Holidays

Learn about biblical holidays and their significance.

Hebrew Voices #123 – Camp Ephraim Sukkot

October 10, 2022

In this episode of Hebrew Voices, Camp Ephraim Sukkot, Bible Scholar Nehemia Gordon meets with people from among the nations who made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to worship the God of Israel on Sukkot in fulfillment of the prophecy in

Sukkot (Feast of Booths)

October 9, 2022

On Chag Ha-Sukkot, Feast of Booths (Tabernacles) we are commanded to build a Sukkah (Booth) using as building materials the “4 species” listed in Lev 23:40. Rabbinical tradition teaches that a bundle of these building materials must be ritually waved

Yom Kippur – The Day of Atonement

October 2, 2022

On the 10th day of the Seventh Month (Tishrei) is the holiday known as Yom Ha-Kipurim (or Yom Kippur), “The Day of Atonement”. This is a day dedicated to fasting and prayer on which we ask Yehovah to atone for

Support Team Study – Hope from Despair on Yom Kippur

September 30, 2022

In this Support Team Study, Hope from Despair on Yom Kippur, Nehemia Gordon explains how modern Israel nearly came to an end, how the hand of God turned imminent defeat into victory, and how the hope of a little-known Hebrew “saint” burns in the heart

Hebrew Voices #133 – Yom Teruah Bible Study

September 25, 2022

In this episode of Hebrew Voices, Yom Teruah Bible Study, Bible Scholar Nehemia Gordon looks at whether this is a day for crying or being joyous, how we know we are supposed to call on the name Yehovah on this

The Truth About Shavuot

June 3, 2022

Shavuot is a biblical festival known in English as the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost. Shavuot is a pilgrimage-feast, in Hebrew chag. As a chag, Shavuot is one of the three annual biblical festivals on which every male Israelite is

Hebrew Voices #29 – From Slavery to Freedom

April 20, 2022

In this episode of Hebrew Voices, From Slavery to Freedom, Nehemia Gordon speaks to Rabbi Dr. Abraham J. Twerski. Nehemia draws on Rabbi Twerski’s vast experience as a world-renowned Rabbi and psychiatrist to explain why it is important to get out of

Passover and Leaven

April 12, 2022

These days one hears much about the “Holiday” of Passover and even we Karaites refer to it often. But in the Hebrew Bible there is no such holiday! In the Tanach “Passover” is the name of a sacrifice, while the

When was the Passover Sacrifice Brought

April 11, 2022

The Torah commands us: “In the First Month on the fourteenth day of the month, between the two evenings [Hebrew: “Bein Ha’arabayim”], is the Passover [Sacrifice] to Yehovah.” In biblical Hebrew, the word “evening” (Ayin-Resh-Bet) indicates both the “early part

Support Team Study – Passover Letters from the Elephantine Papyri

April 1, 2022

In this Support Team Study, Passover Letters from the Elephantine Papyri, Nehemia Gordon concludes his conversation with Prof. Bezalel Porten, by delving into a series of Jewish letters written in southern Egypt in the 5th century BCE. They discover that

Hebrew Voices – Passover Special (Rebroadcast)

March 30, 2022

In this episode of Hebrew Voices, Passover Special, Nehemia Gordon and Keith Johnson delve into the story of the exodus, beginning with Ex 12:21. They start off by sharing the time they personally experienced “darkness so dark, it could be

Hebrew Voices #13 – The Truth About Christmas and Tammuz

December 19, 2021

In this episode of Hebrew Voices, The Truth about Christmas and Tammuz, Bible Scholar Nehemia Gordon connects with Dr. Richard Carrier, an expert in ancient religions who reads Greek and Roman texts the way Nehemia reads ancient Hebrew. Dr. Carrier

Hebrew Voices #103 – A Jerusalem Sukkot Encampment

September 21, 2021

In this episode of Hebrew Voices, A Jerusalem Sukkot Encampment, Nehemia Gordon speaks with an American couple who sparked a worldwide Sukkot-movement by pitching a tent in Jerusalem with their seven children. They share the story of their humble beginnings

Support Team Study – The Four Fasts of Zechariah

July 16, 2021

In this Support Team Study, The Four Fasts of Zechariah, Nehemia Gordon explains that the rabbinical fast of Tisha B’av (the 9th of Av), commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Temples in 586 BCE and 70 CE. The

My U-Haul Sukkot

October 5, 2020

One of my earliest childhood memories was Sukkot of 1976, when I was 3.5 years old. I remember sitting in the family Sukkah, looking up through the branches that formed the roof, at the clouds as they whisked across the

Shavuot Feast of Oaths (Preview)

May 17, 2020

This is a special preview of Nehemia Gordon’s Support Team Study, Shavuot Feast of Oaths. In this study, Nehemia shares a life-changing experience he had in China and how that caused him to re-evaluate a 2,200 year old interpretation found in

Hebrew Voices #38 – How Long Were the Israelites in Egypt

April 24, 2019

In Hebrew Voices, How Long Were the Israelites in Egypt, Nehemia Gordon tackles the age-old conundrum of how to count 400 years. Burnice wrote: “Wow. Thank you for clarifying this.”

Support Team Study – Guess Who’s Coming to Seder

March 31, 2019

In this Support Team Study, Guess Who’s Coming to Seder, Nehemia Gordon shares how a Passover Seder when he was eight marked his life and ministry. This Passover experience was a seed that grew and eventually opened a crack in

The Yom Kippur Jazz Singer

September 25, 2017

One Yom Kippur I watched a great movie, the original 1927 film The Jazz Singer. This was the first “talkie,” containing several scenes with sound, although most of it was still silent. The second “talking” scene in the movie –

Hebrew Voices #25 – A Sober Purim in Jerusalem (Rebroadcast)

March 8, 2017

In this episode of Hebrew Voices, A Sober Purim in Jerusalem, Nehemia visits with Rabbi “Big” Mike Gondelman to learn about the Jewish approach to treating alcoholism. The conversation opens with profound insights into the character of the Persian King

Traditional Karaite Matzah Recipe

April 18, 2016

Karaite Jews have a unique and intriguing way of making Matzah. The recipe was provided by Shoshi Dabach of Jerusalem.

When is Passover?

April 17, 2016

This year (2016), the Biblical date for Passover (The Feast of Unleavened Bread) will begin Saturday night April 23, 2016 at sunset until Saturday night April 30 at sunset.

Hebrew Voices #28 – The Renewed Sanhedrin

April 6, 2016

In this episode of Hebrew Voices, The Renewed Sanhedrin, Nehemia Gordon chats with Professor Hillel Weiss, official spokesperson for the Jerusalem Sanhedrin. Their conversation is recorded near David’s tomb—the strategic meeting place of this Sanhedrin. They begin with an…

Support Team Study – Aviv Barley and the Spirit of Constantine

February 24, 2016

In this Support Team Study, Aviv Barley and the Spirit of Constantine, Bible Scholar Nehemia Gordon shows how the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD led to a change in the observance of the Biblical Calendar for both Jews and Christians.

Aviv Barley in the Biblical Calendar

February 24, 2016

Biblical Leap Years The Biblical year begins with the first New Moon after the barley in Israel reaches the stage in its ripeness called Aviv. The period between one year and the next is either 12 or 13 lunar months.

Yom Teruah 2015

September 3, 2015

Nehemia talks with Dev Arndt-Daniel about the upcoming new moon sighting of Yom Teruah on September 14, 2015. Will the moon be visible making Yom Teruah begin that evening or will it begin the following evening? They also talk about

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