The Fast of Yom Kippur

This weekend, Israelis will mark the holiest day in Judaism, Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement. This holiday marks the end of the ten-day period known as the Days of Awe, when Jews examine their lives in preparation for the day when the nation must present itself for judgment before God. Now the Lord actually commanded in the Book of Leviticus that every Israelite must “afflict their souls” on this day. So Jews in Israel and around the world all fast together on Yom Kippur and deny themselves other earthly pleasures. They also dress in white to symbolize that this is a time of repentance and humility before God. So just what is the biblical significance of Yom Kippur? What are some of the traditions that have built up around this Jewish holy day? Is the Day of Atonement just for Jews to observe? Or does it find its way into the New Testament, so that Christians should also be more aware of this biblical holiday? The Fast of Yom Kippur! That’s our focus this week here on Front Page Jerusalem. We’ll look at the meaning and traditions surrounding the biblical holiday of Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement. We’ll have a teaching on this special holy day by Rev. Juha Ketola, the international director of the Christian Embassy in Jerusalem. And, we’ll also speak about Yom Kippur with Israeli Knesset member Dov Lipman, an Orthodox rabbi originally from the United States.

Airing the weekend of October 4, 2014

Next Week on FRONTPAGE JERUSALEM

Next week, Israelis will begin celebrating the biblical festival of Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Booths. This is when they build small huts in their yards or balconies, where they spend family time together remembering Israel’s 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. But what makes this Jewish holiday truly unique is that thousands of Christians also will show up in Jerusalem over coming days to join in marking Sukkot. Now this is in keeping with the ancient biblical tradition that the nations were also welcome to come join the Jewish in worshipping God at this appointed time. The prophet Zechariah also envisioned that one day all nations will ascend to Jerusalem each year to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. So for the past 35 years now, the International Christian Embassy, producer of this radio program, has hosted thousands of Christians at its annual Feast of Tabernacles celebration in Jerusalem in anticipation of that great day. So just what is the story behind the holiday of Sukkot? What are some of the traditions that have built up around this biblical festival of joy? And why are Christians from around the world also coming up to Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Tabernacles? Celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles! That’s our focus next week here on Front Page Jerusalem. We’ll look at the meaning and traditions surrounding the biblical holiday of Sukkot – also called the Feast of Booths. We’ll have a Bible teaching on this special festival by Dr. Juergen Buehler, the executive director of the Christian Embassy. And we’ll also have an inside look at the Christian Embassy’s annual Feast celebration in Jerusalem with one of its key organizers, Ray Ramirez, leader of the Feast worship team.

Airing the weekend of October 11, 2014