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Hebrew Holidays in 2007

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December 31, 2006: 10th of Tevet
A day of fasting in memory of the day the Babylonians first laid siege to Jerusalem, beginning a long line of disasters for the Jewish people.

February 3, 2007: Tu B'Shvat
New Year for Fruit of the Trees. Celebrating connection to the environment and appreciate the fruits of the Land of Israel. The Torah compares a person to a tree. Roots, branches, leaves. The tree as a metaphor for personal growth.

March 4 - March 5, 2007: Purim
Joyful time to celebrate the bravery of Queen Esther an Mordechai and the Jews of Persia escaping annihilation. The Megillah (Scroll of Esther) is read publicly on the night and day of the Purim festival.

April 3 - April 10, 2007: Passover (Pesach)
Most widely celebrated Jewish holiday. "And this day shall become a memorial for you, and you shall observe it as a festival for the L-RD, for your generations, as an eternal decree shall you observe it. For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove the leaven from your homes … you shall guard the unleavened bread, because on this very day I will take you out of the land of Egypt; you shall observe this day for your generations as an eternal decree. ~ Exodus 12:14-17"

Probably the most significant observance related to Pesach involves the removal of chametz (leaven). This commemorates the fact that the Jews leaving Egypt were in a hurry, and did not have time to let their bread rise. It is also a symbolic way of removing the "puffiness" (arrogance, pride) from our souls. http://www.jewfaq.org/holidaya.htm

April 4 - May 22, 2007: Counting the Omer
An omer is a unit of measure. When the Jewish people left Egypt on Passover, it was 50 days until the Torah was received at Mount Sinailater (on the holiday of Shavu'ot).

April 15, 2007: Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah)
Honoring the over six million killed during the Holocaust - "the final solution to the Jewish question." A day to learn about the bravery and sacrifice of those inprisoned in the extermination camps and anti-Semitism around the world. Visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. and Holocaust Memorial Day in the UK.

May 16, 2007: Yom Yerushalayim
Anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem. On June 7,1967 Israeli troops recaptured those parts of the holy city of Jerusalem which had previously been in Arab possession. Yom Yerushalayim commemorates this significant day.

May 23 - May 24, 2007: Shavu'ot
This holiday is called the time of the giving of the Torah. The custom is to stay up the entire first night of Shavu'ot and study Torah, and read the Book of Ruth.

July 3 - July 24, 2007: Tisha B'Av and the 3 Weeks
From Tuesday, July 3, through Tuesday July 24, 2007 (3 Weeks) is a period of national mourning focusing on the disasters that experienced by the Jewish People throughtout history. Remembering the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem - it was destroyed twice.

July 3 - July 24, 2007: Elul
The last month of the Jewish year. Traditionaly a time of introspection. Reviewing one's deeds and spiritual progress over the past year and prepareing for Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur.

September 12 - September 22, 2007: The High Holidays Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur
Rosh Hashanah begins the night of Wednesday September 12, 2007. Rosh Hashanah means "Head of the Year". Yom Kippur begins the night of Friday September 21, 2007. Yom Kippur is considered the holiest day of the year.

Sunset, September 26, 2007 - Sunset October 3, 2007: Sukkot
Sukkot, the Festival of Booths, is so unreservedly joyful that it is commonly referred to in Jewish prayer and literature as the Season of our Rejoicing (Z'man Simchateinu). "Booths" refers to temporary dwellings lived in during the period of wandering.

Sunset, October 3, 2007 - Nightfall, October 4, 2007: Shemini Atzeret & Simchat Torah
Two-day festival of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. Simchat Torah is a Hebrew term that means "rejoicing with/of the Torah". The annual cycle of reading the Torah is completed and begun anew. "Both the evening and morning services on Simchat Torah are unconventionally joyous, and humorous deviations from synagogue decorum are often tolerated. A variety of traditional mischief is performed in many congregations to increase the interest of the children, often abetted by some of the adults."

Nightfall, December 4 thru Sunset, December 12, 2007: Chanukah
The Festival of Lights. A time of dedication. A joyous eight-day celebration during which Jews commemorate the victory of the Macabees over the armies of Syria in 165 B.C.E. and the subsequent liberation and "rededication" of the Temple in Jerusalem. Lighting Our World (short movie about lighting the darkness around us)

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