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Rosh Hashonah is the Jewish new year and the beginning of the Ten Days Of Penitence. Over fifty-seven hundred years ago the world experienced the very first Rosh Hashanah. According to Rabbi Eliezer, it was on this day that Adam was created. G-d's creation was complete. Our sages tell us that on this very day, Adam violated the commandment that G-d gave him - the prohibition to eat from the tree of life. On this day G-d said to Adam "As you were judged before me this day and emerged forgiven, so will your children be judged before me on this day and emerge forgiven". Thus, from the beginning of our history, Rosh Hashanah has been marked with judgement and forgiveness. On Rosh Hashanah we celebrate the creation of the world, we mark the Kingship of G-d, and we stand in judgement as his humble servants. Rosh Hashanah occurs on the first and second days of Tishri. In Hebrew, Rosh Hashanah means, literally, "head of the year" or "first of the year." Rosh Hashanah is commonly known as the Jewish New Year. This name is somewhat deceptive, because there is little similarity between Rosh Hashanah, one of the holiest days of the year, and the Western societies midnight drinking bash. There is, however, one important similarity: Many people in the West use the New Year as a time to plan a better life, making "resolutions." Likewise, the Jewish New Year is a time to begin introspection, looking back at the mistakes of the past year and planning the changes to make in the new year. The name "Rosh Hashanah" is not used in the Bible to discuss this holiday. The Bible refers to the holiday as Yom Ha-Zikkaron (the day of remembrance) or Yom Teruah (the day of the sounding of the shofar). The holiday is instituted in Leviticus 23:24-25.
No work is permitted on Rosh Hashanah. Much of the day is spent in synagogue, where the regular daily liturgy is somewhat expanded. In fact, there is a special prayer book called the machzor used for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur because of the extensive liturgical changes for these holidays. Another popular observance during this holiday is eating apples dipped in honey, a symbol of our wish for a sweet new year. We also dip bread in honey (instead of the usual practice of sprinkling salt on it) at this time of year for the same reason. Another popular practice of the holiday is Tashlikh ("casting off"). We walk to flowing water, such as a creek or river, on the afternoon of the first day and empty our pockets into the river, symbolically casting off our sins. This practice is not discussed in the Bible, but is a long-standing custom. Religious services for the holiday focus on the concept of G-d's sovereignty. The common greeting at this time is L'shanah tovah ("for a good year"). This is a shortening of "L'shanah tovah tikatev v'taihatem" (or to women, "L'shanah tovah tikatevi v'taihatemi"), which means "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year." You may notice that the Bible speaks of Rosh Hashanah as occurring on the first day of the seventh month. The first month of the Jewish calendar is Nissan, occurring in March and April. Why, then, does the Jewish "new year" occur in Tishri, the seventh month? Judaism has several different "new years," a concept which may seem strange at first, but think of it this way: the "new year" in the West starts in January, but the new "school year" starts in September, and many businesses have "fiscal years" that start at various times of the year. In Judaism, Nissan 1 is the new year for the purpose of counting the reign of kings and months on the calendar, Elul 1 (in August) is the new year for the tithing of animals, Shevat 15 (in February) is the new year for trees (determining when first fruits can be eaten, etc.), and Tishri 1 (Rosh Hashanah) is the new year for years (when we increase the year number. Sabbatical and Jubilee years begin at this time).
Reviewed 14-Nov-2003 |
The
shofar is a ram's horn which is blown somewhat like a trumpet. One of the most
important observances of this holiday is hearing the sounding of the shofar in
the synagogue. A total of 100 notes are sounded each day. There are four
different types of shofar notes: tekiah, a 3 second sustained note; shevarim,
three 1-second notes rising in tone, teruah, a series of short, staccato notes
extending over a period of about 3 seconds; and tekiah gedolah (literally, "big
tekiah"), the final blast in a set, which lasts (hopefully) 10 seconds minimum.
The Bible gives no specific reason for this practice. One that has been
suggested is that the shofar's sound is a call to repentance. The shofar is not
blown if the holiday falls on Shabbat.