Festivals and High Holy days (Part of J3) Flashcards
Pesach
“Passover”. 8 day long celebration every year in memory of Exodus when the Jews were liberated from Egypt. The meal includes unleavened bread in memory that the Hebrews did not have time to let their bread rise because they were rushed out of Egypt. “Passover” refers to the Angel of Death passing over the Jewish homes because of the lambs blood on the door.
Rosh Hashanah
“Head of the Year”. Jewish new year and festival of repentance. Teshuvah is the Hebrew term for repentance or reallignment. Day to reflect on the previous year and set things straight with others and with God. Jews have 2 days to go to others and apologise for things they have done wrong. Sweet food is eaten to symbolise the hope for a sweet new year. Some Jews throw stones into rivers to reflect casting out their sins. A shofar is blown during the Synagogue services because of Numbers 29:1 “day of blowing the horn”.
Yom Kippur
“Day of Atonement”. Jews ask for forgiveness from God. Ask God to restore their relationship with them. This is 10 days after Rosh Hashanah. Jewish people will ask for forgiveness from other people in the hope that God with forgive their sins. Jews will have a big meal than fast for 25 days to show the sacrifice and religious discipline. Jews will also not work on Yom Kippur because it is the “Shabbat of Shabbats” and everything is devoted to God without distractions. Jews will also donate to the poor to please God.
Jews do all of this to please God so he will forgive you and restore your relationship with him. They accept that what they have done is wrong as a way to build upon their relationship with God. Focuses on the importance of God’s judgement.
Shabbat
Day of Rest. Symbolises God’s day of rest during creation. Begins on Sunset Friday to Sunset Saturday. The day is devoted to God.
Shabbat in the home. Before Shabbat, the house is cleaned and all the food is prepared because they cannot do it after sunset. Families have a Friday meal together. The father blesses the children and recites the Kiddush. Everyone washes their hands as a sign of purification. After the dinner, prayers of thanksgiving are said. The Mom, 18 minutes before sunset, lights the candles and blesses Shabbat.
Shabbat in the Synagogue. Up to 5 services. None of these include intercession prayers (asking God for stuff) because God is resting as well. There is also a sermon from the Rabbi. During the sermon the ark is opened to reveal the Torah scrolls and the congregation stand. This represents the Hebrews as Moses came down with the 10 Commandments. Then the Torah is paraded around the Synagogue and verses are chanted representing the Hebrews carrying the Ark in the desert. As the Torah is paraded around, people touch it with their prayer book or tassel and touch their lips representing Ezekiel 3:3 which says that God’s word should always be on their lips.
Not working is forbidden in the Mitzvot and the Oral Law interprets that into 39 different things that are forbidden which fit modern times.
Importance of Shabbat
The importance is shows by how traditional things are done during Shabbat. How specific things are done again shows that Shabbat is important to Jews and they belief that keeping tradition is important.
Sukhot
“Tents” or “Shelters. Feast of Tabernacles. This is in memory of the fact that the Hebrews stayed in tents in the desert in Exodus and Leviticus 23: 42, “ye shall dwell in booths seven days”. The tents are made very specifically with wood or sheeting and the roof is made of branches. The interior is decorated with 4 species of plants as commanded in Leviticus. It is a mitzvot to include the 4 species: Etrog (citrus fruit), Lulav (ripe closed frond from a date palm), Hadass (myrtle boughs with leaves), Aravah (willow branches with leaves).
Shavuot
Festival of Weeks, originally a wheat harvest festival but now more focuses on the delivery of the Torah to Israel. Only Mitzvot is no work. The customs include eating dairy “land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:8)”, reading Book of Ruth (major themes of Ruth are giving, kindness, selflessness coinciding with the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people on Shavuot, decorating homes and synagogue with greenery and studying the Torah all night.
Simchat Torah
“Rejoicing the Torah”. This day completes the yearly cycle of reading the Torah and preparing to start the cycle over again. It reflects on the importance of ambition for Jewish people of developing a deeper understanding of God’s word each year. In the Synagogue, the Torah scrolls are removed from the Ark and paraded around the Synagogue. This procession is a joyful occasion. There is lots of singing and dancing to create a joyful nature representing the joyful celebration of the Jewish people when the Word of God was given to them.
