Happy Sigd! A Look at Ethiopian Jewish Practices November 17, 2020 Rabbi Elie Weinstock

Ethiopian Sigd holiday marked with online events at Beit Avi Chai Sigd, which is marked 50 days after , was established as a national holiday by the in 2008, and is celebrated on the Jewish date of the 29th of Heshvan. Times of 11/15/20

Israel Accepts Ethiopians of Jewish Descent, but Fewer Than Promised The Israeli government on Monday approved an airlift of 2,000 Ethiopians of Jewish descent to Israel in the coming months, prompting angry reactions from Ethiopian Israeli activists who insist that about 8,000 should be resettled. NY Times 10/12/20

Ethiopia conflict claims 1st Jewish victim; he waited 24 years to move to Israel The escalating battle between Ethiopia’s government and the leaders of the country’s northern Tigray province on November 12 claimed its first victim from Gondar’s Jewish community: Girmew Gete, 36. Gete, who had been waiting with his family to immigrate to Israel for 24 years, is survived by his partner and their 4-year-old daughter. Times of Israel 11/16/20

1) “Ethiopian Jewry: Sigd Holiday” – www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/ethiopian-sigd-holiday Sigd is an Amharic word meaning “” or “worship” and is the commonly used name for a holiday celebrated by the Ethiopian Jewish community on the 29th of the Hebrew month of . This date is exactly 50 days after Yom Kippur, usually falling out in late October or November, and according to Ethiopian Jewish tradition is also the date that God first revealed himself to Moses.

Traditionally on Sigd, members of the Ethiopian Jewish community would fast for a day during which they would meet in the morning and walk together to the highest point on a mountain. The “Kessim,” spritual leaders of the community, would carry the “Orit,” the Ethiopian , which is written in the ancient Geez language and comprised of the Five Books of Moses, the Prophetic writings, and other writings such as Song of Songs and Psalms. The Kessim recited parts of the Orit, including the Book of Nehemiah. On that day, members of the community recited Psalms and remembered the Torah, its traditions, and their desire to return to . In the afternoon they would descend back to the village and break their fast, dance and rejoice in a sort of seder reminiscent of .

The holiday symbolizes the Jewish covenant in receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai in addition to the reacceptance of the Torah that was led by the Scribe before the construction of the Second Temple. Its date is analogous to the 50 days which are counted between Passover and when the Torah was given on Mount Sinai.

2) Nechemya 8:1-8 וַיֵּאָסְפּו כָל־הָעָם כְאִ יׁש אֶחָדאֶל־הָרְ חֹוב אֲׁשֶר לִפְ נֵּי ׁשַ עַר־הַמָיִםוַיֹּאמְ רּו לְעֶזְרָ אהַסֹּפֵּר לְהָבִיא אֶ ת ־סֵּפֶרּתֹורַ ת המֹּׁשֶ אֲׁשֶ ר־ צִ ּוָה ה' אֶ ת־יִשְרָ אֵּ ל׃ וַיָבִיאעֶזְרָ א הַכֹּהֵּןאֶת־הַּתֹורָ ה לִפְ נֵּי הַקָהָלמֵּאִ יׁש וְעַד־אִשָהוְכֹּל מֵּבִ ין לִׁשְ מֹּעַבְיֹום אֶחָדלַחֹּדֶ ׁש הַשְבִ יעִ י׃ וַיִקְרָ א־בֹולִפְ נֵּי הָרְ חֹוב אֲׁשֶר לִפְ נֵּי ׁשַ עַר־הַמַיִם מִ ן־הָאֹורעַד־מַ חֲצִית הַיֹום נֶגֶד הָאֲנָׁשִ ים וְהַנָׁשִ ים וְהַמְבִ ינִים וְאָ זְנֵּי כָל־הָעָםאֶ ל־סֵּפֶרהַּתֹורָ ה׃ וַיַעֲמֹּד אעֶזְרָ הַסֹּפֵּר עַל־מִ גְדַ ל־עֵּץ ראֲׁשֶ עָשּו לַדָבָרוַיַעֲמֹּד אֶצְ לֹומַּתִתְ יָה עוְׁשֶמַ וַעֲנָיָה וְאּורִ יָה וְחִלְקִיָה ּומַ עֲשֵּ יָה עַל־יְמִ ינֹו ּומִשְ מֹּאלֹופְדָ יָה ּומִיׁשָאֵּ לּומַלְכִ יָה וְחָׁשֻׁם וְחַׁשְ בַדָ נָה זְכַרְ יָה מְ ׁשֻׁלָם׃ חוַיִפְּתַ אעֶזְרָ הַסֵּפֶרלְעֵּינֵּי כָל־ הָעָםכִ י־מֵּעַל כָל־הָעָם הָיָה ּוכְפִתְ חֹו עָמְ דּו כָל־הָעָם׃ וַיְבָ רֶ ְך עֶזְרָ א אֶ ת ה' הָא -ֹלהִ ים הַגָדֹול וַיַעֲנּוכָל־הָעָם אָמֵּן ןאָמֵּ בְ מֹּעַל יְדֵּיהֶםוַיִקְ דּו וַיִׁשְ ּתַ חֲּוֻׁ לה' אַפַיִם אָרְ צָה׃ וְיֵּׁשּועַ ּובָנִי וְׁשֵּרֵּבְ יָהיָמִ ין עַקּוב ׁשַבְתַיהֹודִ יָהמַ עֲשֵּ יָה קְלִיטָא עֲזַרְ יָה יֹוזָבָד חָנָן פְ לָאיָה וְהַלְוִיִםמְבִ ינִים אֶת־הָעָםלַּתֹורָ ה וְהָעָם עַל־עָמְ דָ ם׃ וַיִקְרְ אּו בַסֵּפֶר בְתֹורַ ת הָאֹלהִ ים מְ פֹּרָ ׁשוְשֹום שֶ כֶל וַיָבִ ינּו בַמִ קְרָא׃

