ROSH HA SHANAH
Rosh Hashanah
, the Jewish new year is a fall holiday, taking place at the beginning of the month (Tishrei), the seventh month of the Jewish year (counting from Nisan in the spring). It is both a time of rejoicing and weighty introspection, a time to celebrate the completion of another year while also taking stock of one's life.
The High Holiday Period
The two days of Rosh Hashanah usher in the Ten Days of Repentance (Aseret Yemei Teshuvah), also known as the Days of Awe (Yamim Noraim), which culminate in the significant fast day of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The Days of Awe represent the climax of a longer process. Starting at the beginning of the previous month, called Elul, the shofar is traditionally sounded at the conclusion of the morning service. A ram's horn that makes a trumpet-like sound the is intended as a wake-up call to prepare for the Tishrei holidays. One week before Rosh Hashanah, special petitionary prayers called Selichot are added to the ritual. Rosh Hashanah itself is also known as Yom Hadin or the Day of Judgment, on which God opens the Books of Life and Death, which are then sealed on Yom Kippur.
Rosh Hashanah History
The origins of Rosh Hashanah may be sought in a royal enthronement ritual from biblical times, though the Bible never mentions the "New Year" or "Day of Judgment" aspects. Even though Rosh Hashanah falls in the seventh month, later, rabbinic tradition decided to designate it at the beginning of the year. Although the origin of this tradition may have been adopted from the Babylonians, the rabbis imbued it with Jewish significance as the anniversary of the day on which the world was created or of the day on which humanity was created. Another explanation can be found in the significance of Tishrei as the seventh month, hence the Sabbath of the year.
Celebrating Rosh Hashanah At Home
The challah (traditional bread) eaten for the Rosh Hashanah season is round, symbolizing the eternal cycle of life. The is traditionally dipped in honey, symbolizing the hopes for a sweet New Year. The same is done with apples, which are made even sweeter with the addition of honey. Some people avoid eating nuts at this time since, according to a somewhat convoluted gematria (mystical numerical interpretation), the Hebrew words for nut (egoz) and sin (het) have the same numerical value.
Rosh Hashanah Liturgy
The prayer book for the High Holidays is called the Mahzor. Three unique prayers are added to the morning service during Rosh Hashanah. These are known as Malkhuyot, which addresses God's sovereignty; Zikhronot, which presents God as the one who remembers past deeds; and Shofarot, in which we stand in nervous anticipation of the future.
Each of these sections culminates in the shofar blasts, the most potent holiday symbol. The shofar is alluded to in the most memorable Torah reading for the holiday, the Akedah or Binding of Isaac (Genesis 22). The story and the shofar remind them of the covenant between God and the people of Israel, carrying with them the message of sacrifice, hope, and continuity. Among the popular traditions associated with the holiday is a ceremony performed on the afternoon of the first day of Rosh Hashanah called Tashlich, when people throw crumbs or pieces of bread, symbolizing their sins, into flowing water.
Rosh Hashanah's Theology and Themes
This is the time of year during which we are to atone for both our individual — and on Yom Kippur, our communal — sins committed over the previous year before God closes the books on us and inscribes our fates for the coming year. God's rule over humanity and our need to serve God is repeatedly stressed throughout the holiday.
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