Chol HaMoed

Chol HaMoed

Halakhictexts relating to this article
Mishneh Torah:	Hilkhot Shevitat Yom Tov6:22–24,7,and8.
Shulchan Aruch:	Orach Chaim530–548. Theoriginaland auser-contributed partial translationare available online.
Other rabbinic codes:	Kitzur Shulchan Aruch104,105,and106.

Chol HaMoed(Hebrew:חול המועד), aHebrewphrase meaning "mundane of the festival", refers to the intermediate days ofPassoverandSukkot.As the name implies, these days mix features ofchol(mundane) andmoed(festival).

On Passover,Chol HaMoedconsists of the second day through to the sixth day of the holiday (the third through to the sixth in theDiaspora). On Sukkot,Chol HaMoedconsists of the second day through to the seventh day (the third through to the seventh in the Diaspora).

The special mitzvahs for the entire holiday are observed during the Chol HaMoed. During Chol HaMoedSukkot,the commandments of dwelling in a Sukkah, taking the Lulav, and reciting Hallel apply, and during Chol HaMoed Pesach, there is a prohibition onChametz.

Although it has a unique name,Hoshanah Rabbah,the seventh day of Sukkot, is part ofChol HaMoed.Prayer services that daycombine some usual practices ofChol HaMoedwith practices of bothYom Tovand theHigh Holy Days.

General concepts

Chol HaMoedcombines features of weekday (Chol) and festival (Moed).

Weekday (Chol)

Work

On weekdays duringChol HaMoedthe usualrestrictionsthat apply to the BiblicalJewish holidaysare relaxed, but not entirely eliminated. For example, work that would normally be prohibited on the festival would be allowed to prevent financial loss or if the results of the work are needed for the festival itself. Work for public need is also allowed.If one has the ability to take vacation from work without financial loss during those days, he or she is normally required to do so. Many tasks such as laundry washing, hair cutting and shaving are to be avoided except in some circumstances.
Prayers.Prayers on weekdays duringChol HaMoedare based on the weekday order of prayers, not the festival order of prayers.

Festival (Moed)

The principal customs of the respective festivals continue throughout the festival:

• Use ofmatzoand avoidance of products with leavening (chametz) on Passover
• Dwelling in thesukkah(every day) and use of theFour Species(except on the Sabbath) on Sukkot
• Another special addition was theMussafoffering in the Temple in Jerusalem
• Four people, instead of the weekday three, are called to the Torah
• In the Temple, an extra sacrifice, called Korban Mussaf, was brought.

Ya'aleh v'Yavois added to the Amidah andBirkat HaMazonon these days.Halleland Mussaf prayers are said on these days, as onYom Tov,although on Chol Hamoed of Passover, an abridged form ofHallelis recited.Hoshanotare recited on Sukkot. Thetachanunprayer is omitted.

On weekdays duringChol HaMoedthere are fouraliyotat theTorah readingin synagogue, as opposed to the standard three of weekdays, pointing to the festive nature ofChol HaMoed.

Tefillin

See also:Tefillin § Chol HaMoed

On weekdays duringChol HaMoed,there are variant customs regarding whethertefillinshould be worn, reflecting the dual nature of the day. Many streams ofAshkenazi JewsandYemenite Jewsdo wear them (as on weekdays) as well as those following the non-Hasidic Lithuanian tradition.Sephardic Jews,Ashkenazi followers of theVilna Gaonand most Chassidim, or those with Hasidic ancestry, do not (as on festivals). However, in some Hasidic communities, such as Sanz, Bobov Sanzklausenbarg, and many in Satmar, men who were never married (known as bachurim) - or in some communities until the age of eighteen when considered of marriageable age - do weartefillin;in all Hasidic communities (with the exception of some of those who never really accepted Hasidic custom such asErlau) married (or formerly married) men do not weartefillinduringChol HaMoed.In the United States, and most of the Diaspora, both customs are widely seen in practice. In Israel however, the customs of the Vilna Gaon have a stronger influence, so few Jews in Israel weartefillinonChol HaMoed,and most of those who do only do so privately before public prayer services unless they go to aminyanthat does; nevertheless, in recent years a number of "tefillin minyanim" have started in Israel.

Among those who do weartefillinonChol HaMoed,some omit or recite the blessings, depending on one's ancestral custom. Most of those who weartefillinonChol HaMoedremove thetefillinbeforeHallelout of respect for the festive nature ofChol HaMoedwhich is especially palpable during the recitation of Hallel. The exception to this practice is the third day of Passover, when the Torah reading (which follows Hallel) discusses the mitzvah oftefillin,so many only remove thetefillinafter the Torah reading is completed and the Torah scroll has been returned to the Ark.

Shabbos Chol HaMoed

See also:Special Shabbat § Shabbat Chol Hamoed

Shabbos Chol HaMoedorShabbat Chol HaMoed,aSabbaththat occurs duringChol HaMoed,is observed like any other Sabbath in almost every respect. In particular, the usual restrictions on work apply fully, as on any other Sabbath.

Shabbos Chol Hamoeddiffers from an "ordinary" Sabbath in the following ways:

Prayers:

• In most Eastern Ashkenazic communities,Kabbalat Shabbatis abbreviated. In many Western Ashkenazic and Sephardic communities, it is recited as normal.
• Ya'aleh v'Yavo(as throughoutChol HaMoed)
• Hallel (as throughoutChol HaMoed)
• According to Ashkenazi custom, reading ofSong of Songson Passover orEcclesiasteson Sukkot
• Torah Reading: sevenaliyotas usual, but theWeekly Torah portionandHaftarahare replaced by readings particular to the Festival
• Mussaffor the Festival (as throughoutChol HaMoed) replaces that for an "ordinary" Sabbath, with additions for the Sabbath
• On Sukkot: Most communities reciteHoshanot(as throughout Sukkot, but without using the Four Species nor removingTorahscrolls from theArk); however, the practice of some of the Gaonim, and adopted by the Vilna Gaon and Chabad is not to recite Hoshanot at all on Shabbat.

Meals:Use ofmatzoinstead of regular bread on Passover; meals eaten in thesukkahon Sukkot.

See also

• Isru chagrefers to the day after each of theThree Pilgrimage Festivals.
• Mimouna,a traditional North African Jewish celebration held the day after Passover.
• Pesach Sheni,is exactly one monthafter14 Nisan.
• Purim Katanis when during a Jewish leap year Purim is celebrated during AdarIIso that the 14th of AdarIis then called Purim Katan.
• Shushan Purimfalls on Adar 15 and is the day on which Jews in Jerusalem celebrate Purim.
• Yom Kippur Katanis a practice observed by some Jews on the day preceding each Rosh Chodesh or New-Moon Day.
• Yom tov sheni shel galuyotrefers to the observance of an extra day of Jewish holidays outside of the land of Israel.

External links

• Maimonides discusses Chol HaMoed towards the end ofHilkhot Shevitat Yom Tov,part of his 12th-centuryMishneh Torah.A 1993 English translation and commentary are available for free online. See6:22–24,chapter 7,andchapter 8.
• RabbiEliezer MelamedMelakha on Ḥol Ha-mo’edinPeninei Halakha