The entire people assembled as one man in the square before the Water Gate, and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the scroll of the Teaching of Moses with which the LORD had charged Israel. On the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the priest brought the Teaching before the congregation, men and women and all who could listen with understanding. He read from it, facing the square before the Water Gate, from the first light until midday, to the men and the women and those who could understand; the ears of all the people were given to the scroll of the Teaching. Ezra the scribe stood upon a wooden tower made for the purpose, and beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah at his right, and at his left Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, Meshullam. Ezra opened the scroll in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people; as he opened it, all the people stood up. Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” with hands upraised. Then they bowed their heads and prostrated themselves before the LORD with their faces to the ground. Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites explained the Teaching to the people, while the people stood in their places. They read from the scroll of the Teaching of God, translating it and giving the sense; so they understood the reading.

3) Nechemya 10:29-34 And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, and all who separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to [follow] the Teaching of God, their wives, sons and daughters, all who know enough to understand, (30) join with their noble brothers, and take an oath with sanctions to follow the Teaching of God, given through Moses the servant of God, and to observe carefully all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, His rules and laws. (31) “Namely: We will not give our daughters in marriage to the peoples of the land, or take their daughters for our sons. (32) “The peoples of the land who bring their wares and all sorts of foodstuff for sale on the sabbath day—we will not buy from them on the sabbath or a holy day. “We will forgo [the produce of] the seventh year, and every outstanding debt. (33) “We have laid upon ourselves obligations: To charge ourselves one-third of a shekel yearly for the service of the House of our God— (34) for the rows of bread, for the regular meal offering and for the regular burnt offering, [for those of the] sabbaths, new moons, festivals, for consecrations, for sin offerings to atone for Israel, and for all the work in the House of our God.

4) Psalm 122 ׁשִיר הַמַ עֲלֹות לְדָוִד שָמַחְּתִ יבְ אֹּמְרִ ים לִי בֵּית ה' נֵּלְֵּך׃ עֹּמְ דֹות הָיּו רַ גְלֵּינּו בִׁשְ עָרַ יְִך יְרּוׁשָ לָ ִם׃

A song of ascents. Of David. I rejoiced when they said to me, “We are going to the House of the LORD.” Our feet stood inside your gates, O Jerusalem…

5) Traditional Psalm 122 Addition I סְ גֹד לַה׳ בְ חָצֵּר בֵּית מִ קְדָׁשֹו׃ Worship Hashem in the courtyard of His holy house.

6) Rabbi Ovadya Yosef, Yabia Omer EH 8:11 I have therefore come to the conclusion that the Falasha are the descendants of the tribes of Yisrael who have emigrated southwards to Cush. There can be no doubt that the authorities who declared them from amongst the tribe of Dan investigated and examined the evidence thoroughly and reached this conclusion on the basis of the most reliable testimony and evidence. I too… have investigated and examined this matter thoroughly after the leaders of the community approached me…

I have decided that, in my humble opinion, the Falasha are Jews who must be saved from assimilation. We should promote their immigration to the Land, educate them in the way of our holy Torah and include them in the building of the Holy Land. Thus “the children shall return to their borders.”

7) Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, 1984 letter printed in Techumin, Vol. 12, p. 98 …however, for practical application of the law it is difficult to rely on this, for it is not clear if the Radbaz knew well the reality regarding them, nor is it clear whether up until our time their status has [remained the same and] not changed… Regarding their , we must consider it a safek (doubt), and we must require of them true conversion before we permit them to marry within the Jewish community…Nevertheless, even before their conversion, it is an active precept to save them from being drawn into a non-Jewish creed and from danger, as the law is for any Jew, for safek nefashot le-hakel (a doubt involving saving lives is judged leniently), even though here the doubt is in their very status as Jews…One should also know that even if in practical application of the law they are not Jews, nevertheless, since they think they are Jews and sacrifice their lives for their Judaism, we are obligated to save them.