| High Holy Days
The holy days in autumn begin with Rosh Hashanah ("Beginning of the Year") which begins as a period of time in which the Jewish people tell how they have cared for the creation which has been entrusted to them. The culmination of this festival is Yom Kippur ("The Day of Atonement") which consists of five worship services and a confession from the entire community of Jewish people.
The holy days in the spring include Passover ("Pesach") which commemorates God's deliverance of Israel from Egypt. God had instructed the Israelites to mark their doorposts with the blood of a lamb. When the angel of death killed the firstborn of all the Egyptians, he would "pass over" the homes of the Israelites.
Perhaps the most famous of all Jewish holidays is the late autumn Feast of Dedication, Hanukkah, which lasts for eight days. The menorah, an eight- or nine-branched candlestick, recalls how a one day supply of oil miraculously lasted for eight days during the Maccabean rededication of their temple, which had been converted into a temple honoring the Greek god, Zeus. After the Jewish people retook their temple, they only had one day's supply of oil with which to light their menorah. The miracle of the oil gave the Jews time to get more oil to keep the menorah lit. Today's Jews celebrate Hanukkah for eight days by lighting a new candle every night to celebrate this miracle.
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