What year is it in the Jewish calendar – what year is it in the Jewish calendar? The year in the Jewish calendar – the year in the Jewish calendar – is 5723, as of January 2022. The year marks the count of the years since the creation of the world. ה׳ must be added to the year. This letter describes the number of thousands. So, this year till September 2022 marks the year 5.782 years since the creation of the world, in September 2022 begins the year,תשפ’’ב this marks 5.783 years since the creation of the world. The year תשפ’’א began on the 25th of September 2022 and will end on September 27th, 2022. The year תשפ’’ב will begin on September 25th, 2022, and end on September 27th, 2022. 

The Hebrew year in the Jewish calendar begins with the Jewish Rosh Hashana and the other Jewish holidays that all take place this year in September – Jewish holidays September. Tishrei – September Jewish holidays – include the Jewish Rosh Hashana -, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah. There are also those who include the Fast of Gedaliah.

The months of the Hebrew year

The Hebrew months of the year are Tishrei, Cheshvan, Kislev, Tevet, Shevat, Adar, Nissan, Iyar, Sivan, Tammuz, Av, and Elul. The Hebrew calendar is full of holidays. The best-known ones besides the Tishrei holidays are Pesach which falls in the month of Nisan, April 15 in 2022, and Chanukah – Jewish Hanukkah which falls in the month of Kislev,  December 18 in 2022. 

The names of the months are Babylonian names. Before that the number of the year. “Your first month.” In a leap year, there are 13 months instead of 12. In the case of a leap year, the month of Adar is divided into two months, Adar I and Adar B, Purim falls on Adar B. This year Purim begins on March 16, 2022, and ends on March 17, 2022. The year 5722 was a leap year and lasts 384 days. It is also the year of shemittah, in which according to Judaism, every seven years one has to stop most of the agricultural work, it is in fact the Sabbath of the land.

Each month in the Hebrew year is according to the birth of the moon, so in the middle of the month the moon is full, and at the beginning of the month, only a little of the moon is seen. But since the Jews are commanded to celebrate Passover in the spring, a leap year was decided upon. A leap year occurs each time the gap between the beginning of the month of Nissan and the beginning of spring ends in a full lunar cycle.

The Hebrew year corresponds not only to the lunar cycle but also to the solar cycle. The solar year is the time when the earth orbits the sun, making it 365 days. In the civil calendar, while the year is based on the solar cycle and the Muslim year only on the lunar months, the Hebrew year combines the two, which is why the length of the year is not fixed. The solar year includes four days that represent the transition between the seasons. The division currently applied today is according to the dates: The Tishrei period – September 25, then the day and night are equal in length; The period of Tevet – December 22, the shortest day; And in the period of Nissan 21 March, where day and night are equal; June 21, during the Tammuz period, is the longest day. However, in the Hebrew year, it is not possible to determine the length of the regular days of the year because it is based not only on the sun but also on the lunar cycle.

How to determine the number of days and months of the year in Hebrew

The day in the Hebrew calendar begins at sunset or with the rising of the stars and until sunset or rising of the stars the next day, this is the time when the earth revolves around its axis. Due to this movement we see again daily the sunrise, sunset, the moon, and the stars come out, and night returns.

In the past it was very difficult to calculate the Hebrew year, the observations were inaccurate and each factor tried to adapt the calculation to his needs, for example, the Romans forbade a leap year, in order to shorten the days of the year.

Chazal decided that there must be a uniform calendar for the Hebrew year and its holidays. Hillel the second was considered the founder of the Hebrew calendar, and the Hebrew calendar was established in 359 AD (The Hebrew D. Kit).

What year is it in the Jewish calendar – what year is it in the Jewish calendar – and how is it calculated

According to Hebrew principle, it was decided that each month would be 29.5 days and another three-quarter of an hour. In a normal Hebrew year, there are 354 days, and the Hebrew months are full or missing intermittently, except for Cheshvan and Kislev. This way you can subtract or add a day to the year, which allows you to keep commandments from the Torah, such as not celebrating Rosh Hashanah on Sunday, Wednesday, or Friday.

In the event that Rosh Hashana is delayed a day is added to the year that is ending and removed from the year that is beginning.

