Against Idolatry:
Observing Jewish Festivals
In the previous article, we discussed how N'tzarim geyrim can observe the
prohibition against idolatry — one of the Seven Commandents of Noah — in a
positive way by orienting themselves to Shabbat. A second way is to
orient yourself to the observance of the New Moon (Rosh Khodesh) and the
Festivals and Fast Days of the Jewish year. Think of this orientation — and
re-orientation away from the festivals of your former religion — as a process
rather than as an event. It's not something that you achieve overnight but
something that you should get better at each year. These are not simple changes.
As is the case with Shabbat, these changes will change your relationship
to your family, your friends, and your employer. Some of them will be impressed
with your new life. Some of them won't. Some of them will actively try to throw
up roadblocks. Some of them will be directly negative. Many people will be
negative but in a subtle way. (My experience with Christians is that they will
happily share in the celebration of your Jewish festivals and then be put out
when you refuse to return the favor and celebrate their festivals.) Even if you
can't do it right away — and few can — you should be thinking about
arranging your life so that you can take the appropriate days off from work. In
the galut, there are 14 yom tov when work is prohibited. Of
course, they don't always fall on weekdays, when most people work, but normal
vacations get eaten up mighty fast by Jewish festivals. Part of the sacrifice.
Nevertheless, you'll enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that you are
re-organizing your life around celebrations that are written into Torah
rather than invented by human beings so they could have another three-day
weekend. Some comments about the various festivals:Rosh Khodesh (Head of the Month): This festival is celebrated today only with various prayers on the preceding Shabbat and on the days of the new moon itself. Still, Rosh Khodesh is a biblical feast, often mentioned in connection with Shabbat, and the Rosh Khodesh additions to the amidah are obligatory instead of optional. Observing Rosh Khodesh is a reminder of the connection between the Creator and the natural world. Because Rosh Khodesh, celebrates the beginning of the moon's cycle, it is an excellent time to renew your spiritual life. I discovered a trick that helped me do this. Having developed the habit of setting work and personal priorities every month, it was an easy step to switch from doing this at the beginning of the civic month to the beginning of the Jewish month. The practice put me more in the spirit of Rosh Khodesh, and it ensured that I was aware of Rosh Khodesh each month.
Pesach and Khag Ha-Matzot (Skip-Over and Pilgrimage of Non-Leavening): : This biblical khag, in the beginning of the biblical year, epitomizes the way Jewish feasts engage the whole body and soul. This festival, properly celebrated, requires weeks of preparation — as the house is cleared of khametz (all products containing leavening)— and a total change in diet for more than eight days. Not to mention abstinence from work for four days. It is much more than the Pesakh seder, which is incongruent at best when divorced from an effort to be khametz-free. This is a key festival and a natural place to start. A suggestion: rather than starting right off with a seder, try avoiding chametz for the whole eight days first. That'll get you in the spirit of things.
Shavu'ot (Weeks): This khag closes the 50-day counting of the omer (sheaf). Thus, this festival is linked to Khag Ha-Matzot. In the galut, this is a two-day festival and not widely celebrated outside of the Orthodox community. Still, it's a biblical feast commemorating the receiving of the Torah, and one would do well to mark the day(s). A simple tradition is to have a dairy meal. Eventually, if you can't already, you'll want to arrange to take the day off from work.
Sukkot (Huts): Another khag, occurring for eight days in the fall for those of us in the Northern hemisphere. Where to begin? Easy. Get some instructions for building a sukkah — check The Jewish Catalog — and have fun.
The High Holidays: This is a name for the period of time between Yom Tru'ah, popularly called Rosh Ha-Shanah, and Yom Kiypur. Yom Tru'ah is a big beyt k'nesset feast, noted for blasts on the shofar (ram's horn) and lots of meals. At Yom T'ruah, HaShem opens the Book of Life and gives the community a chance to make t'shuvah before the Book closes at the end of Yom Kiypur. Yom Kiypur is another big beyt k'nesset day, marked by a 25-hour fast from food, liquids of any kind, sex, and wearing leather. If you've never done a total fast, you might want to try a 12-hour fast first.
Khanukkah (Inauguration): This is a minor feast, but it is beautiful for its simplicity and a wonderful antidote to the other winter celebrations and all they stand for. And the good news is that it's a festival the greenest geyrim can pull off from the get-go. That's because the main miytzvah — lighting the khanukkah menorah — is so simple. You don't even need to buy a fancy menorah. You can make one. All you need is a place to stick nine candles (one for each of the day plus a shamesh, the candle that's used for reading and igniting the other candles). Get some instructions on how to light the candles, and go for it.
Purim (Lots): This is another minor feast that is celebrated with great relish within the Orthodox Jewish community. Because most of the traditions associated with this feast involve the beyt k'nesset or community partying, this would likely be one of the later festivals you get involved in.
Lag B'Omer (33rd of the Sheaf): This is a minor feast that interrupts a period of mourning after Khag Ha-Matzot. This festival is associated with fire, and an enjoyable custom on this day is to have a cookout.
Tiysha B'Av: The ninth day of the month of Av commerates the destruction of the temple and is observed with a 25-hour fast. Unlike Yom Kiypur, it is not a Shabbaton and people do sometimes work through it. It's a much sadder day than Yom Kiypur, which despite the fasting has a strong element of joyfulness about it.
There are a series of minor fasts, all related in some fashion to the
destruction of the temple. A minor fast starts before sunup and ends after
sundown. These are minor, less important than the major festivals and are not
therefore the place to start. Unless you're practicing for your total fast on Yom
Kiypur.— KENNETH GUENTERT
Schueller House
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Manitou Springs, CO 80829
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Copyright © 2004, Schueller House. Revised - 03/18/07
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