- For the Gregorian dates of Jewish Holidays, see Jewish holidays 2000-2050.The
Jewish Holidays,
A
Jewish holiday or
festival is a
day or series of days observed by
Jews as a holy
or secular commemoration of an important event 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").
A "Yom Tov" has similar obligations and restrictions to
Shabbat, with the exception that you can cook,
carry, and transfer fire (from a pre-existing flame).
The
origins of various Jewish holidays generally can be found in
Biblical mitzvot (commandments), rabbinical mandate, and modern Israeli
history.
Rosh Hashanah — The Jewish New Year
According to the Talmud and oral tradition, Rosh Hashanah is the
Jewish new year, day of memorial and the day of judgment, in which
God judges each person individually according to
their deeds, and makes a decree for the following year. The holiday
is characterized by the special
mitzvah of
blowing the
shofar. According to the
Torah, however, this is the first day of the seventh month of the
calendar year that marks the beginning of a ten day count to Yom
Kippur.
- For a variable number of days before Rosh Hashanah 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 ( )2 – 1 - Tishrei)
Rosh Hashanah is set aside by the
Mishna as the new year for calculating calendar
years,
shmita and
jubilee years, vegetable
tithes, and tree-planting (determining the age of a
tree).
According to an opinion in
Jewish oral
tradition, the creation of the world was completed on
Rosh Hashanah. The recitation of
Tashlikh occurs during the afternoon of the
first day.
Officially North American Reform Judaism
celebrates two days of Rosh Hashanah, but a significant number of
Reform congregations and members celebrate only one day; the
non-Reform branches of Judaism celebrate it 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
The first ten days of seventh month of the Jewish year (from the
beginning of Rosh Hashana until the end of Yom Kippur) are known as
the Aseret Yemei Teshuva. During this time it is "exceedingly
appropriate" for Jews to practice "
Teshuvah," which is examining one's deeds and
repenting for sins committed against both God and one's fellow man
in anticipation of Yom Kippur. This repentance can take the form of
additional supplications, confessing one's deeds before God,
fasting, and self-reflection. On the third day, the
Fast of Gedalia is celebrated.
Yom Kippur — Day of Atonement
- Erev Yom Kippur — 9 Tishrei
- Yom Kippur (יום כיפור) — 10
Tishrei
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,
anointing with oil, and marital 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
annulment 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.
Yom Kippur is considered, along with 15th of Av, as the Happiest
days of the year (Talmud Bavli - Tractate Ta'anit).
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 word
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. The seventh day of the holiday is called
Hoshanah Rabbah.
- Erev Sukkot — 14 Tishrei
- Sukkot (חג הסוכות) — 15–21 Tishrei (22 outside Israel)
Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah
Simchat Torah (שמחת תורה) means
"rejoicing with the
Torah". It actually refers
to a special ceremony which 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, which is often
referred to by the name of the ceremony.
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
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
apocryphal 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
Chanukkiyah, or a
Hanukkah
menorah.
There is a custom to give children money on Hanukkah to commemorate
the learning of Torah in guise of Jews gathering in what was
perceived as gambling at that time since Torah was forbidden.
Because of this, there is also the custom to play with the
dreidel (called a
sevivon in Hebrew).
Tenth of Tevet
This minor fast day marks the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem
as outlined in
2 Kings 25:1
- And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the
tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar
king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and
encamped against it; and they built forts against it round
about.
As a minor fast day, fasting from dawn to dusk is required, but
other laws of mourning are not observed. A Torah reading and
Haftorah reading, and a special prayer in the
Amidah, are added at both
Shacharit and
Mincha
services.
Tu Bishvat-New Year of the Trees
- Tu Bishvat (חג האילנות - ט"ו בשבט) — 15 Shevat
Tu Bishvat is the new year for trees.
According
to the Mishnah, it marks the day from which
fruit tithes are counted each year, and marks
the timepoint from which the Biblical prohibition on eating the
first three years of fruit and the requirement to bring the
fourth year fruit to the Temple in
Jerusalem were counted. In modern times, it is
celebrated by eating various fruits and nuts associated with the
Land of Israel.
During the 1600s,
Rabbi Yitzchak Luria of Safed
and his
disciples created a short seder, called Hemdat ha‑Yamim,
reminiscent of the seder that Jews observe on Passover, that explores the holiday's Kabbalistic themes.
Traditionally, trees are planted on this day. Many children collect
funds leading up to this day to plant trees in Israel. Trees are
usually planted locally as well.
Purim — Festival of Lots
Purimcommemorates 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
masquerade around in costumes and to give
Mishloakh 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-D'lo-Yada, in the town's main street.
Sometimes the children dress up and act out the story of Esther for
their parents.
New Year for Kings
- New Year for Kings — 1 Nisan.