According to Judaism the first birth of the moon was on a Monday at the fifth hour and from it the numerator of the years in the Hebrew calendar is counted. The calculation of the Hebrew calendar today is based on an examination of whether the birth of the moon occurs on Sundays, Wednesdays or Fridays as stated, or whether it occurs after 12 noon. In these cases, Rosh Hashanah is postponed to the next day (sometimes even by two days: if the moon is born after 12 o’clock on Tuesday, Rosh Hashanah is postponed to Wednesday or Thursday). Then we calculate the new lunar moon of the next Rosh Hashanah and determine what day Rosh Hashanah will be. The number of days between the two Rosh Hashanah will determine whether a day will be added to the Hebrew year or if it will be a regular year from which one day will be removed. The number of days in a year is 353-355. A year of 353 days is a “missing” year, a year of 354 is a normal year while a year that has 355 days is a “full” year, and in gematria Shana שנ’’ה.

In such a leap year there are 385 days due to the extra month,  So, in order for Pesach to fall in spring,  another month is added in order to balance about 11 days between the 12 lunar months and the solar year. Since in Judaism the seasons are important if these days are not added, the holidays will not fall in their season.

Calculation methods for the solar year

There are several methods that have been used in the past to calculate the solar year and adjust it to a leap year. The currently accepted method is 365 days, 5 hours, 48 ​​minutes, and 46 seconds. By this measure of the year, Passover is advancing toward summer at a rate of 4.5 days per 1000 years. According to this method, Passover will get closer to summer each year and it is assumed that it will reach summer in the sixth millennium, so we will have to recalculate the Hebrew year, however other methods are not good enough either. The other methods are the Shmuel method which shortens the days of the year, but the days of conception in it are not enough to balance the lunar and solar year and therefore Pesach would be near winter. Another method is the Rav Ada method, according to which a solar year is 365 days, 5 hours, 55 minutes, and 25 seconds. According to this method, 19 lunar years, and another 7 lunar months, correspond in length to 19 solar years. This method is not currently accepted. 

That’s all, now you know what year it is in the Jewish calendar – what year is it in the Jewish calendar, what are its months, its holidays and can even calculate them.

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We love holidays, and Jewish holidays are the most fun but what dates do the holidays happen in 2022, what are their customs and how will we celebrate the Jewish holidays this year?

The Jewish holiday calendar – Jewish holidays 2022

The Jewish holidays are celebrated according to the Hebrew year, which is determined by the lunar or solar cycle, taking into account the days of the week. A normal year has 12 months but a leap year has an extra two months, Adar A and Adar B. The months are determined by the lunar cycle and the days begin with the setting of the sun or the rising of three stars. 

2022 begins in the Hebrew year 5782 and ends in the Hebrew year 5783. Whilst the Jewish holidays begin in September-October, the first Jewish holiday in 2022 is Tu B’Shvat, On January 28th.

Tribe (Shvat)  Month

Tu B’Shvat, January 17 2022 the Jewish holiday – Tu B’shvat is known in Hebrew as Rosh Hashana for the trees. There is no ‘vacation’ on this holiday but the children of Israel plant trees and it is customary to eat dried fruits. The Jewish holiday today is celebrated following the sage’s decision to count the fruits of the trees in the Land of Israel, Those living in the diaspora could not eat the fruit from the Land of Israel, hence the custom of eating dried fruits.  

The month of Adar

On the eve of Purim, March 16, 2022, the Jewish holiday is a happy day in which children dress up, read the book of Esther, and eat Oznei Haman (Haman’s ears). On March 16th, Purim day is a day of freedom and celebration. On this holiday we celebrate that the Jews were saved from the decrees of the evil Haman to destroy the Jewish people. In this month in 2022, we also celebrate Shushan Purim on February 17th when it is customary to celebrate the holiday in Jerusalem surrounded by the wall. Hebrew date 13 to 15 Adar 5782.

The month of Nissan

Passover, April 15, 2021, The Jewish Passover is one of the most important holidays in Judaism. In it, we celebrate the exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt and their liberation from slavery.  This is the holiday where we get together for seder night, read the Haggadah eat only matzah and no bread for seven days. This holiday is considered one of the three Jewish high holy days. The seven days of Passover end on April 23, 2022. Hebrew date: 14-21 Nissan 5782.

The month of Iyar

Independence day. May 4th, 2022 is the holiday in which we celebrate the establishment of the State of Israel according to the Hebrew date of Iyar. If you are in Israel you may find yourself a little confused since the day before, May 3 2022 is Remembrance Day for the martyrs of the Israeli systems. Usually, it is customary to light fireworks on the eve of Independence Day, but due to the corona crisis, many municipalities and councils decided to give up this custom, some used drones instead. On the eve of Independence day, a beacon ceremony was also held in which people were chosen to light a beacon due to their achievements. If you are unsure whether today is independence day you can guess according to all the Israeli flags on display from the windows of the houses. Hebrew date: H’ Iyar 5782. 

