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Please be patient. Some links on this page may not work yet...that's because I haven't written the information for them yet. In time, they'll work. If you have any questions or comments, please email me
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The Hebrew or Jewish Calendar is lunar (actually it is a combination of lunar and solar, unlike the Muslim calendar, which is truly
lunar), not solar like the Gregorian Calendar used by most of the world. Whereas the Gregorian Calendar calls 1 year the time it takes
for Earth to make one orbit around the sun, the Hebrew Calendar calls 1 year 12 or 13 months (the months being lunar, unlike Gregorian
Calendar months), depending on the year. The lengths of the months on the Gregorian Calendar are set in stone, so to speak, while
the lengths of the months on the Hebrew Calendar are determined, in theory, by the phases of the moon. Thus, January, as with any other month, has a
set number of days, regardless of the moon. In fact, it is possible to have 2 full moons in a Gregorian Calendar month [hence the term
"blue moon", for the 2nd full moon in a month]. This can never happen in a Hebrew Calendar month, since, by definition, the new
moon is the beginning of the month, and the full moon is the middle of the month.
Since the length of a lunar month is somewhat shorter (an average of about 2 days shorter, in fact) than the average Gregorian
Calendar month, a Hebrew Calendar year of 12 months ends up being almost 2 weeks shorter than a Gregorian Calendar year. This
would lead to a situation like that of the Muslim Calendar, where the years precess against the Gregorian (and Hebrew) Calendar years.
(Eventually, while the Muslim Calendar started 660 some years after the Christian dating of the Gregorian Calendar, the Muslim years
will catch up to, and overtake the Gregorian and Hebrew Calendar years. This will take a little while, of course, since the gain is about
1 year every 30 years.) The Hebrew Calendar year is marked from the beginning of Tishrei, the 7th month, since, according to tradition,
that is when G-d made the Heavens and the Earth. The months, however, are counted from Nissan, the month of the Exodus, when the
Jewish people first became a people. The Hebrew Calendar year does not, obviously, match up with the Gregorian Calendar year,
neither in the year number, nor in the starting date. As a rule of thumb however, the Hebrew year can be calculated by adding 3760
years to the Gregorian Calendar year number. Just remember that 5763 started in 2002 (3759 year difference) and will end in 2003 (3760
year difference), and so on.
A number of Jewish festivals are related to agriculture, and some observances, such as the counting of the
`Omer, absolutely cannot be kept properly outside their season, and we are commanded in Torah to celebrate
Passover in the spring. In order to keep the holidays in their seasons, an "inter-calary" month is inserted into
the calendar at the end of 7 years in every 19. This is analogous to the leap year scheme of the Gregorian Calendar, giving February 29
days every 4th year except every 100th year, unless that year is also divisible by 400. The math of the Gregorian Calendar is simpler on
the surface, but the Gregorian Calendar cannot be adapted to fit the observances of the Hebrew religious year. As an aside, the
number of days in the Hebrew months is, for the most part, set. Two months, however, Cheshvan and Kislev, do not have a set
number of days. This leeway allows for the tweaking of the calendar in order to prevent certain things from happening--for instance,
Yom Kippur cannot be allowed to fall on a Friday. If the calendar could not be modified slightly in order to prevent this, it would fall
on a Friday, which would prevent one from preparing properly for the Sabbath, etc. So! Something else to learn!
View a graphical layout of the Hebrew/Jewish Calendar
Interesting site about the Hebrew Calendar
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Traditional Foods
Beyond the ubiquitous braided challot (two are used on Shabbat), the foods traditionally associated with the
celebration of Shabbat vary by community. For Ashkenazim, a sure sign that shabos is here is gefilte fish, wine,
chulent and chicken.
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Source
"G-d blessed the seventh day and made it holy. On it G-d rested from all work." Genesis 2:3
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Date
Every week, beginning at sundown Friday and ending Saturday night when three stars are visible in the sky.
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Shabes in Yiddish, Shabbos in Ashkenazic Hebrew, Sabbath in English, it has been called the Jews' greatest
gift to Western Civilization, and it is said that inasmuch as the Jews have kept the Sabbath, the Sabbath has kept the Jews. It is,
in fact, one of G-d's greatest gift to the Jews.
