What are the Moedim?
In Genesis 1:14 it says, “And Elohim said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven, to divide the day from the night: and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.” FOOD FOR THOUGHT: a quick side note, notice that months is missing from here (using the sun or moon for months is not proper according to this first passage). The word for “seasons” in this verse is “Moedim” in the original Hebrew (Strong’s #H4150). The word means “appointed times” or “dress rehearsals”. These are times that Yahweh has declared that He will meet with his people. They are times when we are to be remembering what He did for us the first time he came, and practicing what we will be doing when He comes back the second time. There is a misconception that “moedim” means “feasts”. Some of them are feasts. One, in particular, is a day of fasting. The moedim that take place in the spring, Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits (Barley) (Within the week of Unleavened Bread) and Pentecost, representing the first coming of Yeshua as the lamb of God, and commemorating the giving of the Commandments on Mount Horeb (Exodus 20), and the Holy Spirit in the upper room (Acts 2) . The moedim that take place in the fall, The Feast of Trumpets, The Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles, serve as reminders that Yahshua is coming back with the sound of a trumpet to claim His bride and that we should be walking in introspection to prepare ourselves for that day. There are eight moedim in total. Thus the eight appointed times remind us of Yahweh’s complete plan. He created the universe, We fell into sin, He redeemed us, and He is going to restore all things to their former perfection.
Wayyiqra (Leviticus 23)
- The Sabbath Day
- 1And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying, 2“Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, and say to them, ‘The appointed times of יהוה, which you are to proclaim as set-apart gatherings, My appointed times, are these: 3‘Six days work is done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, a set-apart gathering. You do no work, it is a Sabbath to יהוה in all your dwellings.
- Pesach (Passover)
- 4‘These are the appointed times of יהוה, set-apart gatherings which you are to proclaim at their appointed times. 5‘In the first new moon, on the fourteenth day of the new moon, between the evenings, is the Pĕsaḥ to יהוה.
- Chag Hamotzi (Unleavened Bread)
- 6‘And on the fifteenth day of this new moon is the Festival of Matzot to יהוה – seven days you eat unleavened bread. 7‘On the first day you have a set-apart gathering, you do no servile work. 8‘And you shall bring an offering made by fire to יהוה for seven days. On the seventh day is a set-apart gathering, you do no servile work.’ ”
- Yom HaBikkurim (First Fruits)
- 9And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying, 10“Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, and you shall say to them, ‘When you come into the land which I give you, and shall reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest to the priest. 11‘And he shall wave the sheaf before יהוה, for your acceptance. On the morrow after the Sabbath the priest waves it. 12‘And on that day when you wave the sheaf, you shall prepare a male lamb a year old, a perfect one, as an ascending offering to יהוה, 13and its grain offering: two-tenths of an ĕphah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to יהוה, a sweet fragrance, and its drink offering: one-fourth of a hin of wine. 14‘And you do not eat bread or roasted grain or fresh grain until the same day that you have brought an offering to your Elohim – a law forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 15‘And from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, you shall count for yourselves: seven completed Sabbaths. 16‘Until the morrow after the seventh Sabbath you count fifty days, then you shall bring a new grain offering to יהוה. 17‘Bring from your dwellings for a wave offering two loaves of bread, of two-tenths of an ĕphah of fine flour they are, baked with leaven, first-fruits to יהוה.
- Shavu’ot (Pentecost)
- 18‘And besides the bread, you shall bring seven lambs a year old, perfect ones, and one young bull and two rams. They are an ascending offering to יהוה, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering made by fire for a sweet fragrance to יהוה. 19‘And you shall offer one male goat as a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old, as a slaughter of peace offerings. 20‘And the priest shall wave them, besides the bread of the first-fruits, as a wave offering before יהוה, besides the two lambs. They are set-apart to יהוה for the priest. 21‘And on this same day you shall proclaim a set-apart gathering for yourselves, you do no servile work on it – a law forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations. 22‘And when you reap the harvest of your land do not completely reap the corners of your field when you reap, and do not gather any gleaning from your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the stranger. I am יהוה your Elohim.’ ”
- Yom Teru’ah (Trumpets)
- 23And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying, 24Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, saying, ‘In the seventh new moon, on the first day of the new moon, you have a rest, a remembrance of Teru‛ah, 25‘You do no servile work, and you shall bring an offering made by fire to יהוה.’ ”
- Yom Kippur (Atonement)
- 26And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying, 27On the tenth day of this seventh new moon is Yom haKippurim. It shall be a set-apart gathering for you. And you shall afflict your beings, and shall bring an offering made by fire to יהוה. 28“And you do no work on that same day, for it is Yom Kippurim, to make atonement for you before יהוה your Elohim. 29“For any being who is not afflicted on that same day, he shall be cut off from his people. 30“And any being who does any work on that same day, that being I shall destroy from the midst of his people. 31“You do no work – a law forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 32‘It is a Sabbath of rest to you, and you shall afflict your beings. On the ninth day of the new moon at evening, from evening to evening, you observe your Sabbath.”
- Sukkot (Tabernacles)
- 33And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying, 34Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, saying, ‘On the fifteenth day of this seventh new moon is the Festival of Sukkot for seven days to יהוה. 35‘On the first day is a set-apart gathering, you do no servile work. 36‘For seven days you bring an offering made by fire to יהוה. On the eighth day there shall be a set-apart gathering for you, and you shall bring an offering made by fire to יהוה. It is a closing festival, you do no servile work. 37‘These are the appointed times of יהוה which you proclaim as set-apart gatherings, to bring an offering made by fire to יהוה, an ascending offering and a grain offering, a slaughtering and drink offerings, as commanded for every day – 38besides the Sabbaths of יהוה, and besides your gifts, and besides all your vows, and besides all your voluntary offerings which you give to יהוה. 39‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh new moon, when you gather in the fruit of the land, celebrate the festival of יהוה for seven days. On the first day is a rest, and on the eighth day a rest. 40‘And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of good trees, branches of palm trees, twigs of leafy trees, and willows of the stream, and shall rejoice before יהוה your Elohim for seven days. 41‘And you shall celebrate it as a festival to יהוה for seven days in the year – a law forever in your generations. Celebrate it in the seventh new moon. 42‘Dwell in booths for seven days; all who are native born in Yisra’ĕl dwell in booths, 43so that your generations know that I made the children of Yisra’ĕl dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Mitsrayim. I am יהוה your Elohim.’ ” 44Thus did Mosheh speak of the appointed times of יהוה to the children of Yisra’ĕl.