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In this volume, Bible Studies scholar Yitzhak (Itzik) Peleg offers an educational, values-based approach to the cycle of Jewish holidays—festivals and holy days—as found in the Jewish calendar. These special days play a dual role: they reflect a sense of identity with, and belonging to, the Jewish people, while simultaneously shaping that identity and sense of belonging. The biblical command “And you shall tell your son” (Exodus 13:8) is meant to ensure that children will become familiar with the history of their people via the experience of celebrating the holidays. It is the author’s claim, however, that this command must be preceded by another educational command: “And you shall listen to your son and your daughter.”
The book examines the various Jewish holidays and ways in which they are celebrated, while focusing on three general topics: identity, belonging, memory. Throughout the generations, observance of the holidays has developed and changed, from time to time and place to place. These changes have enabled generations of Jews, in their various communities, to define their own Jewish identity and sense of belonging.
“[T]his book caters to Jewish people of all backgrounds and different levels of observance. The book places a great emphasis on the fact that the common denominator that unites us as a Jewish people is our love of the Bible, our tradition, and the preservation of our rich heritage for generations to come. … Peleg conveys in his book that both integration and balance between tradition and renewal will make the Jewish holidays relevant to more and more Jews, both younger and older. By embracing and celebrating the holidays that have been passed down to us generation after generation, the book speaks of the connection between Jews among themselves, as well as that between Jews and their past.”
— Joseph Scutts, The Jerusalem ReportYitzhak (Itzik) Peleg is professor emeritus of Bible Studies at the Gordon Academic College, Haifa, Israel. In addition to publishing numerous articles, Peleg is the author of ‘Go forth:’ the Forefathers’ Journeys in Bible Stories (Resling, 2013), and of Going Up and Going Down: A Key to Interpreting Jacob’s Dream (Bloomsbury, 2015). He has taught Bible to English-speaking students in Hebrew Union College, Institute of Religion, Jerusalem, and to English-speaking adult groups in Australia.
Nancy Rosenfeld is an emerita lecturer at Max Stern College of the Jezreel Valley, Israel. She has published numerous articles, and two books: The Human Satan in Seventeenth-Century English Literature ((Ashgate, 2008), and John Bunyan’s Imaginary Writings in Context (Routledge, 2018). Rosenfeld belongs to the Israel Translators’ Association.
Introduction
Holidays as an Educational Tool throughout the Generations (Ledorotaichem): Examples
Holidays as Tools for Shaping Jewish Identity
Holidays as Building a Sense of Belonging to Our People
Remembrance in the Holidays as Shaping Identity and a Sense of Belonging to the Jewish People
The Memory of the Holocaust as Shaping Identity and Belonging
Developments and Changes in the Holidays throughout the Generations and in How We Relate to Them
Passover as a Reflection (Mise en Abyme) of the Jewish Holidays
Lessons from Our Journey through the Jewish Calendar from a Child’s Overview
Epilogue: How Should We Celebrate Independence Day?
Bibliography
Index of the Jewish Holidays