Jewish Holidays Study Guide

A Comprehensive collection of vocabulary cards covering various Jewish holidays, their customs, traditional foods, and historical significance based on the lecture notes.

Yom Kippur

The Jewish Day of Atonement occurring on the Tenth of Tishrei, typically observed by fasting and marking the end of the High Holy Days.

Kol Nidre

A prayer recited during the holiday of Yom Kippur.

Ne'ila

The closing prayer of the Yom Kippur holiday.

Azazel

The entity for which a goat is sacrificed during the observance of Yom Kippur.

Rosh Hashanah

The holiday commemorating the Jewish New Year which occurs on the first of the month of Tishrei.

Shofar

The instrument first blown on Rosh Hashanah; common foods for this holiday include apples dipped with honey.

Tashlich

A ceremony performed on Rosh Hashanah in which Jews throw bread into the water to cast away their sins.

Elul

The time period observed prior to Rosh Hashanah.

Passover

An eight-day holiday in which Jews commemorate their escape from slavery in Egypt.

Seder plate

A ritual plate used during Passover containing a roasted bone, an egg, maror (bitter herbs), a green vegetable, charoset paste, and chazaret (another bitter herb).

Matzah

Unleavened bread eaten on Passover while reading the Haggadah.

Four Questions

Recited by the youngest family member during Passover, all stemming from the query, "Why is this night different from all other nights?"

Afikoman

A piece of matzah hidden in a house during the Passover holiday.

Purim

Known as the "Festival of Lots" or "Jewish Halloween," it commemorates when Esther saved the Jews from Haman on the 14th of Adar.

Megillah

The reading from the Book of Esther performed on Purim.

Hamentaschen

Triangular pastries eaten on Purim while people play groggers to drown out Haman's name.

Sukkot

The Jewish festival of booths, involving the creation of a temporary structure called a Sukkah to live in for a week.

Na'anu'im

The practice of shaking a lulav (bundle of branches) and an etrog (citron) along with other species called schach on Sukkot.

Ushpizin

Guests invited into the Sukkah each day during the holiday of Sukkot.

Chanukah

The Jewish Festival of Lights celebrating the Maccabees' defeat of Antiochus and the eight days the oil lasted in the Second Temple.

Shamash

The middle candle on a menorah that holds the eight other candles during Chanukah.

Dreidel

A spinning top used on Chanukah featuring the letters nun, gimel, hei, and shin.

Latkes and sufganiyot

Potato pancakes and jelly donuts, respectively, which are traditional foods eaten on Chanukah.

Ma'oz Tzur

A song that commemorates the events celebrated during Chanukah.

Shavuot

A holiday occurring at the same time as Pentecost that celebrates Moses receiving the Torah on Mount Sinai.

Tikkun Leil

A Torah study session included as part of the Shavuot holiday which ends the Counting of the Omer.

Simchat Torah

A holiday occurring on the final day of Sukkot that commemorates completing and restarting the Torah cycles.

Shemini Atzeret

A holiday that precedes Sukkot and occurs one week before Simchat Torah.

Tu Bishvat

The Jewish Arbor Day used to determine if a tree's fruit is orlah, or unripe.

Tisha B'Av

Considered the "saddest day" of the Jewish calendar, occurring on the ninth of Av to commemorate the destruction of the First and Second temples.

Kinnot

Elegies read on Tisha B'Av alongside readings from the Book of Lamentations.