In order to sanctify the Sabbath, it is customary to prepare by cleaning house, washing, and wearing clean clothes. Prior to lighting
candles, it is tradition to drop a few coins into a pishke (a small cup or box into which money for tzedaka is placed). Two candles are lit,
18 minutes before sunset (in summer many people "make Shabbat" early), in recognition of the dual mitzva of keeping (guarding) and
commemorating the Sabbath. (The recurrent number 18 is special in that the letters for the word "life", chay in Hebrew, have a
gmatriya, or numerical equivalence, of 18.)
The Sabbath is the holiest day of the week, from the time candles are lit to usher it in until havdallah (literally "separation"), the
ceremony which ceremonially ends the Sabbath. It is a day for worship through prayer and study, a day to rest from any sort of
creative work (hence its appellation Yom Menuchah).
In the synagogue, the Sabbath is observed by the addition of the Musaf (literally additional) service and additional aliyot.
The commandment to rest on the seventh day has long been seen as the cornerstone of observance of Torah, along with the
observance of the dietary laws (kashrut) and the laws of family purity. "Rest" is defined as all work which could not be
performed in the construction of the Tabernacle in the desert and fits loosely into the following seven categories:
- Growing & Preparing Food
- Manufacture of Clothing
- Leatherwork & Writing
- Construction or Destroying
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- Lighting & Quenching Fire
- Completing Work already Begun
- Transporting Goods in Public
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Some of these are very loose categories, into which a number of seemingly unrelated prohibitions are lumped. (e.g. tying or
untying knots, combining raw materials, tearing (anything, including paper) & sorting are all included in "manufacture of
clothing"). The use of money is also prohibited for two reasons: (1) it requires transportation of goods in public and (2) requires that
someone do work of some sort.
All that being said, the Sabbath is a time of joy and celebration of our rest, not a burden to be borne. It can take a long time to learn to
fully observe the Sabbath. Like any other aspect of Jewish observance, after much work, it becomes a matter of habit which is very
rewarding.
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Traditional Foods
There are no foods associated with Yom Kippur Katan. Some communities observe a fast on this day, and in some communities where no fast is regularly observed, a public fast is sometimes called.
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Source
The Holy One, Blessed is He, said "Bring an atonement for Me for My having diminished the moon". Rashi, Numbers 28:15; Talmud (Shevuos 9a)
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Date
Yom Kippur Katan is observed on the last day of the month. Depending on the month, this is either the 29th or the 30th of the month.
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While not mentioned anywhere specifically as a day of repentence, the theme is evident in the Musaf for Rosh Chodesh: "New Moons have You given to Your people, a time of atonement for all their offspring." Rosh Chodesh is
to be celebrated as a festive day, a day of renewal, when mourning, fasting, etc. are forbidden. It is a day of atonement and renewal, which can come only after repentence. Because it is forbidden to make Rosh Chodesh a somber day, the
practice developed of observing the day preceding Rosh Chodesh as a day for repairing breaches, as well as for introspection. It is a time, when the moon, which reflects the brilliance of the Sun, is obscured. Despite that, we know that
in two weeks' time, it will again be reflecting at full intensity. In the same way, the end of the month is an appropriate time to take an accounting of how well our conduct reflects the glory of Hashem, as well as how well we've met the goals
we have set for ourselves, and to renew our resolve, so that we, like the moon, can better reflect the glory of Hakadosh barukh Hu.
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Traditional Foods
There are no foods associated with the New Moon, as such. In Biblical times, a special offering was made on Rosh
Chodesh.
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Source
"On your new moons, you shall present a burnt offering to G-d" Numbers 28:11
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Date
Depending on the month, Rosh Chodesh is observed for either 1 or 2 days. When it is observed for 2 days, the first day of
the observance always falls on the 30th day of the preceeding month and the second day is the first day of the
new month.
