The Jewish year contains
many special days. Some are very ancient festivals described in
the Biblical books of the Torah (Pentateuch), although they have often
acquired new meanings over the ages - such as Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur,
Sukkot, Pesach and Shavuot. Others, not quite so important, were
instituted considerably later in Jewish history by the sages who created
our present form of Judaism, Rabbinic Judaism, between 2000 and 1500
years ago. The best-known example of these is Chanukkah. Finally there
are some modern dates established by the State of Israel which have
recently found a place in the worldwide Jewish calendar, for instance
Yom ha Shoah or Holocaust Memorial Day.
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SHABBAT
is the seventh day of
the week and the most important day of the week - a day of rest,
joy and spirituality. Shabbat
begins at sunset Friday evening and ends sunset on Saturday
evening. |
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THE JEWISH YEAR BEGINS WITH:
ROSH HASHANAH
(1 Tishrei);
The Jewish New Year.
This date marks the beginning of a period known as Aseret Yimai Teshuva
- the Ten days of Repentance lasting from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur.
Traditionally it is said that during this time God sits in judgement on
the entire World. On Rosh Hashanah it is customary to eat sweet foods
such as apples dipped in honey and honey cake. This symbolises our hope for a
'sweet' new
year. Rosh HaShanah is also known as
Yom ha Zikaron", the "Day of Remembrance", and is the occasion when the
Shofar is blown - presumably to wake us up and put us in a pentitential
mood.
YOM
KIPPUR
(10
Tishrei): Yom Kippur
is the 10 day after Rosh HaShanah and culminates the 10 days of penitence beginning on Rosh
Hashanah. The day means many things. Literally the words mean 'Day
of Atonement'. It is the holiest day of the year. It is the
Sabbath of Sabbaths. Traditionally it is also regarded it is as the day God saved the Jewish people
from destruction in the Sea of Reeds during their escape from Egypt. It is the day God forgave the Jewish people for their sin of
worshipping the golden calf. It is a day devoted to prayer.
It is a day devoted to consideration of how we can personally make the
World a better place. It is a day devoted to reaffirming that we
shall use every day of our lives to help make the World a better place -
in accordance with God's wishes. This task is taken so seriously that
those who are able to are commanded to fast for 24 hours in order to
detach themselves more fully from the material World in order to better
tune into God. Through prayer, repentance and acts of
charity we can redeem ourselves and help to fulfil the age old commandment of Tikkun Olam -making the World a better place.
It can be the longest day of the year but also the most
rewarding.
SUKKOT
(14 - 20 Tishrei):
Succoth
is a Hebrew word meaning
'booths'. It is an Autumn harvest festival. It also
remembers the 40 years the Israelites wandered in the desert after
the exodus from Egypt. The festival begins 5 days after Yom Kippur
on the 14th day of the month of Tishrei. It's origins lie in the
book of Leviticus (23.24) which states, "On the fifteenth day of the
seventh month there shall be a Feast of Tabernacles to the Lord for
seven days." Succoth is one of the 3 pilgrim
festivals - the others being Pesach (Passover) and Shavuot. In
biblical times the Jewish people would make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to
celebrate Succoth by offering a portion of their Autumn harvest to the
Temple. They would dwell in temporary booths or huts while they
were there. Today the holiday is celebrated by the building of a Sukkah in the synagogue, and often in our homes. The Sukkah is
made of greenery and harvest produce laid over a frame through which the
sky is visible. It represents harvest fruits and the frail huts
the Israelites lived in during their 40 years of wandering in the
desert. Kiddish is made in the Sukkah, and some Jews with Sukkahs
in their homes will eat and even sleep in them for the duration of the
festival. Two more symbols are associated with Succoth. They
are the Lulav and the etrog. Lulav is a Hebrew word meaning 'palm
branch', and specifically refers to a three sectioned structure composed
of a single palm branch in the centre, two willow branches on the left
and three myrtle branches on the right. It is about a metre in length.
Etrog is Hebrew for 'citron', and it refers to the special lemon like
fruit that is used in conjunction with the lulav on the festival of
Succoth. The lulav and the etrog are collectively known as the
four species. Waving of the lulav and etrog
in all directions symbolises the fact that God is everywhere. The
four species of which they are composed have also been interpreted as
representing four different parts of the body joined together in serving
God. The willow is the mouth - uttering a prayer; the etrog the
heart - the centre of wisdom and understanding; the palm branch is the
spine - symbolising an upright character; the myrtle the eyes - our
window on the World. Many other interpretations have also been
made - have a browse through some other web pages to find your
favourites!
