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Holidays/High Holy Days
Below you will find a guide to the major holidays. Just click on a holiday to learn more.
Days of Awe
Rosh Hashanah
Yom Kippur
Sukkot
Simchat Torah
Chanukah
Tu B'Shevat
Purim
Passover
Yom Hashoah
Yom Hazikaron
Yom Ha Atzma'ut
Shavuot
Tisha B'Av
The call of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah rouses us from summer drowsiness, giving us a fresh supply of spiritual energy. For the next ten days we feel ourselves drawing closer to God, until we reach the spiritual heights of Yom Kippur. It is a time of reflection: a time to reflect on the past, to marvel at the wonders of God's world, and to think about what we want ourselves and our children to become.
In the weeks preceding Rosh Hashanah and during the days that follow, many people visit the graves of loved ones. This custom helps us consider our past as we prepare for a new year. It is also considered worthy to perform a cheshbon ha-nefesh-a personal spiritual inventory, to facilitate our growth of character in the year ahead.
A medieval poet wrote, On Rosh Hashanah it is written, and on Yom Kippur it is sealed. These words, which we recite during the Rosh Hashanah morning service, tie the two holidays together with a powerful image. Tradition says that on Rosh Hashanah God writes judgments in the Book of Life, but the book remains open until Yom Kippur. During these ten days of repentance, we have the opportunity through prayer, the performance of mitzvot (righteous acts), and the resolve to become better people, to influence God's judgment-that is, to be Sealed in the Book of Life.
"And that day a great shofar will sound." The sounding of the shofar calls to mind ancient times and reminds us of our covenant with G-d at Sinai.
The sounding of the shofar follows a specific pattern that incorporates four distinct sounds. In Hebrew, these are:
tekiah, one long blast
shevarim, three short blasts
teruah, nine staccato blasts
tekiah gedolah, one very long blast
The Hebrew words Rosh Hashanah mean "head of the year," and this day, the first of the Hebrew month Tishre, marks the beginning of the Jewish year. It also celebrates the creation of the world, for Jewish tradition tells us that G-d completed the seven days of Creation on Rosh Hashanah. It is a time to review the past year, considering both the good we have done and the times when we did not measure up. It is also Yom Ha-Din, the Day of Judgment. The Jewish tradition holds that we are evenly balanced: part good, part sinful. Thus one righteous act, one mitzvah, can tip the scales in our favor, and we can be inscribed in the Book of Life.
Rosh Hashanah, like all Jewish holidays, begins in the evening. The home festival service includes reciting the blessing over the candles, the Sheheheyanu (a blessing for special occasions), the festival Kiddush over wine, and the blessing over bread, Ha-Motzi. Rather than the traditional oval braided bread, the challah for Rosh Hashanah is round, representing our cyclical sense of time. As one year ends and another begins, we come full circle like a wheel. Some sources liken the round challah to a majestic crown, a symbol of God's sovereignty. We eat the challah with apple slices dipped in honey to express our hope for a sweet year.
Generations of Jews have greeted each other with the traditional Rosh Hashanah refrain: May you be inscribed for a good year! In the last century, as families spread out over larger distances, people began sending these greetings through the mail on Rosh Hashanah cards. Shanah Tovah-A Good Year!
Tashlikh
In the afternoon, following Rosh Hashanah services, many people traditionally go to a nearby river or other body of flowing water and throw crumbs into the waters, symbolic of ridding themselves of their sins. Inspired by the phrase You will cast your sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7: 19), it helps us make a fresh start for the New Year.
More than anything else, Yom Kippur is about forgiveness. On Rosh Hashanah we began to review our shortcomings and successes of the past year. The days that follow provide the opportunity to apologize for our errors and seek forgiveness from those we may have wronged. This is teshuvah, or repentance. It is only after we have worked out our grievances among ourselves, forgiving and being forgiven by our families and friends, that we can then ask God's forgiveness. Yom Kippur is about our repentance and about God's mercy.
Yom Kippur is a solemn day, a day for thought and for prayer. Our focus is on the spiritual rather than the temporal, and to emphasize this, we fast from sundown to sundown. Fasting teaches us compassion. Fasting points up our own human frailty and dependence upon God. Tradition requires adults to fast, but not young children, the elderly, or the sick.
The evening service in the synagogue takes its name from the famous prayer Kol Nidre, noted for its sad yet beautiful melody. Written in Aramaic, it is traditionally sung by the cantor. In Kol Nidre we ask for God's understanding and forgiveness for the vows we made to God that we are unable to keep. A vow is a holy promise and we need forgiveness if we break it. Forgive and pardon our sins on this Day of Atonement.
