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Jewish HolidaysJewish holidays follow the moon-based Hebrew calendar. Thus, dates of holidays on the secular calendar change from year to year. Holidays begin at sunset on the evening before the holiday and conclude at sunset on the holiday. The following information on the holidays was prepared by the Bureau of Jewish Education. SHABBAT Saturday Shabbat, the Sabbath, is the weekly day of rest based on the biblical account of creation, in which God rested on the seventh day. Jews set aside their daily work and pause to enjoy friends and family, to read and to be introspective. For many contemporary American families, it may be the only time of the week they share activities centered on the home, synagogue or Torah. Refraining from work on the Sabbath recognizes God's dominion. Observant Jews avoid any activity that would change God's environment. Because the Jewish day extends from sunset to sunset, the Sabbath begins at sundown on Friday, often after tzedakah (money for charity) is put in a tzedakah box. The family says a blessing as they light the Sabbath candles After early evening services, worshippers wish one another "Shabbat Shalom" (a peaceful Sabbath). Several prayers precede the festive meal: the Kiddush (sanctification of the wine); a blessing over the children; and finally, the Hamotzi, the blessing over challah (braided egg bread). The meal often ends with the singing of songs and chanting of Birkat Hamazon (grace after meals). On Saturday evening, the Sabbath comes to a close with the Havdalah service. Worshippers use wine, a special candle and a fragrant spice box as they pray for a good week. Following are three prayers for Shabbat, in both Hebrew (transliterated) and English. On lighting Shabbat candles: Baruch atah Adonai Elohenu melech ha'olam, asher kideshanu bemitzvotav vetzivanu l'hadlik ner shel Shabbat. Blessed are you, Eternal our God, Sovereign of the universe, who has sanctified us by your commandments and instructed us to kindle the Sabbath lights. Kiddush (blessing over the wine). The complete Shabbat Kiddush includes a paragraph describing both the completion of creation and a recounting of the Exodus: Baruch atah Adonai Elohenu melech ha'olam, boray p'ri hagafen. Blessed are you, Eternal our God, Sovereign of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine. Hamotzi (blessing over the challah): Baruch atah Adonai Elohenu melech ha'olam, hamotzi lechem min ha'aretz. Blessed are you, Eternal our God, Sovereign of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth. ROSH HASHANA Sept. 19-20, 2009 Sept. 9-10, 2010 On Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, the book of life is opened and each person's good and evil deeds are carefully examined. These are days of solemn reflection and introspection. One of the most memorable traditions of Rosh Hashana is the blowing of the shofar (ram's horn), which calls all Jews to repent the previous year's sins. Rosh Hashana has many beautiful customs associated with it. Among them is the tashlich ceremony: Crumbs, representing sins, are cast into a body of water, enabling one to start the year fresh. We eat apples dipped in honey to represent the sweetness of the new year and eat challah baked in the shape of a ladder, a bird or a crown - the ladder takes our prayers up to God, the bird symbolizes mercy and the crown stands for God's reign. Traditionally, Rosh Hashana is observed for two days by Conservative and Orthodox Jews outside of Israel. YOM KIPPUR Sept. 28, 2009 Sept. 18, 2010 Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the holiest and most solemn day of the Jewish year. It concludes the 10-day period of repentance, often called The Days of Awe, which begins on Rosh Hashana. During this period, Jews seek forgiveness from God for sins against God, and from other people for wrongs done to them during the past year. On Yom Kippur, each worshipper renews his or her religious and moral commitment and fasts to concentrate on its holy meaning. On the evening before Yom Kippur, worshippers partake of a seudah hamaf-seket (the last meal before the fast), and light Yizkor (memorial) candles in memory of deceased relatives. Then they light holiday candles. At Kol Nidre services that night, all unfulfilled vows made during the year are considered void. It is customary for parents to bless their children before attending the service. On Yom Kippur day, services continue; at the end of the day, the shofar (ram's horn) is blown, signaling the end of the holy day. SUKKOT Oct. 3-10, 2009 Sept. 23-30, 2010 Sukkot is one of three pilgrimage festivals (Passover and Shavuot are the others). It is known as the feast of booths or tabernacles. Sukkot celebrates the fall harvest and reminds us of the 40 years the Israelites wandered in