Time for a “new” Jewish vacation

I do know that you haven’t been protecting rely, so I’ve been doing it for you.

You’re welcome.

A number of days in the past, was the 29^th day of Cheshvan, which occurs to be precisely fifty days after Yom Kippur.

You’ll forgive yourselves for not realizing this. Most Jews don’t.

However, the 29^th of Cheshvan is a Jewish vacation – the competition of Sigd, an Ethiopian Jewish competition.

“Sigd” means “prostration” in Ge’ez, an historic Ethiopian liturgical language. Since 2008, Sigd has been acknowledged as a state vacation in Israel. 

So, what’s the story with Sigd?

On one degree, it’s a competition in regards to the accepting of the Torah.

Each other degree, it’s a day of craving for the land of Israel and the traditional Temple.

An Ethiopian Jew named Shula Mola remembers:

I’ve a robust reminiscence of my final Sigd in Ethiopia in November 1983. Sigd celebrates our connection to Jerusalem; the whole village would go up the close by mountain—males, ladies, and kids—wearing our greatest festive garments for a day of fasting and prayer. The Kessoch, our spiritual leaders, learn verses from the Torah and prayed for a return to Zion.

On one other degree, the day is a communal day of reminiscence of the lifeless — yizkor.

As soon as once more, Shula Mola speaks:

On at the present time we additionally prayed for the discharge of the souls of the lifeless, sprinkling grains of wheat for birds to eat so they might fly our prayers to heaven. The vacation of Sigd isn’t solely a gathering of the dwelling, but in addition a day to recollect and be reunited with people who have handed.

And on one other degree, it’s about one thing deeper. Based on Ethiopian Jewish custom, Sigd is the day on which God first revealed himself to Moses.

Why ought to American Jews – all American Jews, of all races — be listening to this vacation?

First, it testifies to the range of the Jewish individuals. 

As soon as upon a time, we referred to as Ethiopian Jews “falashas” — landless individuals, strangers. Ethiopian Jews hate that time period. They vastly desire Beta Yisrael, “the home of Israel.”

What are the origins of the Ethiopian Jews? Take your choose of explanations.

One legend says that the tribe started out of the intimate encounter between the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon. One other opinion is that they’re descended from the traditional tribe of Dan.

However, no matter their origins, their Judaism is idiosyncratic. It originated and developed at a time earlier than the rabbinic interval, and due to this fact, their customs are each historic and, from the standpoint of Jews who comply with the customs of the traditional rabbis, uncommon.

Then got here the Nineteen Eighties. Within the midst of the civil battle in Ethiopia, the state of Israel rescued the Jews of Ethiopia in Operation Moses, and introduced them to Israel.

The poet Dan­ny Adamsu, within the track ​“Mem­o­ry, How A lot Pow­er Has the Spir­it,” described the jour­ney from Ethiopia to the land of Israel:

No proper, no left. Straight. Simply north. Stroll­ing and stroll­ing, march­ing brotherhood.

Dis­tricts, vil­lages, and households.

There are not any days, solely nights

Eat a lit­tle, robust spirit

We’re stroll­ing, the water is gone, and the meals is gone.

Desert, the earth is sizzling, deter­mined to reach.

The Jews of Ethiopian have struggled in Israel. It has not often been simple. Right now, they’re a significant cultural power. Such figures as Idan Raichel, Avior Malasa, and Hagit Yaso, have made Ethiopian Jewish music into one of the standard streams in Israeli tradition.

So, to say Sigd is to develop the circle of Jewish reminiscence, and to enlarge our image of who we’re as a individuals.

That brings me to the second purpose for mentioning this seemingly obscure vacation. It’s to bear witness to the mandatory variety – not solely of world Jewry – however of American Jewry as effectively.

That is what we realized from the 2021 Pew research. 92% of Jewish American adults establish as non-Hispanic White, whereas 8% establish with different racial or ethnic classes. Amongst Jews ages 18 to 29, nevertheless, the proportion who establish as a race or ethnicity apart from non-Hispanic White rises to fifteen%.

17% of Jews dwell in households wherein not less than one little one or grownup is Black, Hispanic, Asian, another non-White race or ethnicity, or multiracial. 

And but, a number of years in the past, in a earlier congregation, I had an encounter with a non secular college pupil of blended race. He got here to me with a textbook that we utilized in spiritual college. He opened the guide, and he began flipping by means of its pages, pointing to the illustrations of Jews and Jewish household life.

His query haunted me. “You recognize, Rabbi, once I look by means of these books, I’ve a query. Why don’t I see anybody who appears to be like like me?”

He was proper.

However, there’s a third purpose why Sigd is necessary. It’s as a result of it’s a vacation that’s not like anything within the Jewish calendar.

Undergo that calendar.

• Rosh Ha Shanah: the creation of humanity.
• Yom Kippur: we, as a individuals, confess our sins.
• Sukkot: we, as a individuals, wandered within the wilderness.
• Hanukkah: we, as a individuals, fought again in opposition to the Syrian Greeks.
• Purim: we, as a individuals, fought again in opposition to the Persians.
• Pesach: we, as a individuals, left Egypt. Shavuot: we, as a individuals, stood at Sinai.

Think about, as effectively, the trendy spring holidays: Yom Ha Shoah: we, as a individuals, confront our destruction. Yom Ha Atzmaut: we, as a individuals, declared our sovereignty within the land of Israel.

What do you discover? Each vacation is in regards to the Jewish collective. It’s the story of what we do as a individuals.

However, Sigd is about one thing else. It’s about Moses’ private encounter with God on the burning bush.

It was a solitary encounter with God, in the midst of the wilderness – at a spot that may be the placement of the occasion at Sinai, the place the whole individuals would meet God.

Sigd provides one thing to the Jewish palate: the concept whereas our communal expertise of God is central to our story, we’d like our particular person encounters with God, as effectively.

Judaism is a religion of a individuals. However, additionally it is the religion of individuals, of people, of one thing occurring inside our particular person neshamas (souls).

It took Sigd to remind us of that, and maybe that’s the reason we would add it to our communal calendar. In order that we do not forget that all of us stood at Sinai — not solely as a individuals, however as people seeking God.

For that purpose, I’m grateful that there’s the vacation of Sigd.

I imagine that each one Jews, and all of Judaism, can be enriched if it had been to discover a everlasting place on our calendar.