A
Jewish holiday or Jewish Festival
is a day or series of days
observed by Jews as holy or
secular commemorations of
important events in Jewish
history. In Hebrew, Jewish
holidays and festivals, depending
on their nature, may be called Yom
Tov ("good day") or chag
("festival") or ta'anit ("fast").
Outside of a Jewish context, all
Jewish holidays appear to be
"religious holidays" but that is
not actually the case. Judaism is
old enough that it is
simultaneously a religion, a
system of ethics, a social
ideology, and a trans-national
quasi-citizenship. (To be a Jew
is, first, to claim ancestral
citizenship - by birth or
"naturalization," i.e., conversion
- in the ancient tribal nations of
Israel and Judah.) That is why,
within Judaism, there are
religious holidays, like Passover
and Yom Kippur, which require
abstinence from work, school,
etc., and may also require
fasting; and there are secular
holidays, like Hanukkah and Purim
which, while they may have a
religious aspect or component, are
festive occasions that generally
reside on the secular side of
Jewish history and tradition.
All Jewish holidays occur
according to the Jewish Calendar.
This is a luni-solar calendar in
which the first day of each month
correlates exactly (more or less)
to the new moon, so that the
middle of the month coincides with
the height of the full moon.
Because of its usefulness in
marking the passage of time, most
holidays and festivals in most
traditions are traceable to cycles
of the moon - especially the full
moon. In Jewish as in other
traditions, the oldest holidays
are the ones associated with the
full moon - because they are so
old, they pre-date the
establishment of the new moon as
the key date of the month on the
Jewish Calendar. The other key
time markers commemorated by
holidays are soltices and
equinoxes, but as Jewish holidays
have long been codified to the
strictly lunar months of the
Jewish Calendar, these other
markers have had little effect on
Jewish festivals and holy days.
The one important exception is the
insertion of an extra lunar month
in leap years, to ensure Passover
happens on the first full moon
following the first crescent moon
of the vernal equinox.
International time measurement is
per standard time zones and the
Gregorian Calendar of western
Europe, on which the day begins at
midnight and the year is 365/366
days long. But the Jewish day
begins at sunset - or for business
purposes in Israel, at 6:00 PM;
and the Jewish calendar is shorter
or longer than the Gregorian,
depending whether it is an
ordinary or leap year. So, Jewish
holidays straddle two (or more)
dates on the Gregorian calendar,
beginning the evening of the first
and finishing at the evening of
the last; and the dates are
different every year. As they are
listed on most Gregorian
calendars, Jewish holidays begin
at sunset on the day before the
date given - much in the way that
Christmas Eve (which is short for
"Christmas Evening") precedes the
Christian festival of Christmas
Day instead of following it.
The holiest of the religious
Jewish holidays are enumerated in
the Torah, in Leviticus and
Deuteronomy. Some holidays were
established by the Rabbis at the
close of the ancient period of
Jewish history. Modern holidays
commonly observed by Jews
internationally were established
by the State of Israel after its
establishment in 1948, though some
of these - such as the Fast of the
Tenth of Tevet were popularly
observed by Jews for centuries
before they became formal
holidays.
There are also holidays associated
with Jewish mysticism. The best
known of these is Tu b' Shevat,
the "New Year for Trees," which
harkens to the days, in
prehistoric and pre-Judaism, of
tree magic and tree calendars.
This may, in fact, be the oldest
holiday celebrated by Jews. The
fact it is calendared according to
the full moon instead of the new
moon certainly indicates it is one
of the three oldest holidays on
the Jewish Calendar, the other two
being Passover and Sukkot.
Below is a list of major Jewish
holidays. There are also many
minor holidays in Judaism. Some
holidays are actually combinations
of holidays and festivals - such
as Passover, which combines the
holy day of Passover (one day)
with the Festival of Unleavened
Cakes (six days). Most single
holidays are one day long, but
some holy days, like Rosh
Hashanah, are observed by some
Jews for for two days. Most
festivals (including combinations)
are seven days long, but Hanukkah
is eight days.
