Having just observed Rosh Hashanah, the Ten Days of Awe, Yom Kippur and Sukkot, let's consider the remainder of Jewish holidays and calendar. The appointed festivals are found in Leviticus 23.
As Sunday or the Lord's Day is the recurring holiday for Christians, so is Sabbath for the Jewish people. Weekly, the faithful call to remembrance the great tenets of their faith.
With the conclusion of the Festival of Booths on October 7, the next holiday to be observed is Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, December 8 - 16. In February 2013, Purim will be celebrated. These holidays are not found among those commanded in Leviticus 23. They are latecomers to the calendar.
Then in March the Passover (Pesach) and the Festival of Unleavened Bread will be observed again in faithful obedience to Torah. Finally, in May after seven weeks, Shavuot will be celebrated. Christians observe the command in Leviticus with Pentecost.
While there were only three major festivals (Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot) commanded for Jewish males in the first century, daily life for the pious was prescribed and defined. Today, the calendar offers countless teaching moments for the story of the Lord's interaction with His people.
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