What is the Omer and why do we count it?
Why do we observe Lag BaOmer with bonfires?
Lag BaOmer is the 33rd day of the counting of the Omer.
Do we literally read the entire Torah in one year, starting on Simchat Torah?
We read the entire Torah over a year, beginning the cycle on the same week as Simchat Torah. The Torah is divided into 54 portions – or parashiyot – and, generally, one portion is read each week on Shabbat.
How many days is Sukkot?
Sukkot, the Jewish festival of booths (a harvest holiday of thanksgiving), begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei.
Why do Jewish Holidays Begin at Night?
On the Jewish calendar, holidays begin in the evening, at sundown, and they continue through the next day.
S’firat HaOmer
"Counting of the omer;" An omer is a biblical measurement of grain. The counting of the omer is 49-day period that begins on the second night of Passover during which each day is counted with a blessing. On the 50th day, the Festival of Shavuot is observed.
Simchat Torah
"Rejoicing in the Law;" holiday that celebrates the completion (and then the beginning) of the annual reading of the Torah.