Yom Kippur services include Yizkor, the memorial service for the dead, and two Torah readings. During the afternoon service we read the Book of Jonah, with its story of the prophet who tried to run from G-d's command but was unable to do so and of the people of an evil city who repent their ways and are forgiven.
The concluding service of Yom Kippur is Ne'ilah, or the closing of the gates of heaven, as the Book of Life is sealed. Ne'ilah ends with one final blast of the shofar and the cry, Next year in Jerusalem!
At the close of the Ne'ilah service, CBI invites their congregants to break the fast together with Challah and drink. Later, at home, we enjoy a special meal shared with family and friends, perhaps inviting people who would otherwise be alone. It is a joyful evening after a long and solemn day. We feel reinvigorated for the year that lies ahead.
The Talmud calls Sukkot The Festival. In the fall, with the harvest safely stored, the ancient Israelites commenced a week-long celebration of thanksgiving. Many went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. There they stayed in makeshift little huts which eventually lent their name, sukkot, to the festival.
The Rabbis drew a symbolic connection between those huts and the tents of the Hebrews in the Sinai wilderness and the holiday becomes a reminder of our ultimate dependence on God.
The sukkot are also linked to the huts built by our ancestors at harvest time. These farmers had to work continuously lest the produce rot in the fields, so they built little huts close to their fields and worked from first light to darkness.
Today we sit in the sukkah at our leisure. In the pleasant evening air, we sing and eat in the sukkah, lingering as long as the weather permits. Some people even sleep overnight in their sukkah. The Rabbis gave detailed instructions to sukkah builders. A sukkah must have at least three walls. These can be made of the flimsiest of materials, even cloth, as long as it does not tear in strong wind. The roof is covered with leaves or branches called "schach", thick enough to give shade but sparse enough to let you see the stars at night. The structure is decorated with fruits, vegetables, artwork, or anything festive and special. The construction is done before the holidays; some families begin to build a sukkah right after breaking the fast on Yom Kippur.
During the synagogue service it is a mitzvah and a wonderfully aesthetic experience to gather together the lulav and etrog, known collectively as the four species. The etrog is a fragrant lemon-like fruit or citron. The lulav bundle contains three different types of tree twigs: palm, myrtle, and willow. The lulav is shaken in every direction-to the front, to the right, to the back, to the left, up, and down-demonstrating our recognition that God is everywhere. Some rabbis have likened each of the four species to different types of Jews; while held together they symbolize the unity of the Jewish people.
At Congregation B'nai Israel, it has become a tradition to bless the children born between last Sukkot and this one at the evening Sukkot service.
Simchat Torah, translated as rejoicing in the Torah, celebrates the annual cycle of Torah reading. On Simchat Torah we finish the last portion of Deuteronomy and begin again with the first chapter of Genesis. The holiday has evolved into a dancing and singing holiday, one that has been compared to a joyous wedding. It brings the Torah closer to all of us, scholar and non-scholar, adult and child.
In the synagogue, during the service, the Torah scroll is taken out of the Ark, or Aron HaKodesh. Singing songs, everyone parades around the synagogue in a series of seven processions called hakkafot or circlings. By the end of the last hakkafah, everyone who wants to has carried the Torah. Children wave flags and march along too. During the service, children who have achieved perfect attendance at our School for Living Judaism or at a Jewish Day School receive the honor of holding a part of the Torah as it is unwound completely and displayed in the sanctuary.
Although Chanukah has no basis in the Bible, it is the best documented of all the Jewish holidays. Its story is simple yet powerful and it captivates even young children. In 168 B.C.E. a small group of Jews, led by Judah The Maccabee, rebelled against Greek idolatrous practices forced upon them by the Syrian rulers. They refused to submit to the new order of Antiochus IV; King of Syria, who had outlawed the study of Torah and circumcision and placed idols in the Temple of Jerusalem. The Maccabees fought a bold campaign of guerrilla warfare, attacking and retreating to camps hidden in the Judean hills. Despite tremendous odds, they drove the Syrian-Greeks out of the land.
In the month of Kislev in the year 165 B.C.E. the Maccabees rededicated the Temple to Jewish worship. They then celebrated with an eight-day festival. The holiday's name, Chanukah, comes from the Hebrew word for dedication.
Five hundred years later the Rabbis of the Talmud reexamined the message of Chanukah. Instead of emphasizing a military battle to keep Judaism alive, they spoke of God's miraculous way. When the Maccabees purified the Temple, the Talmud tells us, they found a small vial of oil for the Temple lamp, containing enough to last only one day. Eight days later the menorah still burned! In recounting this miracle, the Rabbis lifted Chanukah from its historical context. More than a commemoration of victory in war, Chanukah now celebrated faith in God.