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The Hebrew calendar months are lunar, meaning that the length of the months is determined by the phases of the moon. Each new
moon signals the beginning of a new month. The length of the lunar cycle does not jive exactly with the passage of solar days,
therefore some months are 29 days long, while others are 30. When a month is 30 days long, Rosh Chodesh for the following month is
observed for 2 days (see "Date" at right). Like Rosh Hashana, Rosh Chodesh is a time to reflect on the past month, and gives
us an opportunity to improve in the coming month. According to tradition, Rosh Chodesh is a holiday for women, who did not partake
in the idolatry of the Golden Calf at Sinai.
The new moon is celebrated by the addition of special liturgical prayers for the day(s) as well as by the recitation of Kiddush
Levana, a joyous celebration of song.
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Traditional Foods
The foods traditionally associated with the celebration of Rosh HaShanah are apple slices dipped in honey, to signify the
hope for a sweet new year, and a round challah to signify G-d's crown.
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Source
"...In the seventh month, in the first of the month, you shall have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of horns, a memorial of blowing
of horns, a holy convocation." Leviticus 23:24
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Date
Rosh Hashanah is the first 2 days of the month of Tishre, the 7th month on the Hebrew calendar. The Reform
celebrate only the 1st day of Tishre. Rosh Hashana comes at the end of the month of penitence of Elul,
concluding with the week of Slichot, and marks the beginning of the 10-day period of penitence, as the Aseret Yemei Tshuva.
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We count our months from Nissan, the first month on the Jewish calendar, the month of the Exodus (Yetziat Mitzrayim) from
Egypt, because that is the month when we first became a Nation. However, the new year is celebrated at the beginning of the seventh
month, because, according to tradition, the first evening and morning, the first day of creation, was the first day of Tishre.
Both days are considered as days of rest, with the exception that, unless it is the Sabbath, it is permitted to prepare food for the
holiday, during the holiday. Unlike other holidays which are observed for 2 days in the galut ("diaspora"), but only one in Israel, Rosh
Hashanah is celebrated for 2 days in Israel also. The Reform, however, celebrate only the first day as Rosh Hashanah.
While it is a festive holiday, the festivity is tempered by the solemnity of inward reflection as we seek to renew ourselves with the new
year. It is a fresh chance to rectify the wrongs we have committed in the preceding year. One way to get into the spirit of this aspect
of the holiday is by participating in Tashlikh, a ceremony where we symbolically cast off our sins.
Rosh HaShanah is the first of the Yamim Nora'im, the Days of Awe (Yom Kippur being the other), so called because on this day begins
the period of 10 days during which we are judged for the past year, and our names are inscribed for the coming year either in the Book
of Life or (God-forbid) in the other book.
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Traditional Foods
There are no special foods associated with this time of penitence.
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Source
P’sikta Rabati, Tanhuma, P’sikta D’Rav Kahana, et al.
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Date
1 Tishre-10 Tishre. From the beginning of Rosh HaShanah, through Tzom Gedalya and ending at the close of Yom
Kippur.
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The 10 Days of Repentence, from the beginning of Rosh HaShanah and ending at the close of Yom
Kippur is a time of repentence, a time to repair the rifts and breaches of the previous year.
During this time, it is customary to seek forgiveness from those we may have wronged, unintentionally, or (G-d forbid!) otherwise, in the
previous year, and to reflect on how we look in G-d's eyes. This puts us into a much better position to say the prayers of Yom Kippur
and is the only way we can reasonably ask G-d's forgiveness for our transgressions.
Another term often heard with respect to this time of penitence is the Yamim Nora'im, or, the Days of Awe, which refers specifically
to Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur.
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Traditional Foods
This is a fast day.
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Source
Mourns the assassination of Gedaliah. 2Kings 25:25
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Date
Tzom Gedalya is observed on the 3rd day of Tishre, from first light until dark.
