Rosh Hashana ~ Shana Tova!
Sundown September 28th
– sundown September 30th 2011
(Taken
from a write up by Dr. Levin on Rosh Hashana)
The Jewish New Year is a
time of joy, but a solemn kind of joy. It is a time of introspection, looking
back at the mistakes of the past year and planning the changes to make in the
new year. More than that, since the tenth day of that month is the Day of
Atonement, when the Bible specifically says that sins are to be atoned, Rosh
Hashanah is seen as part of a process of yearly repentance, one that begins
during the weeks before the New Year and ends on Shemini ‘Atzeret. Rosh
Hashanah is the day on which God annually judges all mankind, looking into
their souls and knowing if their repentance is genuine.
The Bible refers to the
holiday as “the day of remembrance” or “the day of the sounding”. According to
Jewish tradition, what is “sounded” is the shofar. The shofar is a ram’s horn
that is blown somewhat like a trumpet. In ancient times, the shofar was used to
call the people to war, to worship, and to celebrate. One of the most important
observances of this holiday is hearing the sounding of the shofar in the
synagogue. A total of 100 notes of different kinds are sounded each day. The
Bible gives no specific reason for this practice. One that has been suggested
is that the shofar’s sound is a call to repentance. Another is that it is in
remembrance of the ram that was sacrificed instead of Isaac, a story that
serves as the theme for much of the day’s liturgy. The shofar is not blown if
the holiday falls on Shabbat, for fear that one might carry his shofar in the
public domain, which is forbidden.
No work is permitted on
Rosh Hashanah. Much of the day is spent in synagogue, where the regular daily
liturgy is somewhat expanded. It’s a day to remember the past year and repent
for the sins of the past, looking forward to new things to come in the next
year. The custom treat for Rosh Hashana is apples and bread dipped in
honey and other sweet foods, a symbol of our wish for a sweet new year.
The ten days starting with
Rosh Hashana and ending with Yom Kippur are commonly known as the Days of Awe
(Yamim Noraim) or the Days of Repentance. This is a time for serious
introspection, a time to consider the sins of the previous year and repent
before Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement).
Among the customs of this
time, it is common to seek reconciliation with people you may have wronged
during the course of the year. The Talmud maintains that Yom
Kippur atones only for sins between man and God. To atone for sins against
another person, one must first seek reconciliation with that person, if
possible righting the wrongs committed against him.
This year Rosh Hashanah began at sundown
on Wednesday, September 28 and continued through sundown on Friday, September
30 (at which time Shabbat began). So many stores, restaurants in West
Jerusalem were closed for 4 consecutive days – pretty much an extended
Shabbat! No work, no shopping, no anything that could be considered
contrary to “rest.”
Yom Kippur ~ “Day of Atonement”
Sundown October 7th –
sundown October 8th 2011.
(Taken
from a write up in JUC’s Friday AM newsletter)
Yom Kippur is a complete
Sabbath for the Jewish people: no work can be performed on that day. It is a complete, 25-hour fast from
eating and drinking (even water) beginning before sunset on the evening before Yom
Kippur and ending after nightfall on the day of Yom Kippur. The Talmud also specifies additional
restrictions: washing and bathing, anointing one’s body (with cosmetics,
deodorants, etc.), wearing leather shoes (Orthodox Jews routinely wear canvas
sneakers under their dress clothes on Yom Kippur), and engaging in
sexual relations are all prohibited on Yom Kippur.
Most
of the holiday is spent in the synagogue, in prayer. It is customary to wear white on the holiday which
symbolizes purity and calls to mind the promise that Israel’s sins shall be
made as white as snow (Is. 1:18).
The
liturgy for Yom Kippur is much more extensive than for any other day of
the year. The evening service that
begins Yom Kippur is commonly known as Kol Nidre, named for the
prayer that begins the service.
Perhaps the most important addition to the regular liturgy is the confession
of the sins of the community. All
sins are confessed in the plural (we have done this, we have done that),
emphasizing communal responsibility for sins.
It
is interesting to note that these confessions do not specifically address
ritual sins. There is no “For the
sin we have sinned before you by eating pork, and for the sin we have sinned
against you by driving on Shabbat”.
The vast majority of the sins enumerated involve mistreatment of other
people, most of them by speech (offensive speech, scoffing, slander,
tale-bearing and swearing falsely, to name a few).
The
concluding service of Yom Kippur, known as Ne’ilah, is one unique
to the day. The ark (a cabinet
where the scrolls of the Torah are kept) is kept open and most people
stand throughout this service.
There is a tone of desperation in the prayers of this service. The service is sometimes referred to as
“the closing of the gates”; think of it as the “last chance” to get in a good
word before the holiday ends. The
service ends with a very long blast of the shofar. After a festive (as we are sure that
God has indeed forgiven our sins) “break-fast” meal, it is common to go out and
immediately start constructing the sukkah, to show that we are serious
about obeying all of God’s commandments.
Sukkot ~ “Feast of Tabernacles”
October 12 – October 19
2011
(Taken
from a write up in JUC’s Friday AM newsletter)
The Festival of Sukkot begins on the 15th of Tishri,
the biblical seventh month and now the first. It is preceded by the “High Holy
Days” of the New Year and Yom Kippur and as such is a part of
the fall holiday season.
The word “Sukkot” means “booths,” and refers to the temporary dwellings that
the Israelites are commanded to live in during this holiday. The name of the
holiday is frequently translated “The Feast of Tabernacles,” which, like many
translations of technical Jewish terms, isn't terribly useful unless you
already know what the term is referring to.
