Our Torah portion this week (parashat Emor) lists the eight main holidays revealed in the Holy Scriptures. In the Torah, these “holidays” are called “appointed times” (i.e., mo’edim: מוֹעֲדִים), a word which comes from the Hebrew root meaning witness (עֵד). Other words formed from this root include edah (עֵדָה), a congregation, edut (עֵדוּת), a testimony, and so on. The related verb ya’ad (יָעַד) means to meet, assemble, or even to betroth. The significance of the holy days, then, is for the covenant people of the LORD to bear witness to God’s love and faithfulness.

“Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘These are the appointed times of the LORD (מוֹעֲדֵי יְהוָה) that you shall proclaim as holy convocations (מִקְרָאֵי קדֶשׁ); they are My appointed times'” (Lev. 23:2). Note that these hallowed times – the very first of which is the weekly Sabbath – are “of the LORD,” meaning they should be regarded as appointments given by God Himself to help draw us closer to Him, to reveal prophetic truth, and to remind ourselves of His great plan for our lives. God did not give us the Torah in vain, friends, neither does He speak out of two sides of his his mouth… Yeshua was the Voice of the LORD speaking the words of Torah to Israel at Sinai, and therefore every “jot and tittle” (kotzo shel yod: קוֹצוֹ שֶׁל יוֹד) is indeed relevant to our lives as his followers (Matt. 5:18-19).

 

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