The Jewish calendar is a lunisolar calendar, which means that it is based on the cycles of the moon and the sun. This results in a calendar that has both 12 months and 13 months in different years. The Jewish year begins in the fall, with the month of Tishrei.
There are many Jewish holidays throughout the year. Some of the most important holidays include Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Hanukkah, and Passover. These holidays commemorate important events in Jewish history, such as the creation of the world, the Exodus from Egypt, and the giving of the Torah.
List Of Jewish Holidays 2024
The Jewish calendar is a lunisolar calendar, which means that it is based on the cycles of the moon and the sun. This results in a calendar that has both 12 months and 13 months in different years. The Jewish year begins in the fall, with the month of Tishrei.
- Rosh Hashanah
- Yom Kippur
- Sukkot
- Hanukkah
- Passover
- Shavuot
- Tisha B’Av
- Rosh Chodesh
These holidays commemorate important events in Jewish history, such as the creation of the world, the Exodus from Egypt, and the giving of the Torah.
Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. It is celebrated on the first and second days of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, which usually falls in September or October. Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the High Holy Days, a ten-day period of introspection and repentance that culminates in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
The name Rosh Hashanah means “head of the year.” It is a time to reflect on the past year and to set goals for the new year. Jews traditionally attend synagogue services on Rosh Hashanah, where they hear the blowing of the shofar, a ram’s horn. The shofar is blown 100 times during the Rosh Hashanah services, symbolizing the 100 blasts that were blown at Mount Sinai when the Torah was given to the Jewish people.
Rosh Hashanah is also a time for family and friends to gather and celebrate. Traditional foods eaten on Rosh Hashanah include apples dipped in honey, symbolizing the hope for a sweet new year, and challah bread, a braided bread that is often topped with raisins or poppy seeds.
Rosh Hashanah is a time of joy and celebration, but it is also a time for reflection and repentance. It is a time to take stock of our lives and to make a commitment to change for the better in the new year.
Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement. It is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar and is observed on the tenth day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, which usually falls in September or October. Yom Kippur marks the end of the High Holy Days, a ten-day period of introspection and repentance that begins with Rosh Hashanah.
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A day of fasting
Yom Kippur is a day of fasting. Jews traditionally refrain from eating and drinking for 25 hours, from sunset on the eve of Yom Kippur to nightfall on Yom Kippur.
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A day of prayer
Yom Kippur is a day of prayer. Jews traditionally attend synagogue services on Yom Kippur, where they spend the day in prayer and meditation. The Yom Kippur services include a special prayer called the Kol Nidre, which is recited on the eve of Yom Kippur and releases Jews from any vows they may have made during the past year.
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A day of repentance
Yom Kippur is a day of repentance. Jews traditionally spend the day reflecting on their sins and asking for forgiveness from God. It is customary to ask forgiveness from anyone you have wronged during the past year.
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A day of rest
Yom Kippur is a day of rest. Jews traditionally refrain from work and other activities on Yom Kippur. It is a day to focus on prayer, repentance, and reflection.
Yom Kippur is a challenging day, but it is also a day of great spiritual significance. It is a day to come closer to God and to make a commitment to change for the better.
Sukkot
Sukkot is the Feast of Tabernacles. It is a seven-day festival that begins on the fifteenth day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, which usually falls in September or October. Sukkot commemorates the forty years that the Israelites wandered in the desert after their Exodus from Egypt. During this time, the Israelites lived in temporary shelters called sukkot (singular: sukkah).
The sukkah is a temporary shelter that is built outdoors. It is made of branches and leaves, and it has a roof that is open to the sky. Jews traditionally eat and sleep in the sukkah during Sukkot. The sukkah is a reminder of the temporary shelters that the Israelites lived in during their wanderings in the desert.
Sukkot is also a time to celebrate the harvest. Jews traditionally bring their choicest fruits and vegetables to the synagogue on Sukkot. These fruits and vegetables are used to decorate the sukkah and to make special dishes that are eaten during the festival.
Sukkot is a joyous festival that is celebrated with family and friends. It is a time to reflect on the Israelites’ journey through the desert and to celebrate the harvest.
Hanukkah
Hanukkah is the Festival of Lights. It is an eight-day festival that begins on the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev, which usually falls in November or December. Hanukkah commemorates the victory of the Maccabees over the Seleucid Greeks in the 2nd century BCE. The Maccabees were a group of Jewish rebels who fought for the right to practice their religion freely.
