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Download these simple guides for Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and more to celebrate the Jewish High Holidays at home, or mix and match from a variety of rituals and blessings to create your own meaningful holiday.
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What Are The Jewish High Holidays?
The High Holidays, or High Holy Days, refers to an important period of Jewish holidays that arrive each fall to honor renewal, freedom, and forgiveness. The most popular holidays that occur during this period are Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, but there are other holidays within this time period as well.
This year, Rosh Hashanah begins the evening of October 2, 2024 and ends the evening of October 4, 2024. Rosh Hashanah literally means the “head of the year,” and is often referred to as the Jewish New Year. It’s customary to celebrate by having a special dinner and eating sweet foods, like apples dipped in honey. The traditional greeting on Rosh Hashanah is “shana tovah,” which means “have a good year.
This year, Yom Kippur begins the evening of October 11, 2024 and ends the evening of October 12, 2024. Yom Kippur is arguably the holiest and most solemn day of the year for Jewish people. It is when Jews around the world ask for forgiveness for all of the things they have done wrong in the past year. It is customary to fast and refrain from food and water. There are a few appropriate greetings on Yom Kippur. You can say “have a meaningful holiday,” or “good yom tov,” which means “have a good holy day.” If someone is fasting, you can say “have a good fast” or “have an easy fast.”
Sukkot (known to some as the Feast of the Tabernacles) is a time to remember our wandering in the desert after escaping slavery in Egypt and reconnect with our agricultural roots. To celebrate, Jews construct a temporary outdoor dwelling called a Sukkah. The holiday is celebrated for seven days, and many Jews observe it by eating, drinking, relaxing, and even sleeping in their Sukkah. We also shake the branches of the lulav and an etrog fruit around our bodies to gather in the Divine. Sukkot begins the evening of October 16, 2024 and ends the evening of October 23, 2024.
Simchat Torah marks the day when we finish reading the Torah, and celebrate before we start all over again. It's a fun, happy holiday where we dance and parade around with the Torah. Celebrations typically take place at a synagogue, but there are also many ways to celebrate the joy of receiving the Torah at home as well!
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