Ramchal - Torah.org

The Way of G-d

Part 4: "Divine Service"
Ch. 7: "Intermittent Observances"
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Not only does each moment, each part of the day, and every day itself play its part in the great rush to fulfill G-d's plan (as we alluded to in the last chapter), each week, month, and each festival period does, too -- very much the way each one of us has his or her role in that same great unfolding.

So, while we've already discussed what sets the various times of the day apart from each other when it comes to worship and prayer, we'll now concentrate on what sets those other periods of time apart as well.

For as we'll see, each week has its Shabbat to define it and set its tone, each month has its own new-month day (Rosh Chodesh), and every time of the year has its own unique holy day and festival, from Rosh Hashanna and Yom Kippur through to Passover and Shevuot.

We'll spend the greater part of this chapter discussing the whole idea of holy days and festivals in general, and go from there to lay out the significance of most of them individually later.