The account of Avraham and Yitzchak in Genesis 22 describes a test of Avraham’s dedication to God above all else, including his beloved son. This event also foreshadows the sacrifice of the beloved Son which was fulfilled in the Messiah. In Genesis 22:14, Avraham gave a name to that place of sacrifice on Mount Moriah that is significantly prophetic. To learn more about this prophetic name for Mount Moriah, watch this teaching now! 

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Genesis 22 records one of the most challenging and prophetic chapters in the Old Testament. We read in this chapter that God tested Avraham by asking him to offer his beloved son, Yitzchak, as a sacrifice. There are numerous parallels in Genesis 22 to the Messiah’s life and sacrifice in the New Testament. Watch now to learn more!

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The birth of the promised son of Avraham and Sarah is recorded in Genesis 21; however, tensions quickly surfaced between the promised son, Yitzchak, and the son of Hagar, Ishmael. How did God view the two sons of Avraham: Ishmael and Yitzchak? Watch this in-depth teaching to learn more about the reaction of God to the Avraham’s Two Sons!

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The Feast of Booths is celebrated for seven days (Oct. 7-13, 2025) and concludes on the eighth day (Oct. 14th), a unique day of assembly. The following verses in Leviticus 23 explain how this annual festival is to be observed:

Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘On the fifteenth of this seventh month is the Feast of Booths for seven days to the LORD. On the first day is a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work of any kind. For seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation and present an offering by fire to the LORD; it is an assembly. You shall do no laborious work. (Lev. 23:33-36 – NASB1995)

The Feast of Booths is the last major Feast on the biblical calendar and it is literally spoken of in other Scriptures as coming at the end of the year. 

In what way does the Feast of Booths come at the end of the year?

In Leviticus 23:34, we read that the Feast of Booths is to begin on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. According to this dating, the Feast of Booth falls in the middle of the month and in the middle of the year.

If the Feast of Booths occurs in the seventh month, how is it understood as being at the year’s end?

I have been studying the biblical calendar for a couple of decades and I can now say that I’m finally getting to a point where I am starting to understand what God intended for the yearly calendar that He detailed in the Bible. If you are new to my website, I encourage you to view my three-part teaching series on The Biblical Calendar. Without getting into all of the details of the biblical calendar, I want to highlight the concept of the end of one year and the start of another in the seventh month, confirming the biblical concept of two “New Year” markers in the Scriptures. 

The End of the Year

The Feast of Booths is also called the Feast of Ingathering because it occurs at the end of the harvest season, as noted in Exodus 23:

Also you shall observe the Feast of the Harvest of the first fruits of your labors from what you sow in the field; also the Feast of the Ingathering at the end of the year when you gather in the fruit of your labors from the field. (Ex. 23:16 – NASB1995)

Based on this verse we read how the Feast of Booths (Ingathering) occurs “at the end of the year.” It is obviously in the context of the agricultural year, but it still gives credence to being a yearly marker on the calendar. The seventh month marks the end of one agricultural year and the beginning of a new agricultural year in the Land of Israel.

We read a similar explanation in Exodus 34 regarding the Feast of Booths as a pivotal marker on the biblical calendar:

You shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks, that is, the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year. (Ex. 34:22 – NASB1995)

Again we see in this verse how the Feast of Booths is called the Feast of Ingathering and it is uniquely described as occurring “at the turn of the year.” 

In these two verses, we see how the Scriptures specifically refer to the Feast of Booths as a yearly marker on the biblical calendar despite falling in the seventh month of the year. Another important detail to remember is that the Feast of Booths is not a one-day holiday, but it is a 7-8 day feast that occurs in the seventh month.  

New Year’s Day or New Year’s Month?

In Western culture, people are accustomed to celebrating January 1st as New Year’s Day. The Bible does not mention January 1st. As a matter of fact, the Bible never mentions any day as a New Year’s Day. Originally, God told Moses and the Israelites to observe a particular month as the first month of the year:

Now the LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you.” (Ex. 12:1-2 – NASB1995)

God did not designate a particular day as a New Year’s Day, but rather, He designated a particular month as the beginning of the year. Although the LORD set apart the month of Passover (March/April) as the first month of the year, He also designated the seventh month as another “New Year” marker: a turning of the year (Ex. 34:22) when one yearly cycle ends and a new yearly cycle begins (Ex. 23:16).

