Holiday Descriptions
THE CALENDAR
The Jewish calendar is luni-solar in construction; thus,
holy days which occur on specific dates in the various Hebrew
months will occur on different dates in the civil (Gregorian)
calendar from year to year.
HOLY DAYS
A wide variety of feasts and fasts grace the Jewish year.
These special days mark significant events in the spiritual and
historical life of the Jewish community, from Biblical times
onward. In all cases, holy days are marked by special synagogue
services and celebration in the home. In some cases, our tradition
requires a complete interruption of the normal routine such that
one may not work or attend school, while in others, the normal
routine may be followed. The descriptions which follow will
identify into which of these two categories a holy day
falls.
SHABBAT (SABBATH)
The most regularly occurring of the Jewish holy days is
the Sabbath. Commencing at dusk on Friday evening and ending after
dark on Saturday night, the Sabbath is a particularly special day
in the Jewish week. In the tradition, it is understood to be a day
set aside for appreciation of creation. It is a day for godly
reflection and for abstaining from any involvement in creative
processes. Traditional Jews observe the Sabbath through special
home rituals and synagogue services. In practical terms, it is a
day when attendance at work or school and participation in the very
worldly concerns of business of any sort are prohibited.
ROSH HASHANAH (NEW YEAR)
YOM KIPPUR
(DAY OF ATONEMENT)
The Jewish New Year occurs in the autumn as the year's
harvest comes to an end. This two-day holiday is most specifically
a time for reflection and self-assessment for the community and for
individuals. The process of self-assessment is directed at
attaining a greater awareness of how to be a truly good person,
doing the best for one's self and for humanity. It is a time for
promoting universal peace and well-being. It is, as well, a period
of joyous celebration of creation. As such, the New Year period has
both solemn and joyous aspects.
This process of self-assessment and reflection, which
begins at the New Year, culminates in the Day of Atonement. Marked
by fasting and an extended synagogue service, this is a day of
special holiness on which severe limitations on the normal daily
routine apply. The general restrictions on work, as described for
the Sabbath, apply on the New Year and Day of Atonement as
well.
SUCCOT
(FEAST OF BOOTHS)
SIMCHAT TORAH (FESTIVAL OF REJOICING WITH THE
TORAH)
Sukkot is a joyous festival celebrating God's bountiful
harvest. At the same time, we pray for productive harvests in the
year to come and for God's bounty being shared with all humanity.
Various colourful rituals mark this nine-day festival. During the
first two days and the last two days, Sabbath-like restrictions on
work apply. The final day of the festival, Simchat Torah, is a
particularly joyous occasion which marks the conclusion of the
synagogue reading of the Torah (Pentateuch) and the immediate
recommencement of its reading, completed through the reading of
portions throughout the year.
CHANUKAH (FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS)
This early-winter celebration commemorates the victory of
the Maccabees over Hellenistic Greek oppressors in the 2nd century
before the Common Era. The Maccabean battles were fought to
establish the principles of religious pluralism and the acceptance
of the rights of religious and ethnic minorities to live according
to their traditional ways in the context of a larger and dominant
culture. This eight-day festival is marked by special home and
synagogue observances, and no restrictions on the normal work
routine apply.
PURIM
(LOTS)
Celebrated at winter's end, Purim commemorates the
salvation of the Jewish community, as described in the Biblical
Book of Esther. The story is one of a small Jewish community
involved fully and positively in the life of the realm, and the
machinations of an evil individual who sees this positive
involvement as a threat to his own position. In the end, he suffers
the consequences of his evil plot to destroy the Jewish community.
The Jewish community is spared, and its contribution to society is
noted. The story teaches that differences of religion and cultural
ways do not, and should not, preclude full involvement in civic
affairs by members of minority groups. Indeed, such involvement is
encouraged. Purim is an occasion for joyous celebration.
Traditional observance of Purim may require some adjustments to the
normal work routine but does not require absence from work.
