Feast of Unleavened Bread 

The Exodus from Egypt occurs in every human being, in every era, in every year and in every day. - Rabbi Nachman of Breslov 

Pesach, Passover, is a seven* day Festival commemorating the story of the Jews’ exodus from slavery in Egypt to redemption in the Land of Israel. We are prohibited from eating chametz [leavened products] throughout the Festival as a reminder of our ancestors’ hurried escape from Egypt when they didn’t even have enough time to let their bread rise. 

The key Pesach service is not that in the synagogue, although that occurs, but in the home with what is probably the Western world’s oldest continually practised ritual, the Passover or Pesach Seder. The Seder retells what is arguably the best known of all stories in the form of dinner theatre. The people at the table are the actors; the food and drink are the props and the Haggadah forms the basis of the script. 

A Haggadah is not a work of history or philosophy and nor is it a prayer book, user manual, timeline or manuscript – and yet it is all these things. The Torah might be Judaism’s foundational text for law, the Haggadah is Judaism’s book of living memory. 

The Seder follows a time-honoured tradition of doing, saying and eating things in a specific order to take us through our people’s story from slavery to freedom and questions are encouraged. After all, we’re not slaves anymore: free people can ask and debate; slaves may not. 

* please note that Orthodox diaspora Jews mark Pesach as an eight day Festival. 

Holocaust Memorial Day 

To forget the dead would be akin to killing them a second time. - Elie Wiesel 

Yom HaShoah, literally ‘Holocaust Day’ is a day of remembrance for victims of the Holocaust or Shoah. Its full name is Yom Hazikaron LaShoah v’LiGevurah, literally ‘Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day’.  

The date of the 27th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan was chosen because it commemorates the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, the best known of the armed Jewish uprisings. 

Israel's Memorial Day 

To forget the dead would be akin to killing them a second time. - Elie Wiesel 

Yom HaZikaron is the day of national remembrance in Israel to commemorate all the soldiers and people who lost their lives during the struggle to defend the State of Israel. 

This day is marked each year on the 4th of the Hebrew month of Iyar or in proximity to that date, and it is always marked one day before Independence Day, emphasizing and symbolizing the connection between the fallen and their devotion, and with the establishment of the State of Israel. 

Israel's Independence Day 

‎Israel was not created in order to disappear: Israel will endure and flourish. It is the child of hope and the home of the brave. It can neither be broken by adversity nor demoralised by success. It carries the shield of democracy and it honours the sword of freedom. - John F Kennedy 

Yom haAtzmaut is Israel’s Independence Day commemorating the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948. A day of festivity, it is celebrated on the fifth day of the Hebrew month of Iyar which corresponds to the date Israel declared independence on 14 May 1948.

Jerusalem's Independence Day 

Ten measures of beauty descended to the world, were taken by Jerusalem. - Talmud: Kiddushin 49b 

Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day, is Israel's national day celebrating the unification of Jerusalem and its return to Israeli control in the wake of the 1967 Six-Day War. It is celebrated on the 28th day of the Hebrew month of Iyar.

Festival of Weeks 

Like honey and milk, [the Torah] lies under your tongue. - Song of Songs 4:11 

Occurring seven weeks after Pesach, Shavuot, meaning weeks, marks the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. 
 
Originally an ancient agricultural festival that marked the end of the spring barley harvest and the beginning of the summer wheat harvest. Shavuot was one of the three pilgrimage festivals during which Israelites brought crop offerings to the Temple in Jerusalem. 
 
Today, Shavuot is a celebration of Torah, education and actively choosing to participate in Jewish life with the Book of Ruth being the Festival's foundational text. 
 
A key traditional component of Shavuot observance is called tikkun l’eil shavuot which refers to a full night of study with the community some of whom stay up all night learning. 
 
Shavuot is considered a dairy festival with cheesecake and blintzes being customary with some suggesting that this represents Israel as 'a land flowing with milk and honey'. 

9th Day Of Av 

It is not enough to hope for redemption, we must be the catalyst for it. - author unknown 

Literally the 'ninth day of Av', Tisha b'Av is a major fast day and day of mourning and takes place on the ninth of the Hebrew month of Av. 
 
While Tisha B'Av primarily commemorates the destruction of both the first and second Temples, both of which were destroyed on the ninth of Av - the first by the Babylonians in 586BCE and the second by the Romans in 70CE - it also commemorates many other tragedies of the Jewish people, many of which occurred on this day including: 

• The Golden Calf in 1312 BC 

• The failure of the "Ten Spies" 

• The destruction of the First Temple in 586 BC 

• The destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD 

• The crashing of the Bar Kokhba Rebellion in 135 AD 

• The pogroms of the First Crusade in 1096 

• The expulsion of the Jews from Britain in 1290 

• The expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492 

• The eruption of WWI in 1914 

• The end of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in May 1943 

In synagogue, the Book of Lamentations, Eicha, is read and mourning prayers are recited. Tisha B'Av is never observed on Shabbat [which is never a day of mourning] so, if the 9th of Av falls on a Saturday, the fast is postponed until the 10th of Av. 
 
