Jewish High Holy Days

Jewish New Year

Jewish New Year (Rosh HaShanah) starts at sundown on Wed. Sept. 20.

The ten days starting with Rosh Hashanah and ending with Yom Kippur are commonly known as the Days of Awe (Yamim Noraim) or the Days of Repentance.

Rosh Hashana is the beginning of the High Holiday season. 

Tree of Life Necklace

Judaica Napkins

Apple/Honey Bowl

Star of David tote

Judaica fabric

Hamsa Earrings

Rosh HaShana Challah Cover

Did you know that there are 5 names for Rosh HaShanah?

1. Rosh Hashana literally means "Head of the Year" because Rosh Hashana marks the point when we begin the new calendar year (e.g. from 5772 to 5773).
2. Yom Harat Olam means "The Birthday of the World."
3. Yom Hazikaron means "The Day of Remembering."
4. Yom Hadin means "The Day of Judgment."
5. Yom Teruah means "The Day of Sounding (the Shofar)." This is the actual name that the holiday is called in the Torah.*

The Jewish High Holidays mean: 

• We get a chance for teshuvah (return to G-d), turn over a new leaf and begin again doing the right thing. 
• We hear the shofar – a wake-up call to jostle us, to seriously taking stock of what we’ve done all year and make sure we are worthy of being written into the Book of Life. “God sits in judgment, deciding whether or not we have merited to be inscribed in the divine book of life.“ **
• We eat apples dipped in honey to celebrate the sweetness of life. 
• The challah is round symbolizing the circle of life. 

Shanah Tovah u’meitukah, 
Happy and Sweet New Year! 

Linda B. 

Check out the items created by EtsyChai team members. Visit each shop!  

Originally published in 2014.*Source: Jewish Treats
** Source: A Taste of Torah, by Rabbi Matthew Berkowitz

Linda Blatchford
Jewelry Designer
www.LinorStore.com
www.lindab142.etsy.com

Tisha B'av

This is from JTS

Tish’ah Be’Av, the day we mourn the destruction of the first and second Temples and many other tragedies of Jewish history. It is traditionally a complete fast—from sunset until sunset—with Yom Kippur the only other such fast day in the Jewish calendar. There is a Hasidic teaching that no halakhah concerning fasting on these days is needed, for “on the black fast of Tish’ah Be’Av, who could eat, and on the white fast of Yom Kippur, who needs to eat?”

The rituals of Tish’ah Be’Av guide us not merely into an understanding of destruction and mourning, but into a living emotional encounter and experience. The book of Lamentations opens with the onomatopoeic word “Eicha!”—a primal sound of utter despair and grief. It is the sound uttered by David as he hears of the death of his beloved Jonathan and Jonathan’s father, King Saul: “Eich!Naflu gibborim” (Aaach! How have the mighty fallen; II Sam. 1:27). The melodies of Tish’ah Be’Av are primal and haunting: the melodies of tears and desolation, the sounds of yearning for a world destroyed that will not return, and melodies that give soul to the kinot, the poems of lamentation and grief.

Tish’ah Be’Av recalls events that are historical, but it is not a day of history. Tish’ah Be’Av is anencounter with our history. We are increasingly conscious that Jewish history is far from an unfolding series of tragedies: there are many epochs of security and substance, with great flowerings of Jewish culture and learning. So perhaps it is fitting to invest this day each year with the memories of destruction. We recall not only the destruction of the Temples, but also the exile from Spain, and there are those (including my teacher Rabbi Dr. Louis Jacobs [z”l]) who suggest that the Shoah might be most fittingly commemorated on this day.

The poem Eli Tsiyon (Weep O Zion) is well known throughout Ashkenazi communities, and has a melody that has become the leitmotif for Tish’ah Be’Av. The liturgy of the Spanish and Portuguese communities includes a haunting poem called Aleichem Eidah Kedoshah (To you O holy Congregation I would ask these questions) with a refrain that echoes a different time: “Mah nishtanah halailah hazeh mikol haleilot”(Why is this night different from all other nights?). There is a poignant irony in this question of the lavishness of seder night being reprised on the night of the black fast. And yet, Tish’ah Be’Av is a powerful night, a time of learning and yearning, a time to ask questions.

May our journey into the memories of sorrow deepen the breadth of our lives, our understanding of our history, and our commitment to the future.

A lovely setting of Eli Tsiyon can be heard here. The text of the Iberian poem can be found here, and can be heard here, chanted by Hazzan Halfon Bengarroch of London’s Bevis Marks Synagogue.

Upcoming Jewish Holidays

Get ready for: 

Tisha B'Av 7/15/13
Tisha B'Av primarily commemorates the destruction of the first and second Temples, both of which were destroyed on the ninth of Av (the first by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E.; the second by the Romans in 70 C.E.).