What is significant about the seventh month? Do we see other evidence in the Bible of the seventh month being a yearly marker?

Outside of Passover and the events connected to this special Feast, the majority of yearly events that God commanded to be observed in the Bible begin in the seventh month, like the year of Jubilee:

You are also to count off seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years, so that you have the time of the seven sabbaths of years, namely, forty-nine years. You shall then sound a ram’s horn abroad on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the day of atonement you shall sound a horn all through your land. You shall thus consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim a release through the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, and each of you shall return to his own property, and each of you shall return to his family. (Lev. 25:8-10 – NASB1995)

The year of Jubilee, the fiftieth year, was to be declared on the tenth day of the seventh month, the Day of Atonement. The year of Jubilee was to be proclaimed as a year of release. The Hebrew word for release is דְּרוֹר – Dror, meaning liberty or freedom.

Similar to the year of Jubilee, every seventh year was to be a Shmitah year, a year of release from debts:

At the end of every seven years you shall grant a remission of debts. This is the manner of remission: every creditor shall release what he has loaned to his neighbor; he shall not exact it of his neighbor and his brother, because the LORD’s remission has been proclaimed. (Deut. 15:1-2 – NASB1995)

The Shmitah year was to be a year of release or a remission of debts. All debts of the people of Israel were to be forgiven at this time. The word שְׁמִטָּה – Shmitah means release, remission, a dropping down, or a letting go. Besides being a year of forgiving debts, the Shmitah year was also a time of letting fields remain fallow and vineyards were to be left unharvested.

When did the Shmitah year begin?

The Shmitah year was to be proclaimed in the seventh month at the Feast of Booths:

Then Moses commanded them, saying, “At the end of every seven years, at the time of the year of remission of debts, at the Feast of Booths, when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God at the place which He will choose, you shall read this law in front of all Israel in their hearing. (Deut. 31:10-11 – NASB1995)

The Feast of Booths was appointed to be the time of year when the release of debts is to be proclaimed. The Feast of Booths occurs in the seventh month. 

A Month of Freedom & Release: The Seventh Month

God specifically set apart the seventh month, when the harvest season comes to an end, as the month when the Shmitah Year and the Year of Jubilee are to be proclaimed throughout the Land of Israel. During the seventh month, the seventh and fiftieth years are to be a time for proclaiming release from debts, forgiveness of loans, and a return to one’s property (if it was confiscated). According to the Scriptures, the seventh month recalls the mercy of God to mandate a humanitarian reset: forgiveness from past debts and a new year of release for God’s people.

As we once again celebrate the Feast of Booths this year in the seventh month, it is fitting to look forward to a year of freedom and release. More than a release from debts, we look forward to a year of new beginnings and a fresh start after two years of multiple wars that have brought much fear, death, and destruction in the Land of Israel. 

It was announced in the early morning hours (Israel time) on Thursday, October 9th that a peace deal between Israel and Hamas has been reached and that all Israeli hostages will be set free. This declaration of peace and a release of the hostages in the seventh month on the biblical calendar seems very prophetic.

I am praying that peace and security will be reestablished in the Land of Israel for all of the people living in its borders, for both Jews and Arabs. God has designated the seventh month as a time to proclaim release, to grant freedom, and to establish new beginnings. Let us rejoice in God’s promises at this special season during the Feast of Booths and proclaim His release during this seventh month of the year!  

There are some accounts recorded in the Bible that cause us to wonder why they are included in the biblical narrative and Genesis 20 is certainly among them. A truly unique element to the story recorded in this chapter is that God declared that Avraham is a prophet. How and why did God use Avraham as a prophet in Genesis 20? Watch this in-depth teaching to find the answer to this question and much more.

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There are some biblical accounts that are extremely challenging to understand and the account of Lot and his two daughters is certainly one of them. Why did God include this story in the Bible? What is the significance of the sons of Lot, Moab and Ammon, in the biblical narrative? Watch now to find reasonable answers to these questions!

Support this ministry: Ner LeRaglai is a nonprofit organization and we rely on your donations to sustain our ongoing Bible teaching ministry. If you are benefiting from our teachings and would like to support our ministry so that we can continue to make these teachings available to others, please go to our donation page or click here: Donate

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Ner LeRaglai is excited to announce the continuation of our online teaching series in the Book of Genesis. Parts Three & Four of this series will cover Genesis chapters 20-29. This teaching series is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, September 16, 2025 and will continue until April 28, 2026. We hope you will be able to join us week to week for these online teachings! To register for this online teaching course, please continue with the details below.