the desert, using thatched structures as shelters. The holiday also reminds Jews of God's awesome nature and humanity's vulnerability. Sukkot is marked by the use of the lulav and the etrog (a citrus fruit). The lulav is made up of a palm tree branch surrounded by leaves from myrtle and willow trees. During Sukkot, often known as the Jewish Thanksgiving, the whole family builds a sukkah in which they eat their meals and even sleep during the eight-day festival. The following is a description of rules and regulations pertaining to the construction of a sukkah: 1) It must be less than 30 feet high. 2) The walls must be strong enough to withstand ordinary gusts of wind. 3) The shade offered by the roof covering of the sukkah must block the rays of sun, yet the stars must be visible through the roof. 4) There must be at least three walls, made of any material. 5) The sukkah must be a temporary structure, so a screened-in porch or a screened house cannot serve as a sukkah. 6) It is a mitzvah (a commandment) to eat meals in the sukkah during the holiday. Sukkah booths are decorated with fruits and flowers to celebrate the harvest in the Holy Land. The first two and last two days of Sukkot are observed as full holidays on which work is forbidden and holiday services are held in the synagogue. HOSHANA RABBA Oct. 9, 2009 Sept. 29, 2010 Hoshana Rabba (Great Help) is the seventh day of Sukkot. Some say that God's final confirmation of judgment takes place on this day, and that it is the last chance to ask God's forgiveness for sins committed during the past year. Worshippers hold all-night prayer and study sessions and read from the Bible, Mishnah and other religious works. SHEMINI ATZERET and SIMCHAT TORAH Oct. 10-11, 2009 Sept. 30-Oct. 1, 2010 These two festivals often are celebrated together by Reform Jews and those in Israel. Conservative and Orthodox Jews celebrate them as two consecutive days. Shemini Atzeret falls on the eighth day of Sukkot, a day of "holy assembly" on which prayers are said for rain and healthy crops. Simchat Torah marks the completion of the reading of the Five Books of Moses and the beginning of a new cycle of Torah reading. On this day of great merriment, the Torah scrolls are removed from the ark and carried seven times around the synagogue. HANUKKAH Dec. 12-19, 2009 First candle Dec. 11, 2009 Hanukkah, the festival of lights, com-memorates the victory of the Hasmoneans who defeated the Syrian Greeks in 165 B.C.E. When they returned to the temple in Jerusalem, they cleansed it, rededicated it to Jewish worship and celebrated for eight days. We celebrate Hanukkah by lighting a nine-branched menorah, with one candle added each night from right to left. The shamos (the first candle lit) is used to light the others as a blessing is recited. Among the many Hanukkah customs are eating latkes (potato pancakes), playing dreidel (spinning top), singing songs, and giving and receiving Hanukkah gelt (coins) or gifts. Two blessings are said each night. A third, the Shehecheyanu (a blessing recited at joyful occasions throughout the year), is said on the first night only. Following is the transliteration for the Hebrew, with English translation: Shehecheyanu: Baruch atah Adonai Elohenu melech ha'olam, shehecheyanu vekiyemanu vehigiyanu lazman hazeh. Blessed are you, Eternal our God, Sovereign of the universe, who has given us life, sustained us and brought us to this day. The following are said each night: Baruch atah Adonai Elohenu melech ha'olam asher kideshanu bemitzvotav vetzivanu l'hadlik ner shel Hanukkah. Blessed are you, Eternal our God, Sovereign of the universe, who has sanctified us by your commandments and instructed us to kindle the lights of Hanukkah. Baruch atah Adonai Elohenu melech ha'olam she'asah nissim la'avotenu bayamim hahem bazman hazeh. Blessed are you, Eternal our God, Sovereign of the universe, who performed miracles for our ancestors in days of old, at this season. TU B'SHEVAT Jan. 30, 2010 Tu B'Shevat, sometimes known as the original Earth Day, marks the new year for trees. To celebrate, Jews plant trees, eat fruit associated with Israel and send money to plant trees in the Jewish state. Some celebrate with a Tu B'Shevat seder (a custom that goes back to the 17th century), following a special order of drinking wine, and eating selected nuts and fruits. PURIM Feb. 28, 2010 Purim is among the happiest of Jewish holidays. It is based on Megillat Esther (the Book of Esther), which relates the victory of Mordechai and Esther over the wicked Haman, who tried to destroy the Jews in ancient Persia. Purim means "lots" and refers to the pur (lot) that Haman used to decide when to kill the Jews. The day prior to the holiday, Jews fast in memory of a fast ordered by Queen Esther. On Purim, Megillat Esther is read and there is a festive family