Articles in Yearly Cycle
The “Light” of Chanukah
A story is told of a man who was struggling along with an obviously heavy sack slung over his shoulder. The weather was hot and humid making his task arduous and tiring. A passer-by, clearly intrigued by this individual, asked him what it was that he had in the sack. …
Chanukah: General Washington Celebrates Chanukah
General Washington Celebrates Chanukah
The winter of 1777 was harsh, almost unbearable. The soldiers stationed in Valley Forge had no inkling of why they were there. In their midst was a lone Jewish soldier and it was the first night of Chanukah.
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Chanukah: Menorah on Masada
Mass Suicide
When you climb to the top and hike to the back you will discover a giant Chanukah Menorah on Masada and you have to wonder why. What is the connection between the story of Chanukah and the fortress of Massada? To answer this question we must go back to …
The Jewish Calendar: A Basic Overview
The Leap Year
The Jewish religion has its own calendar with an independent system of months and dates. The Jewish calendar follows the lunar cycle and is, on average, eleven days longer then the solar calendar. To adjust the Hebrew and secular calendars a complex system of leap years was
established. On …
The Three Weeks: An Overview
10 Tevet
There are a
series of fast days that commemorate the destruction of the holy
Temple. The first one falls on the tenth day of the Hebrew month of
Tevet. This fast begins at sunrise and ends at nightfall.
On this day the
Babylonian army laid siege to the holy city of Jerusalem. The siege
lasted …
Shavuot: A Basic Overview
Shavuos is the holiday in which our ancestors received the Torah at Mt. Sinai. This holiday marks the end of the seven-week period of the Omer and is celebrated with great festivity and joy. The holiday lasts for two days (one day in Israel) and falls on the sixth and …
Omer: A Basic Overview
Counting of the Omer
When our
ancestors left Egypt, G-d promised that He would bring them to Mt.
Sinai and give them the Torah. In anticipation of receiving the Torah,
Jews began to count the days and weeks left until their arrival to Mt.
Sinai.
In commemoration
of their counting, we are commanded to count the days …
Passover: A Basic Overview
Chametz and Matzah
On Passover we celebrate our ancestors’ exodus from Egypt. When our ancestors left Egypt they left in great haste. They didn’t have time to properly bake bread before they left and consequently ate unleavened bread for their first days of travel.In commemoration of this fact, the Torah commands …