Jerusalem day, May 28th, 2022 is a national Jewish holiday determined by the Knesset. The holiday marks the unity of Jerusalem following the six-day war when the state of Israel conquered or liberated East Jerusalem. Some also call the holiday Jerusalem Liberation Day,  Jerusalem Freedom day, or Jerusalem Unification Day. Hebrew date 28 Iyar 5781

The month of Sivan

Shavuot, May 29th, 2022. This Jewish holiday is originally an agricultural holiday, celebrating the harvesting of the agricultural grain and which began the period of the first fruits, in which they would bring some of the first fruits of the season to the Temple. This is why this holiday is also known as The holiday of the Feast of Harvest or the Feast of First Fruits.

The name Shavuot is given to it because it ends the seven weeks of the counting of the Omer. The holiday is also known as “The Giving of the Torah” because it is believed that the Torah was given on this date and many read the Torah even through the night. Another of the holiday traditions is eating dairy foods and having water fights. This holiday is one of the three Jewish high holidays in which it was customary to walk to the Temple. The holiday is two days long and ends at sunset on May 29th. Hebrew date 6th of Sivan 5782.

The month of Av.

Tu B’eav 11 August 2022, This is Jewish Valentine’s day, the Jewish holiday of love. The holiday marks reconciliation and consolation, it is described in the Bible that the daughters of Israel would go out in white clothes and dance to find a match. Over the years, it became the Hebrew Valentine’s Day.

The month of Tishrei

New Year’s Eve and the Jewish New Year, September 25 – 27, 2022. This holiday opens the Hebrew year and the Jewish holiday month, in which there are by far the most Jewish holidays. This month is called Tishrei, and in 2022 Part of the Tishrei Jewish holidays fall in September and part of them falls in October. It is usually customary to celebrate New Year’s Eve with the family. Another tradition is to eat an apple with honey, wish a happy new year and sing holiday songs. Hebrew date: 29 Elul 5771 – 2 Tishrei 5782.

On the eve of Yom Kippur and Yom Kippur, October 4 – 5, 2022, Yom Kippur is not exactly a holiday but it is an important time in Judaism, in which many Jews, even secular ones participate in, fasting and not driving. On this day according to the Jewish tradition, the decree of every Jew and in fact of every person will be determined for the next year. On this day, prayers are often said in the synagogue. In 2020 the guidelines were to pray outside and this may also be the case this year. Hebrew date: 9-12 Tishrei 5782

Sukkot, October 9 – 16, 2022, This holiday from the Jewish holidays of Tishrei is celebrated for seven days, during which it is customary to build Sukkot, decorate it, sit in it, eat in it, sleep in it and even entertain. This holiday is celebrated because when the Hebrews fled from Egypt, the children of Israel were forced to live in the desert in temporary huts and not in permanent dwellings. It is one of the three Jewish high holidays when it was customary to walk to the Temple. 14-21 in Tishrei 5782.

Simchat Torah and Shemini Atzeret, September 28, 2021, are two holidays that fall on the same day and symbolize two different things. Shemini Atzeret symbolizes the end of the day of Sukkot and returning home from the Sukkah, while Simchat HaTorah symbolizes the end of the annual reading of the Torah and the beginning of the recitation of the Torah. On Simchat Torah, it is also customary to circle around the synagogue with songs and dances. Date: 22 Tishrei 5782.

Kislev month

Jewish Hanukkah – the eve of Hanukkah and Hanukkah, December 18 – December 26, 2022, This holiday is also one of the most important and well-known holidays in the Jewish religion. The holiday lasts eight days and every day another candle is lit in the menorah and placed on the windowsill. Hanukkah was celebrated in memory of the victory of the Maccabean or Hasmonean Jews over the Greeks, who imposed harsh decrees on the Jews and defiled the Temple. Another reason for the holiday is the miracle of the jug of oil. According to Jewish tradition. When the Hasmoneans came to the temple and expelled the Greeks, they found there an oil jug (jug) that was supposed to light the lamp one day but was enough for eight days. That is why there is a commandment to light a menorah. Another resulting custom is to eat oil-soaked foods, such as donuts, pancakes, and the like. Hence the phrase “there was a great miracle here”, or in the letters NGHP, are the letters written on the spinning top that the children enjoy playing with so much. Hebrew date: 24 Kislev 5782 Now you know all the Jewish holidays in 2022 – Jewish holiday 2022

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Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the Jewish year on Tishrei, on the eve of the holiday, members of the immediate or distant family gather together and celebrate the beginning of the year with a glorious meal. Following that evening there are two days of the holiday when people do not perform any labor, most Jews do not work and there is no public transportation in Israel. An important mitzvah on this holiday is blowing the shofar.

Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur, which takes place on the 10th of Tishrei, is the day that brings an end to the ten days between Rosh Hashana to Yom Kippur and is also one of the September or Tishrei holidays. In fact, it is more of a holy day than a festival, because it is a day when the Jews are commanded to torture their souls. The main mitzvah in it is fasting, from the eve of Yom Kippur until three stars come out the next night. In addition to fasting all pleasures should be avoided. Leather shoes must also not be worn. Like Rosh Hashanah, it is also a day when people do not perform acts of labor, but unlike any other holiday in Israel and even on Shabbat, you will find that secular people also participate, and almost no cars are seen traveling on this day in Israel, except for emergency vehicles such as ambulances and firefighters. Instead of cars, Israeli children fill the roads with bicycles, scooters, and other non-motorized vehicles.

The more devout traditionalists and religious people are in the synagogue all day praying to be forgiven for their sins. One of the well-known prayers is “We have sinned before you.” The opening prayer is “All my vows” and the closing one is “the locking prayer”.

Sukkot

Sukkot is also one of the Tishrei holidays – Jewish holidays in September which takes place on the 4th of Tishrei, but many times it also comes out in October. On this holiday, the Jews build a sukkah – a temporary structure with a thatched roof, they decorate it, eat in it and sleep in it and even host guests in it for seven days. On this holiday, it is also customary to take the four species, which are etrog, lulav, myrtle, and willow. It is customary to take them and wave them during prayer. There are two reasons for this Jewish Tishrei holiday – the Jewish holiday in September. One of the reasons is agriculture, this is why Sukkot is also called the harvest festival, where it is customary to collect agricultural produce. It is also one of the three high holy days of the Jewish holidays – in which it was customary to go up to the Temple, alongside Passover and Shavuot. The main reason for the name of the holiday and its custom of sitting in the sukkah is that when they fled from Egypt and wandered in the desert, the children of Israel sat in the sukkot and had no permanent place. On the seventh day of Sukkot also called Hoshana Rabba the worshipers circle around the synagogue stage seven times whilst holding the four species.

Simchat Torah or Shemini Atzeret 

Simchat Torah or Shemini Atzeret brings an end to the Tishrei holidays – September Jewish holidays. Both actually take place on the same day. Simchat Torah symbolizes the end of the reading of the Torah scroll and the beginning of the re-reading, from the Book of Genesis. Shemini Atzeret probably symbolizes the departure of the sukkah and the return to the house. The word assembly means gathering, we return from the assembly to the house. Shemini Atzeret is mentioned in the Bible, while Simchat Torah is mentioned in Chazal. Both holidays occur on the 22nd of Tishrei. As with the other holidays of Tishrei, with the exception of the week of Sukkot, these are sabbatical days, when people go on strike from any craft, do not work and there is no public transportation in Israel.

In addition to the Jewish Tishrei holidays – September Jewish holidays – this month there is also the fast of Gedaliah, in memory of the leader Gedaliah who was assassinated after the destruction of the First Temple, and the time of mourning is set for the 3rd of Tishrei, immediately after Rosh Hashanah. As mentioned Tishrei is also the month of the terrible days, between Rosh Hashana to Yom Kippur, when God determines the judgment of every person in the Book of Life.

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Christians have Christmas, and Jews have the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. In our opinion, it is much cooler because they only have one day and we have eight. 

Why do Jews celebrate Hanukkah? 

The official reason is due to the miracle of the jug of oil that lasted for eight days. The historical background is as follows: After many years in which the Jews lived in the Land of Israel in relative autonomy and celebrated their feasts and kept their commandments without interruption, the Greek (Slovak) king Antiochus arrived and declared that the Jews should integrate more with the nations around the world and not observe important Jewish commandments. These decisions were called the decrees of Antiochus, their main purpose was to prevent the Jewish people from keeping the commandments of the Sabbath, performing circumcision, keeping kosher laws,  abolishing Jewish sacrifices at the Temple replacing them with unclean sacrifices and idol worship, and to abolish all Torah laws and replace them with the kings laws.

