THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
For you and all who are
dear to you
May it be a year blessed
with good health and happiness
High Holy Days Quiz
By RABBI SAMUEL J. FOX
(Copyright 1976, JTA, Inc.)
Why are there so many additions to the prayer ser-
vice on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur making the ser-
vices longer than others during the rest of the year?
Generally speaking, on special occasions during
the year, such as holidays, the rabbis, poets and scho-
lars were inspired to write poetic liturgy which were
sometimes used by them when they acted as the can-
tors in the synagogues. Some of these were incorpo-
rated into the services on the holidays to indicate the
special nature of the day and to add additional inspira-
tion to the service. While some congregations deleted
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the additional liturgy on other holidays, most congre-
gations retained them for the High Holidays (such as
Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur). There were various
reasons for retaining them for these holidays.
. - First, the main character of Rosh Hashana and
Yom Kippur was prayer. Even the shofar of Rosh
Hashana was considered as a means of prayer - by
many authorities. Thus, the prayers were enhanced
by some of the most beautiful and inspiring liturgy
through the ages. Secondly, on Rosh Hashana and
Yom Kippur the Jewish people were considered to be
Sincere Wishes for a
closer to the Almighty than at any other time of the
New Year Filled with
year. How could one get the feeling of being close to the
Almighty without some form of communication with
Health, Happiness and Peace
Him, i.e., prayer? Some authorities questioned the
propriety of adding to the fixed text of the original
liturgy on other occasions through the year. Most ac-
cepted the additions on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kip-
pur because of the aforementioned nature of the day.
Why is it that the horn of a ram is preferred for use
as the shofar for Rosh Hashana services?
There are two basic reasons for this preference.
First, the horn of a ram is a reminder of the readiness
on the part of Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac and
the readiness of Isaac to be offered. It was the ram in
the thicket that was used as a substitute when the
angel of the Almighty stayed the hand of Abraham
from sacrificing his son. The-horn of a ram, thus, re-
minds us of the bravery of our forefathers and the
tender mercy of the Almighty which spared them.
Second, the horn of a ram is bent, instead of being
straight. The bend in the horn is symbolic of the need
for man to bend his will to comply with the wishes of
the Almighty and to humble himself in penitence on
these holy days. It is also symbolic of the eagerness of
the Almigty to bend His will, to forgive man for his sins
by making amends with the penitent sinner.
Why is it that our Rosh Hashana New Year's celeb-
ration is in the fall while the Hebrew months in the Bible
are counted from the spring?
Actually, the name of Rosh Hashana, which is
given to this holiday is not found at all in early Biblical
literature. In the Talmudic literature there are four
Rosh Hashanas listed during the calendar year (see
Rosh Hashana 2a), each having a special significance.
There were actually four critical periods during the
year when "New Years" occurred. The two most im-
portant ones, of course, are the month of Tishri in the
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31750 Lakeside Dr.
fall and Nisan in the spring. This is because Judaism
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Farmington Hills, Mich. 48024
5
simultaneously entertains two perspectives.
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As a special people, the Jew must select historical
• -
Rerspectives and responsibilities. This was acquired
when Jews were named as a people during the exodus
from Egypt which took place in the spring. Even
though the Jew considers himself a special person, he
never loses track of his responsibility to the world as a
whole. The fall month of Tishri commemorates the
creation of the world as a whole. ThuS, the Jew counts
himself both as a member of the overall 'society of
mankind as well as of the special society of the Jewish
people. The years are thus counted from the fall and
the months from the spring.
Why do Jewish people visit the cemetery during the
month before the High Holidays?
In olden times, in some areas, these days were
fast days. The Talmud mentions that it was a custom
. to visit the cemetery on fast days (Taanit 16a). The
Talmud gives as a reason for this practice the hope
that the visit will bring about a situation where the
dead will intercede for the living before the Almighty.
sponsored by the association
Thus, at any occasion where one finds himself in a
crisis situation it is proper to visit the cemetery to ask
for Jewish retarded
the deceased to help us. So it is that one sometimes
goes to the cemetery to ask the dead to pray for the
healing of the ill. Bride and groom visit the graves of
their deceased parents to ask for their prayers to that
the marriage will prove successful. There were, how-
ever, some rabbinic authorities who opposed the prac-
tice of praying to the dead because they felt that
prayers were to be offered directly to the Almighty
(Maharal of Prague, Hatam Sofe, Orakh Hayim 166).
Nevertheless, the practice prevailed.
There are, therefore, other motives which serve as
a basis for visiting the graves on the cemetery before
the High Holidays. Some claim that this is clone be-
cause a mood of serious contemplation is required and
nothing can make a person more serious-minded than
a visit to the cemetery where he realizes the frailty of
his day-to-day search for vanity. Others claim that the
reason for visiting the cemetery before the High Holi-
days is actually to pray for the dead, praying to the
Almighty that the deceased find peace in heaven.
In 1788 Benjamin
Franklin was among-the
signel-s of a petition for
funds to lift the mortgage
on the synagogue of Cong.
Mikveh Israel of
Philadelphia.
SPITZ FAMILY ROBINSON
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May the
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: NEW YEAR •
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bring to all of
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our friends
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happiness,
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prosperity
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••• and good health I
•• Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Frenkel e: •
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The Residents of
HAUERIM
HOUSE
Wish Ail of Their
•Friends in the
Community
A Happy, Healthy
and Prosperous
New Year
S.
Best Wishes for the
New Year
MR. and MRS.
PETER HELMAN
18877 W. 10 Mile Rd.
Southfield, Mich. 48075
ROSENWALD POST 218
AMERICAN LEGION
Officers and Members hereby convey to all Legionairs of our faith, their
families and friends
A HAPPY NEW YEAR
Maurice Green
Commander
L'ESSA TOF,
MR. and MRS.
PAUL ZUCKERMAN
Friday, September 24, 1976 65
Marion Tenenberg
Aux.-President
Joseph Shapiro
Adjutant
Mr. and Mrs. William Rossen
and Family
Birmingham
extend best wishes to their family
and friends for a year blessed with
health, happiness and peace.
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Best Wishes
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To All My Friends
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for a healthy, happy
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New'Year
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EMMA SCHAVER
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My dear friends,
I wish to convey to all of you
a contented, happy and peaceful
Jewish New Year on behalf of my
family and myself
L
JOSEPH SHAPIRO
Harlene, Harvey, Randy,
- !Ilse and Beth Sosin
W. Bloomfield-
wish all their family and
friends a year filled with
health and happiness.
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Harold B. Greenblatt, C.L.U.
and The Greenblatt Family
Elaine, Hal, Amy, Herbie
pyAbiyearl
1976 • 5737
To Our Relatives
and Friends
MR. & MRS. NATHAN I. GOLDIN
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