Judaism- festivals REL#4

The Feast of the Weeks (Shavuot)

Occurs fifty days after Pesach, on the sixth and seventh days of Sivan (May—June). This holiday is called Pentecost in the New Testament. Shavuot was originally a festival celebrating the first grain harvest, but later it was related to the Exodus event; the time when Moses received the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai. Jewish homes and synagogues are decorated with plants and flowers during the celebration of this holiday.

Sabbath

The most important and distinctive of all Jewish holidays. Judaism gave the world the six-day workweek, with the seventh day reserved for worship and rest. The Sabbath begins on Friday at sundown and continues until sundown on Saturday. On Friday night the Sabbath is ushered in with the Kiddush, the benediction over wine or bread, and the lighting and blessing of Sabbath candles by the woman of the house. Traditionally, the best food of the week is served at the Friday evening meal. [Orthodox and Conservative] Jews attend synagogue on Saturday morning and also read the weeks section of the Torah. Orthodox observance of the Sabbath forbids lighting or extinguishing fires or lights, riding in automobiles, smoking, carrying money, or performing any type of labor.

The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)

The holiest of all Jewish holidays. It is celebrated on the tenth of Tishre and at the end of the period of penitence, begun at Rosh Hashanah. The day is traditionally celebrated by an abstinence from work, food, and drink. The day is to be spent in the synagogue, where prayers are offered for forgiveness of sins and the possibility of reconciliation. It is also an occasion for charity.

New Year (Rosh Hashanah)

Celebrated on the first and second days of the month of Tishre (September—October). Tradition says that the days of Rosh Hashanah were also the first days of creation. The season begins a period of penitence that culminates in the next holiday, the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). The New Year is celebrated by special prayers and by eating sweets, in the hope of a good year to come.

The Feast of Dedication (Hannukkah)

Falls on the twenty-fifth of the month of Kislev (November—December). This holiday is not associated with the Exodus. In 165 BCE, Judas Maccabeus retook the Temple from the Syrian Greeks and rededicated it. Only one small container of oil was available for lighting the temple lamp which symbolized the eternal presence of God. It should have lasted only one day. However, a miracle happened and the oil lasted for eight days until a messenger bearing more oil returned. In remembrance of that event, Jews light a candle each day, for eight days. It is thus a festival of lights as well as a festival of dedication. [C] Hannukkah has been a minor holiday in Judaism until fairly recent times.

Passover (Pesach)

A holiday which begins on the fifteenth of the Hebrew month of Nisan (March—April) and lasts for eight days. It commemorates the deliverance of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. On the first two nights of Passover the Jewish family gathers for a ritual meal called Seder. The foods associated with the Exodus (lamb, unleavened bread, bitter herbs, and so on) are eaten as the family engages in rituals that recall the Exodus.

The Feast of Lots (Purium)

Celebrated on the fourteenth of Adar (February—March) as a remembrance of Jewish victory over gentile foes (and thus not associated with the Exodus). The book of Esther says that Esther, who had become the Queen of Persia, was made aware of a plot to destroy her people. By boldly approaching the king and revealing this plot to him, Esther was able to save her people from a massacre and see her chief enemy hanged upon the gibbet he had prepared for Mordecai, the Jew he chiefly hated. She was able to initiate a strategy which allowed the Jews to protect themselves. Since "lots" were cast to determine the day when the Jews were to be destroyed, the festival is known as Purim (lots). On this day the scroll of Esther is read, gifts are exchanged, and a special meal is eaten. Generally it is a day of great joy and merrymaking.

The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot)

Comes five days after Yom Kipper, on the fifteenth of Tishre. Originally this was a celebration of the autumn harvest. Like many of the other holidays, Sukkot became attached to the Exodus experience and is now kept as a remembrance of the times when the Israelites wandered in the Sinai wilderness and lived in makeshift tabernacles (sukkot). For either reason, the festival is a joyous one.

The Son/Daughter of the Commandment (Bar/Bat Mitzvah)

when a boy has reached his thirteenth birthday, he is technically a man. He can be a member of the ten adults necessary for a minyan. Usually the boy is prepared for the occasion by several years of instruction in his religion and in Hebrew. On the Sabbath after his thirteenth birthday, he reads from the scripture at synagogue, and may deliver a speech. This is a festive occasion for the boy and his parents, and the young man may receive many presents from his friends. The Bar Mitzvah may have been introduced as late as the fourteenth century, as a counter to Christian confirmation, although the age of thirteen has always been the age of majority in Judaism. A modern innovation in the Bat Mitzvah ("daughter of commandment"), a similar ceremony for girls