Holidays and festivals Flashcards
Tu B’shvat
Reason, symbols, date
Reason: It is also called “Rosh HaShanah La’Ilanot” literally “New Year of the Trees.” In contemporary Israel, the day is celebrated as an ecological awareness day, and trees are planted in celebration.
Symbols: Kabbalistic celebration of Tu B’Shevat that originated in Safed involves eating particular fruits in a specific order [or seder, in Hebrew] and reading mystical passages appropriate to each of them. Try to eat as many different fruits and nuts on this day.
Date: 15th of Shevat
Chanukah
Reason, symbols, date
Reason: Festival of lights.
In the second century BCE, the Holy Land was ruled by the Syrian King who tried to force Jews to worship Greek gods and idols - idol of Zeus in temple. The Maccabees rebelled and defeated one for the mightiest armies on earth, drove the Greeks from the land and reclaimed the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, rededicating it to service of God. 3 year war.
When they sought the light the Temple’s Menorah they found only a single cruse of olive oil. Miraculously, they lit the menorah and the one-day supply of oil lasted for 8 days, until new oil could be prepared.
The festival commemorates the miracle of Chanakah – the oil, but not the success of the revolution as Jews do not celebrate war
Symbols:
- Chanukkia - On the first day of Chanukah one candle in the Chanukkia (which golds 9 candles) is lit, and then another each day thereafter. There is one candle for each night plus a lower one (that lights the others). On Shabbat, candles are generally lit before the Shabbat candles.
- Oily food is eaten – jam dougnuts and lot-kuhs.
- gifts of money, to children - give the children the opportunity to give tzedakah (charity). This has also spawned the phenomenon of foil-covered “chocolate gelt.”
- games
Date: 8 day festival beginning on the 25th of Kislev
Rosh Chodesh
Reason, symbols, date
Reason: A minor holiday that marks the beginning of each Hebrew month. Literally translates to “head of the month”
Symbols: On Rosh Chodesh, as on other festivals, the people are commanded to be joyous, offer sacrifices, and be reminded of God’s divinity.
- special holiday for women. To this day, some women refrain from some forms of labor on Rosh Chodesh. Jewish women gather for a wide variety of activities, from reciting tradition liturgy, to sharing a meal, discussing Jewish ethics, and working for social change.
Date: The Jewish calendar, which combines both lunar and solar aspects, has 12 months (and 13 in leap years); half of these months are 30 days long and half are 29 days.
At the end of months that have 30 days, Rosh Chodesh is observed for two days, on the 30th day of the previous month and the first day of the new month. After months that have 29 days, only the first day of the next month is observed as Rosh Chodesh.
Rosh Hashana
Reason, symbols, date
Reason
•Jewish Ney Year – “L’shanah tova”
• Time to begin introspection, reflect on the year that has been and make changes for the year ahead.
•Repentance is the main theme – seeking forgiveness between yourself and god and yourself and others – continue this throughout the 10 days of Awe. The Torah specifies that only God can right the wrongs between a person and God – people are responsible for righting the wrongs between one another
Symbols
- The Shofar is blown (ram’s horn) – it is blown each day as a call to repentance. No work is permitted – most of the day spent at shulle. Tashlikh “casting off” – throwing bread into the river.
- Apples dipped in honey = sweet new year, round challah (circle of life)
- PRAYER: book = machzor
Date
Tishrei 1-2
Yom Kippur
Reason, symbols, date
Reason
•“Day of atonement”
•Teshuva: meaning repentance or to return to. 10 days of teshuvah or the days of awe. Returning to a time before the transgression or returning to the relationship. Saying sorry
Symbols
shofar
•No work is permitted – most of the day spent at shulle
•Prayer book = machzor
oWearing White
oFasting – transcending the need for physical nourishment
oRefraining bathing, sex, leather shoes
- Leather shoes is a reference to luxury items, not leather in and of itself
• Kol Nidrei/Ma’ariv (evening service)
Date
Tishrei 10
Sukkot
Reason, symbols, date
Reason
Sukkot commemorates the forty years of wandering of the People of Israel in the desert after the exodus from Egypt.
