A summary of facts, characters, and holidays pertaining to the month of Tishrei
This “Essence” is taken from the Sourcebook for Leaders, written by Rabbi RachelLavan's younger daughter and Jacob's beloved wife second wife (after he is initially tricked into marrying her older sister, Leah). Rachel grieves throughout her life that she is barren while Leah is so fertile. Ultimately, Rachel gives birth to Joseph and dies in childbirth with Benjamin. Rachel is remembered as compassionate (she is said to still weep for her children), and infertile women often invoke Rachel as a kind of intercessor and visit her tomb on the road to Bethlehem. Gartner and Barbara Berley Melits, for Rosh HodeshThe new moon, which marks the beginning of the Jewish month. According to tradition, because women did not participate in the sin of the golden calf, they were given the holiday of Rosh Chodesh. It is customary for women not to work on Rosh Chodesh.: It’s a Girl Thing! This experiential program was created by Kolot: The Center for Jewish Women’s and Gender Studies to strengthen the Jewish identity and self-esteem of adolescent girls through monthly celebrations of the New Moon festival. The program is now available through Moving Traditions.
Fast Facts
Tishrei is the seventh of the twelve months of the Jewish calendar. It is always 30 days.
Tishrei coincides with the secular months September/October.
Tishrei contains the fall equinox. We begin to seek an inner balance that reflects the equilibrium between day and night. As the seasons change from summer to fall, we too seek changes in our lives. We hope that our journey is also colorful and bright.
The mazalGood fortune, luck, and the Hebrew sign of the Zodiac. (constellation) for Tishrei is a pair of scales, symbolizing scales of justice. The zodiac sign is Libra.
Tishrei overflows with holy days which usher in the Jewish New Year. The four main holidays of Tishrei correspond to the four phases of the moon.1
Festivities
Rosh HaShanahThe Jewish New Year, also considered the Day of Judgment. The period of the High Holidays is a time of introspection and atonement. The holiday is celebrated with the sounding of the shofar, lengthy prayers in synagogue, the eating of apples and honey, and round challah for a sweet and whole year. Tashlikh, casting bread on the water to symbolize the washing away of sins, also takes place on Rosh Hashana. (The New Year) is observed on Rosh Hodesh Tishrei. The TorahThe Five Books of Moses, and the foundation of all of Jewish life and lore. The Torah is considered the heart and soul of the Jewish people, and study of the Torah is a high mitzvah. The Torah itself a scroll that is hand lettered on parchment, elaborately dressed and decorated, and stored in a decorative ark. It is chanted aloud on Mondays, Thursdays, and Shabbat, according to a yearly cycle. Sometimes "Torah" is used as a colloquial term for Jewish learning and narrative in general. refers to Rosh HaShanah as Yom Teruah (The Day of Sounding the ShofarA ram's horn that is blown on the High Holidays to "wake us up" and call Jews to repentance. It is also said that its blast will herald the coming of the messiah.) or Yom HaZikaron (The Day of Remembering). It was not called Rosh HaShanah until talmudic times. Many Reform communities celebrate Rosh HaShanah for one day only. It is the only holiday that Israeli Jews celebrate for two days. Rosh HaShanah marks the anniversary of the creation of the world.
Rosh HaShanah
Shofar. Reflected in one of the names of the Holy Day (Yom Teruah), the shofar is blown 100 times on each day of Rosh HaShanah. One of many traditions suggests that the shofar blasts represent Sarah’s cries when she learned that AbrahamAbraham is the first patriarch and the father of the Jewish people. He is the husband of Sarah and the father of Isaac and Ishmael. God's covenant - that we will be a great people and inherit the land of Israel - begins with Abraham and is marked by his circumcision, the first in Jewish history. His Hebrew name is Avraham. had set out to sacrifice IsaacAbraham and Sarah's much-longed-for son and the second Jewish patriarch. Isaac is nearly sacrificed by his father at God's command (Genesis 22). He is married to Rebecca and is the father of Esau and Jacob. His Hebrew name is Yitzchak.. Sarah’s cries recall women’s cries for justice for themselves and for their families throughout history and all over the world. The shofar calls all Jews together and stirs each soul to repentance.
