Jewish Holidays or Holy Days
*Shabbat (Sabbath) (Shavus) Saturday – is a day of rest based on the seventh day of creation in Genisis and as observed within the Jewish week. It begins at sundown on Friday and lasts until the appearance of three stars on Saturday night.
The following activities are encouraged on the Shabbat:
Lighting of the Shavus candles (2) at sundown on Friday night as an opening ceremony with prayers or readings from Torah. Drinking wine or grape juice from the Kidish Cup. Reading, studying and discussing the Torah. Attending Synagogue attendance for prayers on Saturday. Singing special songs, eating a Shabbat meal. Lighting of the Hadallah candle on Saturday evening as a closing ceremony
Passover or PESACH - *The first, second, seventh and eighth days of Passover - Pesach begins on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan. It is the first of the three major festivals with both historical and agricultural significance. Agriculturally, it represents the beginning of the harvest season in Israel. The primary observances are related to the Exodus from Egypt. The name “Pesach” meaning to pass through, to pass over, to exempt or to spare refers to the fact that God “passed over” the houses of the Jews when he was slaying the firstborn of Egypt. “Pesach” is also the name of the sacrificial offering (a lamb) that was made in the Temple on this holiday. The day before Pesach is the Fast of the Firstborn, a minor fast for all firstborn males, commemorating the fact that the firstborn Jewish males in Egypt were not killed during the final plague. Pesach lasts for seven days (eight days outside of Israel). The first and last days of the holiday (first two and last two outside of Israel) are days on which no work is permitted. Work is permitted on the intermediate days. These intermediate days on which work is permitted are referred to as Chol Ha-Mo’ed, as are the intermediate days of Sukkot.
Pesach Laws and Custom
Chametz – leaven bread must be removed from the home. This commemorates the fact that the Jews leaving Egypt were in a hurry, and did not have time to let their bread rise. It is also a symbolic way of removing the “puffiness” (arrogance, pride). The process of cleaning the home of all chametz in preparation for Pesach is an enormous task. To do it right, you must prepare for several weeks and spend several days scrubbing everything down, covering all surfaces that come in contact with food. After the cleaning is completed, the morning before the seder, a formal search of the house for chametz is undertaken, and any remaining chametz is burned.
Matzah – is unleavened bread, made from flour and water and cooked very quickly. This is the bread that the Jews made for their flight from Egypt.
Seder - “order,” because there is a specific set of information that must be discussed in a specific order. Seder is a special family meal filled with ritual to remind Jews of the significance of the holiday.
*Rosh Hashanah – is commonly known as the Jewish New Year, occurs on the first and second days of Tishri. Rosh Hashanah means “head of the year” or “first of the year.” The Jewish New Year is a time to begin introspection, looking back at the mistakes of the past year and planning the changes to make in the new year.
*Yom Kippur - means “Day of Atonement,” It is a day set aside to “afflict the soul,” to atone for the sins of the past year. Yom Kippur occurs on the 10th day of Tishri.
*Sukkot – Festival of Sukkot begins on Tishri 15, the fifth day after Yom Kippur. Sukkot is the Season of Rejoicing. Sukkot is the last of the Shalosh R’galim (three pilgrimage festivals). Like Passover and Shavu’ot, Sukkot has a dual significance: historical and agricultural. Historically, Sukkot commemorates the forty-year period during which the children of Israel were wandering in the desert, living in temporary shelters. The word “Sukkot” means “booths,” and refers to the temporary dwellings that we are commanded to live in during this holiday in memory of the period of wandering. Sukkot lasts for seven days. The two days following the festival, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, are separate holidays but are related to Sukkot and are commonly thought of as part of Sukkot.
*Shemini Atzeret - “the assembly of the eighth (day) of Sukkot” is a holiday intended for all of mankind, for when Sukkot is over, the Creator invites the Jewish people to stay for an extra day, for a more intimate celebration.
*Simchat Torah – “rejoicing in the Law”, celebrates the completion of the annual reading of the Torah. Simchat Torah is a joyous festival, affirming the Torah as a tree of life and a living example of never-ending, lifelong study. Torah scrolls are taken from the ark and carried or danced around the synagogue seven times. During the Torah service, the concluding section of Deuteronomy is read, and immediately following, the opening section of Genesis, or B’reishit as it is called in Hebrew, is read.
*Shavu’ot - Shavuot began as a harvest festival, but it also commemorates the revelation at Sinai and the giving of the Torah. While Shavuot has few rituals associated with it, many Jews stay up all night studying Torah. Other customs include eating dairy foods and reading the Book of Ruth. The period from Passover to Shavu’ot is a time of great anticipation.