Today we mark the celebration of Chanukah with the lighting of the Chanukiah (the nine-branched menorah). Eight lights represent the eight days of the holiday, and the ninth, called the shamash, is used to light the others. The menorah stands as the most compelling symbol of Chanukah. In ancient times it stood in the Temple in Jerusalem, a symbol of Jewish peoplehood long before the Maccabees' revolt. The original seven-branched menorah is first mentioned in the Bible, but, in modern time, on Chanukah we now use one with nine branches.
A special song for Chanukah is Maoz Tzur (Rock of Ages). For countless generations, Jews have sung these words at Chanukah. After the lighting of the candles we sing Maoz Tzur and children play the special dreidel game. Candy, nuts, raisins or Chanukah gelt (money) supply the "pot" in this traditional game from Eastern Europe. There is also a Hebrew saying associated with the four letters. They stand for: Nes Gadol Hayah Sham-A Great Miracle Happened There.
The practice of giving children small amounts of money, or gelt, for Chanukah is an old Eastern European custom probably had its origins in the tzedakah, or charity, given to needy students at Chanukah time so they could finish their Torah studies. In the United States, Jews have expanded the custom of gelt-giving to a more elaborate exchange of gifts, adding a new layer of joy to an already happy holiday. Children might also choose a toy to donate to charity, thus emphasizing the special tradition of tzedakah in Judaism.
Winter is here yet we eagerly await the first signs of spring. It is time to celebrate Tu B'Shevat-the new year for trees.
In Talmudic times the Rabbis chose the fifteenth day of the month of Shevat to mark the yearly aging of all trees. After the destruction of the Second Temple and the exile of Jews from their land, Tu B'Shevat also became a special link to Israel, a day to eat fruits associated with Eretz Yisrael. Later, as Jews began to return to settle in Israel during the late 1800s, they planted trees in order to revive the barren land, and Tu B'Shevat became a holiday for Jews all over the world to contribute to the greening of Israel.
Many Jews celebrate Tu B'Shevat with a special seder that features many Israeli fruits and four different kinds of wine. The fruits fall into three groups: those without pits, shells, or inedible peel, such as figs, raisins, grapes, and berries; those with pits but no shells or peel, such as olives, plums, and dates; and those with outer layers that must be removed, such as oranges, grapefruits, almonds, and pomegranates.
In Israel, Tu B'Shevat is a national holiday celebrated with tree-planting ceremonies.
We make noise in the synagogue, we parade in costumes, and we let the children stay up late. It's Purim and it's time to bend the rules.
The Purim story, though full of melodrama, plot twists, and palace intrigue, stresses themes of Jewish unity and courage in the face of anti-Semitism. Esther, the young Jewish queen of Persian King Ahasuerus, risked her life to convince the monarch not to allow his evil advisor Haman to kill the Jews.
An ambitious man, Haman tried to play upon fear of the Jews to consolidate his own power. He cited the classic argument of anti-Semites: They follow different laws and customs from everyone else. He appealed to human greed, urging Persians to kill the Jews and take their possessions.
The Purim story also demonstrates the importance of courage. King Ahasuerus did not hate the Jews, nor did most of his subjects. But neither did they care enough to save them. When Haman presented his terrible plan to kill the Jews, King Ahasuerus unthinkingly agreed. Haman, by a throw of the dice called lots (purim), chose the thirteenth of Adar as the day to eliminate the Jews. Only the efforts of Esther and her cousin Mordecai defeated Haman. Only the vigilance of these heroes thwarted the enemy and rescued the Jews of Persia. As a result, Haman was unable to murder the Jews and was himself hanged for his evil plot.
According to the Book of Esther, the Jews of Persia took up arms against their enemies. But today we celebrate Purim with humor, a most nonviolent weapon. We defeat our enemy Haman by laughing at him, drowning out his name in a sea of noise while we read the megillah (Story of Esther) on Purim. We use graggers (the Yiddish name for noisemakers); we stamp our feet; we yell, hiss, and boo. We defeat Haman by laughing at him and drowning out the sound of his evil name.
The celebration of Purim calls for costumes and masks, Purim gifts, hamantashen, carnivals and Purim Shpiels (Yiddish word for play).
Purim's most recognizable and edible symbol is hamantashen, triangular cookies enclosing poppy seed or fruit filling. Their shape reminds us of Haman's three cornered hat. In Israel the confection is called oznai Haman, Haman's ears.
