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Posted by shanta (Shane) on 7/29/2006, 12:11 pm, in reply to "Re: our older brothers" The New Year begins in autumn with the month of Tishri, followed by Cheshvan, Kislev, Tevet, Shevat, Adar, Nisan, Iyar, Sivan, Tammuz, Av and Elul. Seven times every nineteen years, an extra month, Adar Sheni, is added to adjust for the lost days of the solar year. Days, in this system, are also marked by the movement of the moon. Each day begins when the moon rises and ends the next evening. The central holy times of the Biblical calendar inherited by Rabbinic Judaism were three pilgrimage festivals: * * * A different group of traditions, grounded in the interpretation of the book of Leviticus, produced both the weekly Sabbath and the �day of atonement' at the beginning of the New Year. * * Beyond providing the foundation for most of the holidays and festivals of Judaism, their sacred text, the Torah, and the act of its recitation are celebrated in the holiday of Simchat Torah. * The unifying principle behind the celebration of the biblically grounded holidays and of the text itself is the covenantal relationship between God and the Jewish people. Holidays and festivals create the sacred time and space in which this special relationship can be recognised, nurtured and strengthened by the community. There are a variety of other holidays and festivals in the Jewish calendar, commemorating historical events and celebrating the Jewish community. Some of these are ancient and some are relatively recent. * * * *
Holidays
Pesach (�Passover�):
Pesach begins on the 15th day of the month of Nissan and ends on the 22nd (or 21st in Israel), according to the Jewish calendar. It has both historical and agricultural significance, as it commemorates both the beginning of harvest season and also the Exodus, when the Hebrews were liberated from slavery in Egypt, circa 13th century BCE. �Pesach� means �to pass through� or �to pass over�, which refers to the houses of the Jews that were spared the slaying of their firstborns in Egypt by Yahweh, before the Exodus. The holiday has certain dietary rules, rituals, and work is forbidden on its first two and last days.
Shavuot (�Weeks�):
Shavuot means �weeks�. It refers to the timing of the holiday which occurs seven weeks after Passover. It is celebrated on the 6th of the month of Sivan. It has both agricultural and historical significance as it commemorates the giving of the first fruit (the beginning of harvest season in Israel) and the giving of the Torah to Moses and the Israelites at Mount Sinai. The giving of the Torah, instead of its receiving, characterizes this holiday. Work is forbidden during the holiday, and a dairy meal is customarily served once during Shavuot. The Torah is thoroughly studied during this period.
Sukkot (�Booths�):
Sukkot occurs five days after Yom Kippur, on the 15th of Tishri, and lasts for seven days. It is a very joyful holiday representing both a harvest festival and also a historical moment, in memory of the period of wandering, the forty-year period during which the children of Israel were living in temporary shelters in the desert. Sukkot means �booths�, referring to the temporary huts which are rebuilt and decorated during the holidays, in honour of the historical significance of the holiday. Work is forbidden during the first and second days of Sukkot.
Rosh Hashanah (�New Year�):
Rosh Hashanah is on the first and second days of the month of Tishri. It means �head of the year�, and represents the Jewish New Year, when the year number changes. No work is allowed on Rosh Hashanah, and time is spent in synagogue. It is a solemn and holy time, a time to start planning the changes to make in the new year, and religious services focus on God's sovereignty, as it was on this day that God created Man. Rituals include dipping apples into honey in order to wish for a sweet new year, or emptying pockets into flowing water to cast off sins.
Yom Kippur (�Day of Atonement�):
Yom Kippur occurs on the 10th day of Tishri, and it means �Day of Atonement�. It is the holiest Jewish holiday, and most of the holiday is spent in prayer in synagogues. This holiday ensures annual atonement for sins of the past year between man and God. No work is allowed, and it includes a 25-hour fast. Yom Kippur historically refers to Moses' second trip to Mount Sinai, to replace the set of tablets containing the Ten Commandments which he had broken after his first trip, when he found Israelites worshipping a golden calf instead of God, who led them out of Egypt. The nation fasted during his second trip, from sunrise to sunset, and upon his return, Moses announced that God forgave them as he found them truly repentant.
Simchat Torah:
Simchat Torah means �Rejoicing with the Torah�. It occurs at the conclusion of Sukkot, the day during which the last portion of the Torah is read. The holiday marks the completion of the weekly Torah readings, and on the following Shabbat, the reading of the Torah is started again, beginning with Genesis, chapter 1. It is a reminder that the Torah never ends, and is a circle. Simchat Torah is a time of great celebration, and the Torah is celebrated during processions in the synagogues. Work is not permitted.
Hanukkah:
Hanukkah, the �festival of lights�, starts on the 25th day of Kislev and lasts for eight days. This holiday is not instituted in the Torah and does not have much historical significance, but it is popularly associated with Christmas, due to the proximity of the two holidays. The only key element of the holiday is light, and the only religious observance related to the holiday is the lighting of 9 candles to proclaim the historical miracle. However, it also commemorates a post-biblical event and the miracle that occurred: the day of the rededication of the Temple in 164 BCE, when God miraculously made the amount of one day's worth of oil burn brightly for eight days.
Purim:
Purim is celebrated on the 14th of Adar, according to the Biblical book of Esther. Its historical significance commemorates a time when the Jewish population that lived in Persia was saved from extermination; therefore it is a very happy holiday. The extermination of the Jews had been planned by Haman for the 13th of Adar, the day when they battled enemies for their lives. Thus, they celebrated their survival on the next day. �Purim� means �lots�, in reference to the lottery chosen by Haman to set the day for the massacre. Commandments related to Purim include listening to the reading of the book of Esther, eating, drinking, and being merry, sending out gifts of food or drink, and making gifts of charity.
Yom Ha-Shoah:
Yom Ha-Shoah occurs on the 27th of Nissan, and it represents a memorial day for the people who died in the Holocaust. �Shoah� means �Holocaust� in Hebrew. The date of the holiday was established by the Israeli government, and commemorations range from services in synagogues to educational programs. Rituals for the holiday are still being invented. However, the overall theme that marks this holiday is the importance of remembering the victims of the Holocaust, and insuring that such a catastrophe never happens again.
Yom Ha'atzma'ut:
Yom Ha'atzma'ut is Israel 's Independence Day. It is celebrated on the 5th of Iyar, the date of the establishment of the modern state of Israel in 1948, and the end of the British Mandate. This holiday is always preceded by the �Israel fallen soldiers Remembrance Day�, Yom Hazikaron, which emphasizes the fact that Israelites owe their independence to the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the state. On the eve of Yom Ha'atzma'ut, a ceremony is held on Mount Herzl, and includes speeches from Israeli officials, a march of soldiers with the flag of Israel, and the lighting of twelve beacons.
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