perience a sense of loss in their Jewish system. As a result, in a divorce people not only lose one another, but also lose a part of their religion (Rosen, Weltman, 616). Jewish HolidaysAlthough Chanukah is the most well known of the Jewish holidays, is has only been popularized because of its closeness to Christmas and it has very little religious significance to the Jewish people. Passover is the most important holiday in Jewish culture. It lasts eight days and commemorates the fact that during the Jews escape from Egypt when Yahweh was killing the first born males of each Egyptian family, Yahweh passed over their houses and spared the lives of their first born sons. No work is permitted on the first and last day of Passover. Food restrictions are also a very important aspect of the holiday. Also, the Jewish household must be cleaned of any Chametz which includes anything made from the five major grains (wheat, rye, barley, oats and spelt) that has not been completely cooked within 18 minutes after coming into contact with water. The grain product Jews eat during Passover is called matzah. Matzah is unleavened bread, made simply from flour and water and cooked very quickly. This is the bread that the Jews made for their flee from Egypt (http://www.us-israel.org). Rosh Hashanah occurs on the first and second days of Tishri. In Hebrew, Rosh Hashanah means, literally, "head of the year" or "first of the year." Rosh Hashanah is commonly known as the Jewish New Year. Although this holiday doesnt fall into the same time frame as the modern day calendar, the same practices of resolutions and looking back on mistakes occur. There is no work on Rosh Hashanah (http://www.us-israel.org).The name "Yom Kippur" means "Day of Atonement," and that pretty much explains what the holiday is. It is a day set aside to "afflict the soul," to atone for the sins of the past year. It is the most important holiday to the Jewish people and most of the...
