Rosh Hashanah

About Rosh Hashanah:

Rosh Hashanah (Hebrew, "beginning of the year"), the Jewish New Year, is celebrated on the first and second days of the Jewish month of Tishri (falling in September or October) by Orthodox and Conservative Jews and on the first day alone by Reform Jews. It begins the observance of the Ten Penitential Days, a period ending with Yom Kippur that is the most solemn of the Jewish calendar. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are known as the High Holy Days.

In the Bible, Rosh Hashanah is mentioned only as a day of remembrance and of the sounding of the ram's horn. These two characteristics of the day, interwoven with the theme of the proclamation of God's kingship, became the major components of the New Year's observance in later Judaism. They are emphasized in the liturgy by the repetition of verses of remembrance, verses that mention the ram's horn, and sovereignty verses. The first of these is important because it represents the sense of continuing creation and development of the world that Judaism emphasizes on this anniversary of creation. Because good and evil actions greatly influence the future, it is emphasized that God "remembers," and mention is made of the meritorious acts of the Hebrew patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to urge emulation of their holiness as the path to redemption.

Fun Facts:

• The name Rosh Hashanah is not used in the Bible but refers to it as Yom Ha-Zikkaron or Yom Teruah.
• No work is permitted on this day.
• It is tradition that people dip apples and bread in honey to represent a symbol of our wish for a sweet new year.
• The bread used for dipping is sometimes shaped into a crown to symbolize God as royalty.
• A favorite practice is walking through flowing water and empty pockets like ridding yourself of sins.
• The first month of the Jewish calendar is, Nissan.
• "Torah" mean Bible in Hebrew.

Activities:

• Research the shofar or ram's horn to see what it sounds and looks like.