Traditions, Transitions and Teachings of the Fall Jewish Holidays
September 24, 2024 | Shabbat and Holidays
By Jodi Teitelman
This year, the month of October is more than just colorful leaves, pumpkin spice, and Halloween; it’s the start of the Jewish new year! We at The Network are here to help you celebrate all month long. Read on to learn about each holiday and the traditions that go along with the transitions from one to the next.
Rosh Hashanah: The Jewish New Year
Wednesday, October 1 – Friday, October 4:
Rosh Hashanah literally translates to “head of the year” and is celebrated in the States over a span of two days. Though this holiday occurs in the 7th Hebrew month, it’s a celebration that kicks off the year to come. There are a variety of ways to celebrate this holiday, including but not limited to: attending services at synagogue, hearing the blasts of the shofar, dipping apples in honey, or eating a fish head!
Days of Awe
Wednesday, October 1 – Friday, October 11:
The ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are referred to as the Days of Awe or Repentance. These days are seen as holy days, filled with self-reflection and introspection. A famous religious poem, Unetanah Tokef, recited during the High Holidays discusses three actions by which you can partake in during this time: repentance, prayer, and charity.
Repentance: It is customary for people to apologize to those they have wronged in the past year. This year, give yourself some grace. Take some time to apologize to yourself for ways in which you may not have prioritized your needs in the past year. Set an intention for self-care in the year to come.
Prayer: The Shabbat that falls between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is called Shabbat Shuva. Perhaps you attend this service and sit in the solemness of the day. In some communities, rabbis and other spiritual leaders give a special sermon to the congregation reflecting on their year.
Charity: A central value of many people’s Jewish practice is tzedakah, or acts of righteousness. This ten-day transition of holidays is a great time to reflect on the good you’ve done in the past year and identify ways to continue living the good in the new year.
Yom Kippur: The Day of Atonement
Friday, October 11 – Saturday, October 12:
Yom Kippur is the most solemn day in the Jewish calendar. It is on this day that many Jews refrain from the simple luxuries of the modern world – eating, drinking, wearing leather or jewelry, and even bathing – as a means of focusing on our desire to be better. When the shofar blasts at sunset, signalling the end of the holiday, it is customary to attend a break fast meal with family, friends, or community members.
An important reminder: Your health and wellbeing is of the utmost importance. Jewish tradition teaches that if fasting were to put your physical, mental, or emotional health at risk you must not fast.
Preparing for Sukkot
Saturday, October 12 – Wednesday, October 16:
The five days following Yom Kippur serve as a transition from the somber to the joyous! It is during this time that we build and decorate sukkot in our yards, find a lulav and etrog to shake, and invite people to celebrate the holiday with us.
Sukkot
Wednesday, October 16 – Thursday, October 25:
This holiday is named after the booths or huts in which the Israelites lived in while wandering the desert for 40 years. Sukkot is one of the three pilgrimage holidays of the Jewish year and is often regarded as a harvest festival. It is customary to build a sukkah at your home where people eat, sleep, and gather for the entire 8-day holiday. Sukkot are often decorated with fall crops and pictures of family and friends. Ritual items, such as a lulav (palm, myrtle, and willow branches) and etrog (citrus fruit), are shaken in all directions as a moment of gratitude for the natural world.
Shemini Atzeret: Eighth Day of Assembly
Wednesday, October 23 – Thursday, October 24
Simchat Torah: Rejoicing in Torah
Thursday, October 24 – Friday, October 25:
Immediately after the holiday of Sukkot ends, we go right into Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. These holidays tend to be more synagogue-centric and are filled with music, dancing, and liveliness. Shemini Atzeret signals for us to add in prayers for rain in the land of Israel while Simchat Torah celebrates the completion of reading the Torah and the beginning of that cycle again. Simchat Torah is celebrated with Torah readings, parades, and dancing. It’s not uncommon for communities to unroll an entire Torah scroll and have children find their favorite stories or their b’mitzvah portions.