There are a number of stories
about the reasons some Jews
observe Passover and Rosh Hashanah
for two days when the Torah
commands they are only one day.
The most commonly accepted view is
that Jews living in the Diaspora
(i.e., outside of Israel) could
not be certain they were
celebrating a holy day on the same
day it was observed at Jerusalem -
so they developed the tradition of
celebrating the holy day for two
consecutive days, knowing that one
of the days was the correct one.
The only problem with this view is
that the Jewish Calendar was
codified long enough ago that this
practice could have been
discontinued with no fear that the
holy would be observed on the
wrong day.
Another explanation is that the
two-day celebrations arose as a
form of evasive action, in
reaction to the persecution of
Jews in central and eastern
Europe, and possibly under the
Spanish Inquisition. The holidays
affected by the convention are
among the holiest days on the
Jewish Calendar - Passover,
Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, and Sukkot
- so they are days on which Jews
could be counted upon to
congregate in large numbers in
synagogues or large private homes.
Thus, the holiest days of the
Jewish Calendar were the easiest
times of the year to persecute
Jews. But if the celebrations of
the holy days were divided between
two days, and the authorities did
not know which Jews would be
celebrating the holy day on which
night, capturing Jews on those
nights became a harder task. Some
Jews may have celebrated the holy
days on differing of the two
nights in different years, or on
both nights, just to further the
confusion among civil non-Jewish
authorities about the true date.
It is also possible that both
explanations are true, along with
any number of other explanations,
since the Jews have almost always
be found in far-flung parts of the
world, with any number of
possibilities giving rise to
certain holidays being observed
for two days instead of one. What
is certain is that all four of the
holy days noted are officially one
day on the Israeli Calendar,
though there are many Israelis who
do observe them for two days -
notwithstanding they must be
celebrating the holy days on the
same date they are observed at
Jerusalem!
Rosh
Hashanah - The Jewish New Year
Main article: Rosh Hashanah
* For the week before Rosh Hashana
among Ashkenazim, and the entire
month of Elul among Sephardim,
special additional morning prayers
are added known as Selichot.
* Erev Rosh Hashanah (evening of
the first day) - 29 Elul
* Rosh Hashanah - 1 Tishri
* ראש השנה - א' בתשרי
Rosh Hashanah is set aside by the
Mishna as the new year for
calculating calendar years,
sabbatical and jubilee years,
vegetable tithes, and
tree-planting (determining the age
of a tree). According to Jewish
legend, the creation of the world
was completed on Tishri 1. This
holiday is characterized by the
blowing of the shofar, a trumpet
made from a ram's horn. The
practice of Tashlikh, the symbolic
casting away of sins by throwing
either stones or bread crumbs into
the waters, occurs during the
afternoon of the first day. Rosh
Hashanah is always observed as a
two-day holiday, both inside and
outside the boundaries of Israel.
The two days are considered
together to be a yoma arichta, a
single "long day".
Aseret Yemei Teshuva - Ten Days of
Repentance
Main article: Ten Days of
Repentance
Between Rosh Hashanah and Yom
Kippur are ten days, known as
Aseret Yemei Teshuva. During this
time it is "exceedingly
appropriate" for Jews to practice
"Teshuvah" which is, examining
one's ways, and engaging in
Repentance and the improvement of
their ways in anticipation of Yom
Kippur. This repentence can take
the form of early morning prayers,
which capture the penitential
spirit appropriate the occasion,
fasting, or self-reflection.
Yom Kippur - Day of Atonement
Main article: Yom Kippur
* Erev Yom Kippur - 9 Tishri
* Yom Kippur - 10 Tishri
* יום כיפור - י' בתשרי
Yom Kippur is considered by Jews
to be the holiest and most solemn
day of the year. Its central theme
is atonement and reconciliation.
