High Holy Days – the 10-Day Period

Jewish people are in the High Holy Day period that started at sundown on Wed., Sept 8 with Rosh HaShanah, the start of the year 5771 and one of my favorite rituals - hearing the shofar in the synagogue.

Here are some items from EtsyChai Team members for the High Holiday period and other Jewish holidays.

Chai Hamsa Pendant		Aba Mug for Dad
Doves of Jerusalem		Torah Necklace

 

It is believed that on Rosh Hashanah the destiny of all mankind is recorded by G-d in the Book of Life. After Rosh Hashanah services, as the congregants leave the synagogue they say to each other...

"May you be inscribed in the Book of Life"

 

12 Tribes of Israel		Honey Pot
Happy Hanukkah Cards		Bat Mitzvah Card
4 Species Print		Falafel in pita bread knife

Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement is a day of fasting or cleansing our physical bodies along with our souls. It is a 25-hour fast for those not medically restricted. On Yom Kippur the Book of Life is closed and sealed. Those that have repented for their sins are granted a good and happy New Year.

As Yom Kippur ends, at the last hour a service called "Ne'ila" (Neilah) offers a final opportunity for repentance. It is the only service of the year during which the doors to the Ark (where the Torah scrolls are stored) remain open from the beginning to end of the service, signifying that the gates of Heaven are open at this time.

The service closes with the [following] verse, said 7 times, "The L-rd is our G-d." The Shofar is sounded once and the congregation proclaim - "Next year in Jerusalem."

The festival of Sukkot, the nine-day festival also known as Chag'ha Succot, the "Feast of Booths" (or Tabernacles), is named for the huts (sukkah) that Moses and the Israelites lived in as they wandered the desert for 40 years before they reached the Promised Land.

Sukkot concludes with a special two-day holiday. The first of these days is known as Shemini Atzeret, meaning "the eighth day of assembly", and the final day is Simchat Torah, meaning "the joy of Torah".

Commandments – Torah – Bat Mitzavh Gift		Sterling Silver Judaica Charm Bracelet

The holiday of Sukkot is followed by an independent holiday called "Shemini Atzeret." In Israel, this is a one-day holiday; in the Diaspora it is a two-day holiday, and the second day is known as "Simchat Torah." This holiday is characterized by utterly unbridled joy, which surpasses even the joy of Sukkot. The joy reaches its climax on Simchat Torah, when we celebrate the conclusion – and restart – of the annual Torah-reading cycle.

Depending on the synagogue, the High Holiday whites remain on the Torah scrolls and the amud (lecturn) until after Simchat Torah.

Happy and Sweet New Year and the EtsyChai team hopes you are inscribed and sealed in the book of life.

By Linda Blatchford, Jewelry Designerchic
http://lindab142.etsy.com