48 | SEPTEMBER 26 • 2019

Rosh Hashanah was the most
important holiday, hence the
timing of the pilgrimage.
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 com-
memorate the assassination
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. Rosh
Hashanah is one
of four Jewish
new years.
It might be
the best known
of them all, but
Rosh Hashanah
is not the only
Jewish new year.
According to the
Mishnah, there are
three others. The
first of Nisan, the
springtime month
when Passover falls, is the
beginning of the year, according
to the Book of Exodus. Jewish
tradition also marks T
u b’
Shevat
(the 15th day of the Hebrew
month of Shevat) as the new
year for trees and the first of
Elul (usually in August) as the
new year for the tithing of
animals.
7. American Jews used to
exchange telegrams for Rosh
Hashanah. A LOT of them.
In 1927, the Western Union
Telegraph Company report-
ed that Jewish people sent
telegrams of congratulations
and well-wishing much more
frequently than members of
any other group. In particular,

they exchanged thousands of
messages for Rosh Hashanah.
“So great has the volume of
this traffic become that the
Western Union has instituted a
special service similar to those
for Thanksgiving, Christmas
and Easter,” JTA wrote. “This
special service, started in 1925,
increased 30 percent in 1926.”
8. Rosh Hashanah was not
always the Jewish New Year.
In the Torah, the beginning
of the year was clearly set at
the beginning
of the month
of Nisan, in the
spring. However,
sometime between
the giving of the
Torah and the
codification of
the Mishnah,
Rosh Hashanah
became the pri-
mary new year.
The reasons are
unclear, although
some scholars the-
orize that it was
because neighbor-
ing peoples in the
ancient Near East
celebrated their
new years then.
9. The shofar,
the tradition-
al ram’
s horn
blown on Rosh
Hashanah, is stinky.
You have to get close to one
to notice, but a common com-
plaint 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 products are market-
ed exclusively for the purpose
of removing or neutralizing
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.

Rosh Hashanah

7.

9.

ISTOCK
ISTOCK

continued from page 46

Dr Jeffrey and Laurie Fischgrund
Michelle, Marcy, Mark
Andrew and Melanie

May the coming year
be filled with health,
happiness and prosperity
for all our family and friends.

L’Shanah
Tovah!