Jewish Festivals

Festivals connect belief, memory and daily life

Jewish festivals bring important beliefs into the home and synagogue through prayers, stories, meals and other observances. They connect Jews with previous generations and help children learn what belonging to the Jewish people means. For religious Jews, observing festivals also fulfils mitzvot: God's commandments.

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur focus on judgement, repentance and repairing relationships. Pesach remembers liberation from slavery and celebrates God's relationship with the Jewish people. Together, these festivals show that Jewish life involves both remembering the past and considering how to live now.

Rosh Hashanah: celebration and judgement

Rosh Hashanah means ‘head of the year’ and is the Jewish New Year. It falls in September or October and is traditionally celebrated over two days. It commemorates the creation of the world, reminding Jews of God as Creator. Its biblical basis includes the command for a sacred assembly, rest and trumpet blasts on the first day of the seventh month: Leviticus 23:23–25.

The festival combines celebration with serious reflection. In Jewish tradition, God judges people's deeds, and the image of the Book of Life expresses the hope of receiving a favourable judgement. Rosh Hashanah begins the Days of Awe, a period of repentance ending with Yom Kippur. This makes the New Year more than a change of date: it is an opportunity to examine priorities and make a fresh start.

In the synagogue, Jews hear prayers, Torah readings and the blowing of the shofar, a ram's horn. Its powerful sound calls people to reflect on their conduct and turn back towards God. Repentance means more than feeling sorry: it requires an intention to change and efforts to put wrongs right. Someone who has hurt another person should seek that person's forgiveness rather than relying only on prayer.

Celebrations also take place at home. Foods containing honey express the hope for a sweet new year, while family meals and greetings strengthen relationships. Some Jews observe Tashlich, symbolically casting away their sins beside flowing water. This connects with Micah 7:19, which describes God casting sins ‘into the depths of the sea’. The action expresses a desire to leave wrongdoing behind; it does not replace genuine repentance.

Yom Kippur: seeking forgiveness and renewal

Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement and the holiest day of the Jewish year. It falls on the tenth day of the same Jewish month and completes the Days of Awe. Atonement concerns repairing the relationship with God after wrongdoing.

The festival originates in the Torah. Leviticus 16:30 teaches: ‘On this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you.’ In the ancient Temple, the high priest performed rituals involving sacrifices. These included a goat symbolically carrying the people's sins into the wilderness: the origin of the term ‘scapegoat’. Today, prayer, repentance and self-denial are central to the observance.

Those undertaking the traditional fast go without food and drink for about 25 hours. Other traditional restrictions include avoiding leather shoes, bathing for pleasure, perfume and sexual relations. These practices move attention away from physical comforts towards spiritual needs. Fasting can also develop self-discipline and encourage compassion for people who lack food through necessity rather than choice.

Much of the day is spent in synagogue worship, confessing sins and praying for forgiveness. White clothing can symbolise purity and the hope of renewal. The story of Jonah is read, reinforcing the belief that God is willing to forgive those who sincerely repent.

The final service, Neilah, evokes the closing of the gates of heaven. A shofar blast marks the end of the fast. Traditional imagery describes God's judgement as being sealed at Yom Kippur, giving urgency to the preceding period of repentance.

The festival is therefore not simply about enduring hunger or attending services. Its purpose is a changed life: repairing harm, restoring relationships and acting more responsibly afterwards.

Pesach: remembering freedom from slavery

Pesach, or Passover, is a spring festival remembering the Exodus. According to the Torah, the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt. God called Moses to lead them to freedom, but Pharaoh refused to release them. God sent ten plagues, culminating in the death of the firstborn.

The Israelites marked their doorposts with the blood of a sacrificed lamb, and their homes were ‘passed over’ during the final plague. Pharaoh then allowed them to leave. When he pursued them, God enabled their escape through the sea. Pesach therefore celebrates deliverance from slavery, God's power and God's faithfulness to the Jewish people.

The Torah commands Jews to remember these events. Exodus 12:19 states: ‘For seven days no yeast is to be found within your houses.’ Before Pesach, observant families clean their homes and remove chametz, or leavened foods made from particular grains. During the festival they eat matzah, unleavened bread. This recalls the Israelites leaving so hurriedly that their bread had no time to rise.

The Seder makes the Exodus memorable

The Seder is an ordered ritual meal in which families retell the Exodus using the Haggadah. Its foods turn a distant story into something participants can see, taste and discuss:

• A lamb bone recalls the lamb sacrificed at the first Passover.
• Bitter herbs recall the bitterness of slavery.
• Charoset, a sweet mixture often made with fruit, nuts and wine, represents the mortar used by the enslaved Israelites in building work.
• A green vegetable dipped in salt water recalls the tears of those in slavery.
• An egg symbolises new life.
• Matzah, eaten alongside the meal, recalls the hurried escape.

Four cups of wine accompany the Seder, expressing celebration and joy. A further cup is set aside for Elijah, traditionally expected to announce the coming of the Messiah. Remembering past deliverance is therefore linked with hope for the future.

Retelling the story helps younger generations understand their heritage. The contrast between slavery and freedom also encourages reflection on oppression and responsibility towards others today.

Why festivals matter in Great Britain today

For many British Jews, festivals sustain a relationship with God through obedience, worship and repentance. They also bring families and congregations together. Shared meals, synagogue services and repeated stories help a minority religious community preserve its traditions within Britain's diverse society.

Their importance is not exclusively religious. Some secular or cultural Jews may value festival meals and stories as expressions of family heritage and Jewish identity without sharing beliefs about divine judgement. A Seder can therefore strengthen belonging for participants with different levels of religious commitment.

Observance varies both between and within Jewish movements. Orthodox Judaism generally places strong emphasis on traditional Jewish law. Reform and Liberal Judaism adapt practice to contemporary circumstances, while retaining important festival meanings. Family customs also differ according to cultural heritage. These differences do not mean that one group necessarily values the festivals less: the reasons for valuing them may differ.

One argument for their importance is that festivals make beliefs memorable and give regular opportunities for moral renewal. However, participation alone does not guarantee ethical behaviour. Someone could attend Yom Kippur services yet fail to repair harm, whereas another person might act justly without extensive ritual observance.

A justified judgement is that festivals are especially valuable when remembrance and worship influence everyday conduct. Their religious, ethical and cultural importance can overlap, but their significance depends partly on the beliefs and circumstances of the individual Jew.