Event Tag: International

Tu BiShvat or the “birthday” of all fruit trees, is a minor festival. The name is Hebrew for the 15th of the Hebrew month of Shevat. In ancient times, Tu BiShvat was merely a date on the calendar that helped Jewish farmers establish exactly when they should bring their fourth-year produce of fruit from recently planted trees to the Temple as first-fruit offerings.

Hanukkah, which is Hebrew for “dedication,” is the Festival of Lights. It commemorates the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrian Greek army, and the subsequent miracle of rededicating the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and restoring its menorah, or lamp. The miracle of Hanukkah is that only one vial of oil was found with just enough oil to illuminate the Temple lamp for one day, and yet it lasted for eight full days.

Check out the following Hanukkah Lighting Events: New York, London, Campo del Ghetto, Hudson Valley

 

 

 

Simchat Torah, a celebration of the conclusion of one and the beginning of another annual cycle of readings from the Torah. Simchat Torah conveys a clear message about the centrality of Torah in Jewish life. It is both a source of Jewish identity and a precious gift from God. Simchat Torah is the day on which the whole community gathers to come into direct contact with the Torah and to express our joy in having received it.

Shemini Atzeret is mentioned in the Bible, but its exact function is unclear. In Second Temple times, it appears to have been a day devoted to the ritual cleansing of the altar in the Temple. With the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE, this function of the day became obsolete. Although it marks the beginning of the rainy season in Israel and, therefore includes the year’s first prayer for rain.

Yom Kippur: A Day of Fasting, Prayer, and Forgiveness

Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year, celebrated by Jews all over the world after Rosh Hashanah as part of the High Holy Days. The holiday is marked by fasting for nearly 26 hours and avoiding lotions, creams, leather footwear, and marital relations. The day is spent praying for forgiveness together at synagogue. Yom Kippur came to be celebrated centuries ago, when the people of Israel left Egypt and sinned by worshipping a golden calf. The story goes: Moses ascended Mount Sinai and prayed for forgiveness. After 40 days and nights, he received God’s forgiveness and he came down the mountain, marking the beginnings of Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement. 

The day is marked by five prayer services: Kol Nidre happens the night before, Shacharit is the morning service with Musaf shortly following afterwards, Mincha is in the afternoon, and lastly, Ne’ilah is the closing service that is held just before sunset. Prayer focuses on confession and repentance, and fasting symbolizes stepping back from physical needs to focus on spiritual life. Many Jews wear white during Yom Kippur to further honor the principles of purity and humility. Yom Kippur can be celebrated a bit differently across Jewish communities, with Orthodox observing every tradition in full while reform or liberal Jews taking a custom approach. In Israel, everything shuts down for Yom Kippur.

Generally, the themes of the day center on renewal and repentance. Yom Kippur reflects many of the principles of Jewish life: introspection, accountability, and community. Teshuvah, an important concept in Judaism, is central to this holiday. It literally means “return,” as in, a return to your best self and your relationship with God. This belief lies at the heart of what Yom Kippur is. 

The Fast of Gedaliah is a day set aside to commemorate the assassination of Gedaliah, the Babylonian-appointed official charged with administering the Jewish population remaining in Judah following the destruction of the Temple and exile in 586 B.C.E. It is observed on the third of Tishrei (the day after Rosh Hashanah ) with a fast from sunrise to sundown, and like on other fast days, the recital of special prayers (“Anenu”) and the reading of selected biblical readings (Exodus 32:14; 34:1-10).

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year, it’s celebrated as the head of the Jewish year. It is the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, and a day of judgment and coronation of God as king. The central observance of Rosh Hashanah is blowing the shofar (ram’s horn) on both mornings of the holiday, which is normally done in synagogue as part of the day’s services but may be done elsewhere for those who cannot attend.