rear pew mirror • doug brook
When holidays collide
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October 2021 • Southern Jewish Life
The Hebrew month of Tishrei is packed full of High Holidays, from the first shofar blast of Rosh Hashanah through the final blasted aliyah on Simchat Torah. The rabbis realized that they wouldn’t see their families for most of a month and that people would need to go back to their jobs after these weeks of wanton worship. Since the annual wonton worship of Dec. 24 is still two months away, with only Chanukah in between, the rabbis had to act fast so they could slow down. So, for the month of Cheshvan — immediately after Tishrei — the rabbis decided to take advantage of the Bible lacking major miracles or disasters that month by keeping it free from any additional major holidays. For thousands of years, the rabbis ensured no disasters or cataclysms occurred in Cheshvan, so everyone could focus on what’s most important in their lives each fall: holiday shopping season. However, that didn’t stop everyone. In the recently discovered Talmudic tractate Bava Gump, Rav Telfone, the great communicator, ponders what would happen if holidays occurred at different times of year than they’re scheduled. Rav Telfone’s initial inspiration was that the new year is celebrated on Rosh Hashanah at the start of Tishrei, near the start of fall, despite the Torah describing the year as starting on the first of Nisan, in the spring month when Japanese automakers were originally expected to announce the new year’s models. Imagine Rosh Hashanah followed two weeks later by Passover instead of Yom Kippur. Or imagine Yom Kippur with Passover four days later. Nobody else wanted to, either. Nevertheless, Rav Telfone’s son and successor, Rav Celfone, cut the cord with tradition. He went a step further than his father by exploring what it would look like to combine holidays from opposite ends of the year. Rav Celfone’s initial inspiration was Yom Kippurim. The combination of the biggest fast day of the year — Yom Ready to Kippur, the Day of Atonement — with combine some the biggest holiday for frivolity — Purim — might seem contradictory. Or sacriof the Jewish legious. Or impossible. It is all of those holidays? Didn’t things. But Rav Celfone’s idea wasn’t his idea. The Torah itself repeatedly refers to “Yom think so. HaKippurim,” predicting the story of Esther well over a thousand years before Haman started his bakery or hat store. The first half of Yom Kippurim is the atonement piece, full of fastidious fasting. The second half is the Purim piece, full of fervent, fermented frivolity. Critics argue that it renders atonement meaningless if immediately followed by drunken celebration, but Rav Celfone contends that it lets people get doing something they’d need to atone for out of the way early, so they can spend the rest of the year being righteous dudes without needing to find a way to sin. Rosh HaPesach confuses more people than even know it exists. As mentioned, the Torah says the new year starts in Nisan — 15 days before Passover begins — yet Rosh Hashanah starts Tishrei, soon after school starts. So, Rav Celfone decided to put a new year’s holiday in both months. Thus Rosh HaPesach occurs twice. For two days in Tishrei, people celebrate what’s known as Rosh Hashanah while eating matzah. In Nisan, people celebrate Rosh HaPesach to continued on previous page