The main focus of the contemporary Jewish calendar year are the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. This year, the holidays began during the first week of classes, when Jewish students celebrated the start of the Jewish year of 5755. This is a peroid of intense introspection.
Jewish tradition teaches that redemption is a continuous possibility.
Every time a new year begins, Jews return to their roots, examine their accomplishments and reset their sights, beginning with self-introspection. Immediately after the rituals of the High Holy Days, which includes celebration, prayer and fasting, Jews begin to build a Sukkot, a fragile structure decorated with fall fruits and vegetables, which symbolizes a perfect world of plenty. The holiday is somewhat like Thanksgiving, giving thanks for the bounties received from the Creator and sharing them with others. Rabbi Booth invites the University community to visit the Hillel Center during the period from Sept. 19-28, which marks the Jewish festival of Sukkot, the Season of Our Joy, and enjoy an outdoor meal in the Sukkot. On Sept. 27, the last verses from the book of Deuteronomy will be read and the Torah scroll will be rolled back to the opening verses of Genesis to signify that the Jewish relationship to the Torah is never ending.