Moses; Part 16: The Festivals of Israel

These are the feasts of Israel (Lev 23:1–2):

1. The Daily Sacrifice
2. The Sabbath
3. The Monthly Offer
4. Passover and the Feast of Matzo
5. Feast of Firstfruits
6. Feast of Weeks
7. Feast of Trumpets
8. The Day of Atonement
9. The Feast of Tabernacles

1. The Daily Sacrifice

Two male lambs, each one year old without blemish, should be sacrificed every day, as a regular offering. One lamb should be sacrificed in the morning and the other at twilight; also fine flour mixed with beaten oil must then be offered. In the 
Holy Place they would pour out a offering of strong drink to the Lord. Then the Lord would dwell among the Israelites and be their God. The people would know that he is the Lord, their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that he might dwell among them. (Exo 29:38–46, Num 28:1–8). 

It reminds us that we need someone to stand on our behalf. Jesus is the perfect fulfillment of that sacrifice.

2. The Sabbath

There are six days when the Jews are allowed to work, but the 7th day is a day of Sabbath rest, a day of holy assembly. They must then do no work; wherever they live it's a Sabbath to the Lord. (Exo 34:21, 35:2–3, Lev 23:3).

The Sabbath lasts between Friday evening (Luke 23:54) and Saturday evening,
because a Jewish day is counted from evening to evening (Gen 1). See also
the 4th commandment in The Ten Commandments.

On the Sabbath day two male lambs each one year old without blemish shall be offered together with fine flour mixed with oil and its drink. (Num 28:9–10).

3. The Monthly Offer

At the beginning of each month, the Jews must offer to the Lord:
two bulls from the herd, one ram, seven male lambs, one male goat, one year old without blemish; also fine flour mixed with oil and drink, as an offering to the Lord.
(Num 28:11–15).

4. Passover and the Feast of Matzo

The Lord’s Passover begins at twilight on the 14th day of the first Hebrew month (Nisan). On this day it's the Lord’s Passover that is to be held. 

On the 15th day of that month begins the Lord’s Feast of Unleavened Bread
(the Feast of Matzo); for seven days the Jews must eat bread made without yeast. On the first day (15th) they should hold a holy assembly and do no regular work. For seven days they would offer a Grain Offering to the Lord. Also on the 7th day (21st) they should hold a holy assembly and do no regular work. 
(Exo 12:1–20, 34:18, 25, Lev 23:4–8, Num 9:1–14, 28:16–25, Deu 16:1–8).

For information about Passover, see 2) Passover (Jewish Easter) in
When Did Jesus Die and when Was He Born?

Jesus is the fulfillment of Passover.

5. Feast of Firstfruits

When the Israelites enter the Promised Land and they reap its harvest, they must bring a sheaf of the first grain they harvest to the priest. He should wave the sheaf before the Lord, on the day after the Sabbath, so that it would be accepted on their behalf. On the day they wave the sheaf, they must offer a one year old lamb without blemish as a Burnt Offering to the Lord, together with its Grain Offering of the finest flour mixed with olive oil, a Grain Offering presented to the Lord, and its
Drink Offering. They must not eat any bread, roasted, or new grain, until the day on which they present this offering to their God. (Lev 23:9–14, Deu 26:1–11).

The Feast of Firstfruits is a picture of the resurrection of Jesus Christ (Col 1:18,
1 Cor 15:20–23, 42–49, Rom 6:3–5, 8:9–11), see The Resurrection of Jesus.

6. Feast of Weeks

The Feast of Weeks is also called Shavuot. From the day after the Sabbath, the day they brought the sheaf of the Wave Offering, they would count off seven full weeks. They should count off 50 days until the day after the 7th Sabbath and then present a Grain Offering. Wherever they live, they shall shall bring with them two loaves of the finest flour, baked with yeast, as a Wave Offering of firstfruits to the Lord. For this bread they they were to give seven male lambs, each one year old without blemish, one young bull, and two rams. They were to be a Burnt Offering to the Lord, along with their Grain Offerings and Drink Offerings. Then they would offer one male goat for a Sin Offering and two lambs, each one year old, for a Peace Offering. The priest shall wave the two lambs before the Lord as a Wave Offering, together with the bread of the firstfruits. They are a holy offering to the Lord for the priest. On the same day they would proclaim a holy assembly and do no regular work. When they reap the harvest, they shall not reap to the outermost edge of their field or gather the gleanings of their harvest. They should leave them for the poor and for the foreigner who lives among them. 
(Exo 34:22, Lev 23:15–22, Num 28:26–31, Deu 16:9–12).

The Fest of Weeks, also known as the Fest of Harvest, is in the New Covenant called Pentecost. It's connected to the power of the Holy Spirit, see The Gift of Tongues.

7. Feast of Trumpets

On the 1st day of the 7th month, the Jews would have a day of Sabbath rest, a holy assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. They should do no regular work but offer a Grain Offering to the Lord. (Lev 23:23–25, Num 29:1–6).

It was basically just a proclaiming of the coming of the next month, including the Day of Atonement, the holiest day in Judaism.

Tishrei is the first month of the civil year and the 7th month of the ecclesiastical year in the Hebrew calendar. It usually occurs in September–October on the Gregorian calendar that we use in our time.

See it mentioned at the End of Time in When Did Jesus Die and when Was He Born?

8. The Day of Atonement

The 10th day of this 7th month is the Day of Atonement. They should hold a holy assembly and deny themselves (fast) and offer a Grain Offering to the Lord. They shouldn't do any work on that day, because it's the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for them before the Lord their God. Those who don't deny themselves on that day must be cut off from their people. God would destroy anyone doing any work on that day. They shouldn't be doing any work at all. It's a day of Sabbath rest for them, and they must deny themselves. From the evening of the 9th day of the month until the following evening they must keep their Sabbath.
(Lev 23:26–32, Num 29:7–11).

This is a picture of Jesus walking before God's Throne in Heaven and pouring out his blood on the mercy seat at the tabernacle in God's Heaven (Heb 9:11–12), see this explained in The Atonement. We can't work our way to God's Heaven, we must rest in what Jesus has done for us.

9. The Feast of Tabernacles

The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) begins on the 15th day of the 7th month, and it lasts seven days. The 1st day is a holy assembly; they shouldn't do any regular work. For seven days they should present Grain Offerings to the Lord, and on the 8th day hold a holy assembly and present a Grain Offering to the Lord. They shouldn't do any regular work. From the 15th day of the 7th month, after they had gathered the crops of the land, they were to celebrate the feast to the Lord for seven days; the 1st day is a day of Sabbath rest, and the 8th day also is a day of Sabbath rest. On the 1st day they were to take branches from luxuriant trees, from palms, willows and other leafy trees, and rejoice before the Lord their God for seven days. They should celebrate this as a feast to the Lord for seven days every year. They should live in temporary shelters for seven days: All native Israelites should live in such shelters so that their descendants would know that the Lord had the Israelites live in temporary shelters when he brought them out of Egypt. 
(Lev 23:33–44, Num 29:12–40, Deu 16:13–17).

The reason for this feast is so that their descendants would know that the Israelites had to live in temporary shelters when the Lord brought them out of Egypt and for 40 years in the wilderness took care of their needs. The Israelites living as slaves in Egypt is a picture of us living in slavery under sin before we come to the Lord. Coming out of Egypt is a picture of being freed from this slavery under sin.

For the next part, see Joshua.
For all parts, see Moses; Part 1: Introduction.