meal. Among the other customs of this holiday of rejoicing are sending mishloah manot (baskets of sweets and fruit) to friends and mattanot le-evyonim (giving money to the poor). Costumes, parades and plays also characterize the celebration. PASSOVER March 30-April 6, 2010 First Seder March 29 Passover (Pesach) is the second of the three pilgrimage holidays and is based on the Jewish Exodus from Egypt. Passover is a festival of freedom, commemorating the Israelites' journey from slavery in Egypt to the promised land. As they left bondage, they had no time to wait for dough to rise, so they ate matzo (unleavened bread). Before modern-day Jews celebrate the holiday, there is a thorough house-cleaning to remove all chametz (leavened foods). On the eve of Passover, we perform bedikat chametz (search for chametz) and burn any we find. First-born sons fast to commemorate being spared from the plague of the first-born in Egypt. The main Passover event is the seder (which means "order"), which takes place on the first two nights (one night in Israel and among Reform Jews) of the holiday. During the seder, participants read the Haggadah aloud to share in the exodus experience; the meal itself incorporates special foods commemorating the exodus. The first and last days of Passover are observed as full holidays in which work is forbidden and holiday services are held. During Chol Hamoed, the intermediate days, work resumes but the prohibition against eating leavened food continues. YOM HASHOAH April 11, 2010 Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Day) was established by the government of Israel as a time to remember the Holocaust and its victims. While there are no particular religious rituals associated with this day, it generally is marked by memorial programs. YOM HAZIKARON April 18, 2010 In Israel, Yom Hazikaron, Israel's Memorial Day for the Fallen and Victims of Terror, takes place on the fourth day of Iyar, the day before Yom Ha'atzmaut. On Yom Hazikaron a siren is sounded twice throughout the country (at 8 p.m. and 11 a.m.) and all traffic and daily activity stops as the entire nation observes two minutes of silence. Outside of Israel, Yom Hazikaron is often commemorated as part of the Yom Ha'atzmaut observance. YOM HA'ATZMAUT April 19, 2010 Yom Ha'atzmaut, Israel's independence day, is celebrated on the fifth day of the Hebrew month of Iyar, the date the nation was founded. It usually is observed with community activities focusing on Israel. LAG B'OMER May 2, 2010 Lag B'Omer is the 33rd day of the omer. It is a festival occurring partway through the Sefirat Ha'Omer (counting of the omer), a seven-week period beginning on the second night of Passover and continuing until Shavuot. The omer is an ancient measure of grain used when offering sacrifices in the temple. Sefirat Ha'Omer is a solemn time in memory of the Roman persecution of the Jews. Lag B'Omer is celebrated with picnics and other outdoor activities. In Israel, picnickers light bonfires. Traditional Jews mark the holiday by giving the first haircut to 3-year-old boys. Lag B'Omer sometimes is known as the "scholars' holiday," because of its association with Rabbi Akiva, who died a martyr to freedom, and Rabbi Simeon Bar Yohai, who taught in a cave when the Romans forbade him to study Torah. When Bar Yohai died, he asked his followers not to mourn but rather to celebrate his death. YOM YERUSHALAYIM May 12, 2010 Yom Yerushalayim, a relatively new holiday, honors the city of Jerusalem. It celebrates the unification of the city after the Six-Day War in June 1967. SHAVUOT May 19-20, 2010 Shavuot, the third of the pilgrimage holidays, is a multi-faceted holiday. It celebrates God's giving the Torah to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai; the harvest in Israel; the end of the counting of the omer; and the beginning of a new agricultural season. Reform Jews usually observe only the first day of the holiday. Traditions of Shavuot include decorating the home and synagogue with green plants and branches to celebrate the season; eating dairy foods because the Torah has been compared to "milk and honey"; reading the Book of Ruth, a story of faith and devotion that took place during the harvest season; and studying the Torah the whole first night of Shavuot. The synagogue services follow a regular festival liturgy. TISHA B'AV July 20, 2010 Tisha B'Av is the most mournful day in the Jewish calendar. It recalls the destruction of the First and Second Temples, which occurred on the same day more than 650 years apart. Tisha B'Av has become a day of mourning for all of the many great tragedies in Jewish history. It is customary for Jews to fast, to observe traditional mourning practices and to study only melancholy passages from the Torah. 0101
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