Symbols
- In memory Jewish people are commanded to build and live in temporary dwellings for seven days. (Like Peach this is an experiential remembrance connecting Jews today with their ancestors struggle)
- The sukkah has 3 sides and roof made out of thatch or branches that allows the stars to be seen at night. Traditional to decorate the sukkah and to spend as much time as possible in it (eating meals, even sleeping.)
- Like yom Kippur, the abandonment of the material brings focus to the things in life that truly matter
- its also the end of the harvest and celebration of this.
Date Tishrei 15 (5 days after Yom Kippur)
Shavu’ot
Reason, symbols, date
Reason:
- We count the Omer during the 49 days between Passover and Shavuot.
- The festival commemorates the spring harvest and the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai.
- Second agricultural date – when the first fruits were harvested and brought to the temple
Symbols
- Counting of the omer
- Bikkurim: first fruits. This was a basket of gold or silver that contained the first harvest of the Seven Species crops and was carried to the Temple in Jerusalem in a procession accompanied by music. These crops are: barely, dates, figs, grapes, olives, pomegranates and wheat.
- Eat dairy (symbolising the dietary laws that were instructed on Mount Sainai)
Date: 2 day holiday Sivan 6-7
Simchat Torah
Reason, symbols, date
Reason
- Means “rejoicing in Torah” Celebrates and marks the conclusion of the annual cycle of the public Torah readings and the beginning of a new cycle.
- The day before is Shemini Atzeret which follows immediately after festival of Sukkot in month of Tishrei.
Symbols:
- Celebrations take place in the synagogue during the evening and morning services. This is the only time of year on which the Torah scrolls are taken out of the ark and read at night.
- When the arc is opened, the worshippers leave their seats to dance and sing with the Torah scrolls in joyous celebration that can last for several hours.
Date:
Immediately follows the 7-day holiday of Sukkot on the 23rd day of Tishrei (24 hours sun down to sun down)
Tisha B’Av
Reason, symbols, date
Reason:
- Saddest day of Jewish calendar
- Annual fast day on which a number of disasters in Jewish history occurred, primarily the destruction of both Holy Temples in Jerusalem. The First Temple was burned by the Babylonians in 423 BCE (read more) and the Second Temple fell to the Romans in 70 CE
- Later was the occurrence of 1290 expulsion of England’s Jews and the 1492 banishment of all Jews from Spain.
Symbols:
- Fasting and abstaining from other routines such as bathing, sex, wearing leather, celebrating anything (i.e going on holidays)
- It is customary to sit on low stools or on the floor, as is done during shiva, from the meal immediately before the fast until midday.
- Customary to eat a hard boiled egg, and piece of bread dipped into ashes during this meal.
- Torah study is limited to content that is sad.
Date: 9th of Av
Shabbat
Reason, symbols
Reason:
A weekly 25-hour observance from just before sundown each Friday through the completion of nightfall on Saturday. Commemorates the creation of the universe (and the seven day when God rested). Shabbat is primarily a day of rest and spiritual enrichment/ Shabbat involves two interrelated commandments: to remember (zakhor - commemorating creation and freedom from slavery - leisure is a sign of freedom) Shabbat, and to observe (shamor - to sanctify) Shabbat.
Symbols:
- arrival marked by candle-lighting ceremony. At least two candles must be lit, to signify shamor (observance) and zachor (remembrance), the two aspects of Shabbat observance which are prescribed by the 4th of the 10 Commandments. Candles out no be blown out.
- Challah is the traditional plaited bread especially baked for Shabbat and other holidays. On Friday Night two challot are present on the dinner table. This commemorates the double portion of manna that was received from God on Fridays by the people of Israel in the desert. This allowed the people on Friday to gather enough manna for both Friday and Shabbat as they were not allowed to gather manna on Shabbat.
- Wine is regarded as particularly sacred and has its own bracha (blessing). Wine sanctifies the Sabbath at its inception (kiddush) and its conclusion (havdalah).
The kiddush cup is a special goblet set aside for the blessing of the wine. If possible, it should be made from silver. The kiddush wine should lull you into a state of Shabbat serenity. It symbolises joy and cheer, and therefore it is fitting to declare the sanctity of the Sabbath over the cup of wine.
