Want to know about Chanukkah?

[Guest Biblicist]

Shalom Bib,

The Hebrew calendar is a lunar one and the Gregorian calendar is a solar one. The dates don't translate evenly. That's why Chanukkah starts on a different day according to OUR calendar (solar), but it's consistent in the Jewish calendar (lunar).

So, here are the months:

Nisan = March / April

Iyyar - April / May

Sivan = May / June

Tammuz = June / July

Av = July / August

Elul = August / September

Tishri = September / October

Cheshvan = October / November

Kislev = Novemeber / December

Tevet = December / January

Shevat = January / Fenruary

Adar = February / March

More here:

http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/...r/calendar.html

The Jewish year is cyclical, with seasonal holidays and festivals. The names of the months of the Jewish calendar year were adopted during the time of Ezra the Scribe, after the return from the Babylonian exile.

Thank you so much, Vickilynn. That is a GREAT site. Really kewl, with the audio of the pronounciation of the days and months.

If I gather correctly, each Hebrew month is end and beginning of the Gregorian months, 15th - 15th... That would mean I was born about half way through Elul. My children were both born in the end of Adar. My husband was born about half way through, Tevet.

If Jesus was concieved in the month of Kislev, then would His birth have been in Elul? Unless he was born two weeks late like most first pregnancy's, then that could put his birth in Tishri.

If that is the case then I can see why they would choose December to celebrate His birth. The months of August, September and October are harvest months. Busy months. No one would have been able to take the time off to celebrate, that we get in December when everything has been "put by" for the winter.

Again, thank you so much for sharing this information with us, it's fun to learn new things.

[Guest Biblicist]

While I am not finished reading, great reading by the way, Vickilynn, thank you for taking the time to post all of this. This was of great interest to me.

I was wondering though, could you put the highlighted terms into English, pretty please? I mean does it translate into months? To me, Nisan is a car.

Yeah, and it used to be a Datsun. . .

So saying you were born in Nisan would not necessarily mean you were born in the back of a Datsun. Sorry, I just had to say it. Forgive me.

[Vickilynn]

I was extremely privleged to sit under a excellent Jewish Christian teacher a followed him through until his ministry got going. He is a wonderful man and has a great church, The first person I trusted as a christian..He just recently got married. waited a long time. Taught me a lot. I loved the hebrew/christian seders as well. My daughter has the best of both worlds.

It is wonderful to see this post. patricia1

Shalom patricia,

[Vickilynn]

Thank you so much, Vickilynn. That is a GREAT site. Really kewl, with the audio of the pronounciation of the days and months.

Shalom Bib,

You're more than welcome. I love that site. It's one of my favs. The author (John J. Parsons) is widely appreciated because he has been writing columns and a book for Zola Levitt ministries for many years. You can read his testimony here:

http://hebrew4christians.com/About_HFC/about_hfc.html

If Jesus was concieved in the month of Kislev, then would His birth have been in Elul? Unless he was born two weeks late like most first pregnancy's, then that could put his birth in Tishri.

You've asked a GREAT question, one that Jews and Gentiles alike ask often. There are several schools of thought on that, I'll present the one that I believe and why:

I believe Yeshua was conceived in Kislev (at Chanukkah (the Feast of Dedication, the Festival of Light) and born in Tishri during the Feast of Tabernacles *because He came to tabernacle with us* to fulfill prophecy.

This was written by a friend of mine Kahtar and he says it very succinctly and plainly:

Actually, the Word DOES give us sufficient clues that we can figure it out. It does help to understand a couple facts that were commonly understood at the time of Christ and thus not written for us.

But the basic clue given is that of John's father, Zechariah. It gives us his priestly order, and the fact that he was serving in the temple. Add to that the understanding that the priests were each assigned two weeks of service along with the regular feast times, and that those two weeks were not consecutive, we can determine exactly when Zechariah was serving in the temple, and thus figure when John was concieved (shortly AFTER Zechy returned home to his wife), and add six months to that and we learn when Jesus was concieved, which 'just happened' to occur during the feast of dedication, the time of the Miracle of Light.