Matityahu the Hasmonean and his sons, led by Yehuda the Maccabee, fought in the sectors risking their lives. At the end of the war, they established the Jewish Kingdom after many years without a state or Kingdom. This Kingdom was known as the Kingdom of the Hasmoneans, and Hanukkah is celebrated in memory of the defeat of the Jewish Maccabees over the Greeks.

The origin of the name of the Jewish Hanukkah is the rededication of the Temple after the Greeks and the evil Antiochus defiled it. Some interpret the name also as “Camp on the 25th” The Hasmoneans arrived at the Temple on the 25th of the month of Kislev and purified it. It is also the Hebrew date on which Hanukkah is celebrated. 

The miracle of the Jug of oil is described in the Talmud it chronicles a miracle according to which when the Hasmoneans arrived at the Temple, they found only one jug of oil after the Greeks eliminated the rest. According to the Talmud, the jug was supposed to last for only one day, however, it lasted for eight days. This miracle is the reason for many holiday traditions.

Jewish Hanukkah customs

The most well-known custom on the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah is the lighting of the candles on the Menorah. Each day one candle is lit, this goes on for eight days. The Menorah has nine candlesticks and not eight because one candle is the “Shamash”, which is used to light the other candles. 

Hanukkah candles may be observed but not touched. “Only to be seen” and it is customary to place the menorah on a windowsill. 

We light the Hannukah candles in memory of the miracle of the jug of oil and the lamp that was lit for eight days. Before lighting the candles we make blessings, on the first day three blessings and on the rest of the days two blessings. 

On the first day “Blessed are you, O our God, King of the world that we have lived and maintained and reached this time”.

On every other day the following two blessings.

“Blessed are you, O Lord, King of the world, whom we have sanctified by His commandments and commanded to light a Hanukkah candle”.

“Blessed are you, O Lord, King of the world, who performed miracles for our fathers, in those days, at that time”.

After the blessings, we sing the hymns “These Candles” and “Maoz Tzur Yeshuati”.

Another Jewish Hanukkah tradition associated with oil is eating oil-soaked foods, which are fattening but delicious. The most popular dish today is the donut, yeast dough fried in oil and stuffed with jam, although today there are lots of other versions with different fillings such as caramel, chocolate, or even liqueur. Another common dish is the Leviva (pancake), also a dish fried in oil and made from flour, eggs, and all kinds of vegetables. 

Another custom that children like to do on Hanukkah is playing with a sevivon (spinning top), a veteran four-cornered game. Children usually take turns spinning it on the floor, on each of the four corners is written a letter that stands for the sentence A great miracle occurred here. The children have to guess which letter will be on the top of the spinning top when it stops spinning. The child who guesses correctly is the winner. 

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So, What is the Jewish New Year? 

The Jewish Rosh Hashana marks the beginning of the Jewish year, however, it does not occur in January but in the month of Tishrei – which corresponds to the months of September-October. 

There is also no need to wait until midnight to kiss.  Rosh Hashana begins in the evening when three stars are visible, but instead of kissing, it is celebrated with family, extended or limited.

In the past children of Israel used to prepare “Shana Tova” greetings, known as “Shanot Tovot”. Today, with email and WhatsApp, much less effort is necessary.  Another Jewish Rosh Hashana custom is to eat an apple dipped in honey as we wish for the year to be as sweet as the apple and honey. We also eat the head of a fish with the blessing “Let us be the head and not the tail”, meaning that we should lead ahead and not be led like a tail.

In Israel, Rosh Hashana is like Shabbat, and from the start of the holiday there is no public transportation, for example, most Israelis do not work. 

An important mitzvah on Rosh Hashana is the blowing of the shofar, a kind of wind instrument that used to be made from a horn of a deer. Blowing the shofar symbolizes the beginning of the year. According to Jewish tradition, it is not customary to celebrate the first day of Rosh Hashanah on Sundays, Wednesdays, or Fridays. In this case, the holiday is postponed to the next day. 

The holiday in Israel includes the eve of the holiday, Rosh Hashana Aleph, and Rosh Hashanah Bet. – three days. Originally, Rosh Hashana was celebrated for one day only as was determined by the Rabbinical court according to the status of the moon. 

As the Jews moved away from Jerusalem and were exiled to the Diaspora it would take time for the news to spread outside Jerusalem and so another day was added to ensure that everyone would have time to celebrate. On both days they are commanded to refrain from any labor and blow the shofar.

