God established several Israelite festivals through His prophet Moses; men, women, and children participated in these festivals. These festivals were called “feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations” (Lev. 23:4). Some of the festivals serve as prophecies of future events, including events that pertain to Jesus Christ, His atoning sacrifice, Resurrection, and His dealings with humankind. For instance, Passover featured a number of symbols that pointed to Jesus’s atoning sacrifice; the Day of Atonement focused on Jesus’s Atonement; and Firstfruits anticipated Jesus’s Resurrection, wherein He was the firstfruits of the Resurrection.
Furthermore, the Mosaic law required Israelite males to present themselves at the tabernacle or temple (“appear before the Lord God”) at least three times a year. “Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread [Passover], and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles” (Deut. 16:16; see also Ex. 23:14, 23; 34:23). Three times was the minimum; some Israelites visited the temple more frequently. Wives and children also visited the temple with their husbands and fathers.
With regard to temple attendance in our day, President Russell M. Nelson spoke to men and women, “Our need to be in the temple on a regular basis has never been greater. . . . If you have reasonable access to a temple, I urge you to find a way to make an appointment regularly with the Lord—to be in His holy house—then keep that appointment with exactness and joy. I promise you that the Lord will bring the miracles He knows you need as you make sacrifices to serve and worship in His temples.”308