Rosh Hashanah\, the Jewish New Yea r\, is one of Judaism’s holiest days. Meaning “head of the year” o r “first of the year\,” the festival begins on the first day of Tishrei\, t he seventh month of the Hebrew calendar\, which falls during September or O ctober. Rosh Hashanah commemorates the creation of the world and marks the beginning of the Days of Awe\, a 10-day period of introspection and repenta nce that culminates in the Yom Kippur holiday\, also known as the Day of At onement. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are the two “High Holy Days” in the J ewish religion.
Why are these holidays important?
Like most religious traditions\, Judaism places a high value on living a
n ethical life while at the same time recognizing that humans are fallible.
For that reason\, this season\, with its emphasis on atonement and forgive
ness\, is particularly important and meaningful. Many Jews find the prayers
\, especially the sounding of the shofar (ram’s horn) and fasting\, and the
practices (seeking forgiveness) associated with the High Holidays to be sp
iritually uplifting and liberating. They are seen as an appropriate way to
welcome the New Year and to begin it with a “clean slate.”
Ho
w are the High Holidays celebrated?
The primary observance of
both holy days is the participation in synagogue worship. On Rosh Hashanah
morning\, the shofar is sounded as part of the worship service. Another we
ll-known custom is eating apples dipped in honey\, symbolizing the hope for
a sweet year. Yom Kippur is a day of fasting and prayer. The fast begins a
t sunset and ends the following sunset. Young children and others for whom
fasting presents a medical risk are exempt from fasting. The synagogue wors
hip focuses on rituals of penitence and confession. Many Jews will spend th
e entire day in synagogue. Jewish tradition teaches that one cannot ask for
forgiveness from God for sins against another person unless one has first
made amends with that person. Thus\, many Jews at this time of year seek fo
rgiveness from friends and families in advance of the holy day. Festive mea
ls in the home\, especially one to break the fast at the end of Yom Kippur\
, are also traditional. Jewish law prohibits working or going to school on
these holidays.
Customs and Symbols of Rosh Hashanah
Apples and honey: One of the most popular Rosh Hashanah customs invol
ves eating apple slices dipped in honey\, sometimes after saying a special
prayer. Ancient Jews believed apples had healing properties\, and honey sig
nifies the hope that the new year will be sweet. Rosh Hashanah meals usuall
y include an assortment of sweet treats for the same reason.
Round ch allah: On Shabbat (the Jewish Sabbath) and other holidays\, Jews eat loaves of the traditional braided bread known as challah. On the Jewish new year\ , the challah is often baked in a round shape to symbolize either the cycli cal nature of life or the crown of God. Raisins are sometimes added to the dough for a sweet new year.
Tashlich: On Rosh Hashanah\, some Jews pr actice a custom known as tashlich (“casting off”)\, in which they throw pie ces of bread into a flowing body of water while reciting prayers. As the br ead\, which symbolizes the sins of the past year\, is swept away\, those wh o embrace this tradition are spiritually cleansed and renewed.
“L’shana tovah”: Jews greet each ot
her on Rosh Hashanah with the Hebrew phrase “L’shana tovah\,” which transla
tes to “for a good year.” This is a shortened version of the Rosh Hashanah
salutation “L’shanah tovah tikatev v’taihatem” (“May you be inscribed and s
ealed for a good year”).
ORGANIZER;CN="Katie Cammarata":MAILTO:cammarata@wustl.edu URL;VALUE=URI:https://neurology.wustl.edu/events/event/rosh-hashanah/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Chicago BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 DTSTART:20230312T080000 TZNAME:CDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR