Leviticus 23
14 Aug 2026 - Theology
The Feasts of the Lord
Leviticus 23:1-2 - “And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.”
We first heard about three feasts, or festivals, in Exodus 23. While Leviticus 23 and Exodus 23 are similar, this chapter goes into more detail on the feasts mentioned in Exodus 23, especially regarding the festival sacrifices to be brought to the Lord. This chapter also details other feasts that were not previously mentioned.
In ancient times, farmers, priests, and kings each had their own calendar. The Bible includes several calendars, some based on the cycles of the sun, most based on the moon. Some holidays mentioned in the Bible are no longer celebrated by Jews, others are joined together. Even the reasons for celebrating the holidays differ from one calendar to another.
This chapter includes the calendar of the P-teller. This priestly calendar begins by saying that there shall be a Sabbath every seventh day.
Leviticus 23:3 - “Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.”
Then, on the fourteenth day of the first month, the people of Israel celebrate Passover (or Pesach) by bringing an offering. The fifteenth day begins the Feast of Unleavened Bread (or Matzot), which lasts seven days.
So the P-teller’s calendar begins in the spring when nature returns to life. The first omer (sheaf) of grain had to be brought to the Temple right after the Sabbath before the new grain could be eaten. It is not clear about which Sabbath this means. Later on, this caused many arguements, since the “Counting of the Omer” for seven weeks also set the time for the next festival, the Feast of Harvest (or Shavuot).
Leviticus 23:15-16,21 - “And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete: Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat [meal] offering unto the Lord… And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.”
The P-teller is referring to the Feast of Harvest, or Shavuot, but does not give it a name here.
The P-teller also does not give a name to Rosh Hashanah:
Leviticus 23:24-25 - “Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord.”
The P-teller’s calendar then repeats the laws for the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16:
Leviticus 23:27 - “Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord.”
And the P-teller’s calendar names the Feast of Tabernacles, also called the Feast of Booths, or Sukkot, telling us about it twice.
The first time begins:
Leviticus 23:34-35 - “Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord. On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.”
Then the calendar seems to end by saying, “These are the feasts of the Lord…” in verse 37. But suddenly the command to observe Sukkot is given a second time, and with more detail:
Leviticus 23:39-40 - “Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath. And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days.”
The description of Sukkot continues until verse 44, where we read:
Leviticus 23:44 - “And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the Lord.”
References
- The Hebrew - Greek Key Study Bible (KJV Version)
- The Torah Portion-by-Portion by Rabbi Seymour Rossel (2007)