Holidays

Tu B’Shvat- The New Year for Trees

The secular world has just passed the Gregorian reckoning of the New Year of 2013.  But for Jews this isn’t a New Year. For those of you who have heard Bob’s teachings concerning the Jewish calendar then you’ll know that the New Year is not January 1st.  But in case we seem like party poopers, you should know that we don’t have one New Year’s Day, we have four! - 1st Nisan; 1st Elul; 1st Tishrei; and 15th Shvat.  At a time in the calendar divested of leaves and greenness but rich in magic and metaphor, when the land of Israel is experiencing the end of the cold winter and the budding of the springtime to come, Jewish tradition establishes on Tu B’Shvat, on the 15th day of the month of Shvat, (Jan 26) the beginning of nature’s flowering, the New Year of the Trees.

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Shavuot: The Feast of Weeks!!

So we have been counting the Omer and what happens when we get to 50? Shavuot: The Feast of Weeks!!

Shavuot is a spring holiday that celebrates the first harvest, the ripening of the first fruits, and most importantly, the giving of the Torah. In the Bible, Shavuot is called by various other names: Feast of Weeks, Pentecost and Feast of the Giving of the Law. …

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Purim Eat and Rejoice!

PurimParticipate in a festive meal on Purim afternoon. Sit together with family and friends, sing Jewish songs, tell the story of Purim, and be merry!  You may have heard the old, humorous 'quip' about Jewish festivals as regards their history, "They tried to kill us. We won. Let's eat!"  It is humorous but with a dark edge.  Time after time, and this time once again, God miraculously delivers His people from the hands of almost certain death. The word 'Purim' means 'lots.'  According to the story, Haman cast lots to determine the day upon which to exterminate the Jews. …

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