses as a gift to Yahweh, being the first-fruits from each year’s harvest. The offering occurs in the spring at the time of Unleavened Bread and is directly connected with the Promised Land. This offering is described in detail by the book of Leviticus.
When you come into the land (of Promise) which I am giving to you, and have reaped its harvest, and have brought in this omer, the beginning (first-fruits) of your harvest, to the priest, then he will wave this omer before Yahweh for your acceptance. On the day after the Sabbath the priest will wave it. (Lev. 23:9-11)
Technically, the instructions from Scriptures do not specifically mention which first-fruits from which harvest. It only indicates in a subsequent passage that the Israelites were not permitted to eat bread, קלי (qali; roasted whole grains),34 or כרמל (karmel; fruits and produce)—all indicating a variety of produce—derived from the new year’s crops until after the omer wave offering had been made.35
As springtime approaches that same old controversy rears its ugly head once again among the many followers of Yahweh concerning the beginning of the New Year.
Several questions that are usually brought forward by those concerned regarding the New Year are:
• What is the definition of a scriptural New Moon?
• Is a visible crescent of the moon required to begin the month?
• From what location does one need to determine the New Moon?
• Does one use the spring equinox to determine the month of Abib?
• Does one only use the “green ears of barley” formula for the month of Abib?
• Can one use only calculations for the New Moons?
• Does one use both the spring equinox and barley for the month of Abib?
• What group today has Yahweh’s truth and authority to proclaim and sanctify the true New Year?
• Can we rely on the current Jewish Calendar for the correct dates?
As you can surmise, there can exist much confusion as one tries to sort out the actual truth of the matter.
In previous articles, we have already discussed the issues of visible new moons and calculations as they relate to Yahweh’s sacred calendar.
In this particular discussion, we will address the validity of the so-called requirement of “green ears of barley” to determine the month of Abib and the beginning of Yahweh’s New Year.
Prior to the observance of Passover during our present time, there frequently emerges a serious quest by some newer followers of Yahweh to experience a proper and valid water baptism.
The reason being that the majority of Sacred Name groups of today assert that in order for a person to partake of the Passover meal or emblems they must have undergone a mandatory water baptism in the proper name of the messiah.
It is also maintained by most of these groups that before the death of Yahushua the messiah, in order to partake of the Passover meal, all men had to be fleshly circumcised.
Different Passover Systems We must first admit to a basic difference in the opinion about Passover. To begin with, many are often unaware that there were several different Passover systems practiced by the ancient Jews.
What does the book of Exodus really say regarding the observance of the Festival of Passover? Also, what about the Festival of Unleavened Bread?
There are two main popular understandings:
• According to the Hasidic Jewish view (System B) the Passover lamb was killed during the afternoon of Abib 14 and the Passover supper took place after sundown on Abib 15.
Abib 14 is a preparation day and not a High Sabbath. Abib 15-21 is the 7-day Festival of Unleavened Bread. Abib 15 and 21 are High Sabbath days. There are 8 days of eating unleavened bread.
• Among the Sacred Name groups of today, most hold to the Modern Hybrid view (System G) whereby, at the Exodus, the Passover lamb was killed at the start of Abib 14 after sundown and the Passover supper eaten that night.
Like the Hasidic Jews holding toSystem B, they consider Abib 14 to be a preparation day and not a High Sabbath. Abib 15-21 is the 7-day Festival of Unleavened Bread. Abib 15 and 21 are High Sabbath days. There are 8 days of eating unleavened bread.
For the seeker of truth, we are only left with the following possibilities.
1. One system is right. 2. Both systems are wrong.
If you have a strange suspicion that the second answer is more correct, then it is suggested that you read on.
This article is intended for all those who recognize the validity of observing the Sabbath and Jubilee years per the instructions from Scriptures.
It just so happens that many people believe that a Sabbath year begins on the Day of Atonement during the 7th month of Tishri, the autumn of the year, extending up until Tishri of the following year.
Interestingly, these same people readily admit that Scriptures explicitly state that Yahweh’s sacred year begins during the 1st month on Abib 1, which occurs at springtime.
The justification for this anomaly is the claim that Scriptures indicate a different beginning of the year for the Sabbath years other than Abib 1. As stated earlier, they believe that Scriptures reveal a different year system for Sabbath years and Jubilee years in that they would begin on Tishri 10 of the 7th month. Continue reading “Sabbath Year – Abib or Tishri?”→
It is abundantly clear that an overwhelming amount of evidence supports the 7-day observance of Passover and Unleavened Bread being Abib 14-20. Also, it can be demonstrated that this was the practice of Yahushua the messiah, and the early assemblies who later were referred to as Quartodecimans. (System A)
Nevertheless, many would stubbornly disagree with this conclusion in the face of the facts and continue with a modified form of the Pharisaic/Hasidic practice (System B). This newer modified form would have an 8-day observance of eating unleavened bread from Abib 14-21 (System G).
YRR has released two audio MIni-Pods covering the topic of The Festival of Passover and Unleavened Bread, Abib 14.
