Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, marks the beginning of the Hebrew month of Tishri and typically falls between September 5 and October 5. It serves as the first of the ten Penitential Days, concluding with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Traditionally known as the Day of Judgment and the Day of Remembrance, Rosh Hashanah is observed with the belief that on this day, God evaluates the deeds of humanity, recording them in three books for the wicked, the righteous, and those in between. The customary greeting exchanged during this time reflects this sentiment, wishing others to be inscribed for a good year.
Observances begin at sundown the evening before, with the shofar, a ram's horn, blown in synagogues to inspire reflection and repentance. The holiday is celebrated for one day by Reform Jews and for two days by Orthodox and Conservative Jews. A significant ritual during Rosh Hashanah is Tashlikh, where participants symbolically cast off their sins into a body of water. The holiday combines solemnity with festivity, featuring candle lighting and a celebratory meal in the evening. Rosh Hashanah invites personal introspection and communal connection as individuals seek to begin the new year with renewed purpose.
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Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah
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The Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, falls on the first day of the Hebrew month of Tishri (in the course of September or October), which in 1970 corresponded to October 1. As in the 1978 third edition of this book, October 1 is used as a convenient reference point.
Rosh Hashanah is the first of the ten Penitential Days, which end with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The Hebrew calendar, which is luni-solar, is divided into twelve lunar months of twenty-nine to thirty days each. A twelve-month lunar year contains 353 to 355 days. Since a solar year is about eleven days longer than twelve lunar months, seven times in a nineteen-year cycle a thirteenth month is added to the Hebrew calendar. The beginning of the new year falls between September 5 and October 5. All other Jewish festivals also fall on different dates of the solar secular calendar from year to year.
Rosh Hashanah is also called the Day of Judgment and the Day of Remembrance because, according to Jewish tradition, on this day God remembers all his creatures and judges humanity. According to the traditional Jewish imagery, on Rosh Hashanah God opens three books in which the deeds of every individual are recorded. One book is for the completely wicked, a second is for the perfectly righteous, and a third is for those in between. The righteous are at once inscribed and sealed for life, and the wicked for death. Judgment of the middle group is suspended until Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Thus the customary salutation of Jews on Rosh Hashanah eve is “Leshanah tovah tikatevu vetichatemu” or “May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.” In a somewhat different form, this message appears on New Year's greeting cards sent at this time.
Rosh Hashanah, like every day in the Hebrew calendar, starts at sundown on the previous day. In the synagogue, the shofar, or ram's horn, is blown to mark the beginning of the New Year. The sounds of the shofar summon all Jews to meditation, self-examination, and repentance. Reform Jews typically celebrate Rosh Hashanah at special holiday synagogue services for one day from sundown to sundown, as specified in the Bible, while Orthodox and Conservative Jews often observe the holiday for two days according to later tradition. In the afternoon on the first day of the New Year, Orthodox Jews also take part in the ceremony known as Tashlikh, going to a nearby body of water where they recite special prayers and symbolically cast away their sins by shaking out their hems and pockets. The name Tashlikh derives from the recitation of the first words of Micah 7:19, “you will cast your sins into the sea.”
Although Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are Days of Awe, the High Holy Days of the Jewish year, celebration of the New Year is marked by festivity as well as by prayer. In the evening of the holiday, candles are lighted and a holiday meal is served.
Bibliography
Benjamin, Kathy. "11 Sweet Facts about Rosh Hashanah." Mental Floss, 21 Sept. 2017, mentalfloss.com/article/86783/11-sweet-facts-about-rosh-hashanah. Accessed 25 June 2018.
Gilad, Elon. "Rosh Hashanah 2017: The History of Rosh Hashanah Which Wasn't Always the 'New Year.'" Haaretz, 20 Sept. 2017, www.haaretz.com/israel-news/the-history-of-rosh-hashanah-which-wasn-t-always-the-new-year-1.5301295. Accessed 25 June 2018.
Michaelson, Jay. "The Secret, Multicultural History of Rosh Hashanah." The Daily Beast, 20 Sept. 2017, www.thedailybeast.com/rosh-hashanah-is-the-holiday-of-immigration-marginalization-and-multiculturalism. Accessed 25 June 2018.
"Rosh Hashana: History & Overview." Jewish Virtual Library, www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/rosh-hashanah-history-and-overview. Accessed 25 June 2018.
Sugarman, Daniel. "What Is Rosh Hashanah?" The Jewish Chronicle, 11 Sept. 2017, www.thejc.com/judaism/features/what-is-rosh-hashanah-1.444107. Accessed 25 June 2018.