Add nine months to that and you come right to the 15th of Tishri, the first day of Tabernacles.

AND FURTHER, it was ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL that Jesus fulfill ALL PROPHECIES perfectly to qualify as the Messiah. The theme, and prophecy, of the Feast of Tabernacles is 'God with us', and indeed, He was. Right on schedule. And circumcized on the eighth day, that being Simchat Torah, 'Rejoicing in the Word'.

It was all done according to pattern, the pattern given us in the feasts of the Lord.

Again, thank you so much for sharing this information with us, it's fun to learn new things.

You're more than welcome! I love to see how the Father intricately showed us Yeshua from the very first word in Genesis, and all through the Feasts (the things that most Christians say does not apply to them.) Our Jewish roots help us understand our faith and the plan of the Father.

[Vickilynn]

Shalom Bib,

This is the longer version, but it explains much more detail and explains why I hold this view myself.

Also, it substantiates why the church celebrates the INCARNATION of Messiah at Christmas (December 25) and why that is a good thing!

http://www.messianic.com/articles/dates.htm

Biblical Dates for Messiah's Conception and Birth

I. The Conception of Yochanan (John the Baptist) / Luke 1:5-25

When the angel, Gavri-El (Gabriel), appeared to Zachar'yah (Zacharias) as he was ministering in the Temple, it was during the ministration of Abiyah (Abia). This order of priests ministered in the Temple the eighth week of the Hebrew year according to the ordinance of 1 Chronicles 24:10 (and according to the Talmud). The eighth week transverses the last week of the second Hebrew month of Iyar and the first week of the third Hebrew month of Sivan, which culminates at Shavuot (Pentecost). This is the anchor point for discovering the exact time of Messiah Yeshua's birth. The angel promised Zachar'yah that his prayer had been answered, and when he went home to his wife Elisheva (Elizabeth) she conceived, it seems almost immediately. This puts the conception of Yochanan (John the Baptist) very near the time of Shavuot, the Feast of Pentecost, in the second week of the month of Sivan, the third Hebrew month.

II. The Conception of Yeshua (Jesus) / Luke 1:26-55

Then, at the close of the sixth month of Elisheva' s pregnancy the angel Gavri-El appeared to Mara (Mary). Gavri-El told Mara about Elisheva, saying "she who was called barren is six months pregnant," This would be the last of the ninth Hebrew month called Kislev at the time of Chanukah. There are 27 weeks weeks between the end of discourse of Abiyah and the start of Chanukah (Dedication), which is celebrated eight days, from Kislev 25 to Tevet 2.

Mara accepts the word of the angel concerning the conception of Messiah in her, and she immediately rushes from Natseret (Nazareth) to the home of Elisheva and Zachar'yah in the Judean mountains close to Yerushalayim, about a three days journey from Natseret. Mara was probably going there to celebrate Chanukah and to help Elisheva with her pregnancy, as well as to talk to Elisheva about the angel's visitation.

Upon Mara's greeting to Elisheva, Elisheva responds to Mara, calling her "the mother of my L-RD". This demonstrates that Mara was already pregnant with Yeshua. Thus, Yeshua was conceived at Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, for He is the Light of the World.

Sometimes the time of Chanukah falls close to Christmas. The Roman church of medieval times combined the pagan winter solstice in late December with the 25th of Kislev (Chanukah) to create Christmas (Christ's Mass) on Dec- ember 25. Supposedly, this was to celebrate Christ's birth.

Yeshua is shown celebrating Chanukah in John 10:22,23. It is at this celebration that He declares "I and My Father are One" [John 10:30], which testifies to His Divine origin in His conception. It also reinforces Chanukah as the time of His conception.

Historically, then, it is more accurate to celebrate Yeshua entering the world through conception at Chanukah rather than to celebrate His birth at Christmas. As we shall show, Christmas is not the birthday of Christ. (In fact, Christmas is an invention resulting from religious compromise with pagan tradition. Christmas only has harmony with the truth, in that it falls approximately at the time of year when Yeshua was conceived by the Holy Spirit.)

