"Chag Sameach" means "A happy (joyful) holiday." It is used as a greeting on Jewish holidays. On Shabbat we say "Shabbat Shalom" which means "A peaceful Shabbat." For the holidays are a time of "joy" while Shabbat brings "peace". All the best, Zalmen-
Before being saved by Pharaoh's daughter, Moshe already had a Hebrew name.
According to Reb Meir his name was Tov. Reb Nechemia says his name was
Toviyah. Yet, the name Moshe which was given him by Pharaoh's daughter is
the one G-d used to call Moshe and is the one recorded in the Torah.
1832 : The Legislative assmbly of the Bas-Canada, with Papineau at its head, votes a law that protects the rights of Jewish citizens. It will take 25 years to see England and its other colonies adopt similar resolutions.
Baal Shem Tov
Rabbi Yisrael ben Eliezer (1700-1760), the
founder of Chasidic Judaism (Chassidut) in
1736 in Eastern Europe, was called Baal Shem
Tov which means Master of the Good Name.
Chasidic Judaism emphasizes prayer, joy and
Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah). Chasidic Judaism
raised the morale of Jews in Eastern Europe
following the debacle of Shabtai Tzvi, the false
Messiah who gained great popularity in the
Jewish Community and then converted to
Islam. Vilna Gaon was the leader of the
opponents of Chasidic Judaism (Mitnagdim).
One of the most important observances of this holiday is hearing the shofar in synagogue. The
shofar is a ram's horn which is blown somewhat like a trumpet. A total of 100 notes are sounded
each day. There are four different types of shofar notes: tekiah (3-second sustained note), shevarim
(three 1-second notes rising in tone), teruah (series of short, staccato notes extending over a period
of about 3 seconds), and tekiah gedolah (the final blast in a set which lasts as long as the shofar
blower can blow). Some believe that the shofar's sound is a call to repentance. The shofar is not
blown if the holiday falls on a Sabbath.
April 29,1945:
US Liberated Concentration Camp of Dachau, Germany
The US 522nd Field Artillery Battalion liberated the
concentration camp of Dachau, Germany, at the end of World War
II. About 32,000 men and women from 30 different countries
were still alive when the camp was liberated. Dachau was the
first concentration camp to be constructed in Germany.
* On the 9th of Av in the year 5050 (1290) Edward I of England ordered the expulsion of all the Jews from England.
* The expulsion of Jews from Spain by the Inquisition, in the year 5252
(1492) took place on the 9th of Av.
Leap Year The Hebrew calendar is a lunar one, in that it is arranged according to the phases of the moon. Because there are only 354 days in the lunar year, a whole month (Adar Sheni) is added to the calendar every few years. The calendar is arranged in cycles of 19 years and seven out of every 19 years is a leap year.
