Worldview Calendar: Jewish

PURIM – FESTIVAL OF LOTS

03 March

3rd March 2026

Jewish

Purim is a carnival festival which recalls how the Jewish community of Persia was saved from being massacred through the actions of a young Jewish woman, as is retold in the Book of Esther. The whole book, in the form of a handwritten scroll, the Megillah, is read twice in the synagogue, once on the evening of Purim and then again on the following day. Colourful costumes and masks are often worn amid lots of noise as the name of Haman (the villain of the story) is drowned out by the congregation with rattles and hooters and boos when it is read out. Many people come for the reading of the Megillah in fancy dress. Hamantashen (triangular cakes filled with poppy seeds, or with jam or chocolate) are baked and eaten at this time, so named after the triangular pockets or hats or ears said to be in courtly fashion at the time.

Purim means Lots and stems from Haman’s use of lots to determine the date of the pogrom he was planning of all Jews throughout the Persian empire. Since Moredechai, the leader of the Jewish community in Sushan, the capital city, had refused to bow down to Haman, who was the Prime Minister of Ahasuerus, the Persian King, Haman vowed ‘to destroy, kill and annihilate all Jews, young and old, infant and women, in a single day.’

King Ahasuerus had sought a new wife to replace his previous wife, Vashti, whom he had rejected for disobedience. His new Queen, Esther, who was Jewish and Mordechai’s cousin, prayed and fasted along with her fellow Jews for three days, and then risked her life by visiting the King unbidden to invite him to a party where she appealed for the life of her fellow Jews. The King listened to her and Haman was found guilty and hanged on a gallows he had previously erected for Mordechai. Mordechai, who had earlier exposed a plot to assassinate the King, now became the king’s new Prime Minister.

The book of Esther is read aloud in its fullness in the evening of one day and the daytime of the next, in what has become the most joyous day in the Jewish calendar. It celebrates divine deliverance from oppression and marked a new sense of purpose for the Israelite community, who from that time became known as ‘Jews’.

On this day, which always follows a fast throughout the previous day in memory of Esther’s three days of fasting, Jews are expected to observe four commands or mitzvots: to listen to the reading of the Megillah; to give money to at least two poor people in the community, so as to stress the unity of all Jewish people; to send gifts of at least two kinds of food and drink to at least one friend; and to share in a festive meal where food and drink are taken ‘until each person present cannot distinguish between ‘cursed is Haman’ and ‘blessed is Mordechai’.

TU B ‘SHEVAT

02 February

2nd February 2026

Jewish

A popular minor festival which celebrates the New Year for trees. Jewish tradition marks the 15th of Shevat as the day when the sap in the trees begins to rise, heralding the beginning of spring. It is customary for Jews all over the world to plant young trees at this time and to eat fruit produced in Israel. For religious accounting purposes all trees have their anniversaries on this festival, regardless of when they were planted.

PASSOVER/PESACH

02 April

2nd – 9th April 2026

Jewish

This major Jewish festival lasts eight days and commemorates the liberation of the Children of Israel and their Exodus from slavery in Egypt. The highlight is the Seder meal, held in each family’s home at the beginning of the festival, when the story of their deliverance is recounted, as narrated in the Haggadah (the Telling, or the Story). Matzah, (unleavened bread) is eaten throughout the festival, as are other foods that contain no leaven (yeast). There is a major spring cleaning in the home shortly before the festival to ensure that no trace of leaven is left in the house during Pesach. Coconut pyramids and matza balls (which are put in soups) are foods that might be eaten at this time.

Marking the key events in Jewish history is part of the Jewish calendar’s annual programme. Right at the heart of Jewish history is the Exodus with its theme of God’s unconditional relationship with his chosen people. A relationship that does not preclude suffering but eventually demonstrates both God’s power and His continuing commitment to his people. As a result of the regular telling of the story of slavery and freedom, Jews are called upon (more than 30 times in the Torah) to remember the stranger ‘because you were strangers in Egypt’. This sense of having been a slave people and a migrant people is central to Jewish consciousness and is recalled daily in Jewish liturgy and weekly in the practice of Shabbat.

Exodus 7-12.

NB The first two days and the last two days are full festival days when, for Orthodox Jews, work is not permitted.

LAG B’OMER

05 May

5th May 2026

Jewish

The Omer is a period of 49 days, lasting from Pesach to Shavuot. It is a time of sadness, relieved on this, the 33rd day, by a break in the days of mourning. Lag b’Omer recalls the end of a plague in Roman times during the lifetime of Rabbi Akiva, and is often celebrated by out of door, fresh air activities. A large number of weddings take place on this day, since they are not usually permitted during most of the rest of the Omer period.

