Celebrate the Fall Holidays!

A new Sukkot teaching about how the mitzvah to rejoice during the festival of Sukkot opens the secret to inner joy and the spirit of the Messianic Era. 

Before the destruction of the Temple, the people of Judea experienced a series of dire omens and warnings that pointed to the coming catastrophe. Listen to a fascinating class, recorded live in the Beth Immanuel Green Room on Tisha b'Av in the year 2012, that compiles a list of the omens from the Talmud, Josephus, the Gospels, and Jewish tradition to tell the story of the lead up to the darkest day. Download the original handout in the PDF below.  

Are you ready for Rosh Hashanah and the High Holidays? A teaching on the basic observances of the festival of Rosh Hashanah. This practical how-to teaching covers all the essentials with a few quick explanations regarding the major themes of the holiday.

Here are links to additional teachings referenced in the audio:

Rosh Hashanah Menu includes an audio about the significance of the ritual foods and a pdf of the handout.

Are Two Heads Better than One explains why we celebrate Rosh HaShanah for two days, even in the Diaspora.

Life is full of good intentions: "One of these days, I'm going to start exercising and eating healthy." "One of these days, I'm going to get my life back on track." Have you ever noticed that "one of these days" never comes? This teaching about the Sabbath and God's Holy Days demonstrates how HaShem's appointed times are designed to interrupt our routine and provide opportunities for self-improvement, increasing godliness, and drawing nearer to God. We call this the "cycle of sanctification." We learn about how, just as Israel was commanded to sacrifice only at the place God chose to put his name, likewise, God's holy days function as "sanctuaries in time," chosen by God for all his people's participation. The forty days of repentence before the high holy days are an ideal time to get life back on track with renewed focus on repentance, prayer, and charity.

This teaching was originally presented to the community of Beth Immanuel on Rosh Chodesh Elul, Shabbat Re'eh, August 15, 2015 / Av 30, 5775, at the beginning of the forty days of repentance.

Toby Janicki demonstrates how the Festival of Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) ultimately points toward the kingdom when all nations will participate in the festival.

Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths. (Zec 14:16)

The last blood moon in a series of four lunar eclipses, each falling on significant holy days, occurs on the first day of Sukkot 5776. Is it a sign from heaven? In this teaching from Beth Immanuel Plugged In, Pastor Lancaster sketches out an overview of the blood moon phenomenon and offers his own interpretation of the astronomical event.

After the resurrection of the dead comes the final judgment. According to Hebrews 6, the eternal judgment is one of the elementary principles of the Messiah, yet it is poorly understood among believers today. This teaching provides a quick synopsis of the subject.

The Final Judgment is a re-recording of a talk originally delivered on Shabbat Shoftim, Elul 4, 5773 corresponding to August 10 in the year of our Master 2013. This is the 26th installment in our studies in the book of Hebrews and the final installment in our special study of elementary teachings of the Messiah in Hebrews 6.