Jewish Festivals.ppt

Jewish Festivals RELIG 210: Lecture 13 Lecture Goals Provide a basic overview of the structure of Jewish holidays and festivals Discuss the historical sources and religious significance of major festivals Illustrate key ritual objects and practices associate with festivals Torah Reading Weekly cycle of reading Why make Torah part of the liturgy? Shabbat and Jewish Time History vs. Memory Prayer, Ritual and Halakhah construct Jewish time Shabbat is most central time-marker Major theme: Recognizing Creation Observing Shabbat Actions imbued with liturgical significance All acts of labor are prohibited God rested, so should the Jews Cannot bring anything into existence Any action used in building Tent of Meeting is forbidden Creating distinctions in time Liturgy goes beyond communal prayer into daily life The Jewish Calendar Holidays and Ritual Occasions Pilgrimage Festivals New Year Cycle Commemorative Celebrations and Fasts Pilgrimage Festivals Origins of the Festivals Agricultural holidays Rabbis add layers Tied to national/theological narrative Temple sacrifice Ritual Reenactment Passover - Leave Egypt (8 Days) Shavuot - Receive Torah (2 Days) Sukkot - Enter the Promised Land (8 Days) Pesah (Passover) Biblical Roots: Spring harvest festival Commemorates liberation from Egyptian slavery “You shall observe the feast of unleavened bread, for on this very day I brought your ranks out of the land of Egypt; you shall observe this day throughout the ages as an institution for all time.” (Exodus 12: 17-18) The Seder The Haggadah Commanded to retell Exodus narrative Ritual reenactment-Imagine personal deliverance from slavery Symbols Matzah - Unleavened bread Maror - Bitter herbs Haroset- Sweet mix Shavuot (“Feast of Weeks”) Biblical Source: “You shall observe Shavuot, of first fruits of the wheat harvest.” (Exodus 34:21) Rabbinic Reading: Commemorates giving of Torah at Mt. Sinai Fewer home rituals than Passover or Sukkot All night studying Sukkot- Biblical Sources Bi