Traditional observance of Tisha B'Av is similar to that of Yom Kippur including a 25-hour fast and the prohibition of bathing, anointing, sexual relations and the wearing of leather shoes. While work is not prohibited, it is discouraged. In the evening when the the Book of Lamentations is chanted in the synagogue. It is traditional that, from evening until noon mourning rituals are observed including sitting on the floor. 

Jewish Holiday Of Love

The truth is that love is the highest goal to which man can aspire. - Victor Frankl

Literally the '15th day of Av', Tu b'Av is both an ancient and modern holiday. Originally a post-biblical day of joy, it served as a matchmaking day for unmarried women in the Second Temple period but went almost unnoticed for many centuries until it has been rejuvenated in recent decades. If you like, Tu b'Av is the Jewish version of Valentine's Day. 

Jewish New Year 

Rosh Hashanah isn't just about being new, it's about making a change. - Max Levis 

Rosh Hashanah, literally head of the year, marks the start of the Jewish New Year. Tradition teaches us that Rosh Hashanah is the ‘birthday of the world’, celebrating the creation of humanity as told in the biblical creation story.  Observed on the first day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the Yamin Noraim, the High Holydays or Days of Awe: a ten day period of prayer, self-examination and repentance culminating with the Fast day of Yom Kippur.  To attend our Rosh Hashanah services, please contact the Etz Chayim office.  At Etz Chayim, we use our region's new machzor, Mishkan Hanefesh, as our High Holyday prayer book. To purchase your copy or to buy one for our congregation to use, please click here. 

To Learn more about Rosh Hashanah, it’s history, traditions and practices, click here. 

A key Rosh Hashanah symbol is the shofar. Click here to hear and learn more about it. 

Day Of Atonement 

Every Yom Kippur, Jewish tradition requires a strict spiritual inventory.  You aren't supposed to just sit around feeling guilty, but to take action in the real world to set things right. - Naomi Wolf 

Yom Kippur, literally Day of Atonement is observed ten days after Rosh Hashanah on the tenth day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei.  Considered to be the holiest of all Jewish Festivals and Holydays, Yom Kippur is traditionally marked as a day of Fasting, prayer and repentance.  To attend our Yom Kippur services, please contact the Etz Chayim office.  At Etz Chayim, we still use Gates of Repentance as our machzor [High Holiday prayer book] but hope to have our region's new machzor, Mishkan T'shuvah, in use as of 2019. Gates of Repentance is available for loan during the service as you enter our sanctuary. 

Click here to learn more about Yom Kippur, it’s history, traditions and practices. 

Feast Of Tabernacles 

Like our booths, joy is completely portable. Bring it with you. - author unknown 

Immediately after Yom Kippur, we are commanded to start building our sukkot [pl of sukkah], little huts or booths, in which we are supposed to 'live' for the coming week starting five days after Yom Kippur on the 15th of Tishrei. Some Jews do this literally, others choose to understand 'live in' as meaning having some meals there, hanging out with friends or sitting there reading a book.  Also called Z’man Simchateinu, the Season of Our Rejoicing, Sukkot is the only Jewish holiday where we are commanded to be joyful. After all, have turned ourselves inside out over Yom Kippur, confessed our sins and asked for forgiveness and now we have the opportunity to celebrate our renewed relationship with one another and with God.  There are two key ritual objects associated with Sukkot: the sukkah and the lulav and errol.  What is a sukkah? A sukkah is a fragile, impermanent structure has to have at least three walls one of which can be an existing wall, like the side of a house. The walls may be constructed of any material although canvas and wood are the most common. The roof has to be a temporary covering, usually made from loose branches from trees or anything that has grown from the ground like bamboo but it has to have been cut off from the ground. According to tradition, this roof covering, s’chach, should give shade and yet allow those in the sukkah to see the stars through the roof at night.  What is the lulav and etrog? The lulav is a combination of date palm, aravah [willow] and hadass [myrtle] branches, held together by a woven palm branch. The etrog, or citron, is a lemon-like fruit with a wonderful citrus fragrance. Many explanations have been offered as to the significance of the lulav and etrog, some of which you can find in the link below.  We look forward to seeing you at our sukkah at Etz Chayim over Sukkot. 

Click here to learn about Lulav and Etrog. 

Click here to learn about Sukkot, it’s three associated blessings and how to shake the Lulav.

Days Of Celebrating The Torah 

I hear again the chanting of the Creation. I see our world and pray it will come to be what it should be. - Rabbi Lawrence Troster 

Just as Sukkot ends, Jews enjoy the holidays of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. 
 
Communities in Israel, and Progressive communities in the diaspora, generally observe one day of holidays celebrating Shemini Atzeret concurrently with Simchat Torah: Orthodox communities in the diaspora generally celebrate the holidays on two consecutive days. 
 
