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Celebration: The Book of Jewish Festivals

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Full color photographs, recipes, history, descriptions of customs, fables and aggadah - this book has it all! "Celebration, The Book of Jewish Festivals" starts at Rosh Hashanah (Head of the Year), and extensively covers all the other major festivals and holy days in their proper order. These are Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) on 10th Tishri, Sukkoth (Feast of Booths) on 15th Tishri, Hoshana Rabba (7th Day of Sukkot) on 21st Tishri; Shemini Atzeret (8th Day of Sukkoth) on 22nd Tishri, and Simchat Torah (9th Day of Sukkoth) on 23rd Tishri. This volume then moves to Channukah (The Festival of Lights) on 25th Kislev, Purim (Lots) on 14th Adar, and Pesach or Passover (celebrating the Exodus from Egypt) on 15th Nissan. Last this work examines Shavuot (The Festival of Weeks, or Harvest Festival) on 15th Nissan. (Note that Tisha B'Av or 9th Av, which mourns the destruction of the First and Second Temples, is NOT covered, nor are many modern festivals celebrated in Israel.) ---- Unlike many books that have excellent photos and fourth-rate text, the text supports its share of the task. Though an observant Jew in a practicing family would know most of the information presented, for those raised outside the traditions it is a treasure trove of information. The recipes and photographs of food (mmmmm!!) alone are worth the price of this book. Though it looks like a "coffee table" book, it is SEVERAL steps above that!!

From blintz and kugel recipes to the lilting tune of "Dayenu", from rabbinical tales and prayers to traditions associated with major Jewish festivals, Celebration is a feast in itself. See what a shofar and a sukkot look like, peer into the family and community at festival time. Find out the scriptural and historical basis for each festival, as well as its symbolic richness. Go beyond a surface understanding to a place that will stir up your faith and create a thirst to go deeper.

saz