Seasons of Our Joy: A Modern Guide to the Jewish Holidays

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The menorah should be placed in an outside window so it can be seen from outside, although if this is dangerous, it can be placed on a table in the room. We kindle these lights on account of the miracles, the wonders, the liberations, and the battles that You carried out for our forbears in these days at this time of year, through the hands of Your holy priests.

For all eight days of Hanukkah these lights are holy. We are not allowed to use them; they are only to look at, in order to thank and praise your great Name on account of Your miracles, Your wonders, and Your liberations. Both men and women are forbidden to work during the time it takes the candles to burn each night.

In some Sephardic communities, women do not work at all on the first and eighth days of Hanukkah, and in some places, they don't work on any of the eight days. Just as the Sabbath is the day for rest provided during the week, so are the eight days of Hanukkah a mandatory resting time at this pivotal point in the year. See Time out of Time.

Arthur Waskow, Ph.D.

Hanukkah foods tend to be foods that are cooked in oil, like potato latkes and doughnuts, thus connecting the holiday feast with the historical legend. It explains the meaning behind ceremonies, festivals and fasts, suggests recipes, payers and actions. It updates them to include feminist Judaism, neo-Chassidic mysticism, eco-Judaism, and Jewish meditation. He examines how the place of each holiday in the cycle of the moon and the changing seasons affects the mood of the day, and suggests ritual and spiritual ways to prepare for each festival.

The Jews have a period between the festival of the Passover and the festival of weeks or Pentecost when they count the omer — a sort of ritual countdown between Passover and Pentecost. Our reading gives instructions on how to observe this period. It also gives instructions for the feast of Tabernacles when they have to spend some time in temporary booths, and bind together different species of fruit. Is there any wisdom for lesbians and gay men? Liberation — a gay word if ever there was one.

The Jews count 7 weeks of 7 days — day by day, week by week the community watched the spring grain grow with hope and anxiety. Ancient farmers were looking at their potential prosperity — or poverty. The barley harvest came first. That was to be a sign of the future, for good or ill. They put in the sickle and then started the countdown. There was a disagreement between the priests and the rabbis as to whether you were allowed to put in the sickle on the Sabbath. The rabbis won because the temple was destroyed and the priests lost their eminence. The rabbis in cities far away from farms saw all sorts of spiritual significance in the rituals.

One mystical text, the Zohar saw the symbol of 7 x 7 to signify the 49 gates a person goes through from defilement to enlightenment.

• Tillich (Abingdon Pillars of Theology).
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• Seasons of Our Joy: A Modern Guide to the Jewish Holidays by Arthur I. Waskow?
• Seasons of Our Joy: A Modern Guide to the Jewish Holidays.
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Everyone being sorted on a cosmic scale. Another said that to achieve personal wholeness you had to move from7 vices to 7 virtues. The 7 vices were: The 7 virtues were: Is our lesbian and gay community growing up since the days of gay liberation? Will it and lead to a mature identity?

Seasons of Our Joy: A Modern Guide to the Jewish H

What characterises our lives as individuals and as a community? Later, the Jewish calendar took in the festival of Tabernacles when everyone dwelt in temporary booths and bound together 4 disparate species of fruit. Is the gay scene a temporary booth? Each custom is examined both in its original form and through the various phases of its evolution in order to demonstrate its purpose and function in Jewish life.

In many cases, it is revealed, the popular folkloric understanding of a custom is an erroneous later accretion. Always, though, it is shown how Jewish customs and practices are crucial elements of a lively and living religious consciousness. By deciphering the Jewish holydays, one can come closer to discovering the inner core of the religion. Its Meaning for Modern Man.

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The author uses the concept of "architecture of holiness" in Judaism, a religion of time where the Sabbath becomes a "cathedral. This is a classic work on the Sabbath and spirituality in Judaism. A Jewish Holiday Handbook. This book covers both the Jewish calendar and the major Jewish holidays, including history, connections to Torah, home celebration, blessings and family projects. Organized by the Jewish month, this volume includes legends, stories, and interpretive essays for every special day.

Enhancing the sections are interesting presentations of the holiday rituals and customs. Olitsky, Kerry and Rachel T.