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Home , Av, Haggadah, Haman, Hebrew calendar, Iyar, Kinnot

Jewish Guide Tu B’ Shvat 1 as arepresentation ofthenatural cycle. amounts different in drunk are wine white and red of mixtures and , four the of one represents also seder the of section Each the 4worldsasKabballah says: for sections 4 of out formed Tuis B’shvatThe . seder to them of Israel and the agricultural emphasis that the Zionist brought with first held in 1884 in Israel due to the spiritualwas significance of the land that custom a is and trees Planting trees seder.B’shvatTu planting the holding by celebrated usually is B’shvat Tu Israel, In 1:15). it…’ (Genesis guard and it work to garden the into him put and man took ‘God for theenvironment: care to was God by humans to assigned was that task first very The focus on our ecological responsibilities and the life cycle of renewal. on the 15th of Shvat in the Hebrew and it is a for us to Tu B’Shvat is a time when we celebrate the New for trees. It falls children ( Ta’anit 23a).” for me,soIwillplantmy “…Just asmyancestorsplanted 15th dayofShvat Tu B’Shvat • • • • by water– Yetzirah (Making) The philosophical,thoughtful worldrepresented by air–Briyah (Creation) The emotionalworldrepresented by –Assiyah (Doing) earth The physicalworldofhumanrepresented by fire – Atzilut (nobility) represented worldofGod The spiritual 2 Purim 14th of 14th day “The Feast of Lots” “The Feast (fruit-filled pastries), send (gift baskets), and read the Megillah the eat hamentachen read up in to costume, dress and it is customary holiday, this baskets), During (gift Manot Mishloach send pastries), boo, to (fruit-filled Megillah the of reading the during customary also is It mentioned. is ). of of (story name the whenever graggers rattle and feet stamp hiss, choose the for killing the Jewish people. The are saved and Mordechai Mordechai to and used to that refers the Haman and lottery “lots” means saved “Purim” The are word Jews The people. Jewish the killing for Purim. as date the choose celebrating, and rejoicing for day a Adar of day 14th the declares persuaded Esther to speak to the king on behalf of the Jewish people. people. Jewish the of behalf on king the to speak to Esther to persuaded speak to Mordecai her “summoned” not had King the as request, dangerous a was Esther This However, King. the to known been not had identity Jewish her and him, to identity Jewish own her revealed She king. to the went and courageous was outraged was King The people. her against plot Haman’s revealed and King the plot. own of his victim the Haman to make a decree issued and at Haman, for had prepared that been on the gallows hanged and his were sons Haman Jews. the and Mordecai cousin) refused to bow down to him, (as worshiping idols is against Jewish law). law). Jewish Haman, against is the idols prime king’s became minister, upset worshiping (as when him, Mordecai (Esther’s to down bow to refused cousin) abroad scattered people certain a so people, is to in Haman, the a Jewish was This to plot not acceptable destroy “There him told and King the to went Haman laws Their realm. your of provinces the all in peoples the among dispersed and gave king and they The do the not observe of from those them.” people’s, every other are different tolerate to king the befitting not is it therefore to laws; planned Haman king’s pleased. he as do to Haman, to people Jewish the of fate the Jews. the all exterminate Purim is one of the most joyous and fun holidays on the Jewish calendar, as it calendar, Jewish on the holidays fun and joyous most of courage the is one Purim their how and Mordecai, and Esther heroes, two of story the celebrates story The execution. from in Persia living people Jewish the saved actions and king the when begins story main the and Esther, of Book the in told is Purim of King The him. for disobeying away his wife sends , of Persia, to identity Jewish her revealing without and wife, new his be to Esther chooses Persia. of queen the becomes she King, the 3 to practice withoutrestriction inaJewish context. in year “Next saying, by .” Seder The desire to return to this land has included the desire the end world the over all “Jews Egypt. from Exodus the before nation a as exist not did that state Jewish the of formation the and from redemption the symbolizes Seder the level global a On Egypt. left personally he/she though as feel to participant each requires Seder the level, individual an On stories, show andtell,song,food. answers, and questions contains It (literally,“telling”). story, Jews have created a “script” for the ritual of Passover, called the the tell to orderIn young. and old the of participation requiresthe As a home involving the full family as well as guests, the Seder since theactualExodus itself. Jews’ever by ancestors observed was Exodus the of story the tell to and beloved of Jewish home rituals. It is believed that the obligation The (meaning order) is probably the most celebrated commit themselves anewtoiteachyear atthePassover Seder. people Jewish the and world, the around Jews many for struggle ongoing an is a be to right the for freedom, religious to slavery from freedom, and their covenant with God at Mount struggle Sinai. The quest ’for the is Exodus the of story the Passover isoneofthegreatest ofreligious stories freedom ever told, 14th dayofNissan Passover 4 HaZikaron & Yom HaAtzmaut