TashlichCasting bread upon the water. On Rosh Hashana, Jews traditionally walk to a natural body of water into which they throw breadcrumbs, symbolic of their sins from the previous year.. (You will cast away). In this context, tashlich refers to a custom dating from at least as early as the fourteenth century, based on the last verses of the Book of Micah: “And You will cast into the depths of the sea all their sins” (7:19). Consequently, Jewish communities have for many generations gathered by rivers, streams, or oceans on the first day of Rosh HaShanah, recited tashlich prayers, and thrown bread crumbs into the water to symbolize our desire to rid ourselves of our sins. Kurdish Jews actually threw themselves into the water for tashlich! Hasidim of Galicia sent straw floats out into the water, used candles to set them on fire, and rejoiced as they burned up or washed away.2
Tzom GedaliahTsom Gedaliah, or the Fast of Gedaliah, falls on the third day of the Jewish month of Tishrei. This public fast commemorates the killing of Gedaliah ben Ahikam, the Jewish governor of Judah. This event is remembered as the beginning of the end of Jewish sovereignty in the land of Israel, which would eventually fall to the Babylonians. (Fast of Gedaliah), observed on Tishrei 3, is an annual fast to commemorate the assassination of Gedaliah Ben Achikam, the Governor of IsraelLit. ''the one who struggles with God.'' Israel means many things. It is first used with reference to Jacob, whose name is changed to Israel (Genesis 32:29), the one who struggles with God. Jacob's children, the Jewish people, become B'nai Israel, the children of Israel. The name also refers to the land of Israel and the State of Israel. during the last days of Judean semi-autonomy before Jews were driven into final exile by the Babylonians.
Aseret Yamei Teshuvah (Ten Days of Repentance) are observed between Rosh HaShanah and Yom KippurThe holiest day of the Jewish year and the culmination of a season of self-reflection. Jews fast, abstain from other worldly pleasures, and gather in prayers that last throughout the day. Following Ne'ilah, the final prayers, during which Jews envision the Gates of Repentance closing, the shofar is sounded in one long blast to conclude the holy day. It is customary to begin building one's sukkah as soon as the day ends.. The special character of these days manifests itself in emphasis on teshuvah, (turning our backs on what is worst in ourselves and embracing what is best), tefillahLit. Prayer (prayer), and tzedakahCharity. In Hebrew, the word tzedakah derives from the word for justice. Tzedakah is not seen as emanating from the kindness of one’s heart but, rather, as a communal obligation. (acts of justice/charity).
Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) is observed on Tishrei 10, as the moon swells. Yom Kippur is meant to bring Jews closer to a sense of God in our lives and to inspire us to bring out what is best in ourselves through the process of teshuvah.
Yom Kippur Customs
Fasting, as well as the other abstentions observed on this day, is meant to guide our thoughts away from our physical needs and help focus our minds on spiritual growth and teshuvah. Tradition urges that this fast should also remind us of those who lack basic sustenance. Many communities donate the amount of money they would have spent to feed themselves on Yom Kippur to organizations that feed the hungry. (Please note that pregnant women, the infirm, or anyone who might be harmed by doing so are prohibited from fasting.)
Refraining from wearing leather, one of the other five traditional abstentions for Yom Kippur, is meant to guide us away from materialism as leather is considered to be a sign of luxury.
SukkotLit. Booths or huts Sukkot is the autumn harvest Festival of Booths, is celebrated starting the 15th of the Jewish month of Tishrei. Jews build booths (sukkot), symbolic of the temporary shelters used by the ancient Israelites when they wandered in the desert. Traditionally, Jews eat and sleep in the sukkah for the duration of the holiday (seven days in Israel and eight outside of Israel). The lulav (palm frond), willow, myrtle, and etrog fruit are also waved together. (Booths) begins on the full moon of Tishrei 15 and continues through Tishrei 21. Sukkot comes just five days after Yom Kippur. Only after we have accomplished the challenging spiritual work of Yom Kippur, can we be truly joyous on Sukkot. Indeed, there is a special mitzvahLit. Commandment. It is traditionally held that there are 613 mitzvot (plural) in Judaism, both postive commandments (mandating actions) and negative commandments (prohibiting actions). Mitzvah has also become colloquially assumed to mean the idea of a “good deed." of simcha (happiness), on Sukkot. Sukkot commemorates how protective clouds surrounded the Jewish people during the forty years of wandering in the desert. It also commemorates how the Jews lived in temporary dwellings (sukkot) during that same time.
Sukkot Customs
Welcoming Guests. Today we decorate our sukkot and it is customary to invite our ancestors symbolically to join us for a meal! “According to the mystical text the Zohar, “when you sit in the sukkahLit. hut or booth A temporary hut constructed outdoors for use during Sukkot, the autumn harvest festival. Many Jews observe the mitzvah of living in the Sukkah for the week of Sukkot, including taking their meals and sleeping in the Sukkah. … the ShechinaThe feminine name of God, expounded upon in the rabbinic era and then by the Kabbalists in extensive literature on the feminine attributes of the divine. (God’s feminine indwelling presence) spreads its wings over you and…. Abraham, five other righteous ones, and King David, make their dwelling with you…Thus you should rejoice with a shining countenance each and every day of the festival together with these guests who lodge with you…” (Zohar Emor, 103b).
