"The Holy One will turn the Ninth of Ab into joy…and will Himself build Jerusalem and gather therein the exiles of Israel." ~~ Midrash Zuta, Eika
"To eat and drink on a festival in the company of your family without providing for the poor and distressed, is not “the joy of the commandment” but the joy of your stomach. It is a disgrace." ~~ Maimonides
"When you whitewash your home, leave a small patch bare to remind you of the Temple’s destruction! [Tisha B”Av] " ~~ Talmud, Bava Batra
"Every Jew must either give or take charity for Passover." ~~ Shalom Aleichem
"Moses ordained that Jews be addressed each holiday on the subject of that holiday, and he said to Israel: if you do this, it will be as if you established God’s sovereignty." ~~ Midrash Abkir, Yalkut Shimoni #408
"If a man says: I will sin and the Day of Atonement will atone for me, then that Day will not atone for him." ~~ Yoma 8:9
"Even if all other festivals vanish, not so the Day of Atonement." ~~ Safra
"The river of life…flows from birth toward death. Day follows day with wearisome monotony. Only the holidays twine themselves together to form the circle of the year. Only through the holidays does life experience the eternity of the river that returns to its source. Then life becomes eternal." ~~ Franz Rosenzweig
"The Day of Atonement atones not for sins of man against man, until the sinner makes his peace with his victim." ~~ Talmud, Yoma
"The Sabbaths are for rest and the festivals for joy, not for fasting and weeping and crying." ~~ Maimonides
"The Sabbath and holidays are the primary reason for Jewish endurance and glory." ~~ Judah Halevi
"For on this day atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you from all your sins; you shall be clean before the Lord. [Day of Atonement/Yom Kippur] " ~~ Leviticus (Vayikra) 16:30