Candle Lighting Times
Upcoming Holidays At Chabad Stamford
High Holidays at Chabad of Stamford
Other Special Days and Fasts
The Month of Elul
Elul is the 12th and final month in the Jewish calendar. It is a month that connects the past year with the coming year—a time when we reflect on where we stand and where we should be going. It is taught that in this month, the “King is in the Field,” and G‑d is readily accessible, willing to hear our requests and listen to our fervent prayers for the coming new year. Every day of Elul we blow the shofar and recite special Psalms in anticipation of the High Holidays, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
Schedule of Selichot at Chabad of STAMford
Selichot services are started after Shabbat after midnight of Sunday morning before Rosh Hashana and are continued every morning before morning services until Rosh Hashanah.
Tishrei
Tzom Gedaliah
In memory of Gedaliah’s tragic death and its disastrous aftermath, we fast every year on the 3rd of Tishrei, the day after Rosh Hashanah. If the 3rd of Tishrei falls on Shabbat, the fast is postponed to the 4th of Tishrei. Like other “minor” fasts, it begins at dawn (alot hashachar) and ends at nightfall.
As it is written in Zechariah 8:19, Tzom Gedaliah is one of the four fasts that will be converted to joy and feasting with the arrival of Moshiach. May it happen soon.
- Learn more about the life and death of Gedaliah.
- Learn about the inner significance of Tzom Gedaliah.
Tevet
Asarah B'Tevet (Tevet 10)
On Asarah B'Tevet, the 10th day of the Jewish month of Tevet, in the year 3336 from Creation (425 BCE), the armies of the Babylonian emperor Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem. Thirty months later—on 9 Tammuz 3338—the city walls were breached, and on 9 Av of that year the Holy Temple was destroyed. The Jewish people were exiled to Babylonia for 70 years.
Asarah B'Tevet (this year, December 25, 2020) is observed as a day of fasting, mourning and repentance. We refrain from food and drink from daybreak to nightfall, and add selichot and other special supplements to our prayers. The fast ends at nightfall or as soon as you see three medium sized stars in the sky (breaking the fast after Kiddush, when the fast is on Friday).
Read more about Asarah B'Tevet
Adar
Taanit Ester
The Fast of Esther (Taanit Esther) is a dawn-to-nightfall fast held on the day before the jolly holiday of Purim. It commemorates the fasting of our ancestors in response to the dramatic chain of events that occurred during their exile in the Persian empire.
Fasting is associated with some pivotal moments in the Purim narrative. One such moment is when Esther approached King Ahasuerus without permission in an effort to intercede on behalf of the Jewish people. Before she went to the king, she fasted for three days, and asked that all the Jews fast as well.
This year the Fast of Esther is observed on MARCH 16, 2022. Fast begins in Stamford at 5:38 am and finishes at 7:30 pm
Click here for more on why this fast is named for Esther.
Nissan
Sefirat HaOmer
Every evening from the second night of Passover to the day before Shavuot, we count another day, marking the 49 days (seven weeks) between these two holidays.
It is known as Sefirat HaOmer (“Counting of the Omer”) since it begins on the day when an omer measure of barley was offered in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.
On a spiritual level, the counting mirrors the journey of our ancestors in the desert who spent these 49 days between the Exodus (on Passover) and the Giving of the Torah (on Shavuot) in spiritual preparation and anticipation…
Second Passover
Pesach Sheni 2022 is observed on May 15 (14 Iyar).
Pesach Sheni means "Second Passover [Sacrifice]." It marks the day when someone who was unable to participate in the Passover offering in the proper time would observe the mitzvah exactly one month later.
It is customary to mark this day by eating matzah—shmurah matzah, if possible—and by omitting Tachanun from the prayer services
To learn more about the 'Second Passover' click here.
Tammuz
The Three Weeks
The Three Weeks is an annual mourning period that falls out in the summer. This is when we mourn the destruction of the Holy Temple and our launch into a still-ongoing exile. With an eye to the future, we also learn about the Third Temple, which is yet to be built.
The period begins on the 17th of the Hebrew month of Tammuz, a fast day that marks the day when the walls of Jerusalem were breached by the Romans in 69 CE.
It reaches its climax and concludes with the fast of the 9th of Av, the date when both Holy Temples were set aflame. This is the saddest day of the Jewish calendar, and it is also the date that many other tragedies befell our people . . .
17th of Tammuz Schedule
The 17th of Tammuz 2022 is observed July 17 from sunrise through nightfall.
In Stamford, CT the fast begins on July 17th at 3:45 am and ends 8:57pm.
Av
Tisha B'Av schedule
Tisha B'Av 2022 is observed August 6th at Sundown through August 7th at nightfall.
In Stamford, CT the fast begins on AUG 6th at 8:05pm and ends on AUG 7th 8:34pm.
Important links:
- Tisha B'Av Order of the Day
- The Laws of Mourning on Tisha B'Av
- Special laws for Tisha B’Av That Falls on Shabbat or Sunday
The 15th of Av
Chassidic Holidays
The Chassidic calendar includes special days in the life and times of the 7 generations of Chabad Rebbes. Each of these days offer a wealth of inspiration and information.
Farbrengens are usually held to mark special days on the Chabad calendar. The Farbrengen is a time to spend together with community and freinds, say a Lechaim, learn and reflect together on the rich lessons of Chassidus and apply them to our daily life.
What to expect at a Farbrengen? Click here to find out.
On some of these days Chabad of Stamford holds a Chassidic gathering otherwise known as a Farbrengen, below is the full schedule.
NOV 2 -Celebrating Rabbi Moshe`s birthday
JAN 11 - Yud Shevat Farbrengen marking the passing of the previous Rebbe and the day the Rebbe assumed leadership of Chabad Lubavitch. Celebrating the leadership of the Rebbe.
APRIL 11- Yud Alef Nissan - Farbrengen marking the birthday of the Rebbe. Will occur next on Apr 11 2022 marking 120 years from the Rebbe's birth. Click here to RSVP to our special Farbrengen.
JUNE 30 - Gimmel Tammuz - Honoring the Rebbe`s legacy. An Evening Of Tribute To The Rebbe.
Click here for more info on many of the biggest chassidic holidays.
Click here for special days in the life and time of the Rebbe