Eating, drinking, bathing, and
conjugal relations are prohibited.
Fasting begins at sundown, and
ends after nightfall the following
day. Yom Kippur services begin
with the prayer known as "Kol
Nidrei", which must be recited
before sunset. (Kol Nidrei,
Aramaic for "all vows," is a
public annullment of religious
vows made by Jews during the
preceding year. It only concerns
unfilled vows made between a
person and God, and does not
cancel or nullify any vows made
between people.)
A Tallit (four-cornered prayer
shawl) is donned for evening
prayers— the only evening service
of the year in which this is done.
The Ne'ilah service is a special
service held only on the day of
Yom Kippur, and deals with the
closing of the holiday. Yom Kippur
comes to an end with the blowing
of the shofar, which marks the
conclusion of the fast. It is
always observed as a one-day
holiday, both inside and outside
the boundaries of the land of
Israel.
Contrary to popular belief, Yom
Kippur is not a sad day. Sephardic
Jews (Jews of Spanish, Portuguese
and North African descent) refer
to this holiday as "the White
Fast".
Sukkot - Festival of Booths
Main article Sukkot
Sukkot (סוכות or סֻכּוֹת sukkōt)
or Succoth is a 7-day festival,
also known as the Feast of Booths,
the Feast of Tabernacles, or just
Tabernacles. It is one of the
three pilgrimage festivals
mentioned in the Bible. The word
sukkot is the plural of the Hebrew
sukkah, meaning booth. Jews are
commanded to "dwell" in booths
during the holiday. This generally
means taking meals, but some sleep
in the sukkah as well. There are
specific rules for constructing a
sukkah.
* Erev Sukkot - 14 Tishri
* Sukkot - 15 Tishri
* חג הסוכות - ט"ו בתשרי
Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah
- Rejoicing with the Law
Main article: Simchat Torah
Simchat Torah (שמחת תורה) means
"rejoicing with the Torah" and
takes place on the holiday of
Shemini Atzeret. This holiday
immediately follows the conclusion
of the holiday of Sukkot. In
Israel, Shemini Atzeret is one day
long and includes the celebration
of Simchat Torah. Outside Israel,
Shemini Atzeret is two days long
and Simchat Torah is observed on
the second day.
The last portion of the Torah is
read, completing the annual cycle,
followed by the first chapter of
Genesis. Services are especially
joyous, and all attendees, young
and old, are involved.
Hanukkah - Festival of Lights
Main articles: Hanukkah
* Erev Hanukkah - 24 Kislev
* Hanukkah - 25 Kislev
* חנוכה - כ"ה בכסלו
The story of Hanukkah is preserved
in the books of the First and
Second Maccabees. These books are
not part of the Tanakh (Hebrew
Bible), they are deuterocanonical
books instead. The miracle of the
one-day supply of oil miraculously
lasting eight days is first
described in the Talmud.
Hanukkah marks the defeat of
Seleucid Empire forces that had
tried to prevent the people of
Israel from practicing Judaism.
Judah Maccabee and his brothers
destroyed overwhelming forces, and
rededicated the Temple in
Jerusalem. The eight-day festival
is marked by the kindling of
lights—one on the first night, two
on the second, and so on—using a
special candle holder called a
hanukiah or a Hanukkah menorah.
With the commercialization of
Christmas in the twentieth century
as a time for exchanging gifts,
adding to its position as the
biggest holiday in the Western
world, as well as the
establishment of the modern state
of Israel, Hanukkah began to
increasingly serve both as a
celebration of Israel's struggle
for survival and as a December
family gift-giving holiday which
could function as a Jewish
alternative to Christmas. However,
there is a long tradition of
Hanukkah as an especially joyous
holiday for children.