Fallen Soldiers Fallen 4th day of 4th day of 5th day of Iyar for the the for Day Memorial Yom Ha’Atzmaut Yom Yom HaZikaron & HaZikaron Yom Israel’s Independence Day Israel’s Independence to Yom Ha’atzmaut takes Ha’atzmaut Yom to Hazikaron Yom The official “switch” from from “switch” The official Yom Yom Ha’Atzmaut in Israel is always preceded by Yom Hazikaron- -Memorial Day for the Fallen Soldiers. these The two days is message clear: of owe their independence--the linking very it. for lives their sacrificed who soldiers the state--to the of existence Most Most of the Jewish incorporated this communities modern holiday in into their on celebrations , the public the but hold communities some Jewish Western American North world State the have In participation. more attract to order in , following a off. day the has everyone almost so holiday; formal a is it Israel of place a few after sundown, with a ceremony Herzl in Jerusalem in which on the flag israised from half staff Mount (due to delivers Israel of president The pole. the of top the to Day) Memorial a speech of congratulations, and soldiers representing the with their flags. parade and air force army, navy, Yom Yom Ha’Atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day is celebrated on formal the the of date Hebrew the is which Iyar, of the of day fifth establishment of the state, when and read signed government” a Declaration of Tel Independence in members of the “provisional 14, 1948. to May The original corresponded date . Lag BaOmer 5 • • • • Lag BaOmer hasmanydifferent customsandtraditions: under foreign occupation. struggle to maintain a Jewish identity and maintain Jewish traditions continuous the and heroism Jewish with identified is BaOmer Lag Akivah’s students. of many killed that plague horrible the of end the of celebration a as well as Romans; the Bar against rebellion the of leader glorious the Kochvah, the of victory sole the commemorates BaOmer Lag during the Count, in which grieving traditions are performed. “break” solemn the is it semi-mourning; of time a is BaOmer Lag to Shavu’ot marking several events inJewish . Passoverfrom days 49 counts that Jewishcustom a is which Count, Omer the of day 33rd the of translation literal the is BaOmer Lag 38th dayofIyar Lag BaOmer

Visiting theVisiting grave of Rabbi and arrows. Arching games–tocelebrate Bar Kokhvah’s with bows victory as weddings andBar . the onlydayinwhichitisallowed tocelebrate Simchas, such Simchas an ancientwayofcommunicatingthattherebels used. is havingbonfires –tocelebrate thelight andto remind usof Bon Fires –oneofthemostfamouscustomsholiday died ontheday LagBaOmer. and mystic,author ofthebookKabbalah “the ”, who all 49daysbetween Passover andShavu’ot andtherefore, – Lag BaOmer is the only day of joy and celebration in – the great sage

