Jewish Holidays

to services where the haunting Kol Nidre
(All Vows) prayer is chanted just before
sundown.
Yom Kippur services continue through-
out the next day and conclude that evening
at nightfall, after the recitation of the Neila
prayer, recited with the Ark open, and a
final blast of the shofar.

SUKKOT
Feast Of Tabernacles

Sukkot (Tishrei 15-21) means "booths," and
during this seven-day holiday we eat many
of our meals inside a temporary booth, open
to the sky, called a sukka. "Do-it-yourself"
sukkot kits are available from Jewish book-
stores or can be ordered. It is customary to
decorate a sukka with Rosh HaShana cards,
drawings, posters and strands of fruit.
Another mitzvah, or commandment, of
Sukkot is to shake the lulav, a palm branch
with myrtle and willow branches attached,
and hold an etrog, a lemon-like Israeli fruit,
while reciting a special blessing. Lulavim
and etrogim can be ordered in advance at
many synagogues, temples and day schools,
and also are available at Jewish bookstores.
A fun custom is "sukka hopping," invit-
ing friends over and visiting their sukka to
share a meal or snack.
The intermediate days are called chol
haMoed, when one may go to work and
engage in other weekday activities.

SHEMIN! ATZERET
Eighth Day Of Assembly

Shemini Atzeret (Tishrei 22) immediately
follows HoShana Raba on the seventh day
of Sukkot, which is the final day of judg-
ment (Tishrei 21).
The prayer for rain is recited in services
because this holiday marks the beginning of
the rainy season in Israel. Yizkor, the memorial
prayer for the dead, also is said at this time.

SIMCHAT TORAH
Rejoicing In The Torah

Simchat Torah (Tishrei 23), the day after
Shemini Atzeret, is when we complete the
annual cycle of Torah reading and begin
anew.
Both at evening and morning services,
each Torah is taken out of the congrega-

tion's Ark and joyously paraded around the
sanctuary seven times, accompanied by
much dancing and singing. Children are
encouraged to participate, and flags and
apples are traditional treats for them.

PURIM
Feast Of Lots

Chanuka is an eight-day festival (Kislev 25-
Tevet 2) that celebrates the victory of the
Maccabees over the Hellenized Assyrians
(influenced by the Greeks), who had out-
lawed Jewish practices.
While cleaning the desecrated Temple,
the Maccabees found a small jar of oil.
Although it contained enough oil to last
only one day, it miraculously lasted eight.
To commemorate these events, we light a
special eight-branched menora or cande-
labra, called a chanukiah.
Chanuka customs include giving chil-
dren small gifts of money called gelt, play-
ing dreidel (a four-sided top), singing
Chanuka songs and eating fried foods like
potato lathes (pancakes), which recall the
miracle of the oil.

Purim (Adar 14) marks the victory of
Queen Esther and her relative Mordechai
over the evil Haman, adviser to King
Ahasuerus in ancient Persia. It is traditional
to wear costumes on Purim.
Four mitzvot, commandments, are asso-
ciated with Purim: read or listen to Megilat
Esther, the Book of Esther; send shalach
manot, gifts of food, to friends; send
matanot le'evyonim, gifts of food or money,
to the poor; enjoy a seuda mitzvah, or feast.
Because Haman is associated with
Amalek, an enemy of the Jewish people,
and we are told in the Bible to blot out
Amalek's name, noisemakers are used
enthusiastically to drown out Haman's
name when it is said during the Megilla
reading.
Purim is preceded by Tdanat Esther
(Adar 13), the Fast of Esther, which was
instituted in honor of this heroine who
fasted as she prayed for the Jewish people
to be saved even as Haman was plotting
their destruction.

THE 10TH OF TEVET
A Minor Fast Day

Passover

Festival Of Lights

This minor fast day (Tevet 10) recalls
Nebuchadnezzar's siege of Jerusalem.
Rabbis also use this day to commemorate
those who died in the Holocaust and
whose yahrzeits are not known.

TU B'SHEVAT
Jewish Arbor Day

This holiday (Shevat 15) is the New Year of
the Trees and often marked by contributing
to the Jewish National Fund to have trees
planted in Israel.
It also is customary to eat foods and
fruits from the land of Israel. Some people
also attend a Tu b'Shevat seder. It is organ-
ized much like a Passover seder, including
four cups of wine, but starts with white
wine, representing winter, with red added
to each subsequent cup as a sign of the
coming spring.

Pesach (Nisan 15-22) is a celebration of
our people's exodus from Egypt. Prior to
the festival, we remove all chametz (leaven-
ing) from our homes. We will eat only
unleavened bread called matza for eight
days.
On the first and second nights of Pesach,
we have a seder, a festive meal at which we
recount the exodus. A number of ritual
items are included on a seder plate.
The First two and last two days of
Pesach are similar to Shabbat in their
observance. Generally, one refrains from
work and other weekday activities and
attends services. Yizkor, the memorial
prayer for the dead, is recited on the final
day of Passover.
'Fhe intermediate days are called chol
haMoed, when no bread or other foods
with leavening may be eaten, but one may
go to work and engage in other weekday
activi ties.

Continued on page 28

JN • SOURCEBOOK 2000

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