Tu Bishvat - New year of the trees
Main article: Tu Bishvat
* Tu Bishvat - 15 Shevat
* חג האילנות - ט"ו בשבט
Tu Bishvat is the new year for
trees. This day was set aside in
the Mishnah as the day on which to
bring fruit tithes. It is still
celebrated in modern times. In the
Land of Israel during the 1600s
Rabbi Yitzchak Luria of Safed and
his disciples created a short
seder, reminiscent of the seder
that Jews observe on Passover,
that explores the holiday's
Kabbalistic themes.
Purim - Festival of Lots
Main article Purim
* Erev Purim and Fast of Esther
known as "Ta'anit Ester"- 13 Adar
* Purim - 14 Adar
* פורים - י"ד באדר
* Shushan Purim follows Purim.
Purim commemorates the events that
took place in the Book of Esther.
It is celebrated by reading or
acting out the story of Esther,
and by making disparaging noises
at every mention of Haman's name.
In Purim it is a tradition to
masquarade around in costumes and
to give Mishloah Manot (care
packages, i.e. gifts of food and
drink) to the poor and the needy.
In Israel it is also a tradition
to arrange festive parades, known
as Ad-Lo-Yada, in the town's main
street.
New Year for Kings
* New Year for Kings - 1 Nisan.
This holiday is no longer
celebrated. Nisan is the first
month of the Hebrew calendar. In
Mishnaic times this holiday was
celebrated as the New Year for
Kings and months. In addition to
this new year, the Mishna sets up
three other New Years:
* 1st of Elul, New Year for animal
tithes,
* 1st of Tishrei (Rosh Hashanah)
New Year, and
* 15th of Shevat Tu B'shevat, the
New Year for Trees/fruit tithes.
Ever since the Babylonian diaspora
(as a result of the Babylonian
captivity of Judah), only the Rosh
Hashanah and Tu B'shevat are still
celebrated.
Pesach - Passover
Main article: Passover
* Erev Pesach and Fast of the
Firstborn known as "Ta'anit
Bechorim" - 14 Nisan
* Passover/Pesach (first two days)
- 15 and 16 Nisan
* פסח - ט"ו בניסן
* The "Last days of Passover",
known as Acharon shel Pesach, are
also a holiday commemorating
K'riat Yam Suf, the Splitting of
the Red Sea.
* The semi-holiday days between
the "first days" and the "last
days" of Passover are known as
Chol Hamo'ed, referred to as the
"Intermediate days".
Pesach (Passover) commemorates the
liberation of the Israelite slaves
from Egypt. The first seder is
after the 14th of Nisan since in
Judaism, a day begins at
nightfall, so the first seder is
thus on the night of the 15th, the
second seder is held on the night
of the 16th of Nisan. On that
night Jews start counting the omer.
The counting of the omer is a
counting down of the days from the
time they left Egypt. until the
time they arrived at Mount Sinai.
No leavened food is eaten during
the week of Pesach.
Karaites start the omer count on
the Sunday of Passover week.
Sefirah - Counting of the Omer
Main article: Counting of the Omer
* Sefirah (The counting); also
known as Sefirat Ha'Omer
* ספירת העומר
Sefirah is the 49 day ("seven
weeks") period between Pesach and
Shavuot; it is defined by the
Torah as the period during which
special offerings are to be
brought to the Temple in
Jerusalem. Judaism teaches that
this makes physical the spiritual
connection between Pesach and
Shavuot.
Lag Ba'omer
Main article: Lag Ba'omer
Lag Ba'omer ( ל"ג בעומר) is the
33rd day in the Omer count (ל"ג is
the number 33 in Hebrew). The
mourning restrictions on joyous
activities during the Omer period
are lifted on Lag Ba'Omer and
there are often celebrations with
picnics and bonfires.
New Israeli/Jewish national
holidays
Since the creation of the State of
Israel in 1948, the Chief
Rabbinate of Israel has
established four new Jewish
holidays.
