ROSH HASHANAH

By: Jodi Reichenberger

Rosh Hashanah means "The Head of the Year." It is the first day of the month of Tishri and is often referred to as "The Jewish New Year." But in the Old Testament, the primary New Year was the first day of the spring month of Nisan. The fact is, Judaism has four "new years" which mark various legal "years", much like 1 January marks the "New Year" of the Gregorian calendar. Rosh Hashanah is the new year for people, animals, and legal contracts. The Mishnah also sets this day aside as the new year for calculating calendar years and sabbatical (shemitta) and jubilee (yovel) years. But we think of it as the 'Jewish New Year" because in Exodus 12:2 it says... "This month shall mark for you the beginning of the months...," and from Leviticus 23 or Numbers 28-29, in these verses, Nisan is called the first month and Tishri the seventh.

The holiday of Rosh HaShana takes place on the first two days of the month of Tishrei. Rosh HaShana is two days long even in Israel. On the first of Tishri, special sacrifices were offered at the Temple in Jerusalem, and the shofar (ram's horn) was sounded: "In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a sacred occasion: you shall not work at your occupations. You shall observe it as a day when the horn is sounded." (Num. 29:1, NJPS)

This holiday is the first of the Yamim Noraim (Hebrew, "Days of Awe"), the most solemn days of the Jewish year; the Yamim Noraim are preceded by the month of Elul, during which Jews are supposed to begin a self-examination and repentance, a process that culminates in the ten days of the Yamim Noraim known as Asseret Yemei Teshuva - The Ten Days of Repentance, beginning with Rosh Hashanah and ending with the holiday of Yom Kippur.

Today's Rosh Hashanah has two parts. First of all, it is a happy and joyous holiday; very much looked forward to. The holiday of Rosh HaShana is a day of intense and lengthy prayer and restrained rejoicing. We rejoice in our acceptance of HaShem's kingship but our rejoicing is subdued by our recognition of the great judgment that is taking place. We dip apples in honey and wish one another "a good and a happy year." A Middle Eastern custom is to eat a pomegranate and wish for "as many blessings as a pomegranate has seeds." The festal bread is round in form, (not the traditional long, braided hallah), to symbolize the cycle of the year, and it too is dipped in honey.

On the first afternoon of Rosh HaShana it is customary to go to a body of water and recite the Tashlich prayer. If one is unable to do so then Tashlich can be recited till Hoshana Raba (the seventh day of Succos). If the first day of Rosh HaShana is shabbos then Tashlich is recited on the second day.

But it is also a solemn holy day, on which the call of the shofar sounds to the heart and calls for repentance. The prayers accumulated over thousands of years in the Mahzor prayer book stimulate soul-searching and humility towards G-d.

About The Author:

Jodi Reichenberger writes articles on a variety of subjects. You can find many of her articles at Sustainable Living Articles and on kosher food.

Articles on Judaism: http://www.whatsjew.com/articles/

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