Refuting HaRold
By
Gary Primo
It is not too often that I openly challenge the writings of other Believers; however, this article that I received from Harold Smith last week, really left me scratching my head. The following is the article that you can read for yourself.
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?voice#inbox/FMfcgxwJXxnTpMdKHwSTsgvFPxFgJSWP
For the sake of saving space, I will only address certain statements that I disagree with.
HaRold: Many spend time each year celebrating the Feast of Rosh haShanah without realizing IT IS NOT A SCRIPTURAL FEAST!
Further reading reveals that he was not specifically talking about the day, but the various name changes; and I agree the proper name for this feast should be Yom Teruah. Yom Teruah certainly is a scriptural feast. The meaning of the term, Yom Teruah, is, “the day that no man knows”. This, of course, is referring to the Day of Yahuwah. However, later he states, “Since this feast was a convocation (not a Shabbat, but to be treated as a Shabbat), the doors to the city were only open for a short period of time after sundown (the beginning of the Hebrew "day".
Not a Sabbath? I will prove shortly that it is indeed a Sabbath, and that a Sabbath and a holy convocation are both the same thing.
HaRold: YHVH never declared the determination of the beginning of the month to be the sighting of the crescent moon.
In researching his claim, I found no verses that specifically define what a new moon is. Therefore, I can only rely on historical information, the main gist of which I am providing below.
https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1928828/jewish/What-Is-Rosh-Chodesh.htm
In ancient times Rosh Chodesh was declared by the beit din (Jewish court) only after two credible witnesses would testify that they had seen the new moon. Since the fourth century, however, it has been determined by a pre-set calendar.
https://www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Rosh_Chodesh/rosh_chodesh.html
The day after the new moon was sighted was a festival, heralded with the sounding of the shofar, and commemorated with convocations and sacrifices.
https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Hebrew_Roots/New_Moon
The Sanhedrin, which was the council of elders in Israel, would confirm the sighting of the new moon based upon reliable witnesses and shofars were blown in accordance with the scripture to announce the beginning of the month. Today, the rabbinical calendar is based on calculations set up by Rabbi Hillel the second in the mid fourth century. Around this time, the Sanhedrin (the high court of ancient Israel) ceased to exist. Hillel felt that the New Moon could not be declared visually without a Sanhedrin to affirm its sighting, so he decided it must be calculated. Rabbis now know that Hillel's calculations were/are off, sometimes as much as two days, which means the festivals are not celebrated on the correct day. But they have decided to wait until a Sanhedrin is established again to change it.
http://telshemesh.org/water/jewish_cycles_of_the_moon_jill_hammer.html
When the moon dies we contemplate our own mortality, and at the birth of the moon we celebrate our potential for rebirth.
In rabbinic times, when a court of rabbinic judges sat in Jerusalem, witnesses came to the court every month to announce that they had seen the new moon
The lunar month on the Jewish calendar begins when the first sliver of moon becomes visible after the dark of the moon. In ancient times, the new months used to be determined by observation. When people observed the new moon, they would notify the Sanhedrin. When the Sanhedrin heard testimony from two independent, reliable eyewitnesses that the new moon occurred on a certain date, they would declare the rosh chodesh (first of the month) and send out messengers to tell people when the month began.
In the fourth century, Hillel II established a fixed calendar based on mathematical and astronomical calculations. This calendar, still in use, standardized the length of months and the addition of months over the course of a 19 year cycle, so that the lunar calendar realigns with the solar years.
As we can readily determine, all sources agree that that up until the 4th century, the first crescent was ALWAYS recognized as the beginning of the month. What else commenced in the 4th century? Emperor Constantine initiated his Christian Counterfeit Religion and proclaimed it to be the state religion of Rome. However, at the same time he criminalized any Roman citizen who kept the customs, traditions and weekly and annual sabbaths of the Jews. He then began to persecute the True Believers and drive them into virtual obscurity.