Hanukkah – means dedication and the holiday celebrates the re-dedication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century BCE. Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days and nights, starting on the 25th of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar (which is November-December on the Gregorian calendar). The celebrations often consist of games, gifts, the eating of traditional foods and rituals including the daily lighting of a series of lights, whose illumination has led to the holiday also being known as the “Festival of Lights.” Latkes (potato pancakes), Geld (Chocolate money covered in Gold foil), and the Dreidel are all a part of the tradition of Hannakuh.
*Work is not permitted on these Holidays
Jewish Traditions/Customs
Birth Brit Milah (Circumcision) - a Jewish baby boy has a circumcision or brit milah on his eighth day of life, provided there are no medical reasons for delaying. A mohel should be contacted as soon as possible after birth in order to set the correct date and time for the brit.
Simchat Bat (Baby-naming Ceremonies) - ceremony for baby girls, takes place in the synagogue on the first Shabbat following her birth. During the ceremony, either the father or both parents are called to the Torah for a reading and blessing. Today, many families choose to have the ceremonies in their own homes.
Bar/Bat Mitzvah - (Young person’s entry into the adult Jewish community) Although these observances are not prescribed by written law, they have become important religious traditions over the last 450 years. Typically, during the celebration, the young person recites a blessing over the Torah, reads the Haftorah or Torah portion for that week and then offers a speech or scholarly comment.
Simcha – (Marriage ceremony) – is a, celebrating the union between two Jewish individuals. The ceremony takes place under a chuppah, or canopy, and the actual marriage involves exchanging wedding rings while the couple (or just the groom in some congregations) recites the following: “Behold thou art sanctified unto me by this ring according to the law of Moses and Israel.”
Mikvaot - (Ritual cleansing bath) – is one of the oldest practices in Jewish life. The mikveh is said to endow marital relations with a special religious significance. In Orthodox practice, the wife must immerse herself in the mikvah monthly following her menstrual cycle in order to resume marital relations. Similarly, the mikveh is used when an individual converts to Judaism, celebrating the person’s new life as a Jew.
Kippah – Yahmikah - The Talmud relates two stories about the custom of covering one’s head. In one place it says, “Rav Huna the son of Rabbi Joshua never walked four cubits with his head uncovered. He said ‘because the Divine Presence is always over my head.’” (Talmud, Kiddushin 32a) In another place, the mother of Rav Nachman bar Isaac was told by a stargazer that her son was destined to be a thief. She therefore told him to cover his head so that the fear of heaven would never leave him, and prayed that he should never come to this temptation but never told him why. One day, Rav Nachman was sitting under a date palm tree learning Torah, when his scarf that covered his head fell off. Immediately the temptation to steal seized him and he took a cluster of dates from a tree that wasn’t his.(Talmud, Shabbat 156b) The Taz (17th century, Eastern Europe) said that in the time of the Talmud it was an act of piety to wear a head covering, which is apparent from the admonition of Rav Nachman’s mother “the fear of heaven” should never leave him. However, as time progressed, what was simply a display of piety became a Torah law. The reason is because of the commandment “Don’t follow any of their traditions.” (Leviticus 18:3) In olden days, a tradition amongst gentiles started in which they would take of their hats as a sign of honor. In order not to “go in their traditions,” Jews began to keep their heads covered at all times. Today, non-Jews are accustomed to walking with their heads uncovered and so the status of Torah law does not apply to head covering anymore. However, Rabbi Moshe Feinstein wrote that being all religious Jews have accepted the custom of wearing a Kippah, it is forbidden to go around otherwise. This is why the Code of Jewish Law says, “It is forbidden to walk four cubits without a head covering.”
Tallit – is a prayer shawl worn by Jews during weekday morning services, on the Sabbath, and on holidays. During Sabbath and holiday evening prayers, only the cantor (prayer leader) and Torah reader wear a tallit. The tallit is normally made of wool and has special twined and knotted fringes (tzitziot) attached to each of its four corners. The tallit is thus sometimes called the arba kanfot, “four corners.” The basis for wearing the tallit is the biblical command in Numbers 15:37-41, in which God says to Moses: Speak to the children of Israel and bid them to affix fringes (tzitziot) to the corners of their garments… that you may look upon them and remember all the commandments of the Lord. The tallit was developed as an outergarment on which the fringes could be worn in obedience of this command. All talitot have a band sewn on the top called the atarah (“crown”). Because the tallit is rectangular, with identical fringes on each corner, the atara indicates “this side up.” Some are elaborately decorated with silver squares or fancy metallic embroidery and most have the blessing one says before donning the tallit embroidered on it as well. The atarah is removed when the tallit is worn in burial.
Meat from pigs - is not to be eaten under the requirements of the Law. (The Law, or the Torah, the first five books of the Tanach, of the Hebrew Scriptures) It is listed as one of the unclean animals. It is specifically mentioned in Leviticus 11:7 ”And the swine, because he parteth the hoof, and is cloven-footed, but cheweth not the cud, he is unclean unto you.”
