High Holy Day Information

ROSH HASHANAH

Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the Days of Awe, the ten-day period during which we are to rethink our actions of the past year.

Adam was not to eat from the tree of life, but, according to our sages, he violated this commandment from God.. On this day God said to Adam "As you were judged before me this day and emerged forgiven, so will your children be judged before me on this day and emerge forgiven". So, from the beginning of our history, Rosh Hashanah has been marked with judgement and forgiveness.

On Rosh Hashanah we celebrate the creation of the world, we mark the Kingship of God, and we stand in judgement as His humble servants.

YOM KIPPUR

Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement, marks the last of the Days of Awe. On this day, Jews around the world fast and convene to communnally atone for the sins committed in the past year.

SUKKOT

Sukkot, or booths, is a holiday that commemorates the children of Israel’s 40 year period of wandering in the desert. The temporary dwellings known as booths provided shade and safety for the nomadic Hebrews.

"You shall hold a festival for the Lord your God,
seven days, in the place the Lord will choose;
for the Lord, your God will bless all your crops and
all your undertakings, and you shall have nothing but joy"
(Deuteronomy 16:1)

To celebrate the holiday Jews erect a temporary dwelling, or sukkah, and often decorate it with fruits and vegetables. It is a mitzvah to eat in the sukkah.

Shemini Atzeret

Although called the "Eighth Day of Solemn Assembly" - giving rise to the notion of this holiday being the continuation of the seven days of Sukkot - Shemini Atzeret was regarded by the rabbis as a festival in its own right. Included in the special prayers is the Prayer for Rain. As its name implies, Atzeret ("Assembly"), was also the time when the populace gathered, once in seven years, for a public reading of the Law. In Israel, the day is combined with Simchat Torah, the Day of Rejoicing with the Torah.

Hannukah

Hannukah is an eight-day holiday, and it is normally considered one of the minor holidays of the Jewish people. It commemorates the victory of a small band of Maccabees over the pagan Greeks who ruled over Palestine at that time. The revolt was led by the High Priest Mattathius, leader of the Hasmonean family in the small village of Modiin. Following the rebellion, the kingdom of Israel was restored for 200 years, until the destruction of the Second Temple.

The festival also celebrates the purification and dedication of the defiled Temple in Jerusalem, and the restoration of service to God, in 165 BCE, hence the name Hannukah which means "dedication."

Hannukah is also popularly named the Festival of Lights after the miracle of the flask of oil needed to light the Temple Menorah following the victory: Only one small jug of oil, sufficient for one day, was found - but it sufficed for eight days (by which time a fresh supply of pure oil was obtained).

Purim

Purim is also known as "The Feast of Lots" and is based on the Book of Esther (Megillat Esther in Hebrew).Purim commemorates the victory of Esther and the Jews against Haman in Persia. Haman, the villain of the story, devises a scheme to annihilate all of the Jews of Persia, and the plan is approved by Persia's King Ahasuerus. Through a complex chain of events, Haman's plan is thwarted by Queen Esther and her adoptive father Mordechai. Haman and other enemies of the Jewish people are destroyed and the festival of Purim is proclaimed.

PASSOVER

Pesach, or Passover, commemorates the Hebrew slaves' exodus from Egypt. The term "passover" comes from one of the many plagues exacted upon the Egyptian population. On a fateful night, the angel of death travelled about the land, killing the first borne sons of all Egyptian families, including the Pharoah's. To keep the spirit of death from entering the Hebrew homes, the slaves were told to mark their doors with the blood of a lamb. The angel of death would "pass over" these homes. Some common themes regarding the holiday include:

• No Chametz- the Israelites left Egypt in a rush; they had no time to let their bread rise!
• Opening the door for Elijah - We want Elijah to see us keeping Jewish traditions alive
• Afikoman - a hidden piece of matzah
• Leg of lamb - to commemorate the Paschal sacrifice
• Vegetables dipped in salt water - to remind us of the tears shed during our slavery

Shavuot

This festival has both an agricultural and spiritual significance. Shavuot is also knows as the Festival of First Fruits. It marks the end of a harvest cycle, and during Temple times, Jews travelled from all over Israel to offer their first harvest in Jerusalem. This pilgrimage was one of three that were required of all Jews who were able.