PESACH
(PASSOVER)
Passover is a festival of the early spring; it is perhaps
the best known of the Jewish festivals. In the home and in the
synagogue, special rituals and prayers celebrate the fertility of
the land in anticipation of a new harvest and the Biblical exodus
from Egyptian bondage. The latter event is the preeminent factor in
the creation of the Jewish people some 3,500 years ago.
Sabbath-like restrictions apply on the first two and last
two days of this eight-day festival, while a restriction on the
eating of any food containing leaven applies throughout this
period. The festival commences with an elaborate feast, the Seder,
replete with foods of special symbolic importance, at which the
family relives the experience of redemption and focuses on what
Jewish peoplehood involves. On a broader level, this is a time to
consider the plight of all people who suffer a variety of
enslavements. We note that with human efforts and divine
assistance, all humanity may look forward to the joys and
responsibilities of freedom.
SHAVUOT (FEAST OF WEEKS)
Seven weeks after Passover, in the early summer, comes the
festival of Shavuot. Here is celebrated the arrival of the first
fruits of the new harvest and, as well, the giving of the Torah
(Mosaic Law) at Mount Sinai. As the new grain and new produce
nourish and sustain our bodies, so God's word nourishes and
sustains our spirits. Body and spirit as a unit, the individual
then takes up the challenge to do God's will. We dedicate ourselves
to making this world a more godly place, with all humanity living
in harmony and experiencing well-being. Sabbath-like restrictions
apply during this two-day festival.
TISHA B'AV (FAST OF NINTH DAY OF AV)
In mid-summer, Jews observe the anniversary of the
destruction of the ancient Temple which stood in Jerusalem as the
focus for ancient Jewish ritual experience. Still today, Jews turn
towards the direction of Jerusalem when in prayer. Traditional Jews
mark the day with a fast of 25 hours, from sunset to the following
day's nightfall, with prayers of mourning and with limitations on
usual work-day involvements.
OTHER HOLY DAYS
We have briefly discussed the major holy days of the
Jewish calendar. Listed below are holidays which do not impose any
limitations on the normal work day. Please note that there are
other special days throughout the year whose religious demands may
interfere with participation in a normal work routine, and, as
well, the religious response to various life-cycle events may
require an adjustment to one's usual schedule. We hope that all
requests for consideration in this regard will be addressed with
sensitivity and in the spirit of reasonable accommodation.
TU BISHEVAT (15TH DAY OF SHEVAT)
Tu Bishevat marks the first day of spring in Israel and is
considered the new year for trees. Since ancient times the Jewish
people have observed it by eating fruit grown in Israel and in
modern times by the planting of trees in the Holy Land.
YOM HASHOAH (HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY)
This day, established to remember the Holocaust and the
six million Jews who perished, is the anniversary of the Warsaw
Ghetto uprising.
YOM HAZIKARON (REMEMBRANCE DAY)
The day before Yom Ha'atzmaut is dedicated to the memory
of all who died defending Israel before and after it became a
state.
YOM HA'ATZMAUT (INDEPENDENCE DAY)
The fifth day of the Hebrew month of Iyar is Israel's
Independence Day, recognizing the establishment of the Jewish State
in 1948. The chief rabbinate of Israel recognizes this day as a
minor festival, a thanksgiving to be celebrated in the home and the
synagogue.
LAG B'OMER (THE 33RD DAY OF THE OMER)
This day serves as a break in the mourning days between
Pesach and Shavuot held as remembrance of misfortunes which
afflicted the Jewish people during the days of Roman domination as
well as during the Crusades of the Middle Ages. Lag B'Omer serves
as a reminder of the faith and courage of the Torah scholars during
the harsh rule of the Roman conquerors. No special liturgy or
synagogue ritual exists for this day; most people treat it as an
ordinary work day.
YOM YERUSHALAYIM (JERUSALEM DAY)
The newest holiday in the Jewish calendar, celebrated each
year on the 28th day of the month of Iyar, Yom Yerushalayim marks
the anniversary of the reclaiming in 1967 of Jerusalem as the
nation's capital.