Of all the jewish holidays, Pesach is the one most commonly observed, even by otherwise non-observant Jews. According to the 1990 National Jewish Population Survey (NJPS), more than 80% of Jews have attended a Pesach seder.
Pesach begins on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan. It is the first of the three major festivals with both historical and agricultural significance (the other two are Shavu’ot and Sukkot). Agriculturally, it represents the beginning of the harvest season in Israel, but little attention is paid to this aspect of the holiday. The primary observances of Pesach are related to the Exodus from Egypt after generations of slavery. This story is told in Exodus, Ch. 1-15. Many of the Pesach observances are instituted in Chs. 12-15.
Duration : 0:7:15
Read the rest of this entry »
Technorati Tags: Chabad, debate, discussion, Exodus, Hebrew, Holiday, israel, Jewish, jewish rituals, jews, judaism, levi, opinion, Passover, people & blogs, Pesach, Torah, zion
Jewish people around the world are celebrating Purim, one of the most important holidays in the religious calendar. The occasion has a particular resonance with Russian worshippers.
Duration : 0:1:34
Read the rest of this entry »
Technorati Tags: Holiday, Jewish, Purim, religion
Cambridge schools already close for some Christian and jewish holidays, and McGovern said he believes Muslims should be treated equally.
“The issue that sort of came up was should we celebrate any religious holidays, but there was not the will to take away Good Friday or one of the Jewish holidays,” he said. “So I said, if that is the case, I think we have an obligation to celebrate one of the Muslim holidays, as well.”
He said, “It just didn’t seem right that we would close for two of those religions (Christian & Jewish), but not for the third.”
(IMO-It is appropriate we don’t close for the third “religion” (ideology) because we are a Christian nation, not Islamic. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think Saudi Arabia celebrates even one Christian holiday or doesn’t even allow a Christian church to be built, along with allowing Bibles in the country?)
Duration : 0:2:28
Read the rest of this entry »
Technorati Tags: cambridge, Christian, Eid al-Adha, Eid al-Fitr, Festival of Sacrifice, founding fathers, Holiday, islam, Jewish, muslim, sacrifice
http://israelnjudaism.blogspot.com/
http://israelpalestine-speedy.blogspot.com/
Tishri 22, the day after the seventh day of Sukkot, is the holiday Shemini Atzeret. In Israel, Shemini Atzeret is also the holiday of Simchat Torah. Outside of Israel, where extra days of holidays are held, only the second day of Shemini Atzeret is Simchat Torah: Shemini Atzeret is Tishri 22 and 23, while Simchat Torah is Tishri 23.
These two holidays are commonly thought of as part of Sukkot, but that is technically incorrect; Shemini Atzeret is a holiday in its own right and does not involve some of the special observances of Sukkot. We do not take up the lulav and etrog on these days, and our dwelling in the sukkah is more limited, and performed without reciting a blessing.
Duration : 0:4:40
Read the rest of this entry »
Technorati Tags: Atzeret, Blog, Festival, Holiday, israel, Jewish, jews, judaism, People, Shemini, Simchat, Torah
http://israelnjudaism.blogspot.com/
http://israelpalestine-speedy.blogspot.com/
Sukkot is the last of the Shalosh R’galim (three pilgrimage festivals). Like Passover and Shavu’ot, Sukkot has a dual significance: historical and agricultural. Historically, Sukkot commemorates the forty-year period during which the children of Israel were wandering in the desert, living in temporary shelters. Agriculturally, Sukkot is a harvest festival and is sometimes referred to as Chag Ha-Asif Chag Ha-Asif
(in Hebrew), the Festival of Ingathering
Duration : 0:8:21
Read the rest of this entry »
Technorati Tags: Blog, Festival, Holiday, israel, Jewish, jews, judaism, People, sukkot
http://israelnjudaism.blogspot.com/
http://israelpalestine-speedy.blogspot.com/
Yom Kippur is probably the most important holiday of the Jewish year. Many Jews who do not observe any other Jewish custom will refrain from work, fast and/or attend synagogue services on this day. Yom Kippur occurs on the 10th day of Tishri. The holiday is instituted at Leviticus 23:26 et seq.
The name “Yom Kippur” means “Day of Atonement,” and that pretty much explains what the holiday is. It is a day set aside to “afflict the soul,” to atone for the sins of the past year. In Days of Awe, I mentioned the “books” in which G-d inscribes all of our names. On Yom Kippur, the judgment entered in these books is sealed. This day is, essentially, your last appeal, your last chance to change the judgment, to demonstrate your repentance and make amends.
Duration : 0:6:51
Read the rest of this entry »
Technorati Tags: Blog, Festival, Holiday, israel, Jewish, jews, judaism, Kippur, People, Yom
http://israelnjudaism.blogspot.com/
http://israelpalestine-speedy.blogspot.com/
Of all the jewish holidays, Pesach is the one most commonly observed, even by otherwise non-observant Jews. According to the 1990 National Jewish Population Survey (NJPS), more than 80% of Jews have attended a Pesach seder.
Pesach begins on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan. It is the first of the three major festivals with both historical and agricultural significance (the other two are Shavu’ot and Sukkot). Agriculturally, it represents the beginning of the harvest season in Israel, but little attention is paid to this aspect of the holiday. The primary observances of Pesach are related to the Exodus from Egypt after generations of slavery. This story is told in Exodus, Ch. 1-15. Many of the Pesach observances are instituted in Chs. 12-15.
Duration : 0:7:15
Read the rest of this entry »
Technorati Tags: Blog, Exodus, Festival, Holiday, israel, Jewish, jews, judaism, Passover, People, Pesach
Alex talks about her favorite Jewish holiday.
Duration : 0:1:31
Read the rest of this entry »
Technorati Tags: about, Alex, closet, favorite, her, Holiday, Jewish, of, out, talks, the
http://israelnjudaism.blogspot.com/
http://israelpalestine-speedy.blogspot.com/
Tu B’Shevat, the 15th day of the Jewish month of Shevat, is a holiday also known as the New Year for Trees. The word “Tu” is not really a word; it is the number 15 in Hebrew, as if you were to call the Fourth of July “Iv July” (IV being 4 in Roman numerals). See Hebrew Alphabet for more information about using letters as numbers and why the number 15 is written this way.
Duration : 0:3:34
Read the rest of this entry »
Technorati Tags: B'shvat, Blog, Festival, Holiday, israel, Jewish, jews, judaism, People, Tu
http://israelnjudaism.blogspot.com/
http://israelpalestine-speedy.blogspot.com/
Shavu’ot, the Festival of Weeks, is the second of the three major festivals with both historical and agricultural significance (the other two are Passover and Sukkot). Agriculturally, it commemorates the time when the first fruits were harvested and brought to the Temple, and is known as Hag ha-Bikkurim (the Festival of the First Fruits). Historically, it celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, and is also known as Hag Matan Torateinu (the Festival of the Giving of Our Torah).
Duration : 0:5:9
Read the rest of this entry »
Technorati Tags: Blog, Festival, Holiday, israel, Jewish, jews, judaism, People, Shavuot