AMERICAN FRIENDS OF MAGEN DAVID ADOM HELP US SAVE LIVES IN ISRAEL 65 Years of Supporting Magen David Adorn variety of vegetables and fruits, but always including honey and carrots. In Yiddish, the word for carrot is meiren, which also trans- lates to "multiply." By eating car- rots on Rosh Hashanah, we hope that our blessings multiply in the coming year. Sliced carrots coated with honey further are believed to resemble gold, which reflects our wish for a year of prosperity. Some Jews avoid nuts on Rosh Hashanah because the Hebrew word for nuts is egoz, which has the same numerical value as the word chet, or sin. Tashlich Some Jews observe tashlich, which literally means "you shall cast" It begins late afternoon on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, or on the second day of Rosh Hashanah if the first day is Shabbat. The inspiration for this tradition reflects a desire to begin the new year with a clean slate, with God forgiving past sins that are literally tossed away. During tashlich, Jews assign "sins" to bits of bread, then sym- bolically rid themselves of these by throwing the bread into the water. Usually, this is accompa- nied by the recitation of certain verses, including Micah 7:18-20, Psalms 118:5-9:33; and 130, and Isaiah 11:9. Tashlich is not Halachah (Jewish law). The inspiration for the ceremony is Micah 7:19, which states: "You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea," but little is known about how the tradition began. Some say 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 September 29 •2005 eyes are always observing our actions.) Others note that fish were among the first of God's cre- ations, and so stood as witnesses to the beginning of the world. A custom associated with tash- lich is shaking out your pockets at the source of water, likely in refer- ence to a talmudic verse compar- ing clean clothing to moral purity. Another is adding a few verses from the Zohar while reading psalms. Fast Facts The day immediately following Rosh Hashanah is Tzom Gedaliah, one of four fasts that begins at sunrise and ends at sundown (as opposed to Yom Kippur and Tisha b'Av, which are 24-hour fasts). Tzom Gedaliah commemorates the murder of Gedaliah ben Achikam, governor of Israel in the time of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia. Nebuchadnezzar not only attacked and destroyed much of Israel (including the Temple sanctuary), he exiled vir- tually the entire Jewish popula- tion there — except a few, includ- ing the man he appointed gover- nor, Gedaliah ben Achikam. A rival king ordered the assas- sination of Gedaliah and hired as his hitman Yishmael ben Netaniah, a Jew. In their decision to institute a fast day in his memory, the rabbis said, "The death of the righteous is likened to the burning of the house of God." Today, some see Tzom Gedaliah — a day on which one Jew killed another Jew — as a response to factionalism, rivalry and hostility within the Jewish community . ❑ 1948- AFMDA ambulances leaving NYC for Israel 2005- AFMDA ambulance in service for all of Israel's people AMERICAN FRIENDS OF MAGEN DAVID ADOM ARMDI • MICHIGAN AREA 248.353.0434 • armdil@aol.com www.afmda.org 1022:50 WISHING YOU A HAPPY, HEALTHY & PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR! 27659 Woodward Ave. Berkley, MI 48072 (248)547-1000 21755 Michigan Ave. Dearborn, MI 48124 (313)274-6100 14925 Middlebelt Livonia, MI 48154 (734)524-1000 21770 Michigan Ave. Dearborn, MI 48124 (313)278-3815 1024400 27