"Jewish holidays, also known as Jewish festivals or Yamim Tovim..."
Understanding the Jewish calendar and the observance of holidays such as Passover, Yom Kippur, and Hanukkah is essential for a comprehensive understanding of Judaism.
Shabbat: The Jewish Sabbath celebrated every week from Friday evening to Saturday night, with various rituals and traditions.
Rosh Hashanah: The Jewish New Year, observed with unique customs and prayers.
Yom Kippur: The Day of Atonement, the holiest day in Judaism, marked by fasting and reflection on past deeds.
Sukkot: A week-long festival commemorating the Jewish exodus from Egypt, with temporary shelters built and decorated.
Hanukkah: An eight-day festival to celebrate the miracle of the oil in the Temple, typically observed with the lighting of candles.
Purim: A joyous festival, celebrated with costumes, parties, and readings of the biblical Book of Esther.
Passover: The commemoration of the Jewish liberation from slavery in Egypt, typically observed with a Seder meal and other traditions.
Shavuot: The celebration of the giving of the Torah, marked with learning, prayer, and special foods.
Expressions of Judaism: Jewish festivals and observances span many different expressions of belief, such as Reform, Conservative, or Orthodox Judaism.
Jewish symbolism and traditions: Jewish holidays are rich with symbolism, from the shofar blown on Rosh Hashanah to the Hamantaschen eaten on Purim.
Jewish calendar: The Jewish calendar is different from the Gregorian calendar used in most of the world, with months and holidays that follow lunar and solar cycles.
History and traditions: The origins and meaning of Jewish festivals, often rooted in historical events and spiritual traditions, vary across different Jewish communities and cultures.
Jewish music and prayer: The music and liturgy associated with Jewish holidays, including traditional tunes and prayers, are an integral part of the Jewish religious experience.
Jewish food and cooking: Jewish holidays are marked by specific foods and cooking traditions, such as matzo ball soup during Passover and latkes during Hanukkah.
Contemporary Jewish culture: Jewish holidays are an important part of contemporary Jewish culture worldwide, celebrated in diverse ways by Jews around the world.
High Holidays: Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are the most significant Jewish holidays, also known as the High Holidays, marking the beginning of the Jewish New Year and the day of atonement.
Passover: It commemorates the liberation of Jews from slavery in Egypt and the story of Exodus.
Hanukkah: A festival of light, lasting eight days, that celebrates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.
Purim: A joyous holiday of liberation that commemorates the saving of the Jewish people from Haman's plot as told in the Book of Esther.
Sukkot: A harvest festival of seven days, in which Jewish people build temporary outdoor shelters to commemorate the period of wandering in the wilderness.
Shavuot: Also known as the Feast of Weeks, it commemorates the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai.
Tisha B’Av: A day of fasting and mourning that commemorates various tragedies in Jewish history, including the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.
Yom HaShoah: Holocaust Remembrance Day, marking the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust.
Yom Ha'Atzmaut: Israel Independence Day, celebrating the establishment of the modern state of Israel in 1948.
Lag BaOmer: A minor holiday marking the anniversary of the death of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who is said to have written the Zohar, a central text of Jewish mysticism.
Tu BiShvat: The New Year for Trees, a holiday in which trees are celebrated and often planted.
Rosh Chodesh: The beginning of each Hebrew month is marked by a minor holiday known as Rosh Chodesh.
Fast of Gedaliah: A minor fast day that commemorates the assassination of Gedaliah, a Jewish leader in the time of Babylonian rule.
Tenth of Tevet: Another minor fast day, commemmorating the start of the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 588 BCE.
Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah: A holiday immediately following Sukkot that marks the joy and celebration of completing the reading of the Torah.
Selichot: A time of repentance and prayer in the days leading up to the High Holidays.
Chol Hamoed: The intermediate days of Passover and Sukkot, in which work is allowed but there are still restrictions on activities.
Asarah B'Tevet: A minor fast day that commemorates the start of the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians.
"They include religious, cultural and national elements..."
"...derived from three sources: biblical mitzvot ("commandments"), rabbinic mandates, and the history of Judaism and the State of Israel."
"...the Hebrew calendar is a lunisolar calendar (based on the cycles of both the sun and moon), whereas the Gregorian is a solar calendar."
"Each holiday can only occur on certain days of the week..."
"...four for most..."
"...five for holidays in Tevet and Shevat..."
"...six for Hanukkah..."
"...in transliterated Hebrew [English: ]..."
"Yamim Tovim (Hebrew: ימים טובים, romanized: yāmim ṭovim, lit. 'Good Days')..."
"...or singular יום טוב Yom Tov..."
"...in transliterated Hebrew [English: ]..."
"They include... derived from three sources: biblical mitzvot ("commandments"), rabbinic mandates, and the history of Judaism..."
"They include... derived from three sources: biblical mitzvot ("commandments"), rabbinic mandates, and the history of Judaism..."
"...derived from three sources: biblical mitzvot ("commandments"), rabbinic mandates, and the history of Judaism and the State of Israel."
"Jewish holidays occur on the same dates every year in the Hebrew calendar..."
"...but the dates vary in the Gregorian."
"...the Hebrew calendar is a lunisolar calendar (based on the cycles of both the sun and moon)..."
"the Hebrew calendar is a lunisolar calendar (based on the cycles of both the sun and moon), whereas the Gregorian is a solar calendar."
"Each holiday can only occur on certain days of the week..."