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Citation: Siew, Yau Man. “Hebrew Education Through Feasts and Festivals,” In 
Evangelical Dictionary of Christian Education, edited by Michael J. Anthony, 
Warren S. Benson, Daryl Eldridge, and Julie Gorman, 324-325. Grand Rapids: 
Baker Academic, 2001.

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Siew, Yau Man. “Hebrew Education Through Feasts and Festivals.” In Evangelical
Dictionary of Christian Education, edited by Michael J. Anthony, Warren S. Benson,
Daryl Eldridge, and Julie Gorman, 324-325. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001.



Hh

Hebrew Education through Feasts and Festi-
vals. Feasts and festivals were regular assemblies
of Israel at scheduled periods in the year for joy-
ous feasting and thanksgiving to commemorate
both civil and religious events. Israel’s three
major annual feasts, also known as the three pil-
grim festivals (Exod. 23:14-19; 2 Chron. 8:12-
13), include the Passover/Feast of Unleavened
bread (Exod. 12:1; 13:16; 34:18-20, 25; Lev.
3:4-8; Num. 28:16-25; Deut. 16:1-8), the Feast
of Weeks/Harvest (Exod. 23:16; Lev. 23:15-21;
Num. 28:26-31; Deut. 16:9-12), and the Feast of
Tabernacles/Ingathering (Exod. 23:16; Lev.
23:33-41; Num. 29:12-38). The other festivals
were the New Moon festivals (Exod, 40:2, 17;
Num. 10:10; 28:1-10; 1 Sam. 20:18; 1 Chron.
23:31) and Sabbaths (Exod. 16:22-30; 20:8-1 1;
23:12; 31:12-17; 34:21; 35:2-3; Lev. 23:3; 26:2;
Num. 28:9-10; Deut. 5:12-15).

	In Judaism, as in Christianity, renewal is often
accomplished through rediscovery. In celebrating
the various feasts and festivals, Israel returns to
neglected roots and rediscovers a fresh under-
standing of God’s power, purposes, and presence
as creator and sustainer of the nation. Thus, He-
brew festive celebrations were purposeful educa-
tional events for the whole communitv.

	Feasts and Festivals as Educational Events.
The Passover feast had specific educational
goals. The rich imagery of the celebrations
evoked the curiosity of inquisitive children to ask
questions about the historical event (Exod.
12:26-27; 13:8, 14-16). Blood-sprinkled door-
posts recalled the original signal to the angel of
death to "pass over" their homes. Israel's first-
born males must thus be consecrated and re-
deemed, for God spared them from death that
fateful night when all Egypt's firstborn were slain
(Exod. 13:11-16). Fully dressed to go, the whole
family ate the meal in haste. They even baked
bread without yeast, illustrating the urgency of
that moment Bitter herbs reminded them of
their harsh and brutal sufferings in Egypt.
Through this yearly festival, the nation thus re-
turns to its roots, and commemorates the exodus
from Egypt as an act of God's mighty deliverance
(Josh. 5:10; 2 Kings 23:21-23; 2 Chron. 30:1-5,
13-20; Exod. 6:19-21).

	The Feast or Unleavened Bread was celebrated
concurrently with the Passover. All yeast was re-
moved from the home during this period and vi-
olators were excommunicated (Exod. 12:1-20;
Lev. 23:4-8; Num. 28:16-25; Deut. 16:1-8). The
seven day celebration was marked by holy con-

324



vocations and no work was allowed. During this
period, the whole community ate bread without
yeast, reminding them of their affliction in Egypt.
Unleavened bread is the bread of affliction, eaten
in haste on that night of departure (Deut. 16:3).

	The Feast of Weeks took place on the 50th day
after the offering of the barley sheaf at the Feast
of Unleavened Bread. It began with a sacred as-
sembly and no work was to be done. The nation
offered the first fruits of the wheat harvest to
God as freewill offerings and in proportion to the
harvest (Num. 28:26; Deut. 16:10). Burnt offer-
ings and sin offerings were also made (Lev.
23:18-20; Num. 28:27-30). The nation was to re-
joice in God's presence for the land God had
given, and to share this joy not only with their
children, menservants, and maidservants, but
also with the aliens, fatherless, and widows in
their midst (Deut. 16:11-12). This feast was also
known as the Feast of Harvest or Pentecost. It
was at this feast that God poured out his Holy
Spirit upon the New Testament church in a
miraculous way (Acts 2:1—4).

