High Holiday Days
Rosh Hashanah
Begins sunset of Sunday, September 25, 2022
Ends nightfall of Tuesday, September 27, 2022
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. It is the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, and a day of judgment and coronation of G‑d as king.
The central observance of Rosh Hashanah is blowing the Shofar (ram’s horn) on both mornings of the holiday (except on Shabbat).
Yom Kippur
(the Day of Atonement)
Begins sunset of Tuesday, October 4, 2022
Ends nightfall of Wednesday, October 5, 2022
Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year—the day on which we are closest to G‑d and to the quintessence of our own souls. It is the Day of Atonement—“For on this day He will forgive you, to purify you, that you be cleansed from all your sins before G‑d” (Leviticus 16:30).
Sukkot
Begins sunset of Sunday, October 9, 2022
Ends nightfall of Sunday, October 16, 2022
The seven days of Sukkot—celebrated by dwelling in the sukkah, taking the Four Kinds, and rejoicing—is the holiday when we expose ourselves to the elements in covered huts, commemorating G‑d's sheltering our ancestors as they travelled from Egypt to the Promised Land. The Four Kinds express our unity and our belief in G‑d’s omnipresence. Coming after the solemn High Holidays, it is a time of joy and happiness.
Simchat Torah
Begins sunset of Sunday, October 16, 2022
Ends nightfall of Tuesday, October 18, 2022
Following the seven joyous days of Sukkot, comes the happy holiday known as Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah. Both days are celebrated by nightly candle lighting, festive meals at both night and day.
Hanukkah
Begins sunset of Sunday, December 18, 2022
Ends nightfall of Monday, December 25, 2022
Hanukkah commemorates the re-dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem after a group of Jewish warriors defeated the occupying mighty Greek armies.
We light the menorah candles that holds nine flames, one of which is the shamash (attendant), which is used to kindle the other eight lights. On the first night, we light just one flame. On the second night, an additional flame is lit. By the eighth night of Hanukkah, all eight lights are kindled.
Fast of Tevet 10
Tuesday, January 3, 2023
On Asarah B'Tevet, the 10th day of the Jewish month of Tevet, in the year 3336 from Creation (425 BCE), the armies of the Babylonian emperor Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem. Asarah B'Tevet is observed as a day of fasting, mourning and repentance.
15 Shevat
Monday, February 6, 2023
The 15th of Shevat on the Jewish calendar is the day that marks the beginning of a “new year” for trees.
This day marks the season in which the earliest-blooming trees in the Land of Israel emerge from their winter sleep and begin a new fruit-bearing cycle. By eating fruit, particularly from the kinds that are singled out by the Torah in its praise of the bounty of the Holy Land: grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates.
Purim 13 & 14 Adar
Begins sunset of Monday, March 6, 2023
Ends nightfall of Tuesday, March 7, 2023
The festival of Purim commemorates the Divine salvation of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire from Haman’s plot “to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews. These events are recorded in the Book of Esther, and the salvation that came about at that time is celebrated on the holiday of Purim.
Pesach 14-22 Nissan
Begins sunset of Wednesday, April 5, 2023
Ends nightfall of Thursday, April 13, 2023
It commemorates the Israelite's from slavery in ancient Egypt. It is observed by avoiding leaven and highlighted by the Seder meals that include four cups of wine, eating matzah and bitter herbs, and retelling the story of the Exodus.
Second Pesach 14 Iyar
Friday, May 5, 2023
Thirty days ago we cleaned our homes and souls of leaven, and matzah our way through the week-long festival of Passover. And now, Pesach Sheni—a second Passover experience!
Shavuot 5 -7 Sivan
Begins sunset of Thursday, May 25, 2023
Ends nightfall of Saturday, May 27, 2023
Shavuot marks the giving of the Torah on Mt Sinai. The Ten Commandments are read in synagogues and Messianic Communities, just as they were in the desert on Mt Sinai over 3,300 years ago.
The Three Weeks
Thursday, July 6, 2023
through
Thursday, July 27, 2023
The “Three Weeks” and Tisha B’Av are designated as a time of mourning over the destruction of the Holy Temple and the galut (exile).
The fast commemorates five tragic events that occurred on this date: 1. Moshe broke the tablets. 2. Babylonian Siege. 3. Burning of the Holy Torah. 4. An idol replaced in the Holy Temple. 5. The Walls of Jerusalem were breached
The 15th of Av
Wednesday, August 2, 2023
Although it is mentioned in the Mishnah as a day on which the women of ancient Israel went out to find husbands, Tu B’Av more or less disappeared from the Jewish calendar for close to two millennia, only to be rediscovered by mainly secular Israelis, seeking a Jewish equivalent to Valentine’s Day in the non-Jewish world. Over the course of the last few years this mid-summer celebration of love has become increasingly popular in Israeli society.