Does Judaism have holidays

Answer 1

Jewish holidays are occasions which mark events in our past. Some are from the Torah (see Leviticus ch.23 for a list), some are from the prophets (Purim, plus the minor fasts), and some are from the Sages (Hanukkah).

Shabbat - every Saturday (from Friday at sunset until Saturday after twilight)
Rosh Hashanah - the Jewish New Year, 2 days
Yom Kippur - a fast day, the Day of Atonement, 1 day
Pesach - Passover - 7 or 8 days
Shavuot - Feast of Weeks; Yom HaBikurim - 1 or 2 days
Sukkot - Feast of Booths - 7 days
Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah - 1 or 2 days
Minor holidays and occasions (in which work is not forbidden):
Rosh Chodesh - the new moon, every 29 or 30 days
Hanukkah - the Festival of Lights - 8 days
Tu Bishvat - New Year of the Trees - 1 day
Purim - 1 day, followed by 1 day of Shushan Purim
Sefirah - Counting of the Omer - 49 days
Lag Ba'omer - 1 day
The Three Weeks and the Nine Days (days of mourning preceding Tisha b'Av)
Tu B'Av - 1 day

Answer 2

Here is a list of most of major and minor Jewish holidays:

1 Rosh Hashanah (ראש השנה)- The Jewish New Year

2 Aseret Yemei Teshuva (עשרת ימי תשובה)- Ten Days of Repentance

3 Yom Kippur (יום כיפור) - Day of Atonement

4 Sukkot (סוכות) - Feast of Booths (or Tabernacles)

5 Shemini Atzeret (שמיני עצרת) and Simchat Torah (שמחת תורה)

6 Hanukkah (חנוכה) - Festival of Lights

7 Tenth of Tevet (י׳ בטבט)

8 Tu Bishvat (ט״ו בשבט) - New Year of the Trees

9 Purim (פורים) - Festival of Lots, celebration of the victory of the story of Esther

10 Pesach (פסח) - Passover, celebration of the Exodus

11 Sefirah (ספירת העומר) - Counting of the Omer

12 Lag Ba'omer (ל״ג בעומר)

13 Shavuot (שבועות) - Feast of Weeks - Yom HaBikurim

14 Seventeenth of Tammuz (י״ז בתמוז)

15 The Three Weeks and the Nine Days

16 Tisha B'av - Ninth of Av (ט׳ באב), commemoration of the Temple destruction

17 Rosh Chodesh - the New Month (ראש חודש)

18 Shabbat - The Sabbath (שבת), Saturday, the day of rest

19 Yom HaShoah (יום השואה) - Holocaust Remembrance day

20 Yom Hazikaron (יום הזיכרון) - Memorial Day

21 Yom Ha'atzmaut (יום העצמאות) - Israel Independence Day

22 Yom Yerushalaim (יום ירושלים) - Jerusalem Day

Answer 3

It depends on how you define 'holiday'. In other words, whether or not to include minor fast days, regional Jewish holidays not universally observed, and Israeli secular holidays, some of which are widely observed by Jews outside Israel.

Here is a list of almost all of the major and minor holidays:

1 Rosh Hashanah - The Jewish New Year

2 Aseret Yemei Teshuva - Ten Days of Repentance

3 Yom Kippur - Day of Atonement

4 Sukkot - Feast of Booths (or Tabernacles)

5 Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah

6 Hanukkah - Festival of Lights

7 Tenth of Tevet

8 Tu Bishvat - New Year of the Trees

9 Purim - Festival of Lots

10 Pesach - Passover

11 Sefirah - Counting of the Omer

12 Lag Ba'omer

13 Shavuot - Feast of Weeks - Yom HaBikurim

14 Seventeenth of Tammuz

15 The Three Weeks and the Nine Days

16 Tisha B'av - Ninth of Av

17 Rosh Chodesh - the New Month

18 Shabbat - The Sabbath

19 Yom HaShoah - Holocaust Remembrance day

20 Yom Hazikaron - Memorial Day

21 Yom Ha'atzmaut - Israel Independence Day

22 Yom Yerushalaim - Jerusalem Day

Answer 4

It depends on what you define as a holiday, but somewhere between 25 and 30, if you include the minor fasts and Israeli modern holidays.

Answer

Many of these holidays are found in Leviticus ch.23. The holidays begin at sunset and last until after nightfall around 25 hours later.