Like Passover and Shavu'ot, Sukkot has a dual significance:
historical and agricultural. The holiday commemorates the forty-year period
during which the children of Israel were wandering in the desert, living in
temporary shelters. Sukkot is also a
harvest festival, and is referred to as the Festival of Ingathering (Leviticus
23:33). The holiday lasts seven days. No work is permitted on the first
day of the holiday (first two outside Israel) but is permitted on the remaining
days.
The most visible aspect of this holiday is
the custom of dwelling in temporary shelters, as the Israelites did in the
wilderness. The commandment “to dwell” in a sukkah
can be fulfilled by simply eating all of one’s meals there; however, if the
weather, climate, and one's health permit, one should live in the sukkah as much as possible, including
sleeping in it.
A sukkah
must have at least three walls covered with a material that will not blow away
in the wind. Canvas covering tied or nailed to wood or metal is acceptable and
quite common. A sukkah may be any
size, so long as it is large enough to fulfill the commandment of dwelling in
it. The roof of the sukkah must be
made of natural material that grew from the ground and was cut off, such as
tree branches, corn stalks, bamboo reeds, sticks, or two-by-fours. This
covering must be left loose, not tied together or tied down. The covering must
be placed sparsely enough that the stars can be seen, but not so sparsely that
more than ten inches is open at any point or that there is more light than
shade.
It is common practice to decorate the sukkah. In Israel, the sukkah is
often decorated with the produce common there, such as pomegranates, olives and
dates. In the United States, Jews commonly hang dried squash and corn in the sukkah to decorate it, because these
vegetables are readily available at that time for the American holidays of
Halloween and Thanksgiving. Building and decorating a sukkah is a fun,
family project, much like decorating the Christmas tree is for Christians.
Many Americans, upon seeing a decorated sukkah
for the first time, remark on how much the sukkah (and the holiday
generally) reminds them of Thanksgiving. This is not entirely coincidental. The
American pilgrims, who originated the Thanksgiving holiday, were deeply
religious people. When they were trying to find a way to express their thanks
for their survival and for the harvest, they looked to the Bible for an
appropriate way of celebrating and based their holiday in part on Sukkot.
Another observance related to Sukkot
involves what are known as “the Four Species” or the lulav and etrog. The four
species in question are an etrog (a
citrus fruit native to Israel), a palm branch (in Hebrew, lulav), two willow branches (‘arava)
and three myrtle branches (hadas).
The Israelites are commanded to take these four plants and use them to “rejoice
before the Lord.” The six branches are bound together and referred to
collectively as the lulav. The etrog is held separately. With these
four species in hand, one recites a blessing and waves the species in all
six directions (east, south, west, north, up and down, symbolizing the fact
that God is everywhere).
The four species are also held during
certain prayers during each day of the holiday. These processions commemorate
similar processions around the alter of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem.
The processions are known as Hoshanahs,
because they include a prayer with the refrain, “Hosha‘ na!” (please save us!). On the seventh day of Sukkot, seven circuits are made. For
this reason, the seventh day of Sukkot
is known as Hoshanah Rabbah (the
great Hoshanah). Since this is the
beginning of winter, Jews pray that this year will not be one of drought.
Sukkot itself lasts for
seven days. The eighth day (two days outside Israel) is actually two separate
holidays, Shemini ‘Atzeret and Simhat
Torah.
Shemini ‘Atzeret literally means
“the assembly of the eight (day)”, Numbers 29:35. No work is permitted.
The Bible does not give a specific reason for Shemini ‘Atzeret
but since it is the last of the fall holidays that began with the Rosh
Hashana, it is often thought of as a “last chance” to pray and hope for a
good new year. The prayer for rain
(especially important in Israel’s dry climate) is said solemnly. Rabbinic literature explains the
holiday this way: God is like a host, who invites us. As time comes for us to leave, he has enjoyed himself so
much that He asks us to stay another day.
Simhat Torah, which means
“rejoicing in the Torah,” is the joyful aspect of this holiday. The annual cycle of weekly Torah
readings is completed at this time with the last Torah portion,
including Moses’ blessings for the tribes of Israel and the story of his death,
Deut. 33-34, and then proceeding immediately to the first chapter of Genesis,
reminding us that the Torah is a never-ending cycle. This completion of the readings is a
time of great celebration. There
are processions around the synagogue carrying Torah scrolls and plenty
of high-spirited singing and dancing.
As many people as possible are given the honor of carrying a Torah
scroll in these processions.
Erev Simchat Torah was held on
Wednesday, October 19th.
Synagogues all over the city were alive with excitement for the
Torah. Much fun and dancing with
the Torah scrolls could be seen for a few days following Sukkot. It is amazing to see how excited people
get about the Word of God in such a literal way!
What a blessing to be able to be in Jerusalem for such significant holidays dating way back into our history. Enjoy the pictures!
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| sunset on Rosh Hashana from the Zion Gate |
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| Western Wall on Rosh Hashana. As the evening went on, the men started singing and dancing - celebrating the new year and God's goodness! |
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| Enjoying a day at Netanya beach along the Mediterranean Sea during the holiday. It was beautiful! |
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| Just hanging out in the middle of the road on Yom Kippur. The streets were totally empty except for kids riding bikes and rollerblading. |
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| a Sukkah built for Sukkot. Families will eat all the meals in their Sukkahs and some sleep in them to remember the times spent living in the fields during the harvest. And to celebrate the very best of times and recognize that even the best of the best is nothing compared to eternal life with God. |
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| Another Sukkah. They were all over the city, built on to the home as a temporary shelter. Every evening we could hear families enjoying a meal together and so wished we could have joined them! |
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