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/why/legitimization.html
But the tendency, nonetheless, I think is very clear: Christianity is becoming less "Jewish" and is turning into something new and different. ...
How is it able to somehow at one and the same time hold on to the Jewish Scriptures, what we call the Old Testament, and still not be Judaism, and still not be Jewish?
The New Testament was not canonized until the end of the fourth century. Certain Jewish scribes aided in translating it. This being the case, leaves plenty of room for the translations to reflect the beliefs of the Jewish scribes, instead of the beliefs of the True Believers.
In the case of new moons not being clearly identified in the Scriptures, neither is the astronomical new moon. And, its observance was not recognized until the fourth century. I believe there is plenty of historical, circumstantial evidence that the former was more observed (I.E. the crescent moon)..
HaRold: Modern Orthodox Judaism considers Rosh haShanah and Yom Kippur (and the days between them) to be "THE" High Holy Days whereas this is not YHVH's opinion - for He has NOT declared either Yom Teruah or Yom Kippur a High Holy Day. The three High Holy Days established by YHVH are:
•1) The first day of Matzoh (Feast Of Unleavened Bread) on 15 Nisan - the day after Pesach (Passover).
•2) Shavu'ot (Pentecost) - very late in spring, fifty days from the first day following Pesach.
•3) The first day of Sukk'ot (the Feast Of Tabernacles) on 15 Tishri - 5 days after Yom Kippur and 15 days after Yom Teruah.
These three Elohim-ordained High Holy Days are the ONLY ones on YHVH's ecclesiastical calendar - there are NO OTHER High Holy Days listed anywhere! (Exodus 23:14-17, Deuteronomy 16:16). There actually are NO "Hebrew" Holy Days either, for there are only YHVH's Holy Days which the Sons of Israel were commanded to faithfully observe as their form of worship of The Elohim of Abraham (Leviticus 23:1-2). The Holy Days spoken of in scripture were ordained by YHVH as "Appointed Times" which He considers Holy unto Himself.
And so ends my list of disputes concerning this article. Now for what the Scriptures actually say.
Ex. 23:14 - Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year.
The statement, “three times’ does not necessarily indicate 3 days but can also mean three periods of time where only the festival of Shavuot (Pentecost) is one day. The spring and fall festivals are each considered one “time”, even though they include a number of separate High Days..
Leviticus 23:1-44
The Appointed Festivals
1Yahuwah said to Moses, 2“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘These are my appointed festivals, the appointed festivals of Yahuwah, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.
So, what does the term, “sacred assembly” mean?
The Sabbath
3“ ‘There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a sabbath to Yahuwah.
Clearly, a day of sacred assembly is equal to a day of sabbath rest.
The Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread
4“ ‘These are Yahuwah’s appointed festivals, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times: 5Yahuwah’s Passover begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. 6On the fifteenth day of that month the Lord’s Festival of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. 7On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. 8For seven days present a food offering to Yahuwah. And on the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.’ ”
Here we have a day of sacred assembly and Sabbath rest at the beginning of the feast of unleavened bread and another at the end. In both cases we are instructed to do no work (same as with the weekly Sabbath).
Offering the Firstfruits
9Yahuwah said to Moses, 10“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest. 11He is to wave the sheaf before Yahuwah so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. 12On the day you wave the sheaf, you must sacrifice as a burnt offering to Yahuwah a lamb a year old without defect, 13together with its grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with olive oil—a food offering presented to Yahuwah, a pleasing aroma—and its drink offering of a quarter of a hin of wine. 14You must not eat any bread, or roasted or new grain, until the very day you bring this offering to your Elohim. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.
This day occurs on the first Sunday, following the first weekly Sabbath which occurs during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It represents waving a freshly harvested sheave of green ears of wheat. It also represents the day following Yahushua’s resurrection, when He presented Himself for glorification to the Father. On this day there is no command to not work; therefore it is not consider a sabbath.
