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!