(NOTE: These answers are not presented in a particular order, just in the order that they arrived from our contributors. Feel free to add your comments. If you have a burning question send it to steve@saltshakers.com or if you feel able to answer these type of questions email us to join our panel of "messianic rabbis".)

MOSHE COHEN answers ...

The number 40 is often used in the Bible. 40 days of rain for Noach, Moshe 40 days with the L-rd on the mountain, 40 years in the wilderness for the children of Israel, 40 days in the desert for Messiah, and more. This is the basis for this feast, introduced, I believe by the Catholic church.

This is another man made feast. Of course it does no harm to fast, pray, and reflect for this time; indeed it is a good thing to live a lifestyle of prayer and fasting all year.

From a Messianic perspective, G-d has told us of His own feasts and appointed times in the Tanakh. They are important because they are shadows and types of the Messiah. Sukkoth, First Fruits, Yom Teruah, and the rest, all show an aspect of the life of the Messiah, from birth, death, resurrection, return, and judgement.

Keeping the appointed times and feasts of the L-rd is important to Him. From Shabbat to the other feasts, we must decide what tradition we must follow; traditions of men, or the appointed times of the L-rd. The Messiah was unhappy about elevating traditions of men above the Word of G-d; see Matt 15:6, Mark 7 ff, so we need to keep these things in balance. Not all traditions are bad, see 2 Thess 2:15.

I would sincerely advise any believer in the Messiah to read Deuteronomy, and see the importance of keeping G-d’s Word, and His feasts and appointed times. It will transform your prayer life and walk of faith, and give you a fresh appreciation and understanding of the importance in significance of a life pleasing to Him.

Moshe Cohen

RABBI GUTMANN answers ...

"Numerology" the study of numbers and their significance in regard to a theological context has its roots in the Hebrew Scriptures and their use of certain numerical sequences. For example there were 12 tribes of Israel, whilst 72 Elders were with Moses on Mt. Sinai. Similarly, Israel spent 40 years wandering in the desert, and both Moses and Elijah spent 40 days fasting in a Wilderness. Furthermore, the Flood lasted 40 days. The 12 spies sent out by Moses to Canaan spent 40 days searching the land also. These periods of 40 days or years seem to suggest times of testing and preparation.

Yeshua most certainly had to precede His earthly ministry with the 40 days of Fasting described in Matthew 4:2 and Luke 4:2. And, of course, Yeshua remained with the disciples 40 days and nights between the Resurrection and the Ascension. I do not think that this bears any relationship as to whether we should "do Lent." We are called to do God's will for in our lives, and testing and preparation are undoubtedly required pre-requisites! Whether we need to "do" this at the season of Lent, and what form of personal preparation we need to make, with or without fasting, must surely be a matter between ourselves and the Lord.

BOB DOTY answers ...

Lent is another of those holidays established by the church, but not commanded by the Bible. It was originally based on Yeshua’s forty days of testing in the wilderness, but is supposed to prepare a person for the Easter season (another holiday not commanded by the Bible). If a believer should decide to observe Lent, they should be careful to recognize the meaning behind the season. There is no Biblical commandment for any believer to observe this holiday.

RABBI JOSEPH KRESEFSKY answers ...

No, there is no need to be doing Lent. There is no Biblical/Hebraic perspective for Lent. Its origins were instituted by man and its concept was developed from the book of Jonah, as well as the book of Job. Basically, it’s tradition.

RABBI NEAL SURASKY answers ...

There is no Hebraic perspective on Lent. It is a completely Christian creation. It is well-known that the 40 days of Lent are supposed to represent the 40 days of Yeshua’s wandering in the desert. It takes place in the Spring, which is where the word “Lent” comes from. (Anglo-Saxon lencten meaning “Spring (season)”)

However, there is a corresponding period of time in the Hebraic mind. The purpose of Lent is to prepare oneself for the Easter season, when the death, burial and resurrection of the Messiah took place. There is an approximately 40-day period of time when Jewish people all over the world are performing self-evaluations, looking introspectively at their lives to prepare for the future. This is all done leading up to the Feast of Yom Teruah, which is the Biblical Feast of Trumpets. It is sometimes referred to as Rosh Hashannah.

The month leading up to Yom Teruah is called Elul. It is a time of serious contemplation before the High Holy Days come around. Elul culminates with Rosh Hashannah, which begins another period of time that lasts for 10 days, called the Yomim Nora’im (the days of awe.) This is the 10 day period between Rosh Hashannah and Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. If you add up the 28-30 days of the month of Elul, and the 10 days of awe, you end up with almost 40 days of self-evaluation, introspection and repentance, leading up to the most holy day in the Biblical calendar, the Day of Atonement.

There is some evidence, in fact, that correlates Yeshua’s time in the desert with this 40-day period leading up to Yom Kippur. On the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would enter the mikveh (baptismal) prior to starting the ministry of atonement. At the conclusion of His 40 days of preparation in the desert, Yeshua presented Himself to John for a mikveh, a ritual immersion. Following this, He started His ministry of atonement as well.

So there is a period of time that seems to be in line with the concept of Lent. However, the timing is off. The 40-day period would be in the late summer, early fall, not the spring. That being said, we should always be in a state of self-evaluation and repentance. The question of should we be doing Lent is therefore complex. The Bible teaches that there are two things we should not be judgmental about, and one of them is the holidays that we choose to celebrate. So while I would never say that observing Lent is a bad thing, it is not a Biblical thing, nor a Hebraic or Jewish thing. The period of time reserved for introspection and repentance is during the month of Elul.