More about holidays

Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement. It is well known as a day of fasting, repentance, and lots of prayers. But there is so much more to observing Yom Kippur than simply showing up at synagogue and not eating anything! Make Yom Kippur even more special and meaningful this year by plugging into the full Yom Kippur experiences. Learn all about Yom Kippur and its associated themes, practices, and prayers.

The Four Mitzvot of Purim

Purim is a festive holiday commemorating the miraculous salvation of the Jewish people in Persia from near destruction. According to the book of Esther, Jews everywhere are obliged to celebrate this victory each year with four special practices. Learn about these fun observances and how you can participate!

Doubling Holidays: Are Two Heads Better than One?

If you compare a modern-day Jewish calendar with passages in the Torah that refer to the holidays (such as Leviticus 23), you will find a notable discrepancy. Many holidays that the Bible seems to say last for one day are observed for two days on the Jewish calendar. Learn why this practice exists and if it is truly biblical.

A Kosher Sukkah

The holiday of Sukkot is not only lots of fun, but it is also deeply meaningful and spiritually enriching. It is a perfect time to get kids involved in keeping the commandments and to teach them important things about the Kingdom of God. On the holiday of Sukkot, the Bible gives us tangible and visual ways to worship God and learn about Him.

Medicine for the Soul: Repentance, Prayer and Righteousness

A man goes to the doctor to get some test results. As he sits in the doctors office he sees that there are three folders on the doctor’s desk. One is labeled Good News. Another is labeled Bad News. And yet another is labeled Bad News and Good News.

Is Rosh Hashanah the New Year?

The Torah commands that we observe a certain holiday on the first day of the seventh month. Scripturally, it is given two similar names: yom teru'ah (Day of Blasting/Shouting) in Numbers 29:1 and zichron teru'ah (Remembrance of Blasting/Shouting) in Leviticus 23:24. Jewish tradition refers to this day as Rosh HaShanah, which means "Beginning (lit., 'head') of the Year." But how can the beginning of the year occur in the seventh month? Didn't God command that the new year is to begin in the springtime?