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The miracle of the oil
According to legend, when the Maccabees rededicated the Temple in Jerusalem, they found only one jar of pure olive oil that was fit for lighting the menorah, the seven-branched candelabrum. Miraculously, the oil burned for eight days, even though it was only enough for one day. This miracle is commemorated by lighting the menorah each night of Hanukkah.
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The dreidel
The dreidel is a four-sided spinning top that is played during Hanukkah. Each side of the dreidel has a Hebrew letter on it: nun, gimmel, hey, and shin. These letters stand for the Hebrew phrase “Nes gadol hayah sham,” which means “A great miracle happened there.”
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Hanukkah gelt
Hanukkah gelt is chocolate coins that are given to children during Hanukkah. The coins are a reminder of the coins that the Maccabees used to pay their taxes to the Seleucid Greeks.
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Latkes and sufganiyot
Latkes are potato pancakes that are fried in oil. Sufganiyot are jelly doughnuts. These foods are traditionally eaten during Hanukkah because they are fried in oil, which is a reminder of the miracle of the oil.
Hanukkah is a joyous festival that is celebrated with family and friends. It is a time to reflect on the Maccabees’ victory and to celebrate the miracle of the oil.
Passover
Passover is the Festival of Unleavened Bread. It is a seven-day festival that begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, which usually falls in March or April. Passover commemorates the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, where they had been enslaved for many years.
The Israelites were led out of Egypt by Moses. God sent ten plagues upon Egypt to convince the Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. The tenth plague was the death of the firstborn of every Egyptian family. The Israelites were spared from this plague by marking their doorposts with the blood of a lamb. This is where the name Passover comes from: God “passed over” the houses of the Israelites.
The Israelites left Egypt in a hurry, and they did not have time to let their bread rise. This is why we eat matzah, unleavened bread, during Passover. Matzah is a reminder of the bread that the Israelites ate when they left Egypt.
Passover is a joyous festival that is celebrated with family and friends. It is a time to reflect on the Israelites’ Exodus from Egypt and to celebrate freedom from slavery.
Shavuot
Shavuot is the Festival of Weeks. It is a two-day festival that begins on the sixth day of the Hebrew month of Sivan, which usually falls in May or June. Shavuot commemorates the giving of the Torah to the Israelites at Mount Sinai.
According to the Torah, God made a covenant with the Israelites at Mount Sinai. He gave them the Ten Commandments and the rest of the Torah, which contains God’s laws and teachings. The Israelites agreed to follow God’s laws and to be his people.
Shavuot is also known as the Feast of Firstfruits. It is a time to celebrate the harvest of the first fruits of the season. Farmers would bring their first fruits to the Temple in Jerusalem as an offering to God.
Shavuot is a joyous festival that is celebrated with family and friends. It is a time to reflect on the giving of the Torah and to celebrate the covenant between God and the Israelites.
Tisha B’Av
Tisha B’Av is the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av, which usually falls in July or August. It is a day of fasting and mourning that commemorates several tragedies in Jewish history, including the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem.
According to the Talmud, ten major tragedies befell the Jewish people on Tisha B’Av. These tragedies include:
- The Israelites were forbidden from entering the Promised Land because of their lack of faith.
- The First Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians.
- The Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans.
- The Bar Kokhba revolt against the Romans failed.
- The Crusaders massacred thousands of Jews in Jerusalem.
- The Jews were expelled from England.
- The Jews were expelled from Spain.
- The Holocaust began.
Tisha B’Av is a day of mourning and reflection. Jews traditionally fast on Tisha B’Av and attend synagogue services where they read from the Book of Lamentations, which describes the destruction of Jerusalem.
Tisha B’Av is a reminder of the suffering that the Jewish people have endured throughout history. It is also a day of hope, as it reminds us that even in the darkest of times, the Jewish people have survived and thrived.
Rosh Chodesh
Rosh Chodesh is the first day of the Hebrew month. It is a minor holiday that is celebrated with special prayers and readings in synagogue. Rosh Chodesh is also a time for women to gather and learn Torah.
The Hebrew calendar is a lunisolar calendar, which means that it is based on the cycles of the moon and the sun. The Jewish month begins with the new moon. Rosh Chodesh is the day after the new moon is sighted.
