Everybody loves days off right? You might be wondering why we’ve had days off on the past two Fridays. That’s because of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
Rosh Hashanah is a Jewish holiday that goes back centuries. Rosh Hashanah is a holiday celebrating the new year and a fresh start. On Rosh Hashanah, synagogues (Jewish houses of worship) have festivities after prayers and the sounding of the Shofar (rams horn). The Shofar is a symbol of hope and a call to renew oneself. Also the Shofar is sounded because it is a wake up call to renew oneself.
Yom Kippur is another Jewish holiday that celebrates the purification of one’s soul, much like Rosh Hashanah. Also on Yom Kippur you reflect on your life and set goals for the coming year. On Yom Kippur you must fast so you can’t eat or drink but this is broken at the end of the day where you feast. This feast is called Seudah Mafseket.
I hope you learned a little bit about why we have these days off.