Religious Life

Shabbat and Holidays

When the sun sets on Friday evening, students are getting into the Shabbat  mood!  During the school year, Hillel offers at least two student-led  services each Friday evening, an Orthodox service and a Reform or  Conservative style service.  Additionally, once a quarter special service leader Marsha Attie leads "Friday Night Live," a music-filled Reform  service.  Several times a quarter the beautiful Tiferet Minyan, a vibrant  conservative style Shabbat service, is led by guest leader and recent  Stanford alum, Yoav Schlessinger.  Students are invited to participate in  all levels of the service, from leading to preparing a D'var Torah to  making blessings at each meal. We offer training sessions if you are new to  leading.  If you're interested in taking part in any way, please contact  Rabbi Mychal at rabbimrc@stanford.edu.

Every Shabbat eve, the entire community joins in a kosher, Shabbat meal.

Holiday celebrations are also planned and led by students in partnership  with Hillel at Stanford staff. Through student leadership, Hillel ensures  vibrant Shabbat and holiday celebrations that speak directly to the campus community.

Kosher Dining Options

Overview of Jewish Holidays

Rosh Hashanah - Sept. 22-24, 2006

Rosh Hashanah (“head of the year”) is the Jewish new year and thought to be the day on which the world was created, thereby becoming “birthday of the world”.  Two days of this important festival are observed with the prohibition on work.  For many of the Jewish holidays, a second day is observed in the diaspora.

Yom Kippur - Oct. 2, 2006

Yom Kippur (“day of repentance”) is by many considered the most important day of the Jewish year.  From sundown to sundown we fast and spend most of that time in synagogue asking G-d for forgiveness for not living up to our fullest potential as human beings.  We are asked to think about the purpose of our lives and take an accounting of the soul.

Sukkot - Oct. 7-13, 2006

Sukkot is named for the temporary hut/booth-like structures we live in during this seven day period, recalling the huts in which our ancestors dwelled during their post-Egypt desert wanderings.  We acknowledge the temporary nature of our material wealth as we eat and sleep in this hut.  Since this festival is connected with the harvest, we wave the lulav, a collection of four plant species, in thanks for the bounty we enjoy in our lives.  The first two days are observed with the prohibition on work.

Shmini Atzeret/Simchat Torah - Oct. 14-15, 2006

Shmini Atzeret (“the eighth day of solemn gathering”) marks the ending of Sukkot and is celebrated with cessation of work and the recitation of a prayer for rain.  It is immediately followed by Simchat Torah, the “rejoicing of the Torah”, a holiday of medieval origin in which we dance and sing in thanks for our holy writings. 

Passover - Apr. 3-10, 2007

On Passover, in Hebrew Pesach, we celebrate the liberation of our ancestors from slavery in Egypt.  We hold a seder (literally “order of service”) in our homes so that we can actually feel as if we experienced this liberation first-hand. This is the most widely observed Jewish holiday today, perhaps due to its powerful home ritual and narrative importance in our tradition.  The first and last two days of this week long festival are observed with the prohibition on work.

Shavuot - May 23-24, 2006

This festival, literally “(feast of) weeks”, marks thegiving of the Torah on Mount Sinai.  Agriculturally, it is a feast of harvest or the day of the first fruits.  Today, many Jews stay up all night studying the Book of Ruth and other topics in the tradition of the medieval mystics.  These two days are also marked by the prohibition on work.