Reflections on the Major Holy Days of Judaism

Book excerpt: It should come as no surprise that Judaism, which has existed as the religion and culture of the children of Israel since the days of Moses, more than three millennia ago, has had occasion to institute markers reflective of its development and history from then to the present day. The present work, ‘Reflections on the Major Holy Days of Judaism,’ is intentionally limited in scope to those occasions earmarked as ‘holy convocations’ in the primary sourcebooks of Judaism, The Five Books of Moses, known in Jewish lore as the Torah, and in many translations as the Pentateuch. It is these ‘holy convocations’ that dominate Judaism’s annual religious and liturgical calendar, yet the biblical texts that ordain them are in many instances less than clear with regard to their observance. As a result, over the millennia since their original promulgation, scholars and others have struggled with the problem of defining in acceptable and actionable terms the purported intent of the sacred texts, a process that continues to the present day. This study recalls the notable reflections of scholars since the first century C.E., as well as their disagreements, on the evolution of the Major Holy Days of Judaism, their significance, traditions, and distinctive customs.