In much of the Reform movement (and in Israel, of course) we do not observe two days of Hag as do others in Jewish communities outside the land of Israel. The reason for this practice has to do with the difficulty of knowing precisely when a holy day started in ancient times, so to avoid mistakes communities outside of the Land of Israel observed two holy days rather than one. Why the Reform movement chose to go back to one day has to do with its view of redemption and Jewish life outside the Land of Israel. But what was lost in this change was the dedication of many second days to memory. On most hagim, as with Pesach, one of the practices on the final day of the hag is Yizkor, where we light a memorial candle in memory of our beloved dead and recite special prayers during the Yizkor (memorial) service. This happens four times a year, on Yom Kippur, Shemini Atzeret (the holiday that immediately follows Sukkot), the eighth day of Pesach and the second day of Shavuot. Thus, four times each year we think of those we have loved and lost, in addition to remembering them on their yahrzeit (the anniversary of their death). This dedication to memory permeates Pesach, which is focused on zecher yetziat Mitzrayim, remembering the Exodus from Egypt. Not only are we to remember the Exodus, we are to act it out as if we ourselves were liberated from slavery. This exercise in memory continues through the week that follows Pesach. Three holidays, created by the Israeli Knesset (parliament) connect Pesach, our memory of redemption from Egyptian slavery, to the establishment of the State of Israel on May 14 1948 (the 5th of Iyar in the Jewish calendar). Five days after Pesach ends, on the 27th of Nissan (April 28th this year) we observe Yom HaShoa which memorializes the suffering and the bravery of the Jewish people during the Holocaust. A week later on 4 Iyar we remember Israel’s war dead on Yom HaZikaron (memorial day) and the next day we celebrate the reestablishment of the State of Israel. From 15 Nissan until 4 Iyar, we engage in a three week long ritualized time of memory, where we remember our beloved dead, God’s redemption of the Jewish people in ancient times and our people’s depth of suffering and heights of redemption in modern times. One of the geniuses of Jewish religious life is how ritual reinforces historical memory and how historical memory reinforces Jewish identity. We make meaning out of memory.
Pesach, Day 8, Special Torah Reading, Deuteronomy 14:22-16:17; Numbers 28:19-25 for Shabbat, April 23
April 22, 2022 by Dean Kertesz • Drashot
In much of the Reform movement (and in Israel, of course) we do not observe two days of Hag as do others in Jewish communities outside the land of Israel. The reason for this practice has to do with the difficulty of knowing precisely when a holy day started in ancient times, so to avoid mistakes communities outside of the Land of Israel observed two holy days rather than one. Why the Reform movement chose to go back to one day has to do with its view of redemption and Jewish life outside the Land of Israel. But what was lost in this change was the dedication of many second days to memory. On most hagim, as with Pesach, one of the practices on the final day of the hag is Yizkor, where we light a memorial candle in memory of our beloved dead and recite special prayers during the Yizkor (memorial) service. This happens four times a year, on Yom Kippur, Shemini Atzeret (the holiday that immediately follows Sukkot), the eighth day of Pesach and the second day of Shavuot. Thus, four times each year we think of those we have loved and lost, in addition to remembering them on their yahrzeit (the anniversary of their death). This dedication to memory permeates Pesach, which is focused on zecher yetziat Mitzrayim, remembering the Exodus from Egypt. Not only are we to remember the Exodus, we are to act it out as if we ourselves were liberated from slavery. This exercise in memory continues through the week that follows Pesach. Three holidays, created by the Israeli Knesset (parliament) connect Pesach, our memory of redemption from Egyptian slavery, to the establishment of the State of Israel on May 14 1948 (the 5th of Iyar in the Jewish calendar). Five days after Pesach ends, on the 27th of Nissan (April 28th this year) we observe Yom HaShoa which memorializes the suffering and the bravery of the Jewish people during the Holocaust. A week later on 4 Iyar we remember Israel’s war dead on Yom HaZikaron (memorial day) and the next day we celebrate the reestablishment of the State of Israel. From 15 Nissan until 4 Iyar, we engage in a three week long ritualized time of memory, where we remember our beloved dead, God’s redemption of the Jewish people in ancient times and our people’s depth of suffering and heights of redemption in modern times. One of the geniuses of Jewish religious life is how ritual reinforces historical memory and how historical memory reinforces Jewish identity. We make meaning out of memory.