customary to light 24-hour yahrzeit candles in memory of loved ones who have died, and Yizkor, or memorial prayers, are included in the morning service. Yahrzeit
candles are lit before the holiday candles at the end of
the pre-fast dinner eaten before sundown on the eve of this holy day. All adults in the household whose health permits abstain from food and drink for the next 25
hours. At nightfall the next night, a single, long blast of
A year full of
HOLIDAYS (Note: Jewish holidays start at sunset the evening before the first day of the holiday)
Rosh Hashanah Sept. 19-20, 2020
On Rosh Hashanah, the sound of the shofar announces the arrival of the High Holy Days, or 10 Days of Awe
that stretch from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur. Rosh Hashanah celebrates the creation of the world, but it
is also a solemn day of reflection. We review our deeds and repent, as we prepare for G-d’s judgment on Yom Kippur. The Rosh Hashanah festival meal includes a round, spiral challah symbolizing the cyclical nature
of life, the seasons and the Jewish year. The traditional apple dipped in honey symbolizes hopes for a sweet New Year.
Yom Kippur Sept. 28, 2020
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is a solemn fast day. We pray for forgiveness from G-d and repent
sincerely for our sins during the past year. Many people wear white as a symbol of purity, and often a white mantle is used to dress the Torah scrolls. It is also
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RESOURCE GUIDE 2020-2021 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE
the shofar signals the end of the fast, and families and friends gather for a light break-the-fast meal.
Sukkot
Oct. 3-9, 2020 This seven-day festival (eight days in the Diaspora) celebrates the abundance of the fall harvest. It
commemorates the 40 years the Jewish people
wandered in the desert after the exodus from slavery.
The sukkah, a temporary three-sided dwelling covered with leafy branches, gives the holiday its name. The
sukkah is a reminder of the temporary dwellings our ancestors in ancient Israel used for shelter in the
fields during the harvest, as well as the booths they
lived in for 40 years in the desert. The festival has two
additional main symbols: the lulav and etrog. The lulav consists of palm, myrtle and willow branches bound
together. The etrog is a citron, a yellow citrus fruit that looks and smells like a bumpy lemon. It is traditional to bless the Four Species (the lulav and etrog held
together) while waving them towards the four compass points, heaven and earth on each day of the holiday except Shabbat.
Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah Oct. 10-11, 2020
The days immediately following the end of the Sukkot festival are the semi-independent holidays Shemini
Atzeret (eighth day of Assembly) and Simchat Torah. Some liberal congregations celebrate both in one day
as Atzeret-Simchat Torah. These two holidays formally end the season of the High Holy Days. The Torah is a