Shabbat may be the most important holiday observant in Judaism. Shabbat is a weekly day of rest for the Jewish people. This is a day when the Jewish people pause from their normal busy lives so that the soul can rest. The source of Shabbat comes from where God created the earth in six days, and on the seventh he rested. In Exodus 20:11 the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and on the seventh day, he rested; therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it. Shabbat is the only festival required in the ten commandments.

There are certain things that the Jews are forbidden to do on Shabbat. Any work that is creative is restricted in Jewish law. Plowing, baking, weaving, trapping, building, tying, kindling a fire, and

Judaism has several different "new years," a concept which may seem strange. Nissan 1 is the new year for the purpose of counting the reign of kings and months on the calendar. Elul 1 is the new year for the tithing of animals. Shevat 15 is the new year for trees. Tishri 1 is Rosh Hashanah the new year for years.

"The most significant observance related to Passover involves the removal of chametz (leaven) from Jewish homes." (jewholidaya.com pg.3) This commemorates the fact that the Jews left Egypt in such a hurry, and did not have time to let the bread rise. It is also a way for the Jews to remove puffiness from their souls.

Another tradition of the holiday is playing dreidal, a gambling game played with a square top. Most people play for pennies or candy. A dreidel is marked with four Hebrew letters: Nun, Gimmel, Heh, and Shin. Most non-Jews know about Hanukkah.

Hanukkah is the Jewish festival of rededication, and is also known as the festival of lights. It is an eight day festival beginning on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev. Hanukkah is probably the most well known of the Jewish holidays, because it happens around the same time as Christmas.

Chametz includes anything made from the five major grains; which are wheat, rye, barley, oats, and spelt. Orthodox Jews also avoid rice, corn, peanuts, and legumes. All of these items are commonly used to make bread, thus the use of them is prohibited. You may not eat any chametz during Passover. Jews cannot even feed it to their pets and cattle. Even utensils used to cook chametz, must either be disposed of or sold. The process of cleaning the home of chametz in preparation for Passover is an enormous task. Jews often prepare for several weeks and spend several days scrubbing everything down. After everything is clean a search of the house is done for any remaining chametz. If any chametz is uncovered during this final search it is most often burned.

The story of Hanukkah begins in the reign of Alexander the Great. Alexander conquered Syria, Egypt, and Palestine. Even after conquering these places Alexander allowed them to continue to observe their own religions. Many Jews assimilated much of the Hellenistic culture, adopting the language, the customs and dress of the Greeks. A century later Antiochus IV was in control of the region. He began to oppress the Jews, by massacring them and prohibiting the Jewish religion. Two groups opposed Antiochus: Mattathias the Hasmonean and his son, and a religious traditionalist group known as the Chasdim. They joined forces in a revolt against Antiochus and won.

"Yom Kippur is a day designed to bring Jews closer to God and encourage them to return to him." (ou.org pg.1) The name "Yom Kippur" means "Day of Atonement," and is set aside to atone for the sins of the past year. Yom Kippur is the last day for Jews to repent and make amends. After this day the book of judgment is sealed. Yom Kippur however is only for sins between man and God, not the sins against another person. If you have sinned against another person you must seek reconciliation with that person before Yom Kippur.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Yom Kippur, According Talmud, Passover Jews, Judaism Shabbat, Hashanah Jewish, Shabbat Shabbat, Torah Shavuot, Mount Sinai, Tashlikh Jews, Exodus CH, jewish people, yom kippur, jewish holidays, rosh hashanah, day jewish, candles lit, day jewish people, light candles, giving torah, mount sinai, jewish people celebrate, people required, rosh hashanah jewish, day jewish month, gifts food drink,
Approximate Word count = 2640
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)