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Tzom Gedalya, the Fast of Gedaliah, observed from dawn to dusk, mourns the assassination of Gedaliah. It is the only fast that
mourns the death of anyone. From this, we could easily assume, erroneously, that Gedaliah was a hero of some sort. The truth is,
however, that Gedaliah was the puppet governor of Judaea, appointed by the king of Babylonia. When we mourn his assassination,
we aren't mourning his death so much as the calamity which resulted because of the hot-headedness and hard-heartedness that led his
assassins to kill him. Gedaliah in fact, while not a hero, is not portrayed negatively in the Ktuvim. For whatever reason, he
instead echoes the words of the prophet Jeremiah, exhorting his countrymen not to rise in rebellion against the Babylonians. Instead
of heeding the great prophet Jeremiah or the governor Gedaliah, some of the people rose in rebellion, and when that failed, ran to the
Egyptians for protection. The end result of the rebellion was the Babylonian Exile and the beginning of the galut.
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Traditional Foods
This is a fast day.
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Source
On the 10th day of the 7th month is the day of atonement. You shall have a holy
convocation and you shall afflict your souls. Leviticus 23:27
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Date
Yom Kippur is observed on the 10th of Tishrei, from candlelighting
before sunset on 9 Tishrei, until after dark on 10 Tishrei.
It is observed for only one day by all "streams", in Israel as well as in the diaspora.
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Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the holiest day of the year on the Jewish calendar. It marks the culmination of the
Days of Awe. According to the Mishnah, it is the day on which, at its closing, people are inscribed for a
a good or bad year, depending on whether one's sins have been atoned for. It is the last chance at redemption for the year that
follows. The day opens with the Kol Nidre (All Vows) prayer, the preceding evening, in which we ask for forgiveness for any
vows (to God) that have not been met in the previous year, and more importantly, for dismissal of any vows taken in the coming year
which may be taken under duress or under conditions which we cannot possibly meet. At the close of Yom Kippur, with the Ne'ilah
("Closing") service, we mark the closing of the gates of mercy for the coming year. (Although, according to some sources, the gates
of mercy are open until the end of Shmini Atzeret.) Following a feast preceding the onset of dusk, Yom Kippur is
observed by keeping a 25-hour fast, during which, those who are able, abstain from food and water, and by attendance at all five
services for the day (the most services for any day of the year).
Yom Kippur and Rosh HaShanah are often referred to together as the "Yamim Nora'im",
the Days of Awe.
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Traditional Foods
There are no foods regarded as particularly special to Sukkot. (manna maybe? :-))
Many people however, like to have dishes such as rice-stuffed squash or beef-stew-stuffed pumpkin.
Stuffed cabbage and kreplach are also popular.
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Source
Speak unto the children of Israel saying, the 15th day of this 7th month is the festival of sukot, seven days unto Hashem.
Leviticus 23:34
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Date
15-21 Tishre. 21 Tishre is also called Hosha'anah Rabbah. 22 Tishre is observed in the diaspora as the last day of Sukkot,
coinciding with Shmini Atzeret.
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The Four Species (lulav (palm), etrog (citron), hadasa (myrtle), and arava (brook willow)).
Ushpizin (special guests).
Skhakh (thatch).
Cool nights under starry skies (which usually ends up being cold nights under rainy skies, in Wisconsin).
This is the holiday of Nature's G-d, and on this holiday, Nature surrounds us, and only by the grace of G-d, doesn't overwhelm us.
Why, you may ask, would people who can afford perfectly good houses (complete with a roof!) abandon them for a week in the fall of the year?
We must be crazy!
The Festival of Sukkot, also called the ''Feast of Booths'' or ''Feast of Tabernacles'' is, according to Torah, a time for us to recall that in the wilderness between
Egypt and Canaan, we slept in huts (a.k.a. tabernacles, booths, sukkot).
It has been hypothesized that Sukkot was originally a harvest festival, everyone sleeping in huts in the fields rather than returning to their homes in the cities
and villages at night.
If that is the case, the holiday has not lost any of its rustic charm as a result of its transformation into a religious observance.
Sukkot is a time for us to commune with G-d by abandoning our artificially created security--our soft beds, our well-insulated walls, and our non-leaky rooves.
In this environment, we are in a much better position to recognize, and be thankful for, the many ways in which we are blessed.
