{"id":58,"date":"2018-03-09T12:58:09","date_gmt":"2018-03-09T12:58:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/?p=58"},"modified":"2023-12-28T16:09:03","modified_gmt":"2023-12-29T00:09:03","slug":"the-most-important-jewish-holidays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/index.php\/2018\/03\/09\/the-most-important-jewish-holidays\/","title":{"rendered":"The Most Important Jewish Holidays"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"58\" class=\"elementor elementor-58\" data-elementor-settings=\"[]\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-section-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-150cb06b elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"150cb06b\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-extended\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-3a37732d sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\" data-id=\"3a37732d\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a8aba8b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a8aba8b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-text-editor elementor-clearfix\">\n\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Rosh Hashanah<\/strong><br \/>The Jewish New Year, the beginning of ten days of penitence or\u00a0<em>teshuvah<\/em>\u00a0culminating on Yom Kippur. Traditionally celebrated with sweet or round foods such as apples and honey, and the blowing of the\u00a0<em>shofar<\/em>, a hollowed-out ram&#8217;s horn, during religious services. A customary greeting is\u00a0<em>shanah tovah<\/em>\u00a0or &#8220;happy new year!&#8221;<br \/><br \/><strong>Yom Kippur<\/strong><br \/>The Day of Atonement; a very solemn day devoted to fasting, prayer, and repentance. Observant Jews do not eat, drink (including water), bathe, engage in sexual activity, or wear anything made of leather on this day of awe.<br \/><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.umass.edu\/orsl\/days-awe-birthday-humility\" target=\"_self\">Learn more about the High Holy Days<\/a><\/em><br \/><br \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umass.edu\/orsl\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/photos\/etrog_moroccan_citrus_smith_college.jpg\" alt=\"Etrog \" \/><strong>Sukkot<\/strong><br \/>The week-long harvest festival of Sukkot, or &#8220;Feast of Tabernacles,&#8221; commemorates the dwelling of the Israelites in temporary booths (<em>sukkot<\/em>\u00a0in Hebrew) during their 40-year sojourn in the Sinai desert. Many families build their own\u00a0<em>sukkah<\/em>\u00a0in which it is customary to eat meals and sleep, and to shake the\u00a0<em>lulav<\/em>, a palm frond bound together with myrtle and willow branches, and the\u00a0<em>etrog<\/em>, a kind of citrus (pictured here, growing in the Smith College greenhouse, where it is identified as a &#8220;Moroccan citrus&#8221;).\u00a0<em>\u00a0Photo of etrog by Larry\u00a0Goldbaum.<br \/>\u200b<a href=\"https:\/\/www.umass.edu\/orsl\/festival-sukkot\" target=\"_self\">Learn more about Sukkot<\/a><\/em><br \/><br \/><strong>Shemini Atzeret<\/strong><br \/>Although technically a separate holiday, Shemini Atzeret (or the &#8220;Eighth Day of Assembly&#8221;) is in effect the final day of Sukkot. The last portion of the Torah is read on this day. Observant Jews do not work or travel on this\u00a0<em>yom tov<\/em>\u00a0or &#8220;holy day.&#8221;<br \/><br \/><strong>Simchat Torah<\/strong><br \/>Shemini Atzeret is immediately followed by the joyous holiday of Simchat Torah\u2014or &#8220;rejoicing of the Law&#8221;\u2014which is traditionally celebrated by dancing with Torah scrolls and singing\u00a0<em>hakafot<\/em>, songs of praise and gratitude.<\/p><p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umass.edu\/orsl\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/photos\/hanukkah_menorah.jpg\" alt=\"Menorah\" \/><strong>Hanukkah<\/strong><br \/>The eight-day festival of Hanukkah\u2014or &#8220;Festival of Lights&#8221;\u2014commemorates the miraculous victory of the Maccabees and rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem. Hanukkah is NOT the Jewish equivalent of Christmas!! In fact, it is a relatively minor Jewish holiday (in religious terms) which unlike most other Jewish holidays, has no restrictions whatsoever on work or travel\u2014although many Jewish families and communities get together to celebrate this festive holiday. It is customary to eat fried foods such as potato\u00a0<em>latkes<\/em>\u00a0or jelly doughnuts.\u00a0<em>Photo of\u00a0Hanukkah menorah (or &#8216;chanukiah&#8217; in Hebrew) by Larry\u00a0Goldbaum<\/em><br \/><br \/><strong>Purim<\/strong><br \/>This carnival-like holiday celebrates the defeat of a plot to destroy the Jews of Persia. It is customary to dress in costumes (similar to Halloween or Mardi Gras), and to give gifts of food to friends and the needy, particularly\u00a0<em>hamantashen<\/em>, triangular pastries filled with fruit or poppy seeds.<br \/><br \/><strong>Passover<\/strong>\u00a0(or\u00a0<em>Pesach<\/em>\u00a0in Hebrew)<br \/>The week-long spring festival of Pesach commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people from bondage in ancient Egypt. The Passover Seder on the first two nights\u2014an elaborate and ritualized meal\u2014recounts the story of Exodus using ritual foods, prayers, stories and songs. Only the first two and last two days of Passover are observed as full holy days, with restrictions on work and travel. However, many extended Jewish families gather for the holiday, and consequently, some Jewish students may miss the entire week of classes. (In Israel, schools are always closed for Passover.)<br \/><br \/><strong>Shavuot<\/strong><br \/>Feast of Weeks; marks the giving of the Law (Torah) at Mt Sinai.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rosh HashanahThe Jewish New Year, the beginning of ten days of penitence or\u00a0teshuvah\u00a0culminating on Yom Kippur. Traditionally celebrated with sweet or round foods such as apples and honey, and the blowing of the\u00a0shofar, a hollowed-out ram&#8217;s horn, during religious services. A customary greeting is\u00a0shanah tovah\u00a0or &#8220;happy new year!&#8221; Yom KippurThe Day of Atonement; a very solemn day devoted to fasting,&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6716,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,57,55,58],"tags":[10,13,11],"class_list":["post-58","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-education","category-holidays","category-history","tag-chanukah","tag-community","tag-education"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/xEwRBH6DSWDdFkrc8AjrJbF4aa.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcJuXT-W","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12233,"url":"https:\/\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/index.php\/2023\/09\/04\/yom-kippur-most-solemn-of-jewish-religious-holidays-just-a-few-facts\/","url_meta":{"origin":58,"position":0},"title":"Yom Kippur, most solemn of Jewish religious holidays &#8211; Just a few facts!","author":"admin","date":"04\/09\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Yom Kippur means \u201cDay of Atonement.