• Shabbat - every Saturday (beginning Friday at sunset)
• Rosh Chodesh - the new moon, every 29 or 30 days
• Rosh Hashanah - the Jewish New Year, 2 days
• Aseret Yemei Teshuva - Ten Days of Repentance
• Yom Kippur - fast day, Day of Atonement, 1 day
• Sukkot - Tabernacles - 7 or 8 days
• Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah - 1 or 2 days
• Hanukkah - Festival of Lights - 8 days
• Tu Bishvat - New Year of the Trees - 1 day
• Purim - 1 day, followed by 1 day of Shushan Purim
• Pesach - Passover - 7 or 8 days
• Sefirah - Counting of the Omer - 49 days
• Lag Ba'omer - 1 day
• Shavuot - Feast of Weeks; Yom HaBikurim; Pentecost - 2 days
• The Three Weeks and the Nine Days (days of mourning preceding Tisha b'Av; see below)
• Tu B'Av - 1 day

Fast days:

• Tzom Gedalya; the day after Rosh Hashanah
• Asara B'Tevet - 10th of the month of Tevet
• Ta'anit Esther - the day before Purim
• Shiva Asar B'Tamuz - 17th of Tamuz
• Tisha B'Av - 9th of the month of Av

The fasts start shortly before dawn and end at twilight, except for Tisha B'Av which starts the evening before at sunset and lasts for 25 hours. The 3 weeks between Shiva Asar B'Tamuz and Tisha B'Av is a period of mourning for the destruction of the Temple, referred to as "the 3 weeks" or Bein Hameitzarim. The mourning intensifies during the last 9 days of these 3 weeks.

Each festival has its specific laws:

• On Rosh Hashanah, the shofar (ram's horn) is blown, to mark the beginning of the Jewish year.
• Yom Kippur is a fast day on which Jews pray for forgiveness for all their sins. No eating, drinking, or bathing is allowed. Wearing leather shoes is also prohibited.
• On Sukkot Jews eat all their meals in outdoor arbor-canopied booths (Sukkah) in order to commemorate the Israelites' wanderings in the desert. Some will also sleep in the Sukkah. During the morning prayers on these days, we take the 4 minim consisting of a Lulav (young palm branch), an Etrog (Citrus Medica; citron), three Haddassim (Myrtle branches) and two Aravot(willow branches).
• On Hannukah the 8 branched menora is lit in the home; on the first night one candle, on the 2nd night 2 candles, until all 8 candles are lit on the 8th night.
• On Pesach leavened bread, cakes, pasta etc. are forbidden and unleavened Matzah is substituted. Passover begins with the Seder-meal commemorating and retelling the story of the Exodus. Matzah and ceremonial foods are eaten at the Seder.
• On Purim the story of Esther is read from a Megilat-Esther scroll and food baskets are given to friends and charity to the poor.
• On Shavuot the custom is to stay up all night studying Torah to mark the date that God gave the Ten Commandments.

Answer 5

Yes. Below is a list.

Many of these holidays are found in Leviticus ch.23. Other occasions are more recent; specifically Purim (2375 years), Hanukkah (2200 years), and the fasts marking the Destruction of the Temple (Zechariah 7:3 and 8:19).The holidays begin at sunset and last until after nightfall around 25 hours later. They serve to enrich the Jewish year and to connect the people with their past.
All of these days are marked by added prayers and Torah-readings; and each has its specific observances.

• Shabbat - every Saturday (from Friday at sunset until Saturday after twilight)

• Rosh Hashanah - the Jewish New Year, 2 days
• Yom Kippur - a fast day, the Day of Atonement, 1 day
• Pesach - Passover - 7 or 8 days
• Shavuot - Feast of Weeks; Yom HaBikurim - 1 or 2 days
• Sukkot - Feast of Booths - 7 days
• Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah - 1 or 2 days

Minor holidays and occasions (in which work is not forbidden):

• Rosh Chodesh - the new moon, every 29 or 30 days

• Hanukkah - the Festival of Lights - 8 days
• Tu Bishvat - New Year of the Trees - 1 day
• Purim - 1 day, followed by 1 day of Shushan Purim
• Sefirah - Counting of the Omer - 49 days
• Lag Ba'omer - 1 day

• The Three Weeks and the Nine Days (days of mourning preceding Tisha b'Av; see below)
• Tu B'Av - 1 day

Fast days:
Judaism has six yearly fasts. The fasts start shortly before dawn and end at twilight, except for Yom Kippur and Tisha B'Av which start the evening before at sunset and last for 25 hours.