Registration Details:

• • Content for Part Three & Four: Genesis 20-29

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  • Requirements: Online attendees are expected to participate in the majority of teachings: joining at least 5 minutes prior to the start time and continuing to the end of the session. Each teaching will be 30-45 minutes in length and followed by 10-15 minutes of Q&A (questions and answers).

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(A personal update and biblical perspective on the war between Israel & Iran.)

Today is day seven in this war with Iran. Although Israel appears to have the upper hand with air superiority over Iran, the missile attacks from Iran continue to cause fear, injury, and death here in Israel.

Daily life in Israel is fairly limited. As we continue in a state of emergency, only essential businesses are open. Only those who are considered essential workers are working while everyone else remains at home.

Yesterday, I was talking with my neighbors who have three young children and live down the hall from me. Both the husband and wife are trying to work from home but they told me that it is nearly impossible to get anything done between taking care of their children and the constant distractions with the missile attacks and taking cover in the bomb shelter. Most newer apartment buildings, like the one we live in, have a bomb shelter room in each individual apartment. This convenience makes it easier to endure this ongoing war situation. People who live in older buildings in Israel need to either go down to the communal bomb shelter underneath the apartment building or go to a nearby public bomb shelter. This is a glimpse into how we are coping here in the Land of Israel during this time of war.

Where does this war go from here?

In case it is not clear, Israel has one main goal in this war: to destroy the weapons of war of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Israel has been targeting the missiles stock piles, missile launchers, and nuclear sites in Iran. Israel and the USA have a shared goal of keeping Iran from building a nuclear weapon. The greatest obstacle in achieving this shared goal is the location of one the nuclear sites which is deep underground. Only the USA has the military capability to reach the depths of the Fordow nuclear facility in Iran. President Trump is weighing his options and deciding whether or not to assist Israel in obliterating the nuclear facilities in Iran.

I am certain that many of you are following these details in the news as they have been in the headlines for the past few days. Both Israel and the USA have a decision to make about how to go forward with this military campaign against the nuclear ambitions of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Two Voices

As an ultimate decision about striking this nuclear facility in Iran hangs in the balance, I hear many voices in the news as they try to persuade both Netanyahu and Trump regarding this matter. On one side are those who say that this is the right time and the perfect opportunity to finally end the nuclear ambitions of Iran. On the other side are those who say that it is too risky and they fear how the Islamic regime in Iran will respond if the USA joins Israel in this war. These opposing positions remind of what we read in this week’s Torah Portion in Numbers 13-15.

God commanded Moses to send 12 spies from the tribes of Israel into the land of Canaan to tour the land, to return, and to give a report about the land and the people living in it. After the spies returned, the spies testified to the abundant fruit and produce of the land but they also reported about the giants in the land. Ten spies gave a bad report and caused fear in the people while two spies gave a good report and tried to encourage the people of Israel:

Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it.” But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us.” – Num. 13:30-31 (NASB1995)

Only two men, Joshua & Caleb, had the faith to go forward in the military campaign before them in order to enter the Land of Promise while the other ten spies turned the whole nation of Israel into a state of fear and caused them to retreat.

Both President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu have a decision to make in the coming hours and days. I pray that they will both listen to the voices of faith and not fear when the time of decision comes and, most importantly, they will both listen for the voice of God in this matter.

The 23rd of Sivan

I am writing this email on Thursday, June 19th which is the 23rd of Sivan on the Hebrew Calendar. This Hebrew date is significant because it is on this very day about 2500 years ago that Mordecai and Esther changed the course of history by writing a new law according to the Law of the Medes and Persians with the signet ring of the King of Persia in order to reverse the evil decree of Haman to kill the Jews (Esther 8:8-9). The timing of this date in history is significant. Just as King Ahasuerus of Persia had a choice to make regarding assisting the Jews against an enemy who wanted to destroy them, President Trump is faced with this same decision today. Ironically, the Iranians are descendants of the ancient Persians.

May God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven! Please continue to pray for Israel, Iran, and the leaders who are at the crossroads of a monumental decision.

Daniel Goldstein

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