From this verse, Jewish mystics in the sixteenth century popularized the custom of symbolically inviting seven biblical characters as ushpizinLit. Guests (Aramaic) Biblical "guests" invited into the sukkah on each of the seven nights of the holiday. While the traditional ushpizin were all male, a new custom has been created, inviting female guests (ushpizot) as well. The seven ushpizin are Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, and David. The seven female ushpizot are Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Leah, Miriam, Abigail, and Esther. (guests) into their sukkot over the seven nights of the holiday… Traditions inviting biblical women, or ushpizot (plural feminine of ushpizin), into the sukkah also exist. According to sixteenth-century mystic Manachem Azariah, known as the Ramah of Fano, the seven female figures to welcome are the seven prophetesses: SarahThe first matriarch, wife of Abraham, and mother of Isaac, whom she birthed at the age of 90. Sarah, in Rabbinic tradition, is considered holy, beautiful, and hospitable. Many prayers, particularly the Amidah (the central silent prayer), refer to God as Magen Avraham – protector of Abraham. Many Jews now add: pokehd or ezrat Sarah – guardian or helper of Sarah., MiriamMiriam is the sister of Moses and Aaron. As Moses' and Aaron's sister she, according to midrash, prophesies Moses' role and helps secure it by watching over the young baby, seeing to it that Pharaoh's daughter takes him and that the baby is returned to his mother for nursing. During the Israelites' trek through the desert, a magical well given on her behalf travels with the Israelites, providing water, healing, and sustenance., Devorah, HannahHannah is the mother of the prophet Samuel, who, through her prayers, is rewarded a child. She herself is also considered a prophet. Hannah's intense devotional style of prayer becomes the model, in rabbinic Judaism, for prayer in general., AvigailOne of David's wives and a prophetess, known for her cleverness and beauty. She has the longest continous monologue of any woman in Hebrew scripture. Her Hebrew name is Avigail., HuldahA prophetess mentioned in 2 Kings. The king asks his advisers to consult her when he realizes that he and the people have not been following God's word. She is noted for her compassion., and EstherHeroine of the Purim story and Megillat (the scroll of) Esther. She is married to the king by her cousin Mordecai and ultimately saves her people from execution.. Other traditions include RebeccaThe second Jewish matriarch, Isaac's wife, and mother to Jacob and Esau. Rebecca is an active parent, talking to God when she is pregnant and learning the fate of her children, then ultimately manipulating Isaac and the children to ensure Jacob's ascendancy. Her Hebrew name is Rivka., Rachel and LeahThe third of the Jewish matriarchs, Lead is the eldest of Lavan's daughters and one of the wives of Jacob. She is the daughter whom Lavan tricks Jacob into marrying instead of his younger daughter Rachel, whom Jacob has requested to marry. Leah is mother to six of the the twelve tribes and to one daughter, Dinah..”3
Hoshana Rabbah, observed on Tishrei 21, is the seventh and last day of Sukkot. Hoshana Rabbah is known as the day of the final sealing of judgment, which began on Rosh HaShanah.
Shmini Atzeret, observed on Tishrei 22 as the moon wanes, begins the period in the year in which we add to our regular liturgy a special prayer praising God as the Source of the blessing of rain.
Simchat TorahThe holiday at the end of Sukkot during which Jews dance with the Torah late into the night. The yearly reading cycle of the Torah is completed and a new cycle is begun. Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah mark the end of the holiday season. In some congregations, the Torah scroll is unrolled in its entirety, and selected verses are read or sections noted. is observed on Tishrei 23 in some Jewish communities in the Diaspora and on Tishrei 22 in Israel and some Reform and Reconstructionist communities. Simchat Torah celebrates the completion and the beginning of the annual cycle of Torah readings. On the night preceding Simchat Torah, and again in the morning, Jews all over the world dance joyously with the Torah.
Foods
Rosh HaShanah
In addition to eating apples and hallahBraided egg bread eaten on Shabbat and holidays. Reminiscent of bread eaten by Priests in the Temple, of manna in the desert, and sustenance in general. Plural: Hallot dipped in honey for a sweet new year, there are numerous lesser-known and quite extraordinary food customs for Rosh HaShanah. The following foods are eaten as simanim (good omens) of success and happiness for the coming year. Try inventing and serving your own!
The head of a fish, for we should always be “on top” like a head, and not “on the bottom.”
Pomegranates, for we want to be as full of good deeds as the pomegranate is full of seeds.
Carrots, because, in Yiddish, the word for carrots is merren which sounds like the Yiddish word that means “more.” We want to have more blessings, more knowledge, give more charity and perform more good deeds in the coming year.