On Purim we put together special baskets of fruit, cookies, or other food, called mishloach manot, and send or take them to friends and relatives. In this way we fulfill Mordecai's edict and rejoice in the happiness of the day.
Children love to ask the question why. Our Rabbis knew that and built the observance of Passover, Pesach, around that very question. They also gave an answer, one that in 2,000 years has not lost its power. When children ask the question, How is this night different from all other nights? they are given a retelling of the story of how we were freed from slavery in Egypt. All people in every generation, must regard themselves as having been personally freed from Egypt.
We retell the Passover story in the warm, inviting atmosphere of a family feast, the seder. The Rabbis designed the seder as a way of passing Jewish identity and awareness from parents to their children, from generation to generation. In fact, the name of the book containing the seder service, Haggadah, means telling. It comes from the biblical phrase, And you shall tell your child.
Passover celebrates our beginning as a free and independent people. The Book of Exodus captures those distant yet familiar events: Moses' confrontations with Pharaoh; the ten plagues; the hurried departure of the Hebrew slaves; the miraculous parting of the Sea of Reeds (often referred to as the Red Sea). We are entranced by the drama and emotional content of the story, but we find it more difficult to understand that we were those Hebrews enslaved in Egypt. At the Passover seder we put ourselves inside that story by performing various ritual acts including dipping greens in salt water and spilling drops of wine.
Generations of Jews have greeted Passover with strenuous housecleaning to remove all traces of hametz or leaven-the substance that makes dough rise. Jewish tradition provides the reason for this spring cleaning. When the Hebrew slaves heard that Pharaoh would permit them to leave Egypt, they packed hurriedly lest he change his mind. Carrying dough for bread on their backs, they let it bake in the desert sun. Later God commanded the people to remember their deliverance from Egypt each year by eating matzah and avoiding all hametz.
When the Temple was destroyed, our Rabbis developed ways to keep the memory of the Exodus alive. One of these ways was the seder, a ritual meal modeled after the elaborate banquets of the Greeks. Later generations added other readings and songs and set the order down in a book called the Haggadah.
The centerpiece of the seder table is the seder plate containing the five ritual foods of Passover:
• Zeroah, the roasted lamb bone, reminds us of the Temple sacrifice.
• Betzah, a roasted egg, is a symbol of the ancient festival offering as well as a reminder of spring and rebirth.
• Maror, a bitter herb, traditionally horseradish, recalls the bitter taste of slavery.
• Karpas, a green vegetable such as parsley, is another symbol of spring.
• Haroset, reminds us of the brick mortar used by the Hebrew slaves. People of Eastern Europe make haroset from apples, nuts, and wine. Sephardic Jews use other recipes containing dates, raisins, and figs, the fruits of Mediterranean lands.
A separate plate with three pieces of matzah, covered with a cloth, sits nearby.
Every place setting at the seder table gets a wine glass, even the children's (though many people fill the children's glass with grape juice). During the seder we drink four cups of wine.
A pillow is placed on the seder leader's chair or at all the places at the table. Participants in ancient Greek and Roman banquets reclined while slaves stood throughout the meal. We therefore recline in yet another joyous recognition of freedom.
We begin the seder with candle lighting and the festival kiddush over wine. Then the karpas, or green vegetable, is dipped in salt water, mixing the promise of spring green with the salt of slavery's tears.
The Afikoman
The leader breaks the middle piece of matzah, setting one half aside for the afikoman. The afikoman is eaten at the end of the meal and no one can leave the seder without tasting it.
A marvelous custom has grown up around the afikoman. The seder leader hides it, and the children try to find it. Since the adults cannot finish their meal without the afikoman, they must then negotiate a settlement, usually a gift, to ensure its return.
After the meal, we fill a cup of wine for Elijah the Prophet and open the door for his arrival. Tradition says that Elijah will return one day to announce the coming of the Messiah. Perhaps this year will at last bring the long-awaited message of redemption.
In its most important aspects, Passover is for children. By explaining to them the rituals of Passover and retelling the story of the exodus, we prepare them and endow them with the legacy of their heritage as Jews and fulfill God's commandment. You shall tell your children on that day saying, It is because of what God did for me when I went free out of Egypt. For God redeemed not only our ancestors, but us with them.
Yom Ha-Shoah, literally day of the calamity, commemorates the Holocaust. On this day we remember the six million Jews who perished and, in doing so, we confront head on questions about good and evil and God's role in the world.