6 Shavuot 6th day of 6th day of “Feast of “Feast Study is the primary way of preparing for the holiday. It is customary is It holiday. the for preparing of way primary the is Study in some to run study sessions until late into the night or all night long. Shavuot begins customary to with have the a offering of festive two loaves meal of bread made and from it newly is harvested wheat. There is a tradition of eating dairy foods on Shavuot because when the Israelites received the Laws at Mt. Sinai, they realized that their pots were not and kosher, so they ate uncooked dairy meals instead. Shavuot occurs on the sixth day of Sivan, exactly 50 days after the first the after days 50 exactly Sivan, of day sixth the on occurs Shavuot and the Weeks,” of means “Shavuot” “Feast word In Seder. Hebrew, stands for the seven weeks during which the people Jewish prepare themselves for the giving of the . Shavuot is the holiday that celebrates the when the Jewish people stood before God at Mt. Sinai and received the Torah. In the it is described as an agricultural holiday, a day when people come from all over the land of bearing Israel, to gifts the from Temple, the wheat and fruit of the harvest, as an offering God. to Tisha B’ 7 reading Kinnot. and chanting morning the spend will and Eicha, or lamentations, of scroll the read will people synagogues, the In leather. wear Yomor of the like much (even to eat or water), drink bathe,it is very not permitted Kippur; shave is B’av Tisha of fasting The wine, (except onShabbat) andfrom newclothes. wearing drinking or meat eating from refrain people some period, this of yourhair.cutting wellas as parties, other have or days In10 last the married get to permitted not is it time, this temple. During first the first breach in the walls of Jerusalem, which led to the destruction of the 17th day of the Hebrew month of Tamuz, and commemorates the on starts that period mourning 3 of a fast Tishaends The B’av also We commemorate theexpulsionofJews from in1492. CE. 70 in Romans the by BCE andthe destroyed was 586 temple in the Babylonians by destructed was first the On Tisha B’av we commemorate the destruction of the two temples; ”. in day saddest “the called also is therefore,B’av, Tisha date; same the on occurred the all coincidently that on the over befallen people Jewish have that tragedies many commemorating day Av,fasting of a Hebrewmonth is the of day ninth the B’av,Tishaor Jewish history” “the saddestdayin 9th dayofAv Tisha B’av 8 Jewish New Year Jewish New 1st & 2nd day of 1st & 2nd Rosh Hashanah The ten days that follow we who of are examination careful to devoted days is period This of atonement. repentance, judgment and are in an attempt to become cognizant of the ways we can improve with God. and with others, with ourselves, our relationships; Rosh Rosh Hashanah is the Day of when Judgment, God remembers and this judges During holiday sound all we the human deeds and sins. souls slumbering our awaken to meant is which horn, ram’s or , passage to and time’s to what we have done, and more important, what we could do with our lives. A total of 100 notes are sounded Another popular observance during this holiday is eating each day. new year. for a sweet a symbol of our wish apples dipped in honey, Rosh Rosh Hashanah occurs on the first two days of theHebrew month of Tishrei. Rosh Hashanah means “head of the year. New beginning of the Jewish of the celebration year” and is the 9 and bathing, and wearing leather.and bathing,wearing of day the on YomKippur. Somerefrain also fromworking,washing beforeevening the on sunset Yomnightfall after ending and Kippur before beginning fast 25- a observe others Some Eve. Kippur of on held start YomYomis the and is KolNidre The Kippur Service happiness. and health, deeds, kind with filled year new a for Life of Book the in written be will we that prayWe other. each from and God forgiveness from ask we Kippur Yom During fasting. and meditation, of repentance that began with Rosh Hashanah. It is spent in prayer, Kippur falls on the tenth of Tishrei and brings a close to the ten days year. the of sins to the “afflictaside for soul,” atone the to Yom set day name “ The Atonement.”is Itmeans Kippur”“Dayof “Day ofAtonement” 10th dayofTishrei Yom Kippur 10 Sukkot Festival of Booths Festival 15th-21st days of Tishrei 15th-21st Sukkot, Sukkot, which means Festival of Booths, lasts for 7 days, from the 15-21 There of is Tishrei. a quick transition from the somber mood of repentance and judgment from the High Holiday to a of holiday rejoicing and celebration. Sukkot marks the time of the harvest of produce before the oncoming winter. During commanded Sukkot, to build we a , are or booth, and make it our home. The sukkah is a temporary structure, usually with four walls and covered with a roof of tree branches. The structure is to remind us wandered portabilitythe of desert the in huts the Israelites of the as Sukkot of aspect agricultural The fortyfor place to place years. from is emphasized with the : the (palm branch), the as the Just (willows). aravot and (myrtle), hadasim the (), and vegetation of kinds four gather farmerwe so harvests crops, his us. has provided God for the bounty He use them to praise Atzeret 11 , asitmarks theconclusion ofSukkot. during recited also is dead, the for prayer memorial or yizkor,year. The the during fall will rain much how for time this at judged is and ritual prayer for upheld, rain is recited. According are to tradition, the world lighting candle and of rituals The Sukkot. of conclusion the marks which festival, one-day a is Atzeret Shemini 22nd dayofTishrei Shemini Atzeret 12 23rd day of Tishrei 23rd day Simchat Torah Simchat Simchat Simchat Torah completes the High Holiday cycle as it marks the completion and the beginning again of readings. the cycle Torah of the Deuteronomy, of chapter last the to one opened, are scrolls Two other to the first chapter of TheGenesis. scrolls are taken from the Ark and the whole congregation walks around the with dancing and singing. accompanied by , them seven 13 enough oil to last for one day, but miraculously, the oil lastedwhich forwas eightused to keepdays. the Eternal Flame alight in the Temple. Therewas only According to the story, the Maccabees found only a single jar of consecrated oil, eight-day celebration. defeated the Syrian forces and rededicated the Temple who in 164 Maccabees, B.C.E., with an the sons, five his and by led was oppression this Jewishhim. rebellionagainst The opposed who those of killing the and Jerusalem in Temple the of desecration of the ordered process Antiochus Judaism. the began Israel, of land Hellenization the that included persecution of those who continued to practice of Antiochus ruler B.C.E. Syria, of Epiphanes second the during begins story Hanukkah’s year). Hanukkah isalsoknown asthe “Festival ofLights”. the of darkest the in moon the of phase darkest the (at December hs omny cus hogot h egt ihs f Hanukkah. of nights eight the throughout occurs commonly This family. the of members between especially exchanged; are Gifts oil lastingeightdays. as they are cooked in oil; another remembrance of the of the Latkes miracle happenedthere.” (G-great), Gadol (N-miracle),Haya (H-happened), and Sham (S-there, meaning in Israel). Nes “A great out: spell They Hanukkah. of inscribed with a Hebrew letter. The four letters allude to the miracle is side byEach children.Dreidelswith (Four-sidedplayedare tops) Customs andObservances H “Festival ofLights” 25th dayofKislev Hanukkah anukkah falls on the 25th the on falls anukkah (Potato pancakes) are a traditional treat served on Hanukkah,

day in the Hebrew month of , usually in usually Kislev, of month Hebrew the in day However, in many homes, a tradition exists of reserving one night, typically the last night of Hanukkah, for . This may mean giving gifts or money to a charity or organization of their choice, or participating hands-on in helping others in need.

Candle Lighting The Hanukkah menorah – called a hanukkiyah – should be lit at sunset and placed near a window, so that people passing by can see the lights. Hanukkah candles may not be used for anything but enjoyment, so a shamash, a helper candle, is used to light the others. 14 Starting on the right side, one candle is added each night. The last candle added is the first lit, and the lighting continues from left to right for eight days.