Search results for: jewish holidays
Purim During a Time of Transition
The Jewish holiday Purim bookmarked my year of celebrating major Jewish holidays, and it fell merely days before my family embarked on a significant cross-country move. So naturally, this meant a few last-minute store visits to purchase baking supplies and simplifying the menu to accommodate our temporary dining table surface. Nevertheless, we made more than…
Read MoreTu B’Shvt—A Celebration of Trees and Life
Tu B’Shvt, January’s Jewish Holiday, called for a celebration of the birth of trees. Another name for the day is Rosh HaShanah La’Llanot, “New Year for Trees.” The holiday recalls the importance of God’s creation and the gift of nature. Trees appear as unique markers in the Torah, so a holiday dedicated to celebrating life…
Read MoreHanukkah is not a Type of Christmas
The start of Hanukkah coincided this year with the Christian Advent. I love the Advent season. The four weeks leading up to Christmas Day are reflective and a centering time of faith. I found it very enlightening to reflect on the Hanukkah tradition during this time of faithful reflection. We lit the Menorah on Sunday…
Read MoreBuilding a Sukkah to Remember God
So quickly after Rosh HaShanah, the New Year, and in the midst of starting the school year with all its schedule changes and additional activities, we also came to the threshold of Sukkoth. We built a Sukkah and prepared our feast. We joined one another for dinner out of doors. I must admit that Sukkoth…
Read MoreL’Shanah Tova—Rosh Hashanah
This blog post is a little bit overdue since we celebrated the Hebrew calendar New Year last week. But, it comes instead on the eve of Yom Kippur, which marks a day of fasting to purify oneself for the coming year. One of the most interesting things about this year, Hebrew Year 5782, is a…
Read MoreShavu’ot, Feast of Weeks
This week, we celebrated the Shavu’ot. This Jewish holiday comes seven weeks after Passover. It is a celebration of the harvest and centers on remembering when Moses gave the Torah. The holiday is marked by decorating with flowers and feasting on bread and other delicious food. Shavu’ot, or the Festival of Weeks, is a harvest…
Read MoreLag Ba’Omer—Counting the Omer
33 days after the Passover, the Jewish holiday Lag Ba’Omer marks halfway to Shavuot. This Jewish holiday takes the form of a celebration by bonfire, featuring s’mores, outdoor games, and campfire songs (about fire). Admittedly, this Jewish holiday was not on my radar at all when I subscribed to this year of Jewish holidays in…
Read MorePreparing Passover
16—How many years I have studied the Bible as a scholar, resulting in to Masters degrees and one PhD. 12—How many years I have spent teaching University students about the Hebrew Bible. 0—Number of times I have tried to celebrate a year’s worth of Jewish holidays. This year, I was very accurately targeted with an…
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