YOM HA-SHOAH (HOLOCAUST DAY)

14 April

14th April 2026

Jewish

A day of remembrance when Jewish people remember the six million Jews, including one and a half million children, who were victims of the Nazi Holocaust. Memorial candles are lit and special services are held. The date is chosen as the closest date (in the Jewish calendar) to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

SHAVUOT / THE FEAST OF WEEKS / PENTECOST

22 May

22nd – 23rd May 2026

Jewish

Shavuot, also known as the Feast of Weeks or the festival of First Fruits, is a two day festival which falls seven weeks after Pesach – a period of preparation marked by the Counting of the Omer. It celebrates the supreme gift of the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai, and so to the people of Israel who covenanted to follow its teachings. It also marks the end of the spring barley crop and the time when the first wheat harvest was taken to the Temple by all male Jews, since like Pesach and Sukkot this is one of three times of year when pilgrimages to Jerusalem take place. Synagogues are decorated with greenery and flowers and for Orthodox Jews work is not permitted throughout the festival.

Dairy foods, such as blintzes and cheesecakes, are traditionally eaten for at least one meal during Shavuot. No-one is quite sure of the origin of this custom, though some have suggested it is as a reminder that the children of Israel were on their way to a land flowing with milk and honey, and that the gift of the Torah to them was the sweetest of gifts. It is also possible that after their journey through the wilderness no meat was available to them.

During the festival the book of Ruth is read, which records the non-Jewish Ruth’s enthusiastic commitment to throw in her lot with her mother-in-law, thus providing Jews with the prototype of possible conversion to Judaism, and notes that one of the significant descendants of this Moabite convert is King David.

Just as the Israelites spent three days cleansing themselves in preparation for the gift of the Torah (and then had to be awoken by Moses with the blowing of the shofar and a storm of thunder and lightning at the foot of Mount Sinai), so some Jews today ready themselves for this important gift by studying the Torah throughout the night. The threefold nature of scripture (Torah, Prophets and Writings) is also kept in mind at this time, and some welcome the symbolism of threes by eating three cornered ravioli and other dairy foods.

The psalm of praise (the Hallel) and the memorial service (Yizkor) are read on this day, as on all festivals, and the symbolism of the covenant of Marriage between the Almighty and His chosen people is often central to Jewish thought, from disaster. Many Liberal (and American Reform) communities celebrate confirmation for young people at this time, since it was traditionally the occasion when the Jewish People accepted the Torah, and stress the role of education as the foundation of all Jewish life.

Exodus 19 & 20, Leviticus 23:15-22, Deuteronomy 16:9-12.

TISHA B’AV

23 July

23rd July 2026

Jewish

This is the saddest day of the Jewish calendar. A full day fast is held at the conclusion of three weeks of mourning, while reflecting on the destruction of the first and second Temples in Jerusalem. Other tragedies in Jewish history are also recalled, many of which have coincidentally happened on this day. The Book of Lamentations is read at this time.

SIMCHAT TORAH

04 October

4th October 2026 Simchat Torah (Jewish)

3rd October 2026 Shemini Atzert (Jewish)

This festival, whose name means ‘Rejoicing in the Torah’, marks the completion of the annual cycle of reading from the Torah. As the reading of the Law in the synagogue should be continuous, a second scroll is begun again as soon as the final portion of the Torah has been read from the first scroll; so, as the reading from Deuteronomy ends, with the next breath, Genesis begins without a break – the Torah is a circle that never ends. All the Torah scrolls are paraded around the synagogue, with children dancing and singing, as do many of the adults, giving as many people as possible the honour of carrying a Torah scroll. Progressive Jews frequently celebrate this one day earlier, combining it with the eighth day of Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret.

The Torah scrolls are removed from the ark and given to members of the congregation to hold; then they march around the synagogue and everyone kisses the Torah scrolls as they pass. This ceremony is known as hakafot, which means “to march around” in Hebrew. Once the Torah holders return to the ark everyone forms a circle around them and dances with them.

There are seven hakafot in total, so as soon as the first dance is completed the scrolls are handed to other members of the congregation and the ritual begins anew. In some synagogues, it is also popular for children to hand out candy to everyone.

During Simchat Torah services the next morning, many congregations will divide into smaller prayer groups, each of which will use one of the synagogue’s Torah scrolls. Dividing the service up this way gives every person in attendance the opportunity to bless the Torah. In some traditional communities, only the men or pre-bar mitzvah boys accompanied by adults bless the Torah (post bar mitzvah aged boys are counted among the men). In other communities, women and girls are also allowed to take part.

Because Simchat Torah is such a happy day, services are not as formal as at other times. Some congregations will drink liquor during the service; others will make a game out of singing so loud that they drown out the cantor’s voice. Overall the holiday is a unique and joyful experience.