Shavuot also marks the giving of the Torah to the Israelites at Mt. Sinai. On Shavuot we read the Ten Commandments in synagogue and study Torah throughout the night, learning as much as possible.

Tu B'Shevat

While it is doubtful that anyone would dispute the importance and value of trees in the overall scheme of the universe, one still might ask, "Why have a new year's celebration or a birthday for trees?" Why indeed? How important could it be to know the age of a tree?

Certain mitzvot in the Torah made it very important to know the age of trees. The Torah required farmers to give a tithe - one-tenth of all crops grown during a given year - to the priests of the Holy Temple. This holiday, coming as it does at the time of the year when the Israeli winter begins to give way to spring and the sap begins to rise in plants, marked the date from which to count the age of a tree for reasons of the tithe. The Torah says we may not eat the fruit of a tree until the 4th year after it has been planted.

Tu B'Shevat standardizes the birthday of the trees. When the Temple was destroyed, the original purpose of Tu B'Shevat was lost, as the laws of planting and tithing crops did not apply outside of Israel. But the holiday was preserved as a symbol of the love of our people for the land.

When the early pioneers came to Palestine about 100 plus years ago, they found the land was barren from centuries of wars and neglect. Disease-ridden swamps and wind-blown deserts greeted them. Trees were planted to soak up the waters in some areas and to hold the soil and attract water in others.

With the rebirth of the State of Israel, Tu B'Shevat has taken on new meaning and has become a form of Arbor Day - when it is the custom to plant trees, or provide money for the planting of trees, in Israel. Trees have become the symbol of rebuilding the land. In planting trees, people show they believe in a future for their children, who will grow up enjoying the fruit, shade, breeze, and beauty provided by trees.

Since the Jewish National Fund was created in 1901 to raise money to buy back and cultivate the land of Israel, more than 140 million trees have been planted throughout the land with the help of Israeli children, who get a holiday from classes.

Among the few customs associated with Tu B'Shevat is the eating of fruit, particularly fruit from trees that grow in Israel. Some Jews stay up all night studying biblical and talmudic passages about fruit and trees. The Tu B'Shevat seder, which is fashioned loosely after the Pesach Seder, was introduced by the mystical Kabbalists in the sixteenth century. During the seder, various combinations of fruits and nuts - which have been given symbolic meaning and are divided into three categories - are eaten by the participants. The fruits are grouped according to the parts that may be eaten - those with an inedible shell and an edible middle; those with an edible part surrounding an inedible middle; and those that are completely edible.

S'lichot

The process of making t'shuva - of turning ourselves back to a life of righteousness, observance of mitzvot, and caring behavior - begins a full month before Rosh Hashanah with the addition of special penitential prayers to our daily prayers. These lead up to the S'lichot (penitential) services, which traditionally begin at midnight on the Saturday night prior to Rosh Hashanah. Filled with prayers of penitence, the S'lichot services set the mood and tone for the Yamim Ha-Nora'im, the Days of Awe, which begin with Rosh Hashanah and conclude with the blowing of the shofar at the end of Yom Kippur.

Sages believed that God was most receptive to our pleas at that hour. They based this belief on the understanding that it was at midnight that King David wrote his Psalms. If that hour was good enough for him, then it should surely be good enough for us who followed him! Two: We Jews are commanded to "get up!" (read: 'be eager') "to do repentance." The lateness of the hour requires that one make a conscious decision and effort to participate in this service. Repenting of one's wrongdoings, asking forgiveness of others, and choosing to make changes in one's behavior also requires a conscious awareness of what has been done in the past, and a conscious choice and effort to make the necessary changes. It is neither easy to get to a midnight service nor to make t'shuva. Additionally, the lateness of the hour gives this service - the only Jewish worship service to be held at this hour - a special "flavor," if you will.

Reform Jews, if they choose to hold S'lichot services, often begin them at an earlier time on that Saturday night before Rosh Hashanah. Congregation Bet Chaim's services usually begin between 9:30 and 10:00pm, and are generally preceded by both a congregational pot luck supper and a holiday-appropriate program. Please join us for this special service that was written for our congregation by some of our congregants.