Jewish Holidays

Chanukkah literally means dedication

Chanukkah Lasts 8 Days Celebrated on the 25th of Kislev of Jewish calendar Occurs around the winter solstice

Chanukkah Syrian/Greek attack Syrians/Greeks took over Jerusalem on the winter solstice and destroyed the temple Jews retook Jerusalem and the temple on the winter solstice

Rededication of the Temple Chanukkah Rededication of the Temple Eternal flame was lit There was only enough oil for 1 day They went out to get more but it would take 8 days to return The oil continued to burn until they did return with more oil

Traditions of Chanukkah The Chanukkiah 9 candles Light one a day or put one out a day Keep in the window

Traditions of Chanukkah Eat fried foods Like Latke

Traditions of Chanukkah Dreidel A 4 sided spinning top “A Great Miracle Happened There” Everyone starts with some pennies, candies, etcetera Each person playing puts one in the pot If top falls on: Nun- nothing happens Gimel- you win the pot Hay- you win half the pot Shin- you put in one more piece in the pot

Rosh Hashanah The autumn festival called the Jewish New Year Holiday of remembrance Lasts for 10 days and ends on Yom Kippur

Rosh Hashanah There are three groups of people: 1. The wicked 2. The Righteous 3. The In-betweeners *Rosh Hashanah is a time of repentance and prayer for the in-betweeners to gain righteousness

Rosh Hashanah Period of return, repentance, and renewal Beginning of the process of forgiveness and forgiving others

Rosh Hashanah Ways to Repent: Deep Prayer Change of Conduct Gifts to Charity Confession

Rosh Hashanah Some Traditions: Blowing a ram’s horn each morning Reading Psalm 27 each morning: “The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid?”

Rosh Hashanah Another tradition is to empty pockets of old crumbs into a body of free-flowing water

Yom Kippur A one day celebration of prayer and meditation Known also as the “Day of Atonement”

Yom Kippur Three steps of forgiveness 1. Forgiving 2. Letting go 3. Atonement

Yom Kippur Should have all atonements against other people completed during Rosh Hashanah Yom Kippur is the day to atone for sins against God

Yom Kippur Atonement must have reparations for sins committed Those that truly atone are given a blanket forgiveness from God

Yom Kippur Atonement does not automatically receive forgiveness, you must also refuse to commit the same sin later

Yom Kippur Traditional Jews do not do the following on Yom Kippur: Bathing luxuriously Use perfumes or moisturizers Having sex Wearing leather Eating or drinking

Yom Kippur Fasting lasts from sundown to sundown, 24 hours.. Pregnant women, the sick and children under 13 should not fast

Yom Kippur There are five services on Yom Kippur At many services Jews can be seen bowing during prayer This symbolizes service to the Higher Spirit During Yom Kippur some Jews will kneel, or even lay on the floor

Sukkot The Jewish Thanksgiving Five days after Yom Kippur Falls near the Autumnal Equinox A festival lasts eight or nine days

Sukkot King Solomon dedicated the First Temple on Sukkot

Sukkot A time of feasting, drinking, singing, and ecstatic dancing Praising an abundant harvest

Sukkot Building the Sukkot Often built in backyards, parks, synagogues A hut like structure representing the shelters people lived in during the harvest

Sukkot Rules for building the Sukkah Needs four sides Roof must be made of plant material Decorated (by kids) Can’t be built under anything else Big enough to enter it

Purim The Jewish Halloween Child-oriented holiday Celebrated around mid-March The 15th of Adar on the Jewish calendar

Purim Memorializes the story of Haman He wanted to exterminate the Jewish people of ancient Persia They are saved by Queen Esther who is Jewish

Purim Haman became the symbol of any serious enemy of Israel Celebrating Purim is an expression of persecution the Jews have suffered

Purim A time to look inside yourself, at the dark side…. The holiday allows you to let out the monsters inside you in order to acknowledge them

Purim Traditions of Purim Reading the Book of Ester Read out loud at the synagogue once in the morning and once at night People boo and hiss and make noise during the reading when Haman is mentioned

Purim Traditions of Purim 2. Being festive and rejoicing Dress in costume Get sweet treats Adults drink alcohol

Purim Traditions of Purim 3. Giving gifts of fruits and nuts To family, friends and neighbors

Purim Traditions of Purim 4. Offering gifts to the poor Required that you give to those less fortunate

Passover Most-celebrated Jewish holiday Celebration of Spring, birth and rebirth, and responsibility Celebrated around the Spring equinox

Passover Remembers the Jews being redeemed from slavery in Egypt

Passover Lasts seven days Eat Matzah No leavened bread No wheat, barley, rye, or oats

Passover Why eat Matzah? Jewish Bible states “So you shall tell your children on that day, saying: We eat unleavened bread because of what the Eternal One did for me when I came out from Egypt”

Passover Kosher during Passover Many products such as Pepsi, Coffees, juices, etcetera will have labels that say “Kosher for Passover” on them during the holiday

Passover Spring Cleaning Must not only not eat certain foods but can’t touch it For 2 weeks before the Passover a major cleaning of the home

Passover The night before Passover begins The hunt Children are given a feather and a bag and have to find crumbs The bag is burned the next morning ***permission slips due 3/31***

Passover The Seder meal A 15 step ritual revolving around the Passover dinner

Shavuot The Festival of Weeks Occurs in late May or early June 50 days after the second night of Passover

Shavuot Honored the start of the harvest as well as the shift from Spring to Summer Make the first offerings of fruit to God

Shavuot Also the anniversary of the receiving of the Torah at Mount Sanai

Shavuot Some traditions: Ritual bath Staying awake and praying all night Decorating the home and temple with flowers Eating meals heavy with dairy Read the Book of Ruth

Tisha B’Av Late July or early August Day of mourning of the two Temples of Jerusalem

Tisha B’Av This was the anniversary of the day that God told Moses and the Jews they couldn’t enter the Promised Land for 40 years

Tisha B’Av Follow the same rules as Yom Kippur

Tisha B’Av Traditions: Visiting cemeteries Quiet reflection