Just before Egypt’s Pharaoh finally relented and let Israel go, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob spoke to His children through their prophet, Moses. He changed the religious new year from autumn to spring and required each family to take a little lamb into their home, become attached to it for 4 days, and then kill it. This sacrifice came not only with broken hearts but a slew of requirements symbolic of the Great Sacrifice of God Himself. What we commonly call “the Passover” is actually 3 God-ordained high, holy observances, each symbolizing aspects of Christ’s birth, ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection.
As the Israelites trod through a 40-year Primary lesson on the Plan of Salvation, God met them at Mt. Sinai. There he gave them His law and His Spirit, symbolized in a fourth, high, holy celebration. Its fulfillment at Pentecost after Christ’s death and resurrection showed again how the holy days witnessed God’s mortal and eternal timeline. The Jewish holy days are full of prophecies … that can help us see the hand of God …
All of these holy convocations centered on the temple (as the Tabernacle in the wilderness and the first and second temples in Jerusalem). Since the destruction of Herod’s temple, observance has moved to the home and the synagogue.
As children of Israel, Latter-day Saints can learn about their ancient traditions and connect with God’s efforts to redeem them from ancient times to the present. This book is meant to educate them about the symbolism in the Law of Moses that teaches of Christ. The Jewish holy days are full of prophecies and fulfillments that can help us see the hand of God in all things.
This book is “lite” intentionally. It includes everything one needs to present their own Passover, including recipes, table setting instructions, and a Haggadah (ritual telling) that witnesses of Christ and uses both the Bible and LDS scriptures. Family Home Evenings for the other holidays, including recipes, are also part of the book, plus two holidays that are not “holy”–Purim and Hanukkah.
That said, there is an abundance of information about Judaism and the symbols and prophetic nature of each holiday. Dr. Scott’s paper in the appendix uses the Book of Mormon as additional proof that Christ was crucified on a Thursday. This book is meant to deepen and increase testimonies of the true gospel by seeing His hand in the doings of ancient and modern Israel.
Gale’s book on Amazon–Days of Awe: Jewish Holy Days, Symbols and Prophecies for Latter-day Saints
Watch Gale’s conversion story here.
