{"id":48532,"date":"2019-01-30T21:07:07","date_gmt":"2019-01-30T19:07:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=48532"},"modified":"2022-08-25T06:59:42","modified_gmt":"2022-08-25T03:59:42","slug":"how-to-make-every-day-a-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/how-to-make-every-day-a-festival\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Make Every Day A Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Numbers 28-29 contains a long list of the annual festivals and their accompanying sacrifices. \u00a0These are the holidays that the Israelites were commanded to observe, and that Jews around the world still celebrate. The text then lists the sacrifices that ought to be offered every day, on Sabbath, Rosh Hodesh (the New Month), Pesach, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot. Portions of these chapters are still part of the Torah reading (the <\/span>maftir<\/span><\/em>) for the holidays, and so they are read in synagogue many times each year. <\/span><\/p>\n

The first-century Jewish philosopher and exegete, Philo of Alexandria, interpreted these chapters in his multi-book work, <\/span>The Special Laws<\/span><\/i>. This work, written in Greek, was addressed to those who wanted to learn about the basic laws and customs of the Jews. \u00a0There is much to say about Philo\u2019s explanations of the holidays. He tries his best to universalize their meaning and significance so that they could be understandable, logical, compelling, and appealing to those beyond his community. He offers unique interpretations of their numerical significance, their relationship to nature and the natural world, and the ways in which their observance cultivates values of integrity, industriousness, and gratitude.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of special interest is the festival with which Philo decides to begin his list: the festival of every day. When Philo reads Numbers 28:3-8 about the <\/span>tamid<\/span><\/em> offering (<\/span>tamid<\/em> <\/span>literally means \u201calways\u201d or \u201cat all times\u201d), the daily offering in the tabernacle, he understands that the requirement of a daily offering teaches us an important lesson about how we ought to relate to each day. \u00a0Philo explains that the <\/span>tamid<\/em> <\/span>offering teaches us that every day is a festival, if people choose to make each day a festival. If they do so \u2013 which, for Philo, entails contemplation of wisdom and the cosmos and the pursuit of peace and justice, but for every person might mean something different \u2013 then one\u2019s whole life, from birth to death, becomes \u201cone continuous feast.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

What Philo does is encourage us to celebrate each day \u2013 not to take time for granted, but to make the most of it. He doesn\u2019t make this suggestion in the abstract, but rather in very practical terms: if we remember the daily offering in the tabernacle, then we will remember not to waste the day with the wrong tasks, but rather to let our values guide the decisions we make about how to use our time well. That is, he argues that it is important not only to celebrate holidays once each year and to make certain times, like Shabbat, sacred and different. \u00a0He also sees the value in using <\/span>all<\/em> <\/span>of our time in ways that are sacred. Philo explains that we ought to celebrate <\/span>each<\/em> <\/span>day, so that our entire lives become one long celebration. If we stay conscious of our time each day, Philo insists, we will manage it well and live a meaningful life.<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":48533,"id":48533,"title":"num28-festival","filename":"num28-festival.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/num28-festival.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/how-to-make-every-day-a-festival\/num28-festival\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"num28-festival","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":48532,"date":"2019-01-30 19:06:53","modified":"2019-01-30 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