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What Is Yom HaShoah?
This year, beginning sundown on April 17th and ending sundown, April 18th, Israel and Jews worldwid
What is Hanukkah?
At Hanukkah, Jews commemorate the victory of the Maccabees over the Greek/Syrian forces of King Antiochus in the year 165 B.C.E. That regime sought to impose paganism on the Jewish people. They put a pagan idol, Zeus, in the Temple, and forced Jews to eat non-kosher food.
What is Shavuot - Pentecost?
Shavuot is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the single most important event in Israel’s history: the giving of the Torah (the first five books in the Hebrew Bible) to Moses at Mount Sinai. Although it is not as well known among non-Jews as Passover or Sukkot, the Feast of Booths, it is one of the three major festivals often called “pilgrim” festivals because all Jewish males were required to observe them at the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.
The Yom Kippur Goats
Yom Kippur is a shadow of what it once was. Today, the holiday is marked with a day of fasting and worship in the synagogue. However, when the Temple stood, the people observed an elaborate service, culminating when a red thread representing the sins of Israel would miraculously turn white when they were forgiven. The service was so uplifting that the Jewish sages describe Yom Kippur as one of the two most joyful days on the Jewish calendar.
What is Purim?
Purim is one of the most joyous holidays on the Jewish calendar. During the Purim holiday celebration, Jews participate in a boisterous public reading of the biblical book of Esther, deliver baskets of food and drink to friends, eat hat-shaped cookies called Hamantaschen after the villain in the story, perform plays and parodies, and dress up in costume.
What Are the High Holy Days?
The High Holy Days, also known as the Ten Days of Repentance, or the Days of Awe, are the most widely observed Jewish holidays, beginning with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and ending ten days later with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
What is Yom Kippur?
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the holiest day of the Jewish year and is the culmination of the High Holy Days, which begins after Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. It marks the final opportunity to repent before God before the Book of Life is sealed for another year. Use our resources below to learn more about this biblically mandated observance.
What Is Rosh Hashanah?
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year, and this year, it begins at sundown on Monday, September 25 a
What Is the Festival of Tabernacles - Sukkot?
In contrast to the solemnity and introspection of the High Holy Days that directly precedes it, Sukkot, also known as the Festival of Tabernacles or the Festival of Booths, brings an atmosphere of joy, reflecting the biblical command to “Be joyful at your feast” (Deuteronomy16:14). That is why Sukkot is known as “the time of our happiness.”
What Is Simchat Torah?
The final day of the Jewish festival Sukkot is known as Simchat Torah, which literally means “Rejoicing in the Torah.” On this day, Jews mark the completion of reading through the Torah, from the first chapter of Genesis to the closing words of Deuteronomy. Then the cycle begins again. Learn more about Simchat Torah and how this unique holiday celebrates God’s greatest gift to us — His Word.