The association of joy with the reading and study of Torah recurs in much of Jewish worship, and celebrations such as Shabbat, Shavuot and Pesach all bear witness to the centrality of Torah to Jewish life.

SUKKOT – FEAST OF TABERNACLES OR BOOTHS

26 September

26th September – 2nd October 2026

Jewish

This is an eight day long harvest festival which commemorates the 40 years the Jews spent in the wilderness on the way from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land. A temporary hut or a frail booth – called a sukkah – is built outside the house each year at this time for eating meals and for visits and socialising. In hot countries families may live in their sukkah during the festival. The roof has to be open in part to the elements, so that the stars may be visible through the gaps, and is covered with branches and leaves and decorated with fruit.

Spending time in the family’s temporary sukkah recalls their newfound liberty in days gone by, an element that underlies many of the festivals Jews celebrate, constantly reiterating and revisiting the central narrative of the Jewish story, the Exodus from Egypt and the journey to the Promised Land. It also recalls the fragility of life – both during the Exodus and in the present day – and the fact that all creation is dependent on the goodness of the Almighty for its life and comfort. Extending hospitality to others, and especially to the needy, is a particular Sukkot custom.

Many synagogues build sukkot that are used for communal meals and celebration, since many homes have no room for a personal sukkah. In Israel, blocks of flats are frequently built with their balconies not directly above one another so that the balcony can be used to build a small sukkah which it will be properly open to the sky as required. On each day of the festival special sections of the Torah and the Prophets are read, including the instruction to dwell in booths. The book of Ecclesiastes is also read.

Four species of plant, the lulav (palm branch), the etrog (a yellow citrus fruit), three branches of the hadas (myrtle) and two of the aravah (willow) are used each day of the festival, the etrog in the left hand and the other branches, bound together, in the right. They are waved side by side in all four directions of the compass and up and down to demonstrate the universality of the Almighty, while reciting appropriate blessings. This follows the teaching of the Torah in Leviticus (23:40) ‘On the first day, you will take for yourselves a fruit of a beautiful tree, palm branches, twigs of a braided tree and brook willows, and you will rejoice before the L-rd your G-d for seven days.’ Above all else, this is a festival of rejoicing at the bounty enjoyed at harvest time as a gift from G-d by the people of Israel.

Leviticus 23:33-43.

NB The first two days and the last two days are full festival days when, for Orthodox Jews, work is not permitted.

YOM KIPPUR (DAY OF ATONEMENT)

21 September

21st September 2026

Jewish

The 10th day of Tishrei, the 7th Month of the Jewish Calendar

This is the final day of the ten days of repentance, following on from Rosh Hashanah, and is the holiest day of the year in the Jewish calendar. The Torah calls it the ‘Sabbath of Sabbaths’, and it is marked by ‘afflicting the soul’ – chiefly expressed through a total fast that lasts for 25 hours. Jews spend the eve and most of the day in prayer in the synagogue, asking for divine forgiveness for past wrongs and resolving to improve in the future in their attempt to live a moral life. In the days before the festival they will have tried to set right any breakdown in their relationships with others. Now they ask the Almighty for forgiveness before the gates of heaven are closed and the record books are sealed, so that they may live throughout the coming year as He would wish.

Many Jews who observe no other religious customs refrain from work on this day, observe the fast and attend the lengthy synagogue services. On this uncomfortable day washing, bathing, anointing the body, sexual activity and wearing leather shoes or coats are all prohibited to those over 12 or 13 years of age, though dispensations are available for people in poor health or in childbirth. White clothing is worn to express purity, and some wear a white kittel reminiscent of the shroud that is used to bury the dead, but more importantly also reminiscent of the extremely simple costume of the High Priest when the Temple still stood in Jerusalem.. This is the only festival of the year when men wear their prayer shawls for evening worship.

The services are lengthy, and involve prostration and standing erect for up to an hour at a time. The Kol Nidre (All Vows) service on the eve of the festival encourages repentance for all types of sins, including for instance mistreatment or exploitation of others, arrogance, selfishness and gossip – the ‘evil tongue’ in its many forms. The closing service (Neilah) at the end of the period of fasting lasts for an hour, during which the doors of the Ark are kept open and accordingly all must stand. The Book of Jonah is read and a common greeting ‘G’mar Chatimah Tovah‘ (May you finally be sealed for good) is offered by all to each other. A long blast on the shofar concludes the main proceedings, followed as on Shabbat by the Havdalah (separation) ceremony, and finally a shared meal.

This is a time for making gifts to the poor (often via charities) in accordance with the instructions of the Torah and the Talmud, albeit nowadays in a spirit of generosity rather than as expiation for guilt – although for some the concept of the scapegoat or the sacrificial chicken that carry away our guilt may still survive.

Leviticus 16:4-34, 23:27-32.