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Question of the Week:
Rosh Hashanah is observed in the month of Tishrei. What does
"Tishrei" mean?

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And Sounds
Of Success

Elizabeth Applebaum
AppleTree Editor
elcome
to the
biggest
birthday party in the
world. Rosh Hashanah
(literally, "head of the
year") begins at sundown
on Friday, Sept. 29, and
celebrates the creation of the

W

world.

On Rosh Has'handh,
we look forward
to a happy new year
and to reconnecting
with God.

It is a somber day, because it is at this
time that God stands in judgment of
our lives. But it also is a happy time,
because we are optimistic. We know
that through our prayer, sincere
repentance and giving of tzedakah
(righteous acts), God will forgive us
and be merciful.
Jewish families celebrate with
a delicious meal, including
apples and honey for a sweet
new year. The davening (pray-
ing) and eating continues for two
full days (or one day for Reform
Jews), then ends Sunday evening
about an hour after sundown.
We bet you didn't know many of these facts
about the holiday, to help you begin preparing
for Rosh Hashanah:
• Rosh Hashanah is observed on the first day
of the month of Tishrei.
Consider this: The first word of the Torah is
bereshit, or "in the beginning." It comprises the

Hebrew letters bet, reish, aleph, shin, yud and
taf. Rearrange these same letters to aleph, bet,
taf, shin, reish, yud, and it spells aleph b'tishrei,
or "the first of Tishrei."
i
• Rosh Hashanah also is known as Yom Teru-
ah (Day of Blowing the Horn), Yom Hadin (Judg-
ment Day) and Yom Hazikaron (Remembrance
I Day).
• After you've enjoyed your apples the first
night, it% traditional to have a new fruit (one that
you haven't yet had this season) on the second.
• Have you ever.wondered exactly how the
rabbis knew in what way to blow the shofar
on Rosh Hashanah? Why this many blasts,
short and long? Leviticus 25:9 reads, "Then
you shall sound the horn loud [teruah] in the
seventh month, on the 10th day of the month
— the Day of Atonement — you shall have
the horn sounded throughout your land." The
word teruah appears once above, while
"horn" (or shofar) is used twice, both before
and after teruah. Thus, the rabbis said, teruah
should be heard once, sandwiched between
regular blasts of the horn/shofar, or tekiot (sin-
! gular form of tekiah).
The Torah contains three verses that mention
1 blowing the shofar (in addition to the Leviticus
verse mentioned above, see Leviticus 23:24
and Numbers 29:1). Therefore, the rabbis said,
the blast of the shofar, the entire tekiah, teruah,
tekiah should be made three times.
• According to tradition, three books are
opened on Rosh Hashanah. "One for the
completely righteous, one for the completely
wicked, and one for the average persons,"
the rabbis said.
"The completely righteous are immediately
inscribed in the book of life. The completely
wicked are immediately inscribed in the book of
death. The average persons are kept in suspen-
sion from Rosh Hashanah to the Day of Atone-

9/29
2000

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