Festivals

This is a springtime festival known as The New Year for Trees. Its name literally translates from the Hebrew as the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat in the Jewish Calendar which corresponds to either late January or early February. Why? It celebrates that winter is coming to an end. We look forward […]

Purim is a minor festival. It is a celebration of redemption which occurs on the 14th day of the Hebrew month of Adar. This is usually in late February or March. (See The Jewish Year). Purim is a joyful celebration with a carnival atmosphere- it is especially geared towards children with a lot of fun

Passover is one of our major festivals. It has three important elements: Historical – the momentous story of the Jewish Exodus from Egypt. Spiritual – the gratitude for our freedom and the hope for freedom for all in the future. Agricultural – a celebration of springtime and new life. It is also a festival of

Shavuot comes from the Hebrew meaning ‘weeks’. Its name comes from the seven week period known as the Omer which occurred after the Exodus from Egypt and the first Passover. It is celebrated on the 6th and 7th day of the Hebrew month of Sivan, which corresponds to May or June in the secular calendar.

The High Holy Days refer the two festivals of Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) and the Ten Days of Repentance (Penitence) in between them. The commandments to observe these days are found in the Torah. Background Rosh Hashanah occurs on the first and second day of the Hebrew month

Sukkot ( Hebrew- booths, huts) is the autumn festival which celebrates the gathering in of the crops and the fruit harvest. It is also known as the Festival of the Tabernacles. Sukkot occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Tishri, five days after Yom Kippur. This corresponds to September or October in

Simchat (pronounced ch) Torah literally means ‘Rejoicing of the Law’. It is the yearly celebration of reading the last Parasha (Portion) of the Torah and immediately starting again at the beginning – in this way, one never gets to the end! This community celebration happens in September or October, a week after Sukkot. Background During the year in

The meaning of the word Chanucah (also spelled as Chanukah, Hannukkah etc) is ‘dedication’. Chanucah celebrates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in 165 B.C.E after the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrians. (Judea, as it was known at the time, was part of the Greek Empire, controlled by Antiochus IV, King of

In this Article I have included the background stories to six of the major festivals as they occur in chronological order throughout the Jewish Calendar – Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Chanucah, Purim, Passover and Shavuot. Rosh Hashanah The Binding of Isaac After many years of waiting, Abraham and Sarah were finally blessed with a son,