- The Shabbat table is seen as an altar and should be covered with a special white cloth. The colour white symolises spiritual purity and the Shabbat table is compared to an altar; thus it is appropriate that the table is covered with a white tablecloth.
- Blessings: washing of the hands, kiddush, lighting of the candles, blessing of the children.
- No work or labour of any kind (for some full restriction of many productive activities)
- At the major worship service on Saturday morning, a portion of the Torah is read aloud as part of a year-long cycle, supplemented by a passage from one of the prophetic books (called a haftarah).
Pesach
Reason, symbols, date
Reason
- Commemorates the story of Exodus as described in the Torah in which the Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt. “To pass through” - signifying God passing over the houses the Israelites who were spared of the plague
- Beginning of the harvest season in Israel (Sahvu’ot and Sukkot also have agricultural significance)
Symbols
- Avoid chametz – the Jews had to leave Egypt quickly and did not have time to let their bread rise. People clean their houses on the morening before the seder. Matza is eaten (unleavened bread). Jews clean their houses completely so there are no traces of chametz
- Seder dinner, Haggadah:
● Karpas: vegetable (usually parsley) dipped in salt water and eaten, symbolizing lowly
origins of Jews. Salt water symbolizes tears shed as result of slavery.
● Maggid: The story – retelling of the story of Exodus from Egypt and the first Pesach. It Begins with the youngest person asking the Four Questions
● Motzi: blessing over grain products said over matzah
● Maror: Bitter Herbs – usually raw horseradish symbolizing bitterness of slavery
Date: Starts 15th of Nissan (lasts for 8 days and no work is permitted for the first two days).
Yom Ha’atzmaut
Reason, symbols, date
Reason
Israel Independence day.
- Yom Ha’atzmaut in Israel is always preceded by Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day for the fallen soldiers. - The message of linking these two days is that Israelis owe their independence to the fallen soldiers
- For Jews around the world, joining with Israelis celebrating Yom Ha’atzmaut has become a concrete link in the Jewish connection to the land of Israel.
Symbols
In Israel families go on hikes/outdoor activities in the day. Israeli folk dancing at night.
Date
5th day of Iyar. The original date corresponded to May 14, 1948.
Yom Hashoah
Reason, symbols, date
Reason
Holocaust Memorial Day
Symbols
- In Israel, since the early 1960s, the sound of a siren on Yom Hashoah stops traffic and pedestrians for two minutes of silent devotion. The siren blows at sundown and once again at 11 a.m.
- All radio and television programs during this day are connected in one way or another with the Jewish destiny in World War II, including personal interviews with survivors. Even the musical programs are adapted to the atmosphere of Yom Hashoah.
- There is no public entertainment on Yom Hashoah, as theaters, cinemas, pubs, and other public venues are closed.
Date: 27th of Nisan a week after the seventh day of Passover, and a week before Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day for Israel’s fallen soldiers).
Purim
Reason, symbols, date
Reason
- Joyous holiday that commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people in ancient Persia from Haman’s plot “to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews, young and old, infants and women, in a single day,” as recorded in the Megillah (book of Esther).
- The story of Purim is recounted in the Book of Esther
- Esther, rises to be Queen of Persia (without revealing her identity)
- Mordecai is the leader of the Jews and Esther’s cousin and Human is the Persian PM (hates Jews).
- Mordecai refuses to bow to Human. Haman plots the Jews’ destruction - ordering their extermination on the 13ths of Adar. Esther risks her life by revealing her true identity to the king - the king then orders Haman’s death, Mordecai becomes PM and the Jews are granted the right to defend themselves against their enemies
- This story is one of the most beloved in the Jewish community, because of the hope that it gives a minority living in an oftentimes hostile majority culture.
Symbols
- Reading of the Megillah (book of Esther), which recounts the story of the Purim miracle. This is done once on the eve of Purim and then again on the following day.
- Giving money gifts to at least two poor people.
- Sending gifts of two kinds of food to at least one person.
A festive Purim feast, which often includes wine or other intoxicating beverages.
Date: 14th of Adar
When is Chanukah? Which festival comes before it?
Kislev 25
Simhat Torah (in tishrey) comes before it
