"Well, it's Definitely not Sukkot!!!"

So, for the third week in a row I'm working only two-and-a-half days, with the rest of the week off. This is because it's been very holiday-ey, Judaism-wise. it's not always like this, being as it runs on it's own calendar (hands up all Jewish people who can keep track of the holidays without a calendar... alright Rabbi, you made your point, you can put your hand down now). In any case, all this free time has inspired much jealousy*, and the inevitable question: "so what holiday is it, anyway?".

Well, Rosh Hashanah was easy. Jewish New Year. Simple. Sukkot was a little harder to explain. The festival of... Lemons? harvesty....something? shaking palm fronds and lemons at the compass points? I asked around the office, and nobody had paid attention in jewish studies that day. See, the thing is... some of the festivals are a little... obscure for most of us. We have a sort of a vague, fuzzy idea of what they do. Mostly, give a day off, and if you're a good jew**, and not agnostic, you go to shul extra.

This next one coming up, though.. Shemini Atzeret. Nobody had even the foggiest. Wikipedia clarified that it is not Sukkot, but you can still sit in the Sukkah***. As far as I can tell it's a holiday that "the Creator" gave to Jewish people as a special bonus day off****. Seriously. No fasting, no feasting, and you can tear toilet paper*****. Generic Holiday, then.


*although it's the one perk of my job, which is stressful (you've read my blog before, right?), sometimes direly boring and not very well-paid. So stop whining.
** ie you don't eat pork chops, lovely pork chops with a lil' bit 'o paprika and lemon juice and 'taters. Mmmm.
*** Oh, just google it.
**** Because btw, you guys are totally meant to be getting Sukkot too. It says. On the interweb. I mean, I don't know!
**** Shabbat. long story.