IlI.The Birth ofYochanan/Luke1:56-80

Mara stayed with Elisheva for three months, which was until the birth of Yochanan. Since a full pregnancy term is 41 weeks, and 27 weeks makes up the first six months (two trimesters), which is exactly the time from the discourse of Abiyah to Chanukah, that leaves 14 weeks to accomplish the last trimester and bring the pregnancy to full term. There are exactly 14 weeks from Chanukah to Passover (Nisan 14-22). Therefore, John the Baptist was born at Passover. He was circumcised on the eighth day, which would be the last day of Passover/Feast of Unleavened Bread. Gavri-EI had said that John would "go forth" in the strength and power of Elijah [Luke 1:17]. Jewish teaching was that Elijah would come again at Passover (this is still a tradition of Judaism today).

IV.The Birth of Yeshua/Luke 2

Nisan, when Yochanan was born, is the first month of the Hebrew year. As we have shown, Mara conceived six months after Elisheva conceived, which means Yeshua's birth would have to come six months after John's birth, during the seventh Hebrew month of Tishri. Since we know that John was born at Passover/Feast of Unleavened Bread, we learn the time of Yeshua's birth by counting six Hebrew months from Passover. The Feast of Unleavened Bread begins on Nisan 15 and six months later Tabernacles begins on Tishri 15. Therefore, Yeshua was born on the first day of Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles).

The first day of Tabernacles is a Sabbath rest, so it fits that Yosef and Mara planned their journey to Beit-Lechem (Bethlehem) so they would finish their journey before the festival Sabbath. They found lodging just in time.

Concerning the Feast of Tabernacles, the L-RD commanded that Israel should observe it eight days. They were to build temporary dwellings called a sukkah and dwell in them [Leviticus 23:34-43]. These sukkahs were erected to house families with some bare comforts and food for the eight days. Food was placed in a stall or a crib for storage in the tabernacle. The King James Bible calls this food crib a manger. Yeshua was not born in a barn, but rather in a temporary tabernacle which had been built for the celebration. He was placed in a "manger", demonstrating in a type that He is the Bread of Life from heaven.

The eighth day, Yeshua was circumcised according to the scriptural command [Luke 2:21]. For a male, this is what accomplishes a full Hebrew birth. The Feast of Tabernacles is for exactly eight days. The first and last days are both holy Sabbaths. Yeshua was born on the first day, a holy Sabbath, and circumcised on the eighth day, a holy Sabbath. Evidently, G-d intended this entire Feast of Tabernacles to be set aside in order to accomplish and celebrate Yeshua's birth into the world.

Note that G-d provided two holy feasts that lasted eight days, Passover/Unleavened Bread and the Feast of Tabernacles. John the Baptist, the forerunner of Messiah, was born and circumcised in the eight days of the first, then six month later Yeshua, the Messiah, was born and circumcised the eight days of the second. John came in the first month of the year and Yeshua came in the seventh month. In ministry, John introduced the way through Messiah and then Yeshua perfected it, even as the first and seventh months signify.

V. Conclusion

In my opinion, this chronology provides us with the exact day of Yeshua's birth, Tishri 15, according to the Hebrew calendar. The Hebrew calendar is kept updated to this modern day, and every year the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) is absolutely set from Tishri 15 to Tishri 22. Because the Hebrew calendar is based on the course of the Moon (Lunar) and the modern calendar is based on the course of the Sun (Solar), the two move in relation to each other. This means the Feast of Tabernacles will always occur somewhere between mid-September and mid-October, but not on the exact same Gregorian dates every year. For instance, in 1995 the Feast of Tabernacles was October 9-October 17, but in 1996 the Feast of Tabernacles was September 28-October 5. While this is initially confusing to the unlearned mind, a combination Gregorian/Hebraic calendar will easily clarify how the dates relate. Many local funeral homes provide free Hebrew calendars each year showing the modern dates for the holy Feast Days (ask for a Jewish calendar).

It may help you to understand the seeming movement of Yeshua's birthday by looking at your own birthday. Even though your birthday might keep the same number year after year, the day of the week it falls on changes. In like manner, Yeshua's birthday is on the same Hebraic calendar number each year, Tishri 15, but in relation to the Gregorian calendar it changes. However, you can plan for His birthday to always occur sometime between the latter part of September and the early part of October.