Although
Rosh Hashanah marks the
change of the Jewish calendar year,
Nisan is
considered the first month of the
Hebrew
calendar. The
Mishnah indicates that the
year of the reign of Jewish kingswas counted from Nisan in
Biblical times. Nisan is also considered the
beginning of the calendar year in terms of the order of the
holidays.
In addition to this New Year, the Mishnah sets up three other legal
New Years:
Pesach — Passover
- Erev Pesach and Fast of the
Firstborn known as "Ta'anit Bechorim" — 14 Nisan
- Passover (Hebrew: Pesach, פסח) (first
two days) — 15 and 16 Nisan
- The "Last days of Passover", known as Acharon shel
Pesach, are also a holiday commemorating K'riat Yam
Suf, the Passage of the Red
Sea. — 21 and 22 Nisan
- 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".
Passover
commemorates the liberation of the Israelite slaves from Egypt
. No
leavened food is eaten during the
week of Pesach, in commemoration of the fact that the Jews left
Egypt so quickly that their bread did not have enough time to
rise.
The first
seder begins at sundown on
the 15th of Nisan, and the second seder is held on the night of the
16th of Nisan. On the second night, Jews start counting the
omer.
The counting of the omer is a
count of the days from the time they left Egypt until the time they
arrived at Mount
Sinai
.
Sefirah — Counting of the Omer
- Sefirah (ספירת העומר,
Sefirat Ha'Omer) — Counting the Omer
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
Lag Ba'omer ( ) is the 33rd day in the Omer count
( 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,
bonfires and bow and arrow play by children. In Israel, youth can
be seen gathering materials for bonfires.
Shavuot — Feast of Weeks — Yom HaBikurim
Shavuot, The Feast of Weeks is one of the
three pilgrim 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.
Seventeenth of Tammuz
The 17th of
Tammuz
traditionally marks the first breach in the walls of the
Second Temple during the Roman
occupation.
As a minor fast day, fasting from dawn to dusk is required, but
other laws of mourning are not observed. A Torah reading and
Haftorah reading, and a special prayer in the
Amidah, are added at both
Shacharit and Mincha services.
The Three Weeks and the Nine Days
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 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, and rabbis in those movements follow their individual
consciences on such matters; some uphold the traditional
prohibitions and some permit weddings on these days.
Orthodox Judaism maintains the traditional
prohibitions.
Tisha B'av — Ninth of Av
Tisha B'Av is a fast day that commemorates two of
the saddest events in Jewish history that both occurred on the
ninth of Av — the destruction in 586 BCE of
the First
Temple
, originally built by King Solomon, and destruction of the Second Temple in 70
CE. Other calamities throughout Jewish history
are said to have taken place on Tisha B'Av, including King Edward I's edict compelling the Jews to
leave England
(1290) and
the Jewish expulsion from Spain
in
1492.
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 Tishrei, 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 — שבת
Jewish law accords
Shabbat the
status of a holiday, a day of rest celebrated 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
Shabbat as a bride and queen.
- The Torah reading on Shabbat has
more sections of parshiot (Torah readings) than on Yom
Kippur, the most of any Jewish holiday.
- There is a tradition that the Messiah will come if every Jew observes
Shabbat perfectly twice in a row.
Acharei hachagim
Acharei hachagim (modern
Hebrew:
אחרי החגים) Literally: after the holidays. Used in
modern Hebrew vernacular to suggest a delay.
Many tasks get postponed until
acharei hachagim,
regardless of the proximity of the coming holiday.
Acharei
hachagim is considered a legitimate target date for the task
in question.
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.
Reform Jews do not observe the 2nd day of Jewish holidays in the
Diaspora.
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.
These
four days are national holidays in the State of Israel, and in
general have been accepted as religious holidays 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
Haredi Judaism, which includes
Hasidic Judaism. These groups view
these new days as secular innovations, and they do not celebrate
these holidays.
Yom HaShoah — Holocaust Remembrance day
Yom HaShoah is also known as
Holocaust Remembrance Day, and takes place on
the 27th day of
Nisan.
Yom Hazikaron — Memorial Day
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.
[2212]
Yom Ha'atzmaut — Israel Independence Day
Yom Ha'atzmaut is Israel's Independence Day. An official ceremony
is held annually on the eve of Yom Ha'atzmaut 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.
Yom Yerushalaim - Jerusalem Day
Jerusalem Day 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.
See also
Notes
- "Yom Tov" is also a Jewish given name.
- Jewish Holidays, Union for Reform Judaism,
accessed October 2, 2008
References
Greenberg, Irving.
The Jewish Way: Living the Holidays.
New York: Touchstone, 1988.
Renberg, Dalia H.
The Complete Family Guide to Jewish
Holidays. New York: Adama, 1985.
Strassfeld, Michael.
The Jewish Holidays: A Guide and
Commentary. New York: Harper & Row, 1985.
External links
Wikis
Quiz
Facts
Map
Search