2. The opening prayer of Yom Kippur. Back
3. Writing on the Sabbath is biblically prohibited, whereas simply passively attending school on the school is not within the spirit of the Sabbath, but is not a biblical prohibition. Back
4. I translated this sentence very roughly as it is worded very unclearly. Back
5. Kvitel is Yiddish for a note, and refers to a note upon which a supplication is written. Such notes are often placed at the graves of holy people, in the hope that their souls would intercede with G-d on the note writer's behalf. These notes are also placed in holy sites, primarily in the crevices of the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Back
6. Yahrzeit is the anniversary of a person's death, which is observed by various rituals such as the lighting of a candle and the recitation of the Kaddish prayer by surviving relatives. The 21st of Adar would fall sometime in the month of March or very early April, one week after Purim, and three weeks prior to Passover. Back
7. Sukkot is a major Biblical festival that occurs five days after Yom Kippur, and lasts for nine days (eight days in Israel). Several Sukkot observances are noted in the text, so I will summarize them here. The two major observances mandated by the Torah are as follows: a) dwelling in a temporary booth or tabernacle called a Sukkah. In warm climates, one eats and sleeps in the Sukkah, but in colder climates, it is generally customary to only eat in the Sukkah. The Sukkah must be made of a roof of vegetation material (tree branches, wooden or bamboo poles, etc.). This thatched roof is known as Sechach; b) The taking of the four species, which consist of a palm frond (Lulav), citron (Etrog), myrtle branch (Hadas), and willow branch (Arava). The bundle of species is waved at various times during the festival services. This bundle is carried in a procession while Hoshana prayers are recited. The seventh day of Sukkot is known as Hoshana Rabba, meaning the Great Hoshana, due to the multiple circuits made that day. On that day, a special bundle of Aravot, known as the Hoshana bundle, is beaten on the ground. The eighth day is known as Shemini Atzeret, and the ninth day is known as Simchat Torah. On Simchat Torah, there is much singing and dancing, and there are processions made around the synagogue with the Torah scroll. The first two days of Sukkot, as well as Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, are observed as full-fledged festivals, with abstention from work as on the Sabbath. The intermediate days of the festival are known as Chol Hamoed. Technically, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are a separate festival, so later in the text, where it refers to the last day of the festival, it is referring to Hoshana Rabba, the seventh day. Back
8. Tashlich is a ceremony that takes place in afternoon of Rosh Hashana, where prayers are recited at a riverbank, and sins are symbolically cast into the river. Back
9. A table gathering (tisch), is a Hassidic event where a meal is partaken along with the rabbi, as he shared words of Torah and song with those gathered. Back
10. A minor Jewish holiday occurring on the 33rd day of the 49-day count between Passover and Shavuot. Back
11. Worn out holy books are not disposed of in the trash, but rather placed in some form of storage, and ultimately buried in a cemetery. Back
12. A Psalm depicting the exiled Jews in Babylon sitting and weeping by the rivers and they remember Zion. Back
13. Kohanim (priests, the descendants of Aaron), are forbidden by Jewish law to enter a cemetery, except for the funeral of immediate relatives. Back
14. A room in a Jewish funeral home or a cemetery where the ritual washing and preparation of the body takes place. Back
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