You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
The Psychoanalytic Review
150 West 13th St.
New York, N.Y. 10011
Att: The Editor
Dear Editor:
In the winter 1976-1977 issue of the Review, Benjamin Beit-Hallami wrote an article entitled “Sacrifice, Fire, and the Victory of the Sun: A Search for the Origins of Hanukkah.” Although the article is interesting and makes several telling points of comparison between Christian and Jewish festivals and their relation to pagan customs, he is inaccurate in his statement that Shavuot is a secondary holiday.
In Deuteronomy 16:16 three major Jewish holidays are mentioned: Passover, Shavuot, and Succot. These three holidays have always been grouped together in Jewish religious life. On all three occasions were Jews commanded to journey to the Temple in Jerusalem. Religious laws are equally applicable to all three festivals. The festival of Hanukkah is secondary to the others.
While Passover and the Jewish New Year occur around the equinox, Shavuot, equal in importance of religious observance, takes place around the summer solstice. Given the source mentioned above, it would appear that part of the general hypothesis is somewhat biased.