• Tzom Gedalya; the day after Rosh Hashanah
• Asara B'Tevet - 10th of the month of Tevet
• Shiva Asar B'Tamuz - 17th of Tamuz
• Tisha B'Av - 9th of the month of Av
• Ta'anit Esther - the day before Purim
• Yom Kippur

Four of the above fasts are in mourning for various stages in the destruction of the Temple, and are mentioned in Zechariah 8:19.The Fast of Esther commemorates the danger that the Jews were in, during the events described in the Book of Esther.

The sixth fast, Yom Kippur, is the Day of Atonement, commanded in Leviticus 23:26-32.

Each festival has its specific purpose and laws:

• Rosh Chodesh marks the beginning of each Hebrew month (all of which are lunar) and is a minor holiday.
  
• On Rosh Hashanah, the shofar (ram's horn) is blown, to mark the beginning of the Jewish year.

• Yom Kippur is a fast day on which Jews pray for forgiveness for all their sins. No eating, drinking, or bathing is allowed. Wearing leather shoes is also prohibited.
• On Pesach, leavened bread, cakes, pasta etc. are forbidden; and unleavened Matzah is eaten. Passover begins with the Seder-meal, commemorating and retelling the story of the Exodus. Matzah and ceremonial foods are eaten at the Seder.

• On Shavuot the custom is to stay up all night studying Torah to mark the date that God gave the Ten Commandments.
• Sefirah - In the weeks between Pesach and Shavuot, we count the Omer, symbolizing the anticipation we felt in the days leading up to the Revelation at Mount Sinai. These weeks are a time of introspection and improvement.
• On Sukkot, Jews eat all their meals in outdoor arbor-canopied booths (Sukkah) in order to commemorate the Israelites' wanderings in the desert. Some will also sleep in the Sukkah. During the morning prayers on these days, we take the 4 minim consisting of a Lulav (young palm branch), an Etrog (Citrus Medica; citron), three Haddassim (myrtle branches) and two Aravot (willow branches).
• Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah - In Israel, these two occasions are observed on the same day (the eighth day from the beginning of Sukkot), while elsewhere they are kept separately (on the eighth and ninth days). This is a time of great rejoicing, with Shemini Atzeret symbolizing our close relationship with God (Rashi commentary, Numbers 29:35-36), and Simchat Torah celebrating the completion of the yearly cycle of reading the entire Torah scroll.
• On Hanukkah the 8-branched menorah is lit in the home; on the first night one candle, on the 2nd night 2 candles, until all 8 candles are lit on the 8th night.

• On Purim the story of Esther is read from a Megillat-Esther scroll and food baskets are given to friends and charity to the poor.

Reasons for the holidays:

Every one of them has as its purpose "remembering the Exodus from Egypt" (as stated in our prayers and the kiddush over wine). In addition, Passover is a Thanksgiving to God for the barley-harvest, Shavuot is a thanksgiving to God for the wheat-harvest, and Sukkot is a thanksgiving to God for the ingathering of grain.

Shavuot also celebrates the Giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai, and Sukkot commemorates God having protected us in the wilderness.

It may also be noted that it is instinctive and a moral and emotional need to celebrate in front of God every so often. This was Cain's motivation in making his offering in Genesis ch.4 without having been commanded.

Had God not given us the Torah-festivals listed above, we might instinctively seek out those of the Canaanites, which the Torah warns against (Exodus 34:15) immediately before listing the Jewish festivals (in the following verses).

Answer 6

Many of these holidays are found in Leviticus ch.23. Other occasions are more recent; specifically Purim (2375 years), Hanukkah (2200 years), and the fasts marking the Destruction of the Temple (Zechariah 7:3 and 8:19).The holidays begin at sunset and last until after nightfall around 25 hours later. They serve to enrich the Jewish year and to connect the people with their past.
All of these days are marked by added prayers and Torah-readings; and each has its specific observances.

• Shabbat - every Saturday (from Friday at sunset until Saturday after twilight)

Link: More about Shabbat

• Rosh Hashanah - the Jewish New Year, 2 days

Link: More about Rosh Hashanah

• Yom Kippur - a fast day, the Day of Atonement, 1 day

Link: More about Yom Kippur

• Pesach - Passover - 7 or 8 days

Link: Passover and the Seder

• Shavuot - Feast of Weeks; Yom HaBikurim - 1 or 2 days
• Sukkot - Feast of Booths - 7 days

Link: More about Sukkot

• Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah - 1 or 2 days

Minor holidays and occasions (in which work is not forbidden):

• Rosh Chodesh - the new moon, every 29 or 30 days

Link: The Hebrew calendar

• Hanukkah - the Festival of Lights - 8 days

Link: The founding of Hanukkah

• Tu Bishvat - New Year of the Trees - 1 day
• Purim - 1 day, followed by 1 day of Shushan Purim

Link: Purim and Queen Esther

• Sefirah - Counting of the Omer - 49 days
• Lag Ba'omer - 1 day

Link: What is Lag Ba'omer

• The Three Weeks and the Nine Days (days of mourning preceding Tisha b'Av; see below)
• Tu B'Av - 1 day

Fast days:
Judaism has six yearly fasts. The fasts start shortly before dawn and end at twilight, except for Yom Kippur and Tisha B'Av which start the evening before at sunset and last for 25 hours.

• Tzom Gedalya; the day after Rosh Hashanah
• Asara B'Tevet - 10th of the month of Tevet
• Shiva Asar B'Tamuz - 17th of Tamuz
• Tisha B'Av - 9th of the month of Av
• Ta'anit Esther - the day before Purim
• Yom Kippur

Four of the above fasts are in mourning for various stages in the destruction of the Temple, and are mentioned in Zechariah 8:19.

Link: The destruction
The Fast of Esther commemorates the danger that the Jews were in, during the events described in the Book of Esther.

The sixth fast, Yom Kippur, is the Day of Atonement, commanded in Leviticus 23:26-32.

Each festival has its specific purpose and laws:

• Rosh Chodesh marks the beginning of each Hebrew month (all of which are lunar) and is a minor holiday.
  
• On Rosh Hashanah, the shofar (ram's horn) is blown, to mark the beginning of the Jewish year.

• Yom Kippur is a fast day on which Jews pray for forgiveness for all their sins. No eating, drinking, or bathing is allowed. Wearing leather shoes is also prohibited.
• On Pesach, leavened bread, cakes, pasta etc. are forbidden; and unleavened Matzah is eaten. Passover begins with the Seder-meal, commemorating and retelling the story of the Exodus. Matzah and ceremonial foods are eaten at the Seder.

• On Shavuot the custom is to stay up all night studying Torah to mark the date that God gave the Ten Commandments.
• Sefirah - In the weeks between Pesach and Shavuot, we count the Omer, symbolizing the anticipation we felt in the days leading up to the Revelation at Mount Sinai. These weeks are a time of introspection and improvement.
• On Sukkot, Jews eat all their meals in outdoor arbor-canopied booths (Sukkah) in order to commemorate the Israelites' wanderings in the desert. Some will also sleep in the Sukkah. During the morning prayers on these days, we take the 4 minim consisting of a Lulav (young palm branch), an Etrog (Citrus Medica; citron), three Haddassim (myrtle branches) and two Aravot (willow branches).
• Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah - In Israel, these two occasions are observed on the same day (the eighth day from the beginning of Sukkot), while elsewhere they are kept separately (on the eighth and ninth days). This is a time of great rejoicing, with Shemini Atzeret symbolizing our close relationship with God (Rashi commentary, Numbers 29:35-36), and Simchat Torah celebrating the completion of the yearly cycle of reading the entire Torah scroll.

Link: More about Torah-scrolls

• On Hanukkah the 8-branched menorah is lit in the home; on the first night one candle, on the 2nd night 2 candles, until all 8 candles are lit on the 8th night.

• On Purim the story of Esther is read from a Megillat-Esther scroll and food baskets are given to friends and charity to the poor.

Reasons for the holidays:

Every one of them has as its purpose "remembering the Exodus from Egypt" (as stated in our prayers and the kiddush over wine). In addition, Passover is a thanksgiving to God for the barley-harvest, Shavuot is a thanksgiving to God for the wheat-harvest, and Sukkot is a thanksgiving to God for the ingathering of grain.

Shavuot also celebrates the Giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai, and Sukkot commemorates God having protected us in the wilderness.

It may also be noted that it is instinctive and a moral and emotional need to celebrate in front of God every so often. This was Cain's motivation in making his offering in Genesis ch.4 without having been commanded.

Had God not given us the Torah-festivals listed above, we might instinctively seek out those of the Canaanites, which the Torah warns against (Exodus 34:15) immediately before listing the Jewish festivals (in the following verses).

Answer 7

No. Judaism is the name of the religion that Jewish people practice.