Pumpkin phyllo rounds. Scholar RuthAn important female biblical character with her own book. The Book of Ruth, read on Shavuot, tells the story of Ruth’s devotion to her mother-in-law, Naomi, and their return to Israel. Ruth’s story is often read as the first story of conversion. Ruth is the grandmother of King David. Abusch-Magder explains that though spelled differently, the Hebrew word for pumpkin sounds the same as the verb “to rip.” Thus, for Rosh HaShanah Jewish women from North Africa and the Levant prepare “snail shaped pastries filled with sweetly spiced pumpkin… as a tasty start to a meal and an inducement for God to tear out the pages from our book of sins, allowing us to continue sweetly in the round circle of life.”4
Fabulous Females
The High Holy Day torah portions for communities that celebrate Rosh HaShanah for two days are Genesis 21 and 22. The haftarot are I Samuel 1:1-2:10 on the first day and Jeremiah 31:1-19 on the second. Some Reform communities that celebrate Rosh HaShanah for one day read Genesis 1 focusing on the theme of creation. We meet the following biblical women in these parshiot:
Sarah is the first matriarch of the Jewish people. She is celebrated for her courage in leaving her homeland for an unknown future, her beauty, her hospitality, her laughter and ability to rejoice at hearing she would have a child at the mature age of 90.
Sarah reminds us to honor the wisdom, struggles, creativity, and joys of our women elders.
HagarAbraham's concubine and the mother of Ishmael, the patriarch of Islam. In the book of Genesis, when Sarah cannot conceive, she suggests that Abraham takeher servant Hagar as a concubine in order to conceive a child, which she promptly does. Feeling threatened by Hagar and her child, Sarah convinces Abraham to banish them from their home. God saves Hagar and Ishmael from dying in the desert. is an Egyptian woman who became Sarah’s handmaiden and Abraham’s concubine. She is the mother of Ishmael and hence the grandmother of the Ishmaelites or Arabs. Once, Hagar fled into the desert, escaping from Sarah’s mistreatment. There, Hagar spoke of God in intimate terms calling God, El Roi, “The One Who Sees Me.” Later, Hagar’s eyes were opened to God’s blessings as she found a well from which to give her thirsty son water.
Hagar reminds us to honor our shared ancestry with Arabs. She calls upon us to show solidarity with women and girls who are denied power, whose voices are silenced, and whose strengths are many and often unacknowledged.
LilithIn the midrash (rabbinic story about the Torah story), Lilith is imagined as Adam's first wife. Because she wanted equality, she wss ultimately banished, and God provided Adam with a more obedient wife. Lilith, according to tradition, lives on as a kind of demon, causing men to have wet dreams and stealing infant boys from their cribs. Today, Lilith has been reclaimed by Jewish feminists as a symbol of women's equality. first appears in Jewish tradition in midrashic literature. The two accounts of the creation story (one in Genesis 1, the other in Genesis 2) prompted the rabbis to teach that these stories reflect the creation of two different women, the first Lilith, the second EveEve, according to the book of Genesis, is Adam's wife, the first woman to be created.. According to tradition, since Lilith was created in God’s image simultaneously with AdamAdam is the first human being created by God. Symbolizes: Creation, humankind. (Genesis 1), she asserted her equality with him. When Adam refused to recognize Lilith’s claims, Lilith left the Garden of Eden for eternity. The legend of Lilith has been expanded upon and transformed over centuries. Although Lilith is often demonized in these traditions, today Jewish women celebrate her for her bold, independent spirit.
Lilith reminds us to celebrate our individuality, to find ways to enhance women’s status in Jewish life, and to fight for equality for women world-wide.
Eve, whose name means life, is the first woman in the Bible, and the mother of life. That she cherished her role as procreator is suggested by her speech upon the birth of her first child: “I have gained a child with the help of the Lord” (Genesis 4). God only tells Adam that he cannot eat from the tree, and scholar Ellen Frankel challenges us to imagine how different the story might have been if God had spoken to Eve directly. Today women celebrate Eve for her curiosity and passionate pursuit of knowledge.
Eve reminds us to love and respect life, to accept the consequences of our choices, and to make the best of our fate.
Hannah is one of two co-wives to a man named Elkanah. Stricken with grief over her inability to bear children, Hannah “pours her soul out to God” in prayer. After finally giving birth, Hannah offers a song of praise to God. The rabbis admire Hannah for heart-felt sincerity of her prayer and hold her up as a model of piety. Today we also admire her for the self-knowledge and courage to identify and ask for what she wanted.
Hannah reminds us to pursue our passions and goals with all of our heart, soul, and might. Her story exemplifies the power of speaking what’s in our heart.
Peninah, Hannah’s (see above) co-wife, bore two sons to Elkanah. Peninah taunted the barren Hannah, whom she watched receive double portions of Elkanah’s gifts and perhaps of his love as well.
Peninah invites our compassion and empathy even as we wish that she had appreciated her own blessings and avoided jealously.
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