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THE JEWISH CALENDAR
Holy Days

Religious Program Specialist 3 & 2, Module 01-Personnel Support
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specifies a leap year once every 4 years. The extra time allotted is 1 day. In the  Jewish  calendar,  leap  year  occurs  every  2  to  3 years.  An  extra  day  is added to Adar, giving that month 30 days. This keeps Passover in the spring, Hanukkah  at  the  end  of  autumn,  and  Rosh  Hashanah  in  late  summer  or early  autumn.  Doing  this  is  crucial  since  elements  in  many  of  the  Jewish holidays  are  closely  linked  to  specific  seasons  of  the  year.  Sukkoth,  for example,  is  very  much  associated  with  the  fall  harvest.  Passover  celebrates the start of spring as well as the exodus of the Jews from Egypt. Seven times during every 19-year period an extra 29-day month is inserted between Adar and  Nisan.  The  extra  month  is  called  Veadar  or  Adar  Sheni.  At  the  same time, Adar is given 30 days instead of 29. Nisan,  anciently  called  Abib,  is  sometimes  called  the  first  month  of  the Jewish ecclesiastical year. Most  calendars  list  the  Jewish  holy  days  and  festivals  according  to  the first  daytime  period  on  which  they  occur.  But  in  Judaism,  days  are  freed from sundown to sundown. Therefore, it is important to remember that holy days  and  festivals,  including  Shabbat,  begin  at  sundown  the  evening  before the day listed. SECNAV Notice 1730 series, which delineates holy days and days  of  religious  observance,  takes  this  practice  into  account  when  listing Jewish   holy   days   and   festivals.   Thus,   while   the   Jewish   Sabbath   is   on Saturday,  it  really  begins  Friday  at  sundown  and  ends  on  Saturday  at sundown. RELIGIOUS   HOLY   DAYS/FESTIVALS Only one of all the Jewish holidays is observed every week throughout the year. It is the Sabbath, the day of peace and rest. In  the  Ten  Commandments,  the  cornerstone  of  the  Jewish  faith,  the Sabbath  alone  of  all  the  holidays  is  mentioned.  The  Third  Commandment says,  in  part:  “Remember  the  Sabbath  Day  to  keep  it  holy.” This Commandment gave something to the world that it apparently had never had before—a weekly day of rest. Before that time people worked day in,  day  out,  all  through  the  year  with  little  thought  of  a  day  of  rest. Sunday became the day of rest for Christians; the Muslims chose Friday. But most everyone agrees that originally the idea of a day of rest was Jewish, and it has been accepted as a very important Jewish contribution to civiliza- tion. You will find, once again, a wide range of attitudes toward an observance of  the  Shabbat.  Lighting  candles,  holding  a  wine  ceremony,  attending services,  reading  the  Torah,  studying  the  Talmud,  eating  special  meals, singing Shabbat songs represent only some of those activities in which many Jews  will  engage  in  whole  or  in  part  on  the  Sabbath  or  Shabbat.  Occasion- ally,  you  may  meet  Jewish  personnel  who  believe  they  must  refrain  from working  on  Shabbat.  It  is  not  uncommon  for  Jewish  personnel  to  wish  to refrain  from  as  much  regular  activity  as  possible  from  sundown  Friday through  sundown  Saturday. Special guidance regarding Sabbath observances conducted on days other than  Sunday  is  given  in  the  MILPERSMAN,  Article  5810100.  Orthodox Jews  may  not  depart  from  the  strict  law  forbidding  work  on  the  Jewish Sabbath. 2-51







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