Jewish Rituals and Holidays
- In This Quick Guide:
- Holidays
- Life Rituals
The Jewish religion is steeped in wonderful rituals and holidays. In this guide, you learn about the specifics of the religious observances; about holidays such as Passover, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur; and about the rituals that mark important landmarks in the life of practicing Jews.
Holidays
Shabbat
The Shabbat, or “repose” that follows six days of workday activity, parallels the account in the book of Genesis of God’s rest after the Creation. The day begins on Friday at sunset and continues until nightfall on Saturday. Work is prohibited at this time, but the definition of “work” can very quickly become a matter of (intricate) discussion among practitioners. Buying, selling, and negotiating, however, are all acknowledged as prohibited activities for Jews during this period, which is also known as the Sabbath.
Regardless of the branch of Judaism under discussion, prayer services undertaken on the Sabbath are the longest and most intricate of them all. Friday evening services may last anywhere from half an hour to three times that long. The Saturday morning service may go as long as three full hours.
Rosh Hashanah
This is the Jewish New Year, a holiday that takes place on the first and second days of the Hebrew month Tishrei, roughly the middle of September to the middle of October. (The Hebrew religious calendar is based on the phases of the moon, not on the Gregorian calendar we go by in daily life.)
Rosh Hashanah celebrates both the religious New Year and the creation of the earth as described in the early chapters of the book of Genesis. Some branches celebrate both days of this holiday; others (the majority of Reform congregations) only the first day. Work is not performed.
Yom Kippur
On this day, which takes place shortly after Rosh Hashanah on the tenth day of Tishrei, practicing Jews the world over observe the Day of Atonement. From the sundown that marks the beginning of Yom Kippur until the sundown of the following day, believers forgo food and drink, do no work, and repent for misdeeds of the year just past.
Sukkot
The harvest celebration known as the Feast of Booths lasts for eight days and generally takes place late in the month of October (using the secular Gregorian calendar). It is common to perform no work at the beginning and end of the celebration, but the number of days observed in this manner varies. By the way, the “booth” is a small hut (sukkah) erected for the occasion; meals are eaten in it.
Chanukah (Hanukkah)
The beneficiary, perhaps, of undue media attention because of its (coincidental) placement near the Christian observance of the birth of Christ, Chanukah is often presented as a “Jewish alternative” to Christmas. This is unfortunate, as the Festival of Lights deserves honor, attention, and recognition on its own terms and within its own tradition. The holiday known as the Festival of Lights celebrates the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrians in the second century B.C.E. It begins on the twenty-fifth day of the Hebrew month of Kislev (usually early- to mid-December). Work is permitted during Chanukah.
Purim
A festival celebration commencing on the fourteenth day of the Hebrew month Adar (usually late February or early March), Purim commemorates the deliverance of Persian Jews from destruction, as recounted in the book of Esther. This joyous festival is preceded by a day of fasting, and soon gives way to general merrymaking. Members of the community, especially children, dress up in costume and go to temple for a reading from the book of Esther. Work is permitted on Purim.
Pesach (Passover)
This major holiday, which begins on the fifteenth day of the month of Nisan, honors the delivery of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. According to the book of Exodus, God issued a set of instructions for the Israelites: They were to prepare a special feast in great haste before the departure from Egypt. With no time for bread to rise, the bread at the meal would have to be unleavened.
Exodus also reports that God arranged for the Angel of Death to destroy the first-born males of the Egyptians, and to “pass over” the marked houses of the Israelites, killing no one within. The Passover celebration, during which practicing Jews abstain from foods prepared with yeast or any other leavening agent, is observed (usually beginning in late March or early April) for seven days by Reform Jews and for eight by members of the other major branches. Many Jews (especially those who follow the Orthodox tradition) perform no work on the first and last two days of the period, but observances vary.
Shavuot
This holiday celebrates both the spring harvest season and God’s gift of the Torah. It takes place on the sixth and seventh days of the month of Sivan, which corresponds to May or June in the secular Gregorian calendar. As a general rule, Orthodox Jews do no work on these days; a number of Conservative and Reconstructionist practitioners follow the same practice, but Reform Jews celebrate Shavuot for a single day.
Life Rituals
Birth
The baby boy is at the center of the brit milah (covenant of circumcision), the ritual removal of the foreskin enacted in accordance with Genesis 17:10. This ceremony takes place on the eighth day of the baby boy’s life. A parallel naming ceremony for infant girls is known as the brit hayyim (covenant of life) or brit bat (covenant of the daughter). This, too, occurs on the eighth day of life.
Adulthood
At the age of 13, a Jewish male marks his entry into the community as an adult during his bar mitzvah (son of the commandment). The female counterpart is known as a bat mitzvah (daughter of the commandment), and can be held for females as young as 12. The bat mitzvah was first celebrated in the twentieth century.
Marriage
The Jewish marriage ceremony is known as the kiddushin (sanctification). It takes place under a wedding canopy known as a huppah, and incorporates the ritual breaking of a glass underfoot, an act that commemorates a sad event in Jewish history, the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 C.E.
Death
Funeral observances in the Jewish tradition follow distinct guidelines that may vary depending on the branch of Judaism in question. (Reform Jews, for instance, permit cremation, while Jews of most other traditions observe injunctions against the practice.)
These rituals and holidays are very important to the Jewish religion and help keep the traditions alive, create a sense of community, and remind followers of the history of their faith. Shalom!
From The Complete Idiot’s Guide to World Religions, Fourth Edition, by Brandon Toropov and Father Luke Buckles
