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RELIGIOUS HOLY DAYS/FESTIVALS
ROSH  HASHANAH  AND  YOM  KIPPUR1

Religious Program Specialist 3 & 2, Module 01-Personnel Support
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The  RP  should  assist  the  chaplain  in  ensuring  that  all  appropriate supervisory  personnel  are  made  aware  of  special  requirements  for  Jewish personnel in regard to the observance of the Jewish Sabbath. The RP should also  assist  the  chaplain,  as  appropriate,  in  ensuring  that  special  leave  and liberty  are  granted  when  it  is  necessary  for  reasons  having  to  do  with  the practice  of  religion. Since  the  Jewish  day  is  measured  from  sunset  to  sunset,  the  Sabbath begins Friday evening just before sunset and ends after dark (24 hours later) Saturday evening. Other Jewish holy days also run from Friday evening until Saturday evening. Jewish Sabbath services are conducted on Saturday. Holy Days Jewish holy days and festivals are high points in the religious life of Jews. For Judaism, the annual cycle of observances is as significant as creeds are in other  faiths.  The  yearly  cycle  of  the  holidays  serves  to  focus  attention  on fundamental Jewish values: humility, penitence, gratitude, dedication, hope, freedom,   and   loyalty.   All   Jewish   personnel   should   be   encouraged   to celebrate  these  sacred  occasions.  Jewish  holy  days  are  characterized  by prohibitions  of  work  comparable  to  those  which  pertain  on  the  Sabbath. ROSH   HASHANAH   (New   Year) .—Celebrates  the  anniversary  of creation.  Many  Jews  allocate  2  days  for  Rosh  Hashanah  services;  others allocate only 1 day. These differences in the celebration of the holy days are to  be  expected  and  should  be  respected.  Rosh  Hashanah  occurs  on  the  first and  second  days  of  Tishri,  the  seventh  month  of  the  Jewish  calendar. Rosh  Hashanah  is  the  first  of  10  days  of  penitence  (the  Days  of  Awe) which  end  with  the  most  solemn  day  in  the  Jewish  calendar,  Yom  Kippur. Jews believe that during these 10 days of penitence and prayer, people pass before  the  Heavenly  Throne  and  God  looks  into  their  hearts  and  reviews their  deeds.  Judgment  is  passed  on  Yom  Kippur.  Each  person’s  deeds  are weighed  and  judged  in  a  Heavenly  Book  of  Accounts. The Shofar (ram’s horn) is blown several times, in a prescribed pattern of notes. The original meaning of these blasts is no longer remembered. Tradi- tion,  however,  interprets  the  sounds  of  the  Shofar  as  a  summons  to  God’s Court  of  Judgment. In ancient Judea, the ram’s horn was used as a communication device to send  signals  from  one  mountain  peak  to  another.  In  the  Talmud,  it  is suggested that the Shofar helps to confuse Satan who tries to influence God when  He  judges  people. Orthodox  and  Conservative  Jews  observe  2  days  of  Rosh  Hashanah; Reform  Jews  celebrate  only  1  day. YOM  KIPPUR  (Day  of  Atonement—1  day).—The  evening  service  on Yom  Kippur  eve  (beginning  the  solemn  24-hour  period  of  prayer,  fasting, and  self-examination)  commences  with  one  of  the  most  famous  of  prayers, the Kol Nidre. The cantor chants the plaintive melody of the Kol Nidre just before  sunset;  first  softly,  then  louder,  then  still  louder.  Kol  Nidre  means “all vows. ” The words of the Kol Nidre prayer state that all vows and oaths made  to  God  and  not  carried  out  are  hereby  canceled  and  made  void. 2-52







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