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Rosh Hashanah
L'shana tovah!
Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, begins this year on Friday night, September 26th, and ends
on Sunday, September 28th.
Background:
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, has great significance as a day of beginnings, concealment,
balance, and atonement. Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the month of Tishrei, sometimes
referred to as the first month of the year. In Hebrew, Rosh Hashanah means, literally "head of the
year" or "first of the year".
It is said that the world was created in the month of Tishrei, the patriarchs were born during
Tishrei, Joseph was freed from prison during Tishrei, the Israelites were freed from slavery
during Tishrei, and mankind began during Tishrei. The significance of these events led the Jewish
people to mark Rosh Hashanah as a day of beginning, rather than the month of Nissan, which
is often regarded as the first month of the year.
The name "Rosh Hashanah" is not used in the Bible to discuss this holiday. The Bible refers to
the holiday as Yom Ha-Zikaron (the day of remembrance) or Yom Teruah (the day of the sounding of
the shofar).
While Yom Kippur is known as the Day of Atonement, it is Rosh Hashanah that starts off the
spirit of judgment and balancing sin and merit. Rambam taught that man should act as if he is
precisely half sin and half meritous, therefore each sin or each mitzvah is capable of tipping
the scale.
The Customs:
- It is customary to eat a piece of apple dipped in honey to ensure a sweet new year, and a
pomegranate to ensure that our merits are as "plentiful as the seeds of a pomegranate".
- One of the most important rituals of Rosh Hashanah is the sounding of the Shofar. This
sounding contains several meanings, and has a very specific order to the sounds.
- It is customary to perform a service known as Taschlich on the second day of Rosh Hashanah.
In this service, individuals throw away bread crumbs into a running body of water to symbolize
the washing away of their sins.
The Extras:
- The day following Rosh Hashanah is known as the Fast of Gedalyah. It commemorates the
assassination of Gedalyah ben Achikam. Gedalyah represented the last ember of Jewish autonomy
after the destruction of the second temple.
- The ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are known as the Days of Atonement. They
represent the last days for which Jews can do Teshuvah (repentance) to other people.
- The Shabbat between Rosh Hashannah and Yom Kippur is known as Shabbat Shuvah, and is
thought of as the pinnacle of the time for Torah study and repentance.
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