* Yom Ha'Shoah - Holocaust
Remembrance day
* Yom Hazikaron - Memorial Day
* Yom Ha'atzma'ut - Israel
Independence Day
* Yom Yerushalayim - Jerusalem Day
These four days are national
holidays in the State of Israel,
and have since been accepted as
religious holidays in general by
the following groups: The Union of
Orthodox Congregations and
Rabbinical Council of America; The
United Hebrew Congregations of the
Commonwealth (United Kingdom); The
Chief Rabbinate of the State of
Israel; All of Reform Judaism and
Conservative Judaism; The Union
for Traditional Judaism and the
Reconstructionist movement.
These four new days are not
accepted as religious holidays by
Hasidic Judaism and Haredi
Judaism. These groups view these
new days as Israeli national
holidays.
Yom Ha'Shoah - Holocaust
Remembrance day
Main article: Yom Ha'Shoah
* Yom Ha'Shoah - 27 Nisan
* יום הזכרון לשואה ולגבורה - כ"ז
בניסן
Yom Ha'Shoah is also known as
Holocaust Remembrance Day, and
takes place on the 27th day of
Nisan.
Yom Hazikaron - Memorial Day
Main article: Yom Hazikaron
* Yom Hazikaron - 4 Iyar
* יום הזכרון לחללי מערכות ישראל -
ד' באייר
Yom Hazikaron is the day of
remembrance in honor of Israeli
veterans and fallen soldiers of
the Wars of Israel. The Memorial
Day also commemorates fallen
civilians, slain by acts of
hostile terrorism. [1]
Yom Ha'atzma'ut - Israel
Independence Day
Main article: Yom Ha'atzma'ut
* Yom Ha'atzma'ut - 5 Iyar
* יום העצמאות - ה' באייר
Yom Ha'atzma'ut is Israel's
Independence Day. An official
ceremony is held annually on the
eve of Yom Ha'atzma'ut at Mount
Herzl. The ceremony includes
speeches by senior Israeli
officials, an artistic
presentation, a ritual march of
flag-carrying soldiers forming
elaborate structures (such as a
Menorah, a Magen David and the
number which represents the age of
the State of Israel) and the
lighting of twelve beacons (one
for each of the Tribes of Israel).
Dozens of Israeli citizens, who
contributed significantly to the
state, are selected to light these
beacons.
When the 5th of Iyar, as in 2005,
falls on a Friday or Saturday
(i.e. in conflict with the Jewish
Sabbath), the official celebration
may be moved to the nearest
Thursday. [2]
Yom Yerushalayim - Jerusalem Day
Main article: Yom Yerushalayim
* Yom Yerushalayim - 28 Iyar
* יום ירושלים - כ"ח באייר
Yom Yerushalayim marks the 1967
reunification of Jerusalem and The
Temple Mount under Jewish rule
during the Six Day War almost 1900
years after the destruction of the
Second Temple in Jerusalem.
Shavuot - Pentecost
Main article Shavuot
* Erev Shavuot - 5 Sivan
* Shavuot - 6, 7 Sivan
* שבועות - ו' ו ז' בסיוון
Shavuot, The Feast of Weeks, is
sometimes known by the Greek name
"Pentecost." One of the three
pilgrimage festivals (Shalosh
regalim) ordained in the Torah,
Shavuot marks the end of the
counting of the Omer, the period
between Passover and Shavuot.
According to Rabbinic tradition,
the Ten Commandments were given on
this day. During this holiday the
Torah portion containing the Ten
Commandments is read in the
synagogue, and the biblical Book
of Ruth is read as well. It is
traditional to eat dairy meals
during Shavuot.
Karaites always celebrate Shavuot
on a Sunday.
The Three Weeks and the Nine Days
Main article: The three weeks
* The Three Weeks: Seventeenth of
Tammuz, 17 Tammuz - 9 Av
* The Nine Days: 1 Av - 9 Av
* (See also Tenth of Tevet)
The days between the 17th of
Tammuz and the 9th of Av are days
of mourning, on account of the
collapse of Jerusalem during the
Roman occupation which occurred
during this time framework.