Many synagogues hold special prayer services. Sometimes whole communities come together to remember, to memorialize, and to recite the Mourner's Kaddish for those who were murdered.
As Jews we have the obligation to remember all the individuals whose lives were lost. Part of this obligation must include a retelling of the tragedy to our children. We must speak to them of a man named Hitler who, like Haman, wanted to kill all the Jews. This time, however, there was no Queen Esther to save them, and six million Jews were destroyed.
On Yom Ha-Atzma'ut, we can strengthen our attachment to Israel by celebrating the founding of the Jewish state. The day is often marked by special parades, Israeli music, films, dancing and food. The Israeli National Anthem, Hatikvah is sung in Israel and around the Diaspora.
Some Jews have always lived in the Land of Israel. In the late 1800s others began returning to build new settlements there. This movement came partly in response to increasing anti-Semitism and escalating violence against Jews in Europe.
The publication of Theodore Herzl's tract The Jewish State in 1895 introduced the concept of political Zionism and led to the establishment of the World Zionist Organization and introduced Herzl's dream of an internationally recognized, secure homeland for the Jewish people.
On May 14, 1948, Medinat Yisrael, the State of Israel, was proclaimed. The following day Israel was attacked by five Arab armies but emerged victorious, a new nation with its own language-modern Hebrew.
With the rebirth of the State of Israel, Judaism exists both in its homeland and in the Diaspora. Yom Ha-Atzma'ut, Independence Day, calls upon us to consider our relationship with Israel.
In Israel, Yom Ha-Atzma'ut is preceded by Yom Ha-Zikaron, the day of remembering those who died while fighting for the state. The solemnity of this day, which includes lighting candles and reciting prayers for the dead, is followed by the exuberance of celebration on Israel's Independence Day.
Every year in late spring, Jews celebrate the giving of the Torah with the festival of Shavuot.
From the beginning of Passover, farmers counted forty-nine days more until the festival of first fruits, when they made another pilgrimage to Jerusalem, this time carrying bread loaves made from the summer's first wheat crop. The passing of forty-nine days, or seven weeks, lent the second festival its more familiar name, Shavuot, meaning weeks. Shavuot comes on the fiftieth day after the beginning of Passover.
Another interpretation is that the Israelites came to Mount Sinai seven weeks after they left Egypt. Therefore Shavuot's real function is the anniversary of the giving of the Torah. Now, every year in late spring, Jews celebrate the giving of the Torah with the festival of Shavuot.
At Sinai, God and the people of Israel entered into a covenant for all time. The Jews promised to observe God's Torah for themselves, their children, and every succeeding generation. Shavuot reminds us of that everlasting covenant and calls on us to look toward the future. We pledge ourselves not only to the distant memory of that epochal event at Sinai, but also to its faithful continuation.
Shavuot celebration at home opens with the candle blessing, including the Sheheeyanu, Kiddush, and Ha-Motzi. Then the festival meal is eaten. It is the custom to eat dairy foods (sweet foods made from milk) on Shavout. A legend states that the people got so hungry while waiting for Moses to come down from the mountain that they fixed a quick meal from fresh milk. Another states that when the Jews received the Torah, they were considered as newborn infants who are only able to drink milk. Yet another traditional explanation is that when the Israelites received the Torah, they realized that their cooking pots were not kosher and so ate a meal of cold dairy foods instead of cooking.
Throughout the generations, Jews have observed Shavuot with intense prayer and study. Jews view this holiday as an affirmation of Jewish study and education. On Shavuot, CBI holds Confirmation ceremonies, at which our 10th grade religious school students declare their readiness to join the adult Jewish community.
The Ten Commandments, or The Ten Words, as they are known in Hebrew, constitute the core of the revelation at Sinai. You can carry on the Shavuot tradition of education and Torah by teaching your children about the Ten Commandments.
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
1. I am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. Do not worship any other gods but Me.
2. Do not worship idols.
3. Do not take the name of your God in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
5. Honor your father and mother.
6. Do not murder.
7. Do not commit adultery.
8. Do not steal.
9. Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. Do not covet.
The fast of the Ninth Day of Av, Tisha B'Av, marks the destruction of both the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem in 586 B.C.E. and 70 C.E. by the Babylonians and the Romans respectively. Through the centuries other significant tragedies have befallen the Jewish people on this day and aside from Yom Kippur, Tisha B'Av is the only sundown to sundown fast on the calendar.
Tisha B'Av is marked by a 24-hour fast, as well as by certain customs common to shivah, the period of mourning following a family death.
We Jews have kept the Temple alive-wherever we have been-by creating a Judaism that flourished and thrived.
