As we return to Torah and rediscover Yehovah’s appointed times, a practical question quickly arises: How are we supposed to observe them? Traditions and structured ceremonies can be helpful—but we must learn to distinguish between what Yehovah commanded and what people, however well-intentioned, have added along the way.
As more articles and videos appear from people who have chosen to return to the ways of the Torah, we also begin to encounter an increasing number of requirements, rules, manuals, procedures, and detailed instructions claiming to regulate how we are supposed to live and worship. Many of these, however, are simply traditions and commandments developed by men.
This inevitably brings to mind the words of Yeshua:
You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
Matthew 15:7–9
When we begin a new journey—especially one that seeks to return to what our Father Yehovah established from the beginning—it is understandable that we may feel uncertain about what to do and how to do it. This is particularly true when it comes to observing the Feasts of Yehovah.
That is often when we begin searching for instructions—or when someone simply hands us a manual, a method, or a program telling us what we are supposed to do. In Judaism, an ordered ritual of this kind may be called a seder.
In its basic sense, seder (סֵדֶר) simply means “order” or “arrangement.” The word can describe an organized sequence, and it is especially familiar today because of the Passover Seder, an ordered observance containing readings, blessings, symbolic foods, songs, and other traditions.
What characterizes a seder?
A structured sequence
A seder follows an established order of actions, readings, and rituals. The structure is intended to serve religious, educational, and communal purposes.Ritual elements
Seders may include blessings, prayers, readings from Scripture or traditional texts, songs, symbolic foods, and other prescribed actions. Each element is intended to communicate a particular meaning.Narrative and teaching
One important purpose of a seder is often to tell a story and pass its meaning from one generation to another. The Passover Seder, for example, centers on remembering Israel’s deliverance from Egypt.Family and community participation
A seder is generally participatory. Family or community members may read, ask questions, perform symbolic actions, sing, or discuss the meaning of the occasion.
But is a seder required for every Feast of Yehovah?
The simple answer is no.
The Torah does not provide a prescribed household ceremony for every Feast. It does give specific instructions concerning the appointed times, including offerings and the service associated with the sanctuary. The kohanim (priests) and Levites had particular responsibilities connected with those services.
Israel was also commanded to appear before Yehovah at the appointed place three times each year: during Matzot (Unleavened Bread), Shavuot (Weeks), and Sukkot (Booths or Tabernacles). They were not to appear empty-handed, but were to bring according to the blessing Yehovah had given them.
Yet when we look for detailed instructions describing a household ritual for every Feast—what prayers must be said, what songs must be sung, in what order things must be done, or what ceremony must be followed—we simply do not find such instructions in the Torah.
There are, of course, specific observances. Passover contains explicit instructions connected with remembering the Exodus, and Sukkot commands Israel to dwell in booths. But that is very different from requiring a detailed liturgy or ritual program for every appointed time.
So does that mean it is wrong to follow a seder, an order of service, or a family tradition during one of Yehovah’s Feasts?
Not necessarily.
But we should know where that seder came from and distinguish clearly between what Yehovah commanded and what people developed as tradition.
Many Jewish traditions carry profound cultural and historical meaning for our brothers of Y’hudah. They developed over generations and often became meaningful ways for Jewish families to preserve their identity and remember their history.
We can respect that heritage without automatically assuming that every tradition was commanded by Yehovah—or that every practice must therefore be adopted by those who are returning to Torah today.
Where Torah does not prescribe a particular ceremony, there is room for families and communities to develop meaningful ways to remember, teach, give thanks, and strengthen their bonds with one another—provided that human traditions are never elevated to the status of Yehovah’s commandments.
Consider a couple of examples
Rosh Hashanah
What is commonly called Rosh Hashanah today is observed in Judaism as the Jewish New Year at the beginning of the seventh biblical month. Traditions may include apples and honey, special prayers, greetings, and other customs associated with the new year.
But Torah calls the first day of the seventh month Yom Teruah, a day associated with teruah—a sounding or shouting—and a holy convocation. More importantly, according to Exodus 12, the biblical counting of the months begins with the month of the Exodus, not with the seventh month.
So before adopting a tradition simply because others practice it, we should ask: What does the Torah actually say?
Think about it.
Shabbat
Where does Torah give us the later rabbinic list of 39 categories of prohibited labor?
Where does Torah prescribe exactly which prayers must be recited, what posture must be used, which songs must be sung, what foods must be eaten, or what clothing must be worn every Shabbat?
It does not.
The Torah commands us to remember and guard the Shabbat, to cease from our work, and to set the day apart. Later communities developed many additional practices intended to define and protect that observance.
The problem begins when traditions designed to help people obey Yehovah are treated as though they were themselves commandments from Yehovah.
This is how well-intentioned manuals, seders, and prayer books can eventually become burdens. Instead of helping people rejoice in Yehovah’s appointed times, they can leave them anxious about whether every step of the program was performed correctly.
Remember the warning of Yeshua:
In vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.
Mateo 15:9
Human instructions can easily become religious doctrines. And tragically, people who have been delivered from man-made religious systems can find themselves rebuilding another one.
It does not have to be that way.
Yeshua paid a great price to set us free. If we have been given freedom, we should be careful not to surrender it again to religious systems created by men.
But then comes the practical question:
How should I celebrate?
Begin with Scripture.
Search the Word of our Father and determine what Yehovah actually commanded concerning the appointed time you are preparing to observe. Then pray for wisdom and guidance. Tell Him that you desire to honor Him and give thanks for His goodness toward you and your family.
Then consider doing something meaningful and memorable—something that helps communicate the purpose of that appointed time to your family.
It might be a special meal.
It might be reading a passage of Scripture that carries particular meaning for your family.
You might remember together an occasion when Yehovah intervened powerfully in your lives.
Allow time for spontaneous prayer, thanksgiving, conversation, and rejoicing in the goodness of our Father.
And perhaps, as the years pass, some of those practices will become traditions of your own.
Perhaps they will even become your family’s seder—an order that carries special meaning because it tells the story of Yehovah’s faithfulness to your household.
There is nothing wrong with that.
Just remember:
A family tradition may be precious without becoming a commandment for everyone else.
May Yehovah give you understanding and wisdom in all things.