The Fall Jewish Feasts

Judaism celebrates seven annual festivals...occasions where work ceases  and a celebration begins. 
Four of those feasts occur in the Spring of the year in which Passover begins it and Pentecost ends it.  There are three Fall festivals:  Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkoth.  The Jewish Fall Feasts are happening right now.  Rosh Hashanah began in late September, Yom Kippur begins this Friday, and Sukkoth follows just five days later.  What's the big deal about the observance of festivals, seemingly unrelated to Christianity? 

The Fall Feasts of Judaism are important links to our faith in Christ Jesus.  All of the feasts were celebrated by Jesus, the disciples, and the early church.  As the book of Hebrews states, they serve as a "shadow of things to come", ie. they all made a statement about the coming of the Messiah, and in their form, they express the heart of God in worship, and express his "ways" in our hearts.

Rosh Hashanah (Ha-Sha-Nah) begins the Fall holy days.  Numbers 29:1 NLT

“Celebrate the Festival of Trumpets each year on the first day of the appointed month in early autumn. You must call an official day for holy assembly, and you may do no ordinary work."

Called the Festival of Trumpets, it is the first official day of the civil year - sort of a Jan. 1st date for Jews.  In ancient Israel the trumpet - a shofar - is blown to mark it's beginning.  Rosh Hashanah begins the year with a period of personal reflection.  For 10 days faithful Jews take stock of their lives before God and others.  The great commandment to "Love the Lord your God with all Your Heart..." and "Love your neighbor as yourself" become the basis for this time of looking back and asking God to both forgive and allow for restoration in all relationships...starting with the relationship with him.  Those ten days are called "The days of Awe" and set out the nature of the believer's relationship with God for the rest of the year - to be in fellowship with him and to do what we can to repent of all sin whenever and wherever possible.  After those ten days comes "Yom Kippur"

Numbers 29: 7 NLT
“Ten days later, on the tenth day of the same month, you must call another holy assembly. On that day, the Day of Atonement, the people must go without food and must do no ordinary work."

Yom Kippur is considered the holiest day of the year.  The "Yom" is "day", and "Kippur" is "cutting, or sacrifice".  It is the Day that marks the end of the Days of Awe with the sacrifice of blood that brings about Atonement for our sins.  It happens like this:  Leviticus 16:5-10 NLT

Aaron must take from the community of Israel two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.
“Aaron will present his own bull as a sin offering to purify himself and his family, making them right with the LORD. Then he must take the two male goats and present them to the LORD at the entrance of the Tabernacle. He is to cast sacred lots to determine which goat will be reserved as an offering to the LORD and which will carry the sins of the people to the wilderness of Azazel. Aaron will then present as a sin offering the goat chosen by lot for the LORD. The other goat, the scapegoat chosen by lot to be sent away, will be kept alive, standing before the LORD. When it is sent away to Azazel in the wilderness, the people will be purified and made right with the LORD.

Two goats...one is sacrificed, its blood is shed for the sins of the nation.  One goat is taken alive out into the wilderness and released...the sins are taken away, removed and forgotten.  This year Yom Kippur will occur this Friday evening thru Saturday. 

What again does this have to do with our faith in Christ?  The book of Hebrews makes the point... Hebrews 9:11-14 NLT

So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.
Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.

Christ Jesus came as "the lamb of God" that permanently atones for our sins, and takes them away. 
The way that this affects us is profound.  Again, Hebrews 10:16-25 NLT

“This is the new covenant I will make
with my people on that day, says the LORD:
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds.” Then he says,
“I will never again remember
their sins and lawless deeds.” And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices.
And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

The way for us is not through ritual sacrifices, nor religious performances...our way to God is made open to us in Christ Jesus...he is our Yom Kippur.