\u201d It is the holiest and most solemn day of the Jewish year and is a fast day. According to tradition, at the end of Yom Kippur, God \u201cseals\u201d our fates for the coming year (i.e., whether we will be inscribed in the Book of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Community&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Community","link":"https:\/\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/index.php\/category\/community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/shofar-tallit-high-holidays-yom-kippur-rosh-hashanah.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/shofar-tallit-high-holidays-yom-kippur-rosh-hashanah.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/shofar-tallit-high-holidays-yom-kippur-rosh-hashanah.webp?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/shofar-tallit-high-holidays-yom-kippur-rosh-hashanah.webp?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/shofar-tallit-high-holidays-yom-kippur-rosh-hashanah.webp?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/shofar-tallit-high-holidays-yom-kippur-rosh-hashanah.webp?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12159,"url":"https:\/\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/index.php\/2023\/09\/04\/rosh-hashanah-begins-the-high-holidays-in-the-jewish-calendar\/","url_meta":{"origin":58,"position":1},"title":"Rosh Hashanah &#8211; a few facts and insights","author":"admin","date":"04\/09\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The central observance of Rosh Hashanah is blowing the\u00a0shofar\u00a0(ram\u2019s horn) on both mornings of the holiday (except on\u00a0Shabbat), which is normally done in the synagogue\u00a0as part of\u00a0the day\u2019s services. Rosh Hashanah feasts\u00a0traditionally include\u00a0round challah\u00a0bread (studded with raisins) and\u00a0apples dipped in honey, as well as\u00a0other foods\u00a0that symbolize our wishes for a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Education&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Education","link":"https:\/\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/index.php\/category\/education\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/rosh-gettyimages-1013937104-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/rosh-gettyimages-1013937104-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/rosh-gettyimages-1013937104-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/rosh-gettyimages-1013937104-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/rosh-gettyimages-1013937104-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12265,"url":"https:\/\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/index.php\/2023\/09\/04\/sukkot-is-a-festive-time-meant-for-gathering-together-a-few-facts-to-help-you\/","url_meta":{"origin":58,"position":2},"title":"Sukkot is a festive time meant for gathering together.  A few facts to help you.","author":"admin","date":"04\/09\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Sukkot\u00a0is a weeklong Jewish holiday that comes five days after\u00a0Yom Kippur. Sukkot celebrates the gathering of the harvest and commemorates the miraculous protection\u00a0G\u2011d\u00a0provided for the children of\u00a0Israel\u00a0when they left Egypt. We celebrate Sukkot by dwelling in a foliage-covered booth (known as a\u00a0sukkah) and by taking the\u00a0\u201cFour Kinds\u201d\u00a0(arba minim), four special\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Community&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Community","link":"https:\/\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/index.php\/category\/community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/sukkot.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/sukkot.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/sukkot.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/sukkot.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/sukkot.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/sukkot.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13886,"url":"https:\/\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/index.php\/2024\/12\/14\/facts-about-hannukkah\/","url_meta":{"origin":58,"position":3},"title":"Quick Facts about Hanukkah","author":"admin","date":"14\/12\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Why HanukkahHanukkah (also spelled Chanukah) is the winter \"festival of lights,\" celebrated by nightly candle lighting, special blessings, and eating tasty foods. Holiday traditions and observance vary by different origins and sects of Judaism.In the second century BCE, Judea was invaded by a Seleucid king who tried to force the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Community&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Community","link":"https:\/\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/index.php\/category\/community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/528498099.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/528498099.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/528498099.webp?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/528498099.webp?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14164,"url":"https:\/\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/index.php\/2025\/02\/04\/the-origins-and-practies-of-holidays-tu-bishvat\/","url_meta":{"origin":58,"position":4},"title":"The Origins and Practies of Holidays: Tu BiShvat","author":"admin","date":"04\/02\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Tu BiShvat (Ti BiShavat, Tu B'shevat, Tu B'Shevat, Tu Bishvat) is the Jewish new year for trees. It occurs on the 15th day of the Shvat month in the Jewish calendar. This is a lunar solar calendar, which means that the months are based on the lunar cycle, but years\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Community&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Community","link":"https:\/\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/index.php\/category\/community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/jerusalem-shel-zahav-old-city-yerushalayim-sunset-kotel-300x217.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":85,"url":"https:\/\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/index.php\/2018\/03\/09\/the-story-of-hamantaschen\/","url_meta":{"origin":58,"position":5},"title":"The Story of Hamantaschen","author":"admin","date":"09\/03\/2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Every 14th day of Adar on the Hebrew calendar Jewish people celebrate Purim. It's a joyous holiday that marks the time the Persian Jewish population was saved from genocide. Okay, while Purim does have rather dark underpinnings, it really is supposed to be a fun celebration of survival full of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Community&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Community","link":"https:\/\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/index.php\/category\/community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/purim3aa.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/purim3aa.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/purim3aa.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/purim3aa.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}