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Purim Landing
Purim, falling on the 14th of the Hebrew month of Adar, revolves around the biblical book of Esther and its farcical story of the threatened genocide and eventual salvation of the Jews. The festivities surrounding Purim are the most outlandish and whimsical of the Jewish calendar. Most Jews associate Purim with costumes and carnivals, graggers (noisemakers) and hamantashen (three-cornered, filled cookies that evoke the three-cornered hat of Haman) that appeal to children. But it would be wrong to dismiss Purim as a holiday only for children.
https://archive.reconstructingjudaism.org/jewish-time-shabbat-and-holidays/purim
Posted on: 2016/12/14 - 12:17pm
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Tu B'Shvat Landing
Tu B’Shvat takes its name from the date of its observance on the Hebrew calendar—the 15th day of the month of Sh’vat, which falls in January or February. Tu B’Shvat is also known as the New Year for Trees, which is how it is described in the Mishna (Rosh Hashana 1.1) because it is the date from which the age of trees was counted, determining when fruit tithes were owed in the days of the Temple. This date was selected because trees flowered after it. In Israel, where the winters are relatively mild, the date also marks the beginning of the tree-planting season.
https://archive.reconstructingjudaism.org/jewish-time-shabbat-and-holidays/tu-bshvat
Posted on: 2016/12/14 - 12:15pm
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Rosh Hashanah Landing
Rosh HaShana, the Jewish New Year, focuses on God’s judgment and ultimately on a new beginning for humanity: hayom harat olam—the day the world is born anew. The major themes of Rosh HaShana are the creation of the world, the sovereignty of God, divine judgment and remembrance. These themes present an opportunity to identify the creativity that persists every day—the sovereignty of God as the power or energy in the universe that makes for a renewal of humanity, of the world and of community.
https://archive.reconstructingjudaism.org/high-holidays/rosh-hashanah
Posted on: 2016/12/14 - 11:57am
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Yom Hasho'ah Landing
Yom Hasho’ah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) is the solemn commemoration day that recalls the horrific losses during the Holocaust. The murder of 6 million Jews is the most traumatic event in recent Jewish history. While we should never forget that Jews were not the only targets of Nazi genocide — the Roma people, homosexuals and the Nazi’s political enemies were also singled out — the annihilation suffered by the Jewish people was on an unprecedented scale.
https://archive.reconstructingjudaism.org/jewish-time-shabbat-and-holidays/yom-hashoah
Posted on: 2016/12/14 - 12:21pm
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Jewish Time Landing
The Jewish Week: Shabbat
There is no more prominent and frequent occurrence in the Jewish calendar than the weekly arrival of Shabbat. Along with the remaining six days of the week, Shabbat provides the basic rhythm of Jewish time. Six days of work, one day of rest: mundane, holy. Hurry up, slow down. Get distracted, return to the Source of All. Worry about yourself and your loved ones, remember your blessings. In the Havdala blessing that marks the end of Shabbat, God is praised for distinguishing between holy and mundane (hamavdil beyn kodesh l’ḥol).
https://archive.reconstructingjudaism.org/act/jewish-time-shabbat-and-holidays
Posted on: 2016/09/09 - 10:37am
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Simchat Torah and Shemini Atzeret Landing
Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah mark the end of Sukkot, even though technically they are not part of the Sukkot festival; they are a separate holiday unto themselves. On Shemini Atzeret, we observe the beginning of the rainy season in the Land of Israel with prayers for rain. Reflecting a somber mood, sometimes with melodies reminiscent of the High Holy Days, Shemini Atzeret is a time for lighting Yahrzeit candles for those who have died and commemorating our lost loved ones with a Yizkor service.
Posted on: 2016/12/14 - 12:07pm
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Yom Kippur landing
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, provides a day of intense self-scrutiny and self-affliction within which to undertake looking inward with the primary goals of atonement, forgiveness, and spiritual cleansing and renewal. The Mishna (Yoma 8.9) teaches that Yom Kippur allows us to atone for transgressions against God, but does not allow us to atone for transgressions against our fellow human beings unless we have first made peace with one another.
https://archive.reconstructingjudaism.org/high-holidays/yom-kippur
Posted on: 2016/12/14 - 11:55am
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Doing Justice Landing
One of the most oft-quoted verses in the Bible proclaims, “Tzedek, tzedek tirdof - Justice, justice shall you pursue.” (Deuteronomy 16:20) The rabbis taught that this is an example of imitatio Dei, of imitating God’s behavior, because God is just. The rabbis portray God as balancing din, strict, retributive justice, with raḥamim, mercy.
https://archive.reconstructingjudaism.org/act/doing-justice
Posted on: 2016/09/09 - 10:46am
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Tzedakah Landing
The word tzedakah, often translated as “charity,” comes from the Hebrew root tzedek, meaning “justice.” Its current usage was developed by the early rabbis, who recognized that the distribution of resources that results from a free-market economy must be adjusted by other means to ensure a fair society. Tzedakah is an expression of justice rather than mercy; its purpose is to create a fairer distribution of resources.
https://archive.reconstructingjudaism.org/act/doing-justice/tzedakah
Posted on: 2016/09/09 - 10:51am
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Rosh Hodesh Landing
The Hebrew months correspond to lunar cycles. The beginning of the new moon is called Rosh Ḥodesh, literally, “head of the month.” Because a lunar cycle is 29½ days, some months are one day longer than others, and some have two days of Rosh Ḥodesh, while others have only one.
https://archive.reconstructingjudaism.org/jewish-time-shabbat-and-holidays/rosh-hodesh
Posted on: 2016/12/14 - 12:25pm
