N\• ‘,.., 4. , . \ •,,, ... ..,.:'\ • • ,... 5 . k . *Nk \* \ \'‘ wish famili w- Rosh Hashanah At A Glance ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM AppleTree Editor I When: This year, Rosh Hashanah begins the evening of Wednesday, Sept. 15, and lasts for two days among Conservative and Orthodox Jews, and one day among most Reform and Reconstructionist Jews. I Why We Celebrate: Rosh (literally "head") Hashanah ("of the year") marks the Jewish new year and corn- memorates the creation of the world. The Torah commandment to observe Rosh Hashanah is in Parshat Emor (Leviticus 23:24), and in Parshat Pinchas (Numbers 29:1). The words "Rosh Hashanah" are not stated in the Torah; the name of the holiday was developed later. Rosh Hashanah also inaugurates the three-week holiday season in Judaism, continuing with Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret and culminating with Simchat Torah. t Rites Of The Day: Like all Jewish holidays, Rosh Hashanah features extra prayers and a Torah reading. What is unique about Rosh Hashanah is the practice of blowing the shofar, done immediately before the congre- gation says the silent Amidah prayer at Musaf. All recite Psalm 47 seven times. The person blowing the shofar and the congregation then responsively recite seven verses drawn from Psalms and Lamentations. The shofar blower next says two blessings, after which he blows three sets of blasts. This is fol- lowed by a responsive reading of three verses from Psalm 89. In the Ashkenazi rite, the shofar is again blown during the cantor's repeti- tion of the Musaf Amidah; in the Sefardi rite, the shofar is also blown during the congregation's silent Amidah prayer. The shofar is not blown on Shabbat. For the Torah reading, five persons are called up. If Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat, seven are called up. Except on Shabbat, the Avinu Malkeynu prayer is recited after the Amidah of the morning and afternoon services. Along with Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah is the only day we prostrate ourselves in prayer, in a modified form, as was done in the days of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The pros- tration occurs during the Aleinu por- tion of the Amidah prayer. lit Thematic Significance Of The Holiday: Rosh Hashanah carries three main themes. In addition to its impor- tance as the beginning of the calendar year, Rosh Hashanah is regarded as the day of judgment (Yom ha-din), when God weighs the acts of each person over the past year and decides his fate. Further, Rosh Hashanah is referred to as the Day of Remembrance (Yom haZikaron), when God remembers the world, and we remember our relation- ship with Him, the Torah and the Land of Israel. We also reflect on our lives during the past year, remember- ing the right and the wrong of our thoughts and actions. Rosh Hashanah ,also is the day we publicly proclaim the sovereignty of God. is accompanied by the recitation of certain verses, including Micah 7:18- 20, Psalmsl18:5-9; 33 and 130, and Isaiah11:9. Tashlich is not a widely observed holiday custom nor is it Halachah, Jewish law. We do know the source of the name of the ceremony (Micah7:19 states: "You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea"), but little is known about its origin. , Some have suggested that it is an imitation of a pagan rite, while others point out that fish, like God, never close their eyes. (Thus we should remember that God's eyes are always upon us and observing our actions.) Others point out that fish were amo the first of God's creations and so stood as witnesses to the beginning of e world. you a ge ere ino in tenryesd in er 0 7 : sl and no s ea lick fling stream are around, you our bits of bread into a Ater, as is usually well fine ne in Israel. toms associate out vo lic at the source o NwtAffr,, e to a Talmudic vets thing to moral pun verses from the Zola Customs d Tradidp Jewish h than any o, Hashanah),s replete with sy foods, m ost