In Hebrew, Shemini Atzeret means 'eighth-day convocation' deriving its name from Leviticus 23:36. In biblical times, Shemini Atzeret was a day for Jews to reflect on the just-ended holiday of Sukkot before returning to their regular routine. 
 
Known as the Festival of 'Rejoicing in the Torah', Simchat Torah marks the completion of the annual Torah-reading cycle. As we finish reading the last sentence in Deuteronomy/Devarim we immediately begin again with the story of creation in Genesis/Bereshit to represent the cyclical nature of the relationship between the Jewish people and the reading of the Torah. 
 
Simchat Torah is characterized by joyful parades of people carrying and dancing with the Torah scrolls. In some Jewish communities, ours at Etz Chayim being one of them, an entire Torah scroll is unrolled for all to see. 

Festival Of Lights 

Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness. - Anne Frank 

Chanukah, an eight day Festival, always falls in the Hebrew month of Kislev. The word Chanukah means 'dedication' and refers to the rededication of the Ancient Temple in Jerusalem when a small group of Jews, led by Judah Maccabee and his brothers, were victorious over the Syrian Greek armies in 165 BCE. The Syrian Greeks had sought to destroy the Holy Temple and Jewish practice but the small Jewish army managed to overcome them. The story of Chanukah is not mentioned at all in the Torah, or Hebrew bible, but is found in a group of later Hebrew writings called Macabees I and II. 
 
Chanukah is associated with miracles not just that of the military victory of the Macabees. The other key miracle associated with Chanukah is the more popular story which became tradition at a later date: the miracle associated with a single day's supply of oil lasting for eight days. 

New Year For Trees 

There is no plant without an angel in Heaven tending it and telling it, ‘Grow!' - Rabbi Simon, Genesis Rabba 10:7 

Occurring on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shvat, Tu B'Shvat is also called the New Year of the Trees. Having modelled itself on the Pesach Seder, the Tu Bishvat seder, full of imagery and symbolism, is enjoying a come back by many Jews. Divided into four sections that represent the four seasons, the seder os also divided into four mystical 'spheres,' each of which represents a different relationship between humanity and the environment. The Tu Bishvat seder includes: 
 
1. Four cups of wine in varying shades of white through red to represent the seasons 
or 
2. Three types of fruit which are said to represent the different ways of being in the world: 

• Those with tough outer shells and edible interiors such as melons, peanuts, pomegranates, coconuts, citrus, etc 

• Fruits with edible exteriors but inedible pits such as dates, olives, plums, peaches, apples, etc 

• Fruits that are entirely edible such as berries, figs, grapes, etc 

Festival Of 'Lots' 

It's like drag queen's holiday when all Jews go for it and feel not guilt for a change. - Sandra Bernhard 

Purim: one of my favourite holidays. 

Purim is a joyous and playful one-day holiday when we commemorate the story told in the Book of Esther. In a nutshell, the story tells how Queen Esther and her cousin Mordechai saved the Jews of Persia from an anti-Semitic plot devised by Haman, the evil advisor to King Ahashverosh. This book, also called the megillah [scroll], is unique among other Jewish sacred texts in that it does not mention God. 
 
Purim is considered an 'upside down' holiday in that we approach our celebrations with levity and humour. Key traditions include a rowdy chanting of the megillah where we 'blot out' Haman’s name through noisemakers [groggers] and 'boo-ing'; a Purim Spiel or parody of the story; the gifting of mishloach manot, food, to family and friends; and matanat l’evyonim, giving gifts to the poor. 

33rd Day Of Counting The Omer 

Three people who eat together and share words of Torah, it's as if they are at God's table. - Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, Pirkei Avot 3:3 

Lag Ba'Omer literally means the number 33 and occurs on the the 33rd day in the Omer count - that is, 33 days after the first day of Pesach. 
 
A break from the semi-mourning of the Omer, key aspects of Lag B’Omer include holding Jewish weddings - the only day during the Omer when Jewish law permits them - the lighting of bonfires and getting haircuts [because, traditionally, haircuts are forbidden during periods of mourning]. 
 
The Talmud teaches that during this season a plague killed thousands of Rabbi Akiva‘s students and according to a medieval tradition, because the plague ceased on Lag B'Omer, the day became a happy one interrupting the sad¬ness of the Omer period for 24 hours. Lag Ba'Omer is identified as the yahrzeit of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, one of the key rabbis quoted in the Mishna and thought to be the author of the core text of Kabbalah, the Zohar. 
 
Customary celebrations include bonfires, picnics and fun. 
 
Lag b'Omer is associated with the Bar Kokhba revolt against the Roman Empire. In Zionist thought, the plague that decimated Rabbi Akiva's 24,000 disciples is explained as a veiled reference to the revolt; the 33rd day representing the end of the plague is explained as the day of Bar Kokhba's victory. The traditional bonfires and bow-and-arrow play were thus reinterpreted as celebrations of military victory.