Thread by @JewWhoHasItAll

Dear Teachers,

We hope you are having a wonderful holiday season!

Many of you will be familiar with the Christian holiday of Yom Saint Francis Ha’Kadosh (YSFH), frequently referred to as the “Feast of Saint Francis” by Christians.

1/19

The Feast of Saint Francis Ha’Kadosh is surely the best known of the major Christian holidays, falling as it does in the middle of the holiday season.

Like other Christian holidays, it moves around the calendar. This year it falls on Erev Yom Kippur.

2/19

You’ve probably seen some products aimed at Yom Saint Francis Ha’Kadosh among the ordinary holiday season stock. Next to the fruit garlands, sukkah lights, and apple/honey & pomegranate-themed decor, you may find a small section of unfamiliar decorations.

3/19

There might be some yellow & white products with crosses on them, animal-themed wall hangings, and maybe a few pjs with crosses or animals. We all know that these products are for helping our Christian friends celebrate one of their most important holidays…

4/19

But *who* is Saint Francis Ha’Kadosh, and why do these symbols represent the holiday?

Saint Francis Ha’Kadosh was a Christian tzaddik and mystic who lived in the 4900s, at around the same time as Kimchi and the Ramban.

5/19

Saint Francis Ha’Kadosh was born to a wealthy family in the Christian community of Assisi, a town in Italy not far from the Christian homeland of Vatican. In his youth, Francis spent time in the army. After having mystical visions…

6/19

Francis decided to make a pilgrimage to Vatican and devote his life to seeking spiritual enlightenment & travelling in Christian communities collecting tzedakah. In one mystical vision, Yeshu, a prophet of the Christian religion, told him to repair a ruined Christian shul.

7/19

Francis collected tzedakah & building materials and rebuilt the Christian shul over a period of years. Francis took on a lifestyle of simple dress and collected talmidim, whom he organized into a special yeshiva to learn the teachings of their prophet Yeshu…

8/19

…and to do works of chesed for the community. A similar women’s seminary was founded for his talmidot.

Francis and his talmidim travelled around and devoted their lives to living in poverty & preaching the teachings of the Christian prophets.

9/19

Although living in intentional poverty sounds shocking, the Christian Tanakh doesn't teach against intentionally impoverishing oneself, and becoming a “monk” (similar to talmid of a rebbe) living off the charity of others, was viewed as a holy action in Christian theology.

10/19

Francis was known for his great love of animals. Saint Francis Ha’Kadosh is best known among Christians for inventing the idea of a “Living Tableau of the Birth,” a collection of people and animals reenacting the scene of the birth of the Christian prophet Yeshu.

11/19

Some Christians still do these performances today around the Christian holiday of "Christmas," which moves around the calendar and will fall in early Tevet this year.

12/19

Christians believe that Francis died after receiving mystical & miraculous wounds on his limbs, mimicking the wounds that the Christian prophet Yeshu is said to have incurred at his execution. However, Francis is not said to have undergone this execution method…

13/19

… nor is he said to have risen from the dead.
Surprisingly, Christians view these wounds as being a desirable sign of holiness and favor with Ha'Kadosh Baruch Hu. Because of these wounds and the works of chesed by Francis during his lifetime...

14/19

…the Christian Chief Rabbi declared him to be a holy person, awarding Francis the additional personal name of ‘Saint.’ YSFH is set as the Christian yahrzeit of Saint Francis Ha’Kadosh, according to the Pope Gregory calendar used for Christian observances.

15/19

Today, if a Christian family has a statue of a man in a robe with some animals, this man may be Saint Francis Ha’Kadosh! But this statue isn't intended as an idol. The family doesn't pray to it; it is a decoration for their home and isn't considered an object of worship.

16/19

Today, Christian families celebrate seudat Saint Francis Ha’Kadosh by taking their pets or photos of their pets to the local Christian shul to be blessed on the day of the seudah.

17/19

Some families may put a decorative statue in their garden, say a special prayer in honor of Saint Francis Ha’Kadosh’s teachings, or eat traditional Christian honey-almond cakes. Other families may give tzedakah to the poor or to environmental charities.

18/19

Christian students may bring a note from their Christian rabbi to be excused from class to attend these observances.

Shana tova to EVERYONE, and have a meaningful and easy fast! G'mar chatimah tova!

19/19

#PublicSchool

My apologies, the alt text should say that the script reads "Hoppy Yom Saint Francis Ha'Kadosh!"

My apologies, the alt text for the image should say that the script reads "Hoppy Yom Saint Francis Ha'Kadosh!"