Weddings and other joyful
occasions are traditionally not
held during this period. A further
element is added within the three
weeks, during the nine days
between the 1st and 9th day of Av—
the pious refrain from eating meat
and drinking wine, except on
Shabbat or at a Seudat Mitzvah (a
Mitzvah meal, such as a Pidyon
Haben— the recognition of a
firstborn male child— or the study
completion of a religious text.)
In addition, one's hair is not cut
during this period.
In Conservative Judaism, the
Rabbinical Assembly's Committee on
Jewish Law and Standards has
issued several responsa (legal
rulings) which hold that the
prohibitions against weddings in
this timeframe are deeply held
traditions, but should not be
construed as binding law. Thus,
Conservative Jewish practice would
allow weddings during this time,
except on the 9th of Av itself.
Reform Judaism and
Reconstructionist Judaism hold
that halakha (Jewish law) is no
longer binding, so weddings may be
held on any of these days.
Orthodox Judaism maintains the
traditional prohibitions.
Tisha B'av - Ninth of Av
Main article Tisha B'Av
* Tisha B'Av - 9 Av
* צום תשעה באב
Tisha B'Av is a fast day, that
commemorates two of the saddest
days in Jewish history— the
destruction of both the first
Temple (587 BC) originally built
by King Solomon, (see Solomon's
Temple), and the Second Temple in
70 on this same date. Also on this
date in 1290, King Edward I signed
the edict compelling the Jews to
leave England. The Jewish
expulsion from Spain in 1492 also
occurred on this day. World War I
also began on this date.
Tithe of animals
* New Year for Animal Tithes
(Taxes) - 1 Elul
This commemoration is no longer
observed. This day was set up by
the Mishna as the New Year for
animal tithes, which is somewhat
equivalent to a new year for
taxes. (This notion is similar to
the tax deadline in the United
States of America on April 15.)
Rosh Chodesh - the New Month
The first day of each month and
the thirtieth day of the preceding
month, if it has thirty days, is
(in modern times) a minor holiday
known as Rosh Chodesh (head of the
month). The one exception is the
month of Tishri, whose beginning
is a major holiday, Rosh Hashanah.
There are also special prayers
said upon observing the new Moon
for the first time each month.
Shabbat - The Sabbath יום השבת
Main article: Shabbat
Jewish law accords the Sabbath the
status of a holiday. Jews
celebrate a Shabbat, a day of
rest, on the seventh day of each
week. Jewish law defines a day as
ending at nightfall, which is when
the next day then begins. Thus,
Shabbat begins at sundown Friday
night, and ends at nightfall
Saturday night.
In many ways halakha (Jewish law)
gives Shabbat the status of being
the most important holy day in the
Jewish calendar.
* It is the first holiday
mentioned in the Tanakh (Hebrew
Bible), and God was the first one
to observe it.
* The liturgy treats the Sabbath
as a bride and queen.
* The Torah reading for the
Sabbath has more parshiot (Torah
readings) than Yom Kippur, the
most of any Jewish holiday.
* There is a tradition that the
Messiah will come if every Jew
observes the Sabbath twice in a
row.
* The Biblical penalty for
violating Shabbat is greater than
that for violating any other
holiday.
Variances in observances
The denominations of
Reconstructionist Judaism and
Reform Judaism generally regard
Jewish laws (halakha) relating to
all these holidays as important,
but no longer binding. Orthodox
Judaism and Conservative Judaism
hold that the halakha relating to
these days are still normative
(i.e. to be accepted as binding.)
There are a number of differences
in religious practices between
Orthodox and Conservative Jews,
because these denominations have
distinct ways of understanding the
process of how halakha has
historically developed, and thus
how it can still develop.
Nonetheless, both of these groups
have similar teachings about how
to observe these holidays |