In the diaspora, with the exception of the Reform movement, the first 2 and last 2 days of Sukkot are observed as days of rest (identical to the
Sabbath except that cooking is permitted on the 2nd day and the last day, with an eruv tavshilin).
In Israel, only the first and last days are.
Because of the observance of Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah in such close proximity, timewise, (they must be observed the
day following Sukkot), this leads to some rather "confusing" combinations:
Among the Reform, as in Israel, Sukkot is 7 days long, ending with Hosha'ana Rabbah, and the following day is a combination of the holidays of
Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah.
For Orthodox, Conservative, and Reconstructionist Jews, in the diaspora, Sukkot is 8 days long (because of tradition: there was a time when we couldn't be certain which
was the correct first day, in Jerusalem).
The 7th day is still Hosha'anah Rabbah, but the 8th, and final day of Sukkot is Shmini Atzeret.
The following day, the 23rd of Tishre, is Simchat Torah.
On the Sabbath of Sukkot, the book of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) is read before the Torah reading.
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Traditional Foods
There are no foods regarded as special to Hosha'anah Rabbah (Hosha'anah Rabbah is just the last day of Sukkot).
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Source
Tradition! Seriously...if anyone knows, please email the webmaster ASAP.
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Date
Hosha'anah Rabbah falls on the 21st of Tishre.
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The judgements written between Rosh Hashana and sealed on Yom Kippur for the upcoming year are, according to some midrashim, open to appeals
(hosha'anot: literally, prayers for salvation).
It is said that the world is judged for food and water during Sukkot. At the close of Hosha'anah Rabbah, so named because more hosha'anot are said on this
day than on any other day of Sukkot, the judgements are all sealed.
The synagogue services for the day are also different from the rest of the days of Chol Hamo'ed Sukkot. The overall tone of the day is more solemn than the rest of Sukkot.
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Traditional Foods
There are no foods regarded as special to Shmini Atzeret.
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Source
"On the 8th day shall be a holy convocation for you...it is a day of solemn assembly" Leviticus 23:36
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Date
Shmini Atzeret falls on the 22nd of Tishre.
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Shmini Atzeret, literally "Eighth (Day) of Assembly" is added on to the end of Sukkot.
Sukkot is, along with Pesach and Shavu'ot, one of the "Shalosh Regalim",
the three "pilgrimage festivals" marked by pilgrimage to Jerusalem, where special services were conducted at the Temple.
Traditionally, the festivities of Sukkot were extended for an extra day, while people lingered in Jerusalem (it's another full
6 months before Pesach!), and so, for obvious reasons, this "Eighth Day" became associated with the celebration of Sukkot.
In order to ensure that the blessings of the new year, just recently sealed, are not forfeited or overshadowed by excessive exuberance during
the celebration of Sukkot, Shmini Atzeret is given a rather more subdued role.
Yizkor, the memorial prayer for the deceased is recited, and tfilat geshem, the prayer for rain in Israel is added to Musaf.
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Traditional Foods
There are no foods regarded as particularly special to Isru Chag, although it is a day of celebration, so sweets are appropriate.
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Source
Psalm 118:27, Sukkah 25b, Shulchan Aruch 429:2, Jerusalem Talmud, Avoda Zarah 1:5
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Date
The day following the 3 pilgrimage festivals. In the diaspora, 24 Tishre, 23 Nisan, and 8 Sivan. In Israel, 1 day earlier.
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Isru Chag, literally, "bind the festival", is the day those who have gathered in Jerusalem for the three pilgrimage festivals (the Shalosh Regalim) traditionally depart from Jerusalem and head for home.
The day following the three pilgrim festivals (Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot) is known as Isru Chag (bind the festival), with reference to Tehillim 118:27. It is observed as a semi-festive day, when the Tachanun supplications are omitted from the Shacharit (morning) and Minchah (afternoon) services. In Temple times, Isru Chag was the day when the pilgrims left Yerushalayim for their homes. According to a talmudic statement, he who observes Isru Chag as a festive day with eating and drinking is as if he offered sacrifices upon the Mizbeach (Altar) (Sukkah 25b)
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