SIMCHAT
TORAH
(21 Tishrei): The words 'Simcath Torah'
mean 'rejoicing in the law'. This is the annual celebration when we read
the last part of Deuteronomy (5th book of the Torah) and the first
part of Genesis (1st book of the Torah). Our Torah reading cycle has
been completed and re-begun. Simchat Torah is a very joyful
occasion. The scrolls are taken from the Ark and paraded round the
synagogue 7 times - often accompanied by flag waving, dancing and even a
L'chayim (drink) or two. In some communities the end of the scroll is read by
the Chatan Torah (bridegroom of the Torah) and the beginning is read by
the Chatan Bereshit (bridegroom of Genesis). It is customary for the
children of the community to come on to the bimah during the Simchat Torah
service to have a tallit spread above their heads and receive a special
blessing.
Meanwhile, in traditional
Judaism the festival of Shmini Atzeret - 8th day of Sukkot
on 21st Tishrei precedes Simchat Torah. Shmini Atzeret is a
mysterious festival mentioned in the Torah simply as the end of Sukkot
and a day of solemn assembly. After the times of the Torah
Rabbinic Judaism invented the new festival of Simchat Torah on the 22nd
Tishrei to celebrate the end and the beginning of the annual cycle of
Torah readings. In Orthodox Judaism Simchat Torah is celebrated on
two separate days, the 21st & 22nd Tishrei, whereas in Liberal Judaism
we celebrate both festivals together on the first day of the two, the
21st Tishrei.
CHANUKKAH
(25 Kislev - 3 Tevet):
In 168bce the Syrian Greek tyrant Antiochus Epiphanes outlawed Judaism within his
empire.
He sent his troops into the Temple in Jerusalem to
wreck it. Judah Maccabee and his guerrilla army rose up against
the Syrian Greeks and eventually defeated them. When the Jewish
forces re-entered the Temple legend has it that there was insufficient
oil found to permit the temple light to burn for more
than one day. Nevertheless the oil burnt in the lamp for 8
days. An 8 branched menorah (Chanukkiah)
is lit on each of the eight days of Chanukkah to celebrate our victory over our enemies.
Chanukkah is a very joyful festival and an occasion to exchange gifts.
Jewish sanctuaries have a light called the Ner Tamid (eternal
light)hanging in front of the ark. The Ner Tamid was probably the
same light that was lit in the Temple at the time of the Maccabees.
TU
B'SHEVAT (15
Shevat): Tu
B'Shevat is the Jewish New Year for trees (rather an odd thought!).
It is a day used to plant trees
and other greenery, and remind ourselves of our duty to care for the
planet during our time on it.
PURIM
(14
Adar):
The Purim story is told in
the biblical book of Esther. The Jews of Shushan in Persia were singled
out for destruction by the wicked Haman. The timely intervention
of the Jewish Queen Esther saw Haman's evil plan thwarted. Today
Purim has evolved into a fun holiday for children and adults. Purim parties and
carnivals are held and a good time is had by all (except for Mr Haman of
course!!). Fancy dress is de rigour as The Megillah (Book of
Esther) is read - see photo on the left!
PESACH
(15-22
Nisan): Pesach
(Passover) was originally a Spring
festival celebrating the return of growth and new life to the fields and
farms after Winter. In the Torah it was described as two different
festivals - the Passover or Pesach feast itself and the 7 day 'Chag ha
Matzot - the festival of the Matzohs. Jews have given it a spiritual dimension and it is
now one festival that principally celebrates the exodus from Egypt and our freedom from Egyptian bondage. It is called Passover
(Pesach) because the angel of death 'passed over' Jewish households
sparing Jewish children from the destruction meted out to the stubborn
Egyptians. It is traditional to eat matzos (unleavened bread) on
Pesach. This is because when Pharaoh finally agreed to let the
Jews leave Egypt they were given insufficient time to prepare food for
the journey resulting in the production of bread that had not had time
to rise. In each generation, God commands Jews to see themselves
as if they have just left Egypt and to use this experience to understand
and ease the plight of all oppressed peoples.
