Hava Nedaber Ivrit: Celebrating Rosh Hashanah In Israel Each month in this space, L'Chayim will present a' Hebrew lesson entitled, "Hava Nedaber Ivrit!" (Let's Speak Hebrew), whose aim is to encourage further study of Hebrew. The lesson will include a brief story utilizing the Hebrew words to be studied, a vocabulary list with English translations and a family activity which involves using the new words. The lessons will be prepared by Nira Lev, associate professor of Hebrew language and literature at the Midrasha College of Jewish Studies. Mrs. Lev also teaches Hebrew language and literature at the Community Jewish High School at the United Hebrew Schools. Following is this month's lesson: Ruthy is a tayeret in Yisrael. She is s'mecha to be visiting in Yisrael for Rosh Hashanah, which, she knows is the Jewish New Year. She expects meseebot, orot in the Rechovot, blowing of horns and harbe simchah, as she is used to in New York, where she lives. Her kroveem tell her, however, that Rosh Hashanah has no resemblance to New Year as it is celebrated all over the world. Rosh Hashanah, meaning the Head of the Year, is the first chag in the luach HaYehoodi. This chag occurs on the first two yameem of Chodesh Tishrei, the first chodesh of the shanah. This chag is not zman for simchah chageegot and meseebot. Unlike other chageem yehoodeyeem, it does not mark a meorah historee. Rather, it is zman for cheshbon- nefesh, for serious, solemn machshava and t'feela. Rosh Hashanah also is called "Yom Hadeen," the Day of Judgement, and "Yom Hazikaron," the day of remembering. Rosh Hashanah is zman leezkor all the important meoraot historeeyeem that made Yisrael an am, and it is zman lachshov about our ma'aseem. Everyone's duty is leeshpot himself and lachshov how to become adam yoter toy in the year to come. Anasheem spend harbe shaot in Belt Haknesset, in t'feela, asking God for s'leecha. According to our masoret on this yom, God shofet each of us, and writes in Sefer Hachayeem what our fate will be bashanah haba'ah. In the Tanach, this chag is called "Yom Truah" and "Zichron Truah," the Day of Sounding the Shofar and the memorial of the blowing of the shofar. These shemot indicate the main event of Rosh Hashanah, which is t'keeat shofar — the blowing of the shofar. The shofar is a very important semel in our masoret. The shofar reminds us of akeidat Yitzchak — the binding of Isaac, when Avraham Aveenu was ready to commit the utmost act of emunah and God substituted the ayeel for Avraham's ben, Yitzchak. . Sukkah-Building Contest Families, religious schools and institutions are invited to enter the Jewish Community Center's third annual sukkah-building contest. Entrants must send up to four photographs with the registration coupon showing the building of, decorating of or celebrating in the sukkah. There is no registration fee. For details, call Stuart Rogoff, 661-1000, ext. 202. Below is a registration form: Sukkah-Building Contest Registration Form The (Family, School, Institution) will build a sukkah this year for the third annual Jewish Community Center Sukkah-Building Contest. Address Phone Number Please return coupon and photographs to: Stuart Rogoff, Family Programming Jewish Community Center 6600 W. Maple West Bloomfield, MI 48322 L-8 FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 1988 Vocabulary (Meelon) tayeret tourist s'mecha happy harbe much, many, a lot of simchah joy, happiness kroveem relatives chag holiday, festival luach calendar HaYehoodi the Jewish chodesh month shanah year zman time chageegot celebrations chageega celebration meseebot parties meseeba party chageem holidays yehoodeem Jews meorah an event historee historical chesbon-nefesh soul searching machshava thought t'feela prayer leezkor to remember meoraot events historeeyeem historical (pl.) am nation to think lachshov maaseem deeds maase deed leeshpot to judge adam person yoter tov better anasheem men, people shaot hours Belt HaKnesset synagogue s'leecha forgiveness tradition masoret yom day shofet to judge (present tense, singular) Sefer Hachayeem Book of Life bashanah haba'ah next year Tanach the Bible shemot names shem a name t'keeat shofar blowing of the shofar semel symbol \t akeidat Yitzchak, binding (sacrifice) of Isaac Aveenu our father emunah faith ayeel ram ben son orot lights Family Activities Make your own greeting cards. Use family pictures, postcards from Israel, quotations from the Bible that you like, quotations from poetry. Make a list of people to whom you want to send greeting cards. Update the addresses. Update the list every year. Include teachers that you don't see any more, your doctor, neighbor that you know, and especially people that you don't see c/ very often. A greeting card can be an opportunity to renew old friendshps. Try to compose greetings in the form of a poem or a limerick. Keep (/ these for use in future years. Keep a list of all the people from whom you receive greetings so that you remember to reciprocate this year and in the future. Teen Corner Last month, L'Chayim pursued "respect for the elderly" as its theme. This month, to keep that concept alive, L'Chayim invited students to write about their experience with senior adults. Lisa Zaks, age 12, of Farmington Hills accepted the invitation. Here is her report: By Lisa Zaks I participated in the Dor L'Dor program this past year from Hillel Day School. I was assigned a senior citizen from the Federation Apartments as my pen pal. We wrote many letters to each other telling about ourselves. This way, we were able to get to know each other. The day had finally come when we were going to meet. Because we had sent each other our pictures, I spotted my pen pal, Olga Taysig. Right away, we felt like old friends. We often exchanged gifts to show our friendship. I was able to see Olga again this summer. She was staying at Butzel Conference Center, just across the lake from where I was, at Camp Maas. Coincidentally, we met again the next day when she came to Pioneer Skills at Camp Maas. When it was time for her to leave, I walked her down to her bus, gave her a kiss, and said my last goodbye. I really love Olga, and I didn't realize how much until that moment. Holiday Questions Following are some discussion questions about this month's theme, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur: Can a shofar be of any size or from any animal or should it just come from a ram? Why do we refer to God as Avinu Malkenu (Our Father, Our King) on these holy days? Why are the Torah and the rabbis and cantors dressed in white on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur? What's the importance of the color white? L\ —Submitted by ,) Rabbi Norman T. Roman Temple Kol Ami