The Festival of Weeks
15“ ‘From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. 16Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to Yahuwah. 17From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruits to Yahuwah. 18Present with this bread seven male lambs, each a year old and without defect, one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to Yahuwah, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings—a food offering, an aroma pleasing to Yahuwah. 19Then sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering and two lambs, each a year old, for a fellowship offering. 20The priest is to wave the two lambs before Yahuwah as a wave offering, together with the bread of the firstfruits. They are a sacred offering to Yahuwah for the priest. 21On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly and do no regular work. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.
22“ ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am Yahuwah your Elohim.’ ”
This is a day when no work is allowed, and a sacred assembly commanded. Therefore, this is a Sabbath.
The Festival of Trumpets
23Yahuwah said to Moses, 24“Say to the Israelites: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of sabbath rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. 25Do no regular work, but present a food offering to Yahuwah.’ ”
This is the day that HaRold claims is not a sabbath. Yet, here also we read that, according to Yahuwah, it is indeed a day of sabbath rest and sacred assembly when no work was to be done. It fits all the same criteria as the other sabbaths.
The Day of Atonement
26Yahuwah said to Moses, 27“The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present a food offering to Yahuwah. 28Do not do any work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before Yahuwah your Elohim. 29Those who do not deny themselves on that day must be cut off from their people. 30I will destroy from among their people anyone who does any work on that day. 31You shall do no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. 32It is a day of sabbath rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to observe your sabbath.”
HaRold also denies that this most sacred day of the year is a sabbath. Yet, it too requires us to hold a sacred assembly and do no work. And, verse 32 comes right out and declares it to be a sabbath rest and to observe “your sabbath”. That sounds pretty clear to me. This day is indeed a sabbath.
So far we have identified 5 annual sabbaths. And we are not yet finished. As far as the Feast of Tabernacles goes, Harold is correct in declaring only the first day to be a sabbath; however, he makes no mention of the Eight Great day that immediately follows the Feast of Tabernacles
The Festival of Tabernacles
33Yahuwah said to Moses, 34“Say to the Israelites: ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month Yahuwah’s Festival of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days. 35The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work. 36For seven days present food offerings to Yahuwah, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and present a food offering to Yahuwah. It is the closing special assembly; do no regular work.
37(“ ‘These are Yahuwah’s appointed festivals, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for bringing food offerings to Yahuwah—the burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings required for each day. 38These offerings are in addition to those for Yahuwah’s Sabbaths and in addition to your gifts and whatever you have vowed and all the freewill offerings you give to Yahuwah.)
39“ ‘So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the Lord for seven days; the first day is a day of sabbath rest, and the eighth day also is a day of sabbath rest. 40On the first day you are to take branches from luxuriant trees—from palms, willows and other leafy trees—and rejoice before Yahuwah your Elohim for seven days. 41Celebrate this as a festival to Yahuwah for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. 42Live in temporary shelters for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in such shelters 43so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in temporary shelters when I brought them out of Egypt. I am Yahuwah your Elohim.’ ”
44So Moses announced to the Israelites the appointed festivals of Yahuwah.
From <https://www.biblica.com/bible/niv/leviticus/23/>
As we can clearly read, the eighth day also involves a day of sabbath rest, no work and sacred assembly. How can there be any doubt that the annual holy days include 7 sabbaths, not three?
Conclusion
Sorry HaRold, but I can find no scriptural support for your argument.
Normally I find little argument with Harold’s articles – but occasionally I do. In this case I found a great deal of argument. When it comes to interpreting Scripture, we all are fallible and occasionally fall into the trap of interpretations that are sometimes off. Some come back on track following further study – but some just run with it creating a whole new “gospel” of their own design. I bear no ill will against HaRold and it is not my intention to create any. This is merely a case of “iron sharpening iron”. And since I will be forwarding a copy of this article to HaRold, I hope and pray he accepts that context and gets back on track.
Yahuwah Bless
G.P.