Pentecost Pentecost, a day two thousand years ago on which something amazing happened. Ten days ago, on Ascension Day, we commemorated Jesus' ascent into heaven; today we remember the Holy Spirit's descent from heaven onto the disciples. Pentecost is a major holiday in the Christian calendar. It marks the end of the Eastertide season, the […]

Passover Click to jump to: The Passover Seder List of Dates Passover is probably the best known of the Jewish holidays, mostly because it ties in with Christian history (the Last Supper was apparently a Passoverseder), and because a lot of its observances have been reinterpreted by Christians as Messianic and signs of Jesus. Passover […]

“What is the structure of the Jewish calendar?”……The Jewish calendar is based on the lunar month, which is a bit longer than 29 Ôö¼┬ó days. As such, the Jewish lunar months are 29 or 30 days long. Twelve lunar months usually amount to 354 days, 11 days short of a solar year. In order for […]

“What are the different Jewish festivals in the Bible?”……There are seven Jewish festivals or feasts outlined in the Bible. While they are mentioned throughout Scripture we find instructions for all seven laid out in Leviticus 23:2 refers to the seven Jewish festivals, literally "appointed times," also called "holy convocations." These were days appointed and ordained […]

…A yad (Torah pointer) is used to keep one’s place while reading from the Torah scroll toprotect the parchment and handwritten text. Shabbat Shalom John! Welcome to Ha'azinu (Listen), this week's Parsha (Torah Portion). Please join us as we focus on the Torah portion that will be read in synagogues around the world during this […]

“What are the origins of Easter?”……Answer: The origins of Easter are rooted in European traditions. The name Easter comes from a pagan figure called Eastre (or Eostre) who was celebrated as the goddess of spring by the Saxons of Northern Europe. A festival called Eastre was held during the spring equinox by these people to […]

Shalom John, “Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day…until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.” (Exodus 12:15) With Passover (the Festival of Unleavened Bread) beginning next Friday, all…over Israel, every […]