Although this holiday is primarily meant to commemorate the destruction of the Temple, it is appropriate to consider on this day the many other tragedies of the Jewish people, many of which occurred on this day, most notably the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492 and from England in 1290. 

Star of David

Rosh Hashanah 9/4/13 = Jewish New Year - a time to start over 

Gold and Clear Swarovski Crystal Kippah

Yom Kippur 9/13/13 = Day of Atonement - repentance and forgiveness

Hebrew/English Baby Blanket

Sukkot 9/18/13  On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the Festival of Sukkot, seven days for the L-RD... on the eighth day, there shall be a holy convocation for you. -Leviticus 23:34

Sukkot Art

Shemini Atzeret 9/25/13 evening - Shemini Atzeret literally means "the assembly of the eighth (day)." Rabbinic literature explains the holiday this way: our Creator is like a host, who invites us as visitors for a limited time, but when the time comes for us to leave, He has enjoyed himself so much that He asks us to stay another day. 

Hebrew Baby Onesie

Simchat Torah 9/26/13 evening - Simchat Torah means "Rejoicing in the Torah." This holiday marks the completion of the annual cycle of weekly Torah readings. Each week in synagogue we publicly read a few chapters from the Torah, starting with Genesis Ch. 1 and working our way around to Deuteronomy 34. On Simchat Torah, we read the last Torah portion, then proceed immediately to the first chapter of Genesis, reminding us that the Torah is a circle, and never ends.

Glass Tile Pendant

Hanukkah 11/27/13 evening - the miracle of the oil for the menorah lasting for 8 days & the battle that Judah fought to preserve Judaism. 

Hanukkah Dreidel earrings 

Visit the EtsyChai team members' shops to see more Jewish handmade creations. 

Keep watching our blog for more information about Jewish holidays and handmade gifts. 

A Little Cake to Break the Fast

Hi, all, or should I say Shalom? Good yontif? (I know in Hebrew it is Yom Tov but that's what it sounded like when I lived in Borough Park a million or so years ago). GoofingOff here again doing what comes naturally, goofing off. Just thought I'd drop a few lines to wish everyone a good holiday.
Rosh Hashanah is past and the big one, Yom Kippur is coming up in the next few days. What does that mean besides lots of prayers? Food, what else? Two good meals before the fast (like I need someone to tell me to eat, right) and a big "Break the Fast" meal after. I look forward to it all, even the not eating. I kind of need someone to tell me not to eat, otherwise I have little willpower (like going to a buffet and being on a diet.....sheer torture). The fast is supposed to make us be more like the angels, free from human needs, and let's face it, food is a human need. No drinking, either, not even water. The fast starts at sundown the evening before and end an hour after sundown the next day. No short "NPO after midnight except sips of water" for us (sorry for the medical terminology...I am a nurse), we go all out. By the time the fast is over I have a new found appreciation for water, food, and anything else on the table.
Anyway, I broke the news to my a-little-less-than-Jewish husband that the holiday was approaching and I will be abstaining from food or drink.
"Nothing to eat? No water?Not even a cup of coffee?" he asked sounding shocked.
 "No, Babe, nothing."
"Well, I guess I'm staying out of your way." 
???? You'd think I get grumpy after not eating for 25 hours? hmmmm.
We go through this every year, same conversation, same reactions.  Like watching Abbott and Costello....you know the Who's on first but it's still funny.  Sometimes it's good to have a little predictable humor in your life.

Anyway, here's a couple of great recipes to break your fast with. Dairy is traditional so break out the tuna salad, blintzes, and sour cream. I'm telling you, after 25 hours you'll have a new found appreciation for sour cream and bananas.

Apple Streusel Crumb Cake (this recipe comes from the good folks at Woman's Day. I found the recipe back in the early 70's. It was one of my mother's favorites and was requested to serve for the break-the-fast at the shul in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Streusel

• 1 1/4 cup(s) packed light-brown sugar
• 3/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 1 stick(s) (1/2 cup) cold butter, cut in small pieces
• 2 teaspoon(s) cinnamon
• 1 cup(s) walnuts, coarsely chopped

Cake

• 3 1/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon(s) baking soda
• 1 1/2 stick(s) (about 3/4 cup) butter or margarine (not spread), at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cup(s) granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
• 1 container(s) (16-ounce) plain low-fat yogurt
• 2  Granny Smith or Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, and cut in 1/2-inch dice

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 14-cup nonstick bundt pan.
2. Streusel: In a medium-size bowl, stir brown sugar, flour, butter, and cinnamon with a fork or rub together with fingertips until crumbly and butter is completely incorporated. Stir in walnuts.
3. Cake: Mix flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a small bowl. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with electric mixer until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in vanilla and yogurt. With mixer on low speed, beat in flour mixture just until blended, scraping down bowl as necessary.
4. Spoon 3 cups batter into pan, spread evenly. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the streusel, the apples, then 1/2 cup streusel. Spoon on remaining batter and spread evenly. Sprinkle with remaining streusel, pressing down lightly so it sticks to batter.
5. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until a pick inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack 15 minutes. Place cookie sheet over pan and carefully invert both. Remove pan and cool completely. To serve, invert onto serving plate.