	On the fifteenth day or the seventh month, the
nation celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles or In-
gathering where crops were gathered from the
field (Lev. 23:33-36; Exod. 23:16; Deut. 16:14).
This seven day festival was marked by holy con-
vocations where no work was allowed. Animal
sacrifices and grain and drink offerings were of-
fered (Lev. 23:33-36; Num. 29:13-38). The people
were to celebrate with joy and to include the
menservants, maidservants, aliens, fatherless,
and widows (Deut. 16:14). During this period; all
native bom Israelites were to live in booths to re-
member their days of sojourn in booths when
God led them out of Egypt (Lev. 23:40, 42-43).
This feast was celebrated throughout Israel's his-
tory (2 Chron. 8:12-13; Ezra 3:4; Neh. 8:13-18;
John 7:2-3, 37-38).

	As required under Mosaic law, Israel conse-
crated itself to God each new month during the
New Moon festivals (Num. 28:11). Normal work
ceased and the celebrations were marked by
blowing of the trumpets (Num. 10:10) and offer-
ings and sacrifices (Num. 28:11-15; 1 Chron.
23:30-31; 2 Chron. 2:4; 8:12-13; 31:3). Wrong at-
titudes during New Moon festivals incurred God's
wrath (Isa. 1:13-14; Hos. 2:11; 5:7). Observation
of the Sabbath was a distinctive of the people of
God. Every seventh day was to be a holy day of
rest to remember God’s work in creation (Exod.
20:8-11; Lev. 23:3; Gen. 2:2-3). Servants, aliens
within the community, and even animals were to
cease from labor, and violation was punishable
by death (Exod. 31:14; 35:2; Num. 15:32-36).

	The most holy day of Israel’s year was the Day
of Atonement (Exod. 30:10; Lev. 16; 23:26-32;
25:9; Num. 29:7-1l).On the tenth day of the sev-
enth month, Israel sought forgiveness for her sins
through complex sacrificial rites. After the high
priest sanctified himself through ceremonial
washings and the sacrifice of a bullock, he would
sacrifice a goat for the sins of the nation. Finally,
a scapegoat bearing the sins of the people was
sent into the wilderness, symbolizing God's par-
don for the sin of the nation (Lev. 16:20-22; Gal. 
3:12; 2 Cor. 5:21). This was a day of public fasting
preceded by special Sabbaths.

	Pedagogical Insights, Hebrew celebrations of
feasts and festivals provide some interesting ped-
agogical insights. First, learning was fully experi-
ential Burnt offerings, animal sacrifices, harvest
offerings, and lavish feasts evoked the full senses
of sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. The festi-
vals often required cessation from normal life
and labor and sometimes called for a radical
change of lifestyle (Feast of Tabernacles). Sec-
ond, learning occurred within communities. The
Passover was celebrated within families who en-
couraged free participation of children. Other
feasts frequently involved the nation as a whole.
Third, learning focused on God as the source and
sustainer of the nation. The great feasts were
often occasions of covenant renewal, calling the
nation back to its roots and beginnings in God.
Not surprisingly, reading and teaching of the Law
accompanied the other festivities (Deut. 31:9-13;
Neh. 8). Last, but not least, learning encom-
passed the whole of life with its varied needs.
Through a system of elaborate celebrations, the
people remembered their humble beginnings
(Passover/Feast of Unleavened Bread), celebrated
God's sustaining grace (Feast of Weeks, Feast of
Ingathering), received cleansing (Day of Atone-
ment), and regularly consecrated themselves to
holy service (Sabbath, New Moon).

Yau-Man Siew

Bibliography, J. C. Rylaarsdam (1962), The Inter-
preter's Dictionary of the Bible; C. M. Williamson and R. J.
Allen (1991), The Teaching Minister; D. Ng and V. Thomas
(1981), Children in the Worshiping Community.

325


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