The annual cycle of Jewish holidays is a central part of life at Tikvat Israel. For the latest information on this year’s celebrations, please visit our Recent News page. For more general information, click below.
All holidays begin at sundown. A brief overview of special observances and customs, and any special Torah readings, is also available on the Hebcal website.
Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown on Wednesday, October 2, 2024 and goes through October 4, 2024.
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. It is a time of inner renewal and divine atonement. It is customary to attend Rosh Hashanah services on both days and to hear the shofar blown.
Many people also go to a Tashlich service where they throw bread crumbs into a naturally running body of water as a means of casting away their sins. On the second night of Rosh Hashanah it is customary to eat a new fruit, a symbol of newness.
It is customary to have big feasts on both nights of Rosh Hashanah and there are thus a plethora of customary dishes, including: round challah, honey, brisket, tzimmes and more.
Yom Kippur begins with Kol Nidre just before sundown on October 11, 2024 and concludes at sundown on October 12, 2024.
Yom Kippur is the Jewish day of communal and personal atonement for sins committed during the past year. It is traditionally observed by fasting and spending the day in prayer.
Jewish adults 13 and older are commanded to fast for a 25 hours, refraining from any eating or drinking. However, no one whose health would be at risk is allowed to fast, including pregnant women, nursing mothers and those who are ill.
Prayer – and especially prayers of repentance – is the other central component of the holiday. The Kol Nidrei service kicks off the holiday, just before sundown as the holiday begins. When we awaken, we start with the morning service, a Torah reading, and the musaf (additional) service that includes the special Avodah service (with its frequent prostrating oneself on the ground to reenact the service from the Holy Temple in Jerusalem). We also recite Yizkor (a prayer in memory of our deceased relatives) and, in the afternoon, read the book of Jonah. We conclude the day with the Neilah service, as the sun sets and the proverbial gates of repentance are closing. We mark the end of the day with the sounding of the shofar.
For more information and to register to attend the High Holidays this year, please click here.
Sukkot begins at sunset on Wednesday, October 16, 2024 and continues through sunset on October 23, 2024.
Sukkot is named after the booths or huts (sukkot in Hebrew) in which Jews traditionally dwell during this week-long celebration. The Sukkah represent the huts in which the Israelites dwelt during their 40 years of wandering in the desert after escaping from slavery in Egypt. They also remind us of our ancestors who dwelt in temporary structures during the fall harvest to maximize their time in the fields. The festival of Sukkot is one of the three great pilgrimage festivals (chaggim or regalim) of the Jewish year, and the first two days are considered holy days, when we refrain from doing work.
Today, many families build their own sukkah, often beginning construction immediately after the fast on Yom Kippur. A Sukkah must have at least three sides and a roof made of thatch or branches that provide sufficient shade to protect from the sun, but also enough space to see the stars at night. It is traditional to decorate the sukkah and to spend as much time in it as possible. Weather permitting, meals are eaten in the sukkah, and some people even sleep in the sukkah. We welcome guests to our sukkah, both living and, symbolically, our ancestors through a welcoming ceremony called ushpizin.
In commemoration of the bounty of the Holy Land, on each day of Sukkot we hold and shake four species of plants (arba minim), consisting of palm (lulav), myrtle (hadas), and willow (aravah) branches , as well as a citron fruit (etrog).
Shemini Atzeret begins at sundown October 23, 2024 and leads directly into Simchat Torah, which begins on the evening of October 24th and continues through October 25, 2024.
Shemini Atzeret means the “Eighth Day of Assembly,” while Simchat Torah means “Rejoicing in Torah.” These two days immediately follow the 7-day holiday of Sukkot.
Shemini Atzeret is a Biblical holiday marking the end of the Tishrei holidays. In Second Temple times, it appears to have been a day devoted to the ritual cleansing of the altar in the Temple. It also marks the beginning of the rainy season in Israel and, therefore, we begin to recite a prayer for rain in the daily amidah. We also recite Yizkor at the morning service.
Simchat Torah is a celebration marking the completion of the annual cycle of Torah readings and the beginning of the new one. It is marked by joyous dancing with the Torah scrolls, both in the evening and in the morning. It is the one time a year that we read from the Torah at night. In the morning, each person has an opportunity to be called for an aliya (to recite the blessings before and after the Torah reading), including a special one for all the children. It is also traditional to honor two members of the congregation with the final aliya of the cycle and the first aliya of the new cycle. These honors are called Chatan/Kallah Torah and Bereshit.
Hanukkah is an eight day festival beginning on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev, at sunset on December 25, 2024 and lasts for eight days until sunset on January 2, 2025.
In Hebrew, the word “hanukkah” means “dedication.” The name reminds us that this holiday commemorates the re-dedication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem following the Jewish victory over the Syrian-Greeks in 165 B.C.E. Hanukkah is also known as the festival of lights.
Sundown February 12, 2025 through February 13, 2025.
CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION ON THIS YEAR’S PURIM CELEBRATIONS
Sundown March 13, 2025 through sundown March 14, 2025.
Sundown April 12, 2025 (1st seder) through sundown April 20, 2025.
Click here for a full listing of Passover services, information, and events.
Sundown May 15, 2025 through May 16, 2025.
Sundown June 1, 2025 through June 3, 2025.
“Destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem” by Francesco Hayez, 1867
Sundown August 2, 2025 through August 3, 2025.
Tisha B’Av – the 9th day of the Hebrew month of Av – is a fast day that commemorates the destruction of the 1st Temple in 586 BCE, the 2nd Temple in 70 CE, and is also associated with the beginning of the Spanish Inquisition in 1492 and other tragic historic events. Traditionally, many of these events were seen as punishment for not upholding the mitzvot or for the lack of civility among people of different factions of Judaism. Regardless of one’s belief about the cause of the Temple’s destruction (or desire to rebuild it), this day is a reminder of the many attempts throughout history to destroy the Jewish people and Judaism. It is also an opportunity for us to mourn the losses we have endured. Traditionally, we engage in a full 24 hour fast and listen to the reading of Megillat Eicha (Lamentations) to help us focus on the solemnity of the day and commit ourselves to building a better future.
Tisha B’Av is the culmination of a three-week period of mourning that begins with the minor fast day of Shiva Asar B’Tammuz (17th of Tammuz), which marked the breach of the city walls in Jerusalem that preceded the destruction of the 1st Temple. It also begins the lead-up to the season of repentance, with Rosh Hashanah just seven weeks away.