Read more: Apple Streusel Coffeecake Recipe - Dessert Recipes at Womansday.com - Woman's Day 

Banana Nut bread  (this one's mine......easy to make without a lot of ingredients.....good when the bananas are overripe and cheap).
There's lots of banana nut bread recipes out there but what makes this one special is there's no milk. Use margarine and it's pareve.

1/2 cup margarine (one stick)
1 cup sugar
1 cup of mashed bananas (2-3)
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix all liquids, sugar, mashed bananas, and eggs. Melt margarine and add to mixture. Add baking soda, salt, and nuts to liquid mixture. Add flour. Pour into pans lined with parchment paper. Bake approximately 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the top comes out clean. ......what kind of pan? A loaf pan works well but I usually use a tube pan. Looks prettier. I've also used coffee cans back when coffee came in real metal cans. It was so cool looking.

Well, that's all for now. Have a good holiday and an easy fast. Check out the wonderful shops of Team Etsy Chai. Beautiful jewelry, pottery, Judaica, and even calendars to help you remember when the holidays are.
And....don't forget to GOOF OFF!

Post by Eileen Patterson aka GoofingOff

Elul – Preparing for the High Holidays

The Hebrew month of Elul, the last month of this year (Hebrew calendar) begins at sunset on Aug 18 and continues through nightfall on Aug. 19th. The month of Elul is the month of repentence, leading up to Selichot and the High Holidays of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur.

According to tradition, the month of Elul is the time that Moses spent on Mount Sinai preparing the second set of tablets after the incident of the golden calf (Ex. 32; 34:27-28). He ascended on Rosh Chodesh Elul and descended on the 10th of Tishri, at the end of Yom Kippur, when repentance was complete. Other sources say that Elul is the beginning of a period of 40 days that Moses prayed for G-d to forgive the people after the Golden Calf incident, after which the commandment to prepare the second set of tablets was given.*

From the second day of Elul to the 28th day, the shofar (a hollowed out ram's horn) is blown after morning services every weekday (it is not blown on Shabbat).

Elul is also a time to begin the process of asking forgiveness for wrongs done to other people. According to Jewish tradition, G-d cannot forgive us for sins committed against another person until we have first obtained forgiveness from the person we have wronged. This is not as easy a task as you might think, if you have never done it. This process of seeking forgiveness continues through the Days of Awe.

Many people visit cemeteries at this time, because the awe-inspiring nature of this time makes us think about life and death and our own mortality. And, many people use this time to check their mezuzot and tefillin for defects that might render them invalid.

Chapter 27 of the Book of Psalms is added to the daily prayers, in the morning and afternoon.

These are just a few offerings from some members of the EtsyChai team.

Kiddush Cup	Chai Pendant
Cream and Gold Yarmulke	Star of David Beaded Kippah
Book of Life Pendant	Tree of Life Wall Hanging
Challah Serving Platter	Tree of Life Necklace

 

When writing a letter or meeting one another, we bless one anotherby including the greeting Ketivah vachatimah tovah—which roughly translates as “May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.”

The EtsyChai team extends “Ketivah vachatimah tovah” to everyone.

By Linda Blatchford
Team Captain
www.lindab142.etsy.com

*Source: Judaism 101

The Day of Atonement - Yom Kippur

Originally published 9/23/09 The Day of Atonement = Yom Kippur at Linda B’s Blog:

I'm in the spiritual zone of the Ya'min Nora'mim, the Days of Awe or the period from Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year to Yom Kippur.

These are some selections from the EtsyChai team:

Tallit Clips

Tree of Life

 

Kippah

 

Torah Yad

 

 

 Glass Bowl

 

 

The Jewish High Holy Day season continues and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement begins on Sunday, Sept. 27, and lasts through Monday after sunset. Moses brought down the second set of tablets from Mt. Sinai on this day.

Traditions: We wear white clothing to be “like the angels,” we fast (a method of purifying ourselves to approach G-d), we don’t wear leather or gold, and we admit our sins as a community. On this day, G-d hears our pleas for atonement and at the conclusion of the service, the Book of Life is closed. The slate is clean and we are turning a new leaf, returning to G-d and doing good deeds.