There are twelve Rosh Chodesh celebrations in a year, one for each month of the Hebrew calendar. The names of the Hebrew months are:
- Nisan
- Iyar
- Sivan
- Tammuz
- Av
- Elul
- Tishrei
- Cheshvan
- Kislev
- Tevet
- Shevat
- Adar
Rosh Chodesh is a time to celebrate the new month and to reflect on the past month. It is also a time to pray for the coming month and to ask for God’s blessing.
FAQ
Here are some frequently asked questions about Jewish holidays in 2024:
Question 1: When is Rosh Hashanah in 2024?
Answer: Rosh Hashanah begins on the evening of Sunday, September 22, 2024, and ends on the evening of Tuesday, September 24, 2024.
Question 2: When is Yom Kippur in 2024?
Answer: Yom Kippur begins on the evening of Tuesday, October 1, 2024, and ends on the evening of Wednesday, October 2, 2024.
Question 3: When is Sukkot in 2024?
Answer: Sukkot begins on the evening of Sunday, October 13, 2024, and ends on the evening of Sunday, October 20, 2024.
Question 4: When is Hanukkah in 2024?
Answer: Hanukkah begins on the evening of Sunday, December 22, 2024, and ends on the evening of Monday, December 30, 2024.
Question 5: When is Passover in 2024?
Answer: Passover begins on the evening of Tuesday, April 16, 2024, and ends on the evening of Wednesday, April 24, 2024.
Question 6: When is Shavuot in 2024?
Answer: Shavuot begins on the evening of Thursday, May 23, 2024, and ends on the evening of Friday, May 24, 2024.
Question 7: When is Tisha B’Av in 2024?
Answer: Tisha B’Av begins on the evening of Wednesday, July 31, 2024, and ends on the evening of Thursday, August 1, 2024.
Question 8: When is Rosh Chodesh in 2024?
Answer: Rosh Chodesh occurs on the first day of each Hebrew month. In 2024, the dates of Rosh Chodesh are as follows:
- Nissan: Tuesday, April 2, 2024
- Iyar: Sunday, May 12, 2024
- Sivan: Wednesday, June 12, 2024
- Tammuz: Friday, July 12, 2024
- Av: Sunday, August 11, 2024
- Elul: Tuesday, September 10, 2024
- Tishrei: Wednesday, October 9, 2024
- Cheshvan: Friday, November 8, 2024
- Kislev: Sunday, December 8, 2024
- Tevet: Tuesday, January 7, 2025
- Shevat: Wednesday, February 5, 2025
- Adar: Friday, March 7, 2025
Please note that these dates are subject to change depending on the sighting of the new moon.
We hope this FAQ has been helpful. If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact your local rabbi or Jewish community center.
Now that you know when the Jewish holidays are in 2024, here are a few tips for celebrating:
Tips
Here are a few tips for celebrating Jewish holidays in 2024:
1. Plan ahead. Many Jewish holidays fall on weekdays, so it is important to plan ahead if you want to take time off from work or school. You should also make sure to book any necessary travel or accommodations in advance.
2. Get involved in your community. There are many ways to get involved in your Jewish community during the holidays. You can attend synagogue services, volunteer at a local soup kitchen, or participate in a community-wide event.
3. Make it a family affair. Jewish holidays are a great time to spend time with family and friends. Make sure to invite your loved ones to join you for holiday meals and celebrations.
4. Learn about the holidays. There is always something new to learn about Jewish holidays. Take some time to read about the history, traditions, and customs of each holiday. You can also attend a class or workshop at your local synagogue or Jewish community center.
By following these tips, you can make the most of Jewish holidays in 2024. We hope you have a happy and meaningful holiday season!
In conclusion, Jewish holidays are a rich and meaningful part of Jewish life. By understanding the history and traditions of these holidays, we can better appreciate their significance and celebrate them in a way that is both joyful and meaningful.
Conclusion
Jewish holidays are a time to celebrate, reflect, and connect with our community. They are a reminder of our rich history and traditions, and they provide us with an opportunity to come together and celebrate our shared faith.
In 2024, there are many Jewish holidays to look forward to, including Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Hanukkah, Passover, Shavuot, Tisha B’Av, and Rosh Chodesh. Each of these holidays has its own unique history and traditions, and they all offer us an opportunity to learn more about our faith and to connect with our community.
We hope that this article has been helpful in providing you with an overview of Jewish holidays in 2024. We encourage you to learn more about these holidays and to find ways to celebrate them with your family and friends.
May you have a happy and meaningful holiday season!