The Feast of Tabernacles is a most important commemoration. Zechariah 14:16,17 tells us that one day all nations will be required by law to honor this feast. For what greater reason, than it is the birthday of the King of Kings! Why should we delay?

Our hope and prayer is that the Ekklesia will return to the roots of her faith and learn to restore the fallen foundations. May we all work to overcome the influence of pagan customs in our celebrations and become separate from this world as a holy people before our holy G-d.

[Redefine_Me]

Very informative!!! Thanks!

[Guest Biblicist]

Thank you so much, Vickilynn. That is a GREAT site. Really kewl, with the audio of the pronounciation of the days and months.

Shalom Bib,

You're more than welcome. I love that site. It's one of my favs. The author (John J. Parsons) is widely appreciated because he has been writing columns and a book for Zola Levitt ministries for many years. You can read his testimony here:

http://hebrew4christians.com/About_HFC/about_hfc.html

If Jesus was concieved in the month of Kislev, then would His birth have been in Elul? Unless he was born two weeks late like most first pregnancy's, then that could put his birth in Tishri.

You've asked a GREAT question, one that Jews and Gentiles alike ask often. There are several schools of thought on that, I'll present the one that I believe and why:

I believe Yeshua was conceived in Kislev (at Chanukkah (the Feast of Dedication, the Festival of Light) and born in Tishri during the Feast of Tabernacles *because He came to tabernacle with us* to fulfill prophecy.

This was written by a friend of mine Kahtar and he says it very succinctly and plainly:

Actually, the Word DOES give us sufficient clues that we can figure it out. It does help to understand a couple facts that were commonly understood at the time of Christ and thus not written for us.

But the basic clue given is that of John's father, Zechariah. It gives us his priestly order, and the fact that he was serving in the temple. Add to that the understanding that the priests were each assigned two weeks of service along with the regular feast times, and that those two weeks were not consecutive, we can determine exactly when Zechariah was serving in the temple, and thus figure when John was concieved (shortly AFTER Zechy returned home to his wife), and add six months to that and we learn when Jesus was concieved, which 'just happened' to occur during the feast of dedication, the time of the Miracle of Light.

Add nine months to that and you come right to the 15th of Tishri, the first day of Tabernacles.

AND FURTHER, it was ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL that Jesus fulfill ALL PROPHECIES perfectly to qualify as the Messiah. The theme, and prophecy, of the Feast of Tabernacles is 'God with us', and indeed, He was. Right on schedule. And circumcized on the eighth day, that being Simchat Torah, 'Rejoicing in the Word'.

It was all done according to pattern, the pattern given us in the feasts of the Lord.

Again, thank you so much for sharing this information with us, it's fun to learn new things.

You're more than welcome! I love to see how the Father intricately showed us Yeshua from the very first word in Genesis, and all through the Feasts (the things that most Christians say does not apply to them.) Our Jewish roots help us understand our faith and the plan of the Father.

Thank you, again. I agree with your summation.

Of course our Jewish roots apply to us, our SAVIOUR was born Jewish!

And truly, understanding the background does help us to understand how God intricately planned out every detail of Christ's brith. Just like a loving mother/father that carefully choose the place of birth, the decorations for the nursery, the name, the clothes...Humans didn't invent that! God did!!! Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.

Happy Chanukkah. It says on my calender that today is the day!

[Vickilynn]

Happy Chanukkah. It says on my calender that today is the day!

Shalom Bib,

Thanks!!

It's Chanukkah for EIGHT days! Whooo hoooo!

[Guest Biblicist]

Happy Chanukkah. It says on my calender that today is the day!

Shalom Bib,

Thanks!!

It's Chanukkah for EIGHT days! Whooo hoooo!

So what did you do and eat today?

[patricia1]

Hello there Vickilyn..

The summation is excellent and the reasoning behind it is perfect. Now that does not happen too often, lol.

I would like some suggestions on giving my daughter something to remember as I light each candle . Something we can carry through the years, with the account of Chanukahh in the center of each statement.

Have any suggestions? Patricia