Rosh Hashanah
!
Holiday
to West Bloomfi eld!
Let the beautiful begin
Scar Reduction (including acne)
Stretch Mark Reduction
Calm Rosacea
Facial Vessel Removal
Get Rid of Melasma
Smooth Fine Lines and Wrinkles
Brown Spot Removal
Lasar Hair Removal
Plus Body Sculpting & Contouring
and Skin Tightening
#VZ1BDLBHF
(FUZPVSOE50% OFF
6079 W. Maple Rd., West Bloomfi eld,MI 48322
FREE CONSULTATION 248-851-7246
www.michiganmedspa.com
SUPERIOR
COMPREHENSIVE
PAIN &
REHABILITATION
CENTER
t /PO4VSHJDBM4QJOBM
%FDPNQSFTTJPO
t 1BJO-BTFS5SFBUNFOUT
t 3FHFOFSBUJWF.FEJDJOF
t *NBHF(VJEFE
*OKFDUJPOT
t "DVQVODUVSF
SPINE CENTER OF EXCELLENCE
END THE PAIN, CALL US TODAY
8.BQMF3E 4VJUF#
8FTU#MPPNåFME .*
248-851-7246
36
September 6 • 2018
jn
101
Did you know
these facts
about the
Jewish
New Year?
MYJEWISHLEARNING.COM
R
osh Hashanah, the Jewish
New Year, starts at sundown
on Sept. 9. It’s known for
apples dipped in honey, record
synagogue attendance and as the
kickoff to the Days of Awe, which
culminate on Yom Kippur, the Day
of Atonement. We’re guessing that
even the most experienced holiday
observer, however, won’t know all
these facts about the holiday:
1. It’s traditional to eat a fruit you
haven’t eaten for a long time on the
second night of Rosh Hashanah.
This tasty custom is often
observed by eating a pomegran-
ate, a fruit rich in symbolism
(and nutrients). It developed as
a technical solution to a legal
difficulty surrounding the recitation
of the Shehechiyanu blessing on
the second day of the holiday. Use
it as an excuse to scout out the
“exotic fruit” section of your grocery
store’s produce department.
2. Apples and honey (and pome-
granates) aren’t the only symbolic
foods traditionally enjoyed on Rosh
Hashanah.
Other foods traditionally eaten to
symbolize wishes for prosperity and
health in the new year include dates,
string beans, beets, pumpkins, leeks
— and even fish heads.
3. Rosh Hashanah liturgy has
inspired at least two rock songs.
Avinu Malkeinu, the prayer that
means “Our Father, Our King,”
inspired Mogwai, a Scottish post-
rock-trio, to write a 20-minute
epic song “My Father, My King.” The
song, which borrows the prayer’s
traditional melody, is alternately
soft and beautiful and loud and
raging. More famously, Leonard
Cohen’s “Who By Fire” draws on
the Unetanah Tokef, which many
consider the most important prayer
in the High Holiday liturgy.
4. Tens of thousands of Hasidic
Jews make a pilgrimage to Ukraine
for an annual Rosh Hashanah gath-
ering known as a “kibbutz.”
This lively gathering, which dates
back to the early 19th century (and
has nothing to do with the Israeli
kibbutz movement), takes place in
Uman, the town where Nachman
of Breslov, founder of the
Breslover Hasidic sect and great-
grandson of the Baal Shem Tov, was
buried. Nachman believed Rosh
Hashanah was the most important
holiday, hence the timing of the pil-
grimage.
5. It is traditional to fast on the
day after Rosh Hashanah.
The Fast of Gedaliah is not a
cleanse for those who overindulged
at holiday meals, but a day set aside
to commemorate the assassina-
tion of Gedaliah, the Babylonian-
appointed official charged with
administering the Jewish population
remaining in Judea following the
destruction of the Temple in 586
B.C.E. Unlike Yom Kippur, which
comes just a few days later, this fast
lasts only from sunrise to sundown.
6. The shofar, the traditional ram’s
horn blown on Rosh Hashanah, is
stinky.
You have to get close to one to
notice, but a common complaint
is that these horns smell bad.
According to online vendor the
Shofar Man, all kosher shofars have
a bit of a scent because they come
from a dead animal. To mitigate the
odor, he suggests applying a sealant
to the inside of the shofar. Believe
it or not, several competing prod-
ucts are marketed exclusively for
the purpose of removing or neutral-
izing shofar smells. We can’t vouch
for any of them, but perhaps if they
don’t work for your shofar, you
could use them for your bathroom
or car. •