The Origin of the New Jewish New Year

The celebration of Rosh Hashana is a mitzvah from the Bible. However, the JD is not mentioned in the Bible as “Rosh Hashana” but as “Yom Tru’a” or “Zichron Tru’a” since the Shofar is the main mitzvah. The name Rosh Hashana appears later in the Mishna where it also states that it takes place in the month of Tishrei.

Rosh Hashana, the Day of Judgement, and the Ten Terrible Days

Rosh Hashana marks the day on which God judges all human deeds over the past year. The ten days between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur are called the Ten Terrible Days, and on Yom Kippur, the fate of every person in the world will be decided and written in the book of life.

The prayers on Rosh Hashana

On Rosh Hashana, prayers are frequent. There is a difference in the number of prayers and the times of the prayers between Ashkenazi Jews and Sephardim, but they all abound in prayers and hymns. 

One of the well-known hymns is “And gave validity” which is said in the Mussaf prayer on both days of Rosh Hashanah. Another hymn is “Little sister” – which opens the Rosh Hashanah service and is sung mainly in the Sephardic-Jewish community. 

The story of the expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael is read from the Torah on the first day and on the second day the story of the Sacrificing of Isaac.

Additional customs on the Jewish Rosh Hashanah

We mentioned the New Year greetings (Happy New Year), but apart from that there are other blessings addressed to one another on Rosh Hashanah, one of them is “End a year and its curses, begin a year and its blessings”, – it means that the year should end with its curses and the new year should begin with its blessings.  Another blessing is “Into a good year we should be written and signed”, meaning God should judge you for good and you should be registered positively in the book of life. 

These blessings are said until the end of Yom Kippur.

Another custom, mainly in the Ashkenazi community,  is Tashlich. The worshippers go to a body of water like a sea, lake, or a mikveh where they recite the “Tashlich” prayer whilst shaking their clothes and pockets as if throwing their sins into the water. Another custom is to undo vows – it is customary on Rosh Hashanah to undo vows- to be released of vows made before Hashem. A vow ceremony is performed in front of 3 people, this constitutes a court, and thus the person releases himself from his vows and is no longer obligated to perform them.

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Passover Customs 2022

The main custom of the Jewish Passover is a gathering of the extended family and close friends to read from the Haggadah – the story of the Exodus from Egypt, how Moses brought the Israelites out of Egypt with the help of the ten plagues that fell upon the Egyptians – blood, frogs, lice, etc. The Haggadah includes hymns and songs, some of which you may be familiar with such as “Had Gadya” and “One is our God”. 

On Passover eve,  at the Passover Seder (Passover Order) we read the stories and eat from the Passover Plate which includes matzah, hard-boiled eggs, maror (bitter herbs), and celery, charoset, and horseradish. Each food symbolizes the hardships the Israelites went through when they were slaves in Egypt as well as the Exodus itself- for example, maror since it is a bitter herb symbolizes the feeling of the children of Israel and the Charoset reminds us of the clay with which the Hebrew slaves built the cities of Egypt.

An important custom on the Jewish Passover and one that is loved by the children is the division of the Afikoman. We cut the matzah in half, eat half of it, and hide the other half. The child who finds it can ask for any gift they wish for and we hope that this year it can be bought for them.

What is special about Passover in the State of Israel is that in most supermarkets and food stores you will find much of the food covered. In Israel, there is a chametz law, according to which it is forbidden to sell chametz on Passover. What is chametz? By and large, it is any flour that has been allowed to rise. For the 7 days of Passover we are obligated to eat only non-leavened foods,  so the custom is to eat matzah, even if it is not tasty. In Israel, there are rabbis who determine what one is allowed to eat and what one is not allowed to eat on Passover. Food that is kosher for Passover will have it printed on the product. Similarly, restaurants have regular kosher certificates and kosher certificates for Passover. Many times these dishes will be made from wheat flour or potato flour so do not be surprised if you come across kosher for Passover bread rolls.

Is Passover a Jewish Easter?

You may be familiar with the Christian Easter, with all the rabbits and Easter eggs. However, there is a faint connection between the holidays.  The Christian Passover – Jewish Easter symbolizes the resurrection of Jesus on the third day after our, Jewish original Passover. 

While the Jewish Passover is celebrated in memory of the Exodus and the liberation of the children of Israel from slavery. According to Christian custom, the Last Supper took place on the night of the Passover Seder (Passover eve) and the resurrection of the dead also took place on Passover, hence the name. Other than that there is no connection between the two holidays. Christian children may have rabbits and eggs but Jewish children also enjoy gam

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