Holiday Observance

All Jewish holidays begin the evening before the day specified on most secular calendars. This is because a Jewish “day” begins and ends at sunset, rather than at midnight.  In Genesis, Chapter 1, it states: “And there was evening, and there was morning, one day.” From this, we infer that a day begins with evening, sunset.  Holidays end approximately an hour after sunset.

“Each holiday is a place in time and space, with its own story, its own message and its own rituals. If we allow, it enters our homes with decorations and spirit and finds a way to enter our hearts. Each holiday is a guide to a different leg of life’s journey. On Yom Kippur, we learn the gift of apology, to forgive and allow ourselves to be forgiven, to claim responsibility for our actions, to believe we are not branded for our past mistakes. On Sukkot, we are reminded that the most secure and essential possessions in our lives are not the houses in which we live, the money we have, or the objects we own. Our most secure and essential possessions are the love we give to others, the communities we build, the promise of our faith, and the stories we leave behind. On Passover, we learn that freedom is conferred on us as part of our dignity, that we are to seek out a partnership with God, and that we deserve freedom most when we place it in the service of others.

That map of time helps us see where we – or at least our people – have been and where we might yet go. It is well worn, yet ever renewed. And in its presence, we know that we do not travel this world alone.”

         The Tapestry of Jewish Time, Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin