The events formally commemorated on specific annual dates today are:
-- the Exodus of the ancestors of today's Jews from bondage in Egypt
-- the giving and receiving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai
-- the rescue of the Jewish community from state-sanctioned massacre in the provinces of
the empire of Persia/Media
-- the Maccabeean homeland victory over the invading Greeks
-- the destruction of the two Temples in Jerusalem
-- the fall of the Warsaw ghetto
-- the declaration of the modern State of Israel
The first five events are universally commemorated in all Jewish communities.
The last two events are not.
Many of the 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.
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.
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:
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).
See the attached Related Link for a full timeline.
See the attached Related Link.
Judaism is not a sacred text, it is a religion and that religion happens to have a sacred text. To learn more about Judaism's Sacred Text, read the Related Question.
Judaism believes strongly in the ability of actions controlling sacredness. If a person does a good deed then that has become a sacred time. However there are predetermined 'sacred times' such as days of rest which take place on Saturday. I hope this helps!
No. The cow is the sacred animal in Hinduism, not Judaism.
Mecca
The Torah
Judaism accepts parts of the Christian Bible as sacred, but treats the entire Jewish Bible as sacred.
Judaism
No. The sacred writing of Judaism is the Bible, also called the Tanakh. The Vedas are one of several Hindu Holy Books.
What is sacred to both are the Torah, Psalms, and the Old City of Jerusalem.
The Old Testament is sacred to Judaism
Judaism has no sacred people. All people are equal in God's eyes. There are different classes of people in Judaism; Cohen - priests, Levites and regular Israelites.
Yes.