Rosh Hashanah ' onMouseout='HidePop("47785")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Yiddish_language">Yiddish
Yiddish is a non-territorial High German language of Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world...
: ) is a
Jewish holidayA Jewish holiday or festival is a day or series of days observed by Jews as a holy or secular commemoration of an important event in Jewish history...
commonly referred to as the "
JewishJudaism is a set of beliefs and practices originating in the Hebrew Bible , as later further explored and explained in the Talmud and other texts...
New YearThe New Year is an event that happens when a culture celebrates the end of one year and the beginning of the next year. Cultures that measure yearly calendars all have New Year celebrations...
." It is observed on the first day of
TishreiTishrei Standard Tiberian ; from Akkadian "Beginning", from "To begin") is the first month of the civil year and the seventh month of the ecclesiastical year in the Hebrew calendar. The name of the month is Babylonian...
, the seventh month of the
Hebrew calendarThe Hebrew calendar or Jewish calendar is a lunisolar calendar used by Jews, and in recent decades, by a growing number of Christians...
, as ordained in the
TorahThe term "Torah" , refers either to the Five Books of Moses or to the entirety of Judaism's founding legal and ethical religious texts...
, in . Rosh Hashanah is the first of the High Holidays or
("Days of Awe"), or
(
Ten Days of RepentanceThe Ten Days of Repentance are the first ten days of the Jewish month of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, usually sometime in the month of September, beginning with the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah and ending with the conclusion of Yom Kippur.-Introduction:During this time it is "exceedingly...
) which are days specifically set aside to focus on
repentanceRepentance in Judaism known as teshuva , is the way of atoning for sin in Judaism.According to Jewish practice, if someone commits a sin, a forbidden act, he can be forgiven for that sin if he performs teshuva, which includes:* confessing the sin;* if the sin was committed against another person,...
that conclude with the holiday of
Yom KippurYom Kippur , also known as the Day of Forgiveness, is the holiest day of the year for religious Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue services...
.
Rosh Hashanah is the start of the civil year in the Hebrew calendar (one of four "new year" observances that define various legal "years" for different purposes as explained in the
Mishnah and TalmudRosh Hashanah is the name of a text of Jewish law originating in the Mishnah which formed the basis of tractates in both the Babylonian Talmud and the Jerusalem Talmud of the same name. It is the eighth tractate of the order Moed...
). It is the new year for people, animals, and legal contracts. The
MishnahRosh Hashanah is the name of a text of Jewish law originating in the Mishnah which formed the basis of tractates in both the Babylonian Talmud and the Jerusalem Talmud of the same name. It is the eighth tractate of the order Moed...
also sets this day aside as the new year for calculating calendar years and sabbatical (
shmita) and
jubileeThe Jubilee year, is the year at the end of seven cycles of Sabbatical years , and according to Biblical regulations had a special impact on the ownership and management of land, in the territory of the kingdoms of Israel and of Judah; there is some debate whether it was the 49th year The Jubilee...
(
yovel) years. Jews believe Rosh Hashanah represents either analogically or literally the creation of the World, or Universe. However, according to one view in the Talmud, that of R. Eleazar, Rosh Hashanah commemorates the creation of man, which entails that five days earlier, the 25 of
ElulElul is the twelfth month of the Jewish civil year and the sixth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. It is a summer month of 29 days...
, was the first day of creation of the Universe.
The
MishnahThe Mishnah or Mishna is the first major written redaction of the Jewish oral traditions called the "Oral Torah" and the first major work of Rabbinic Judaism. It was redacted c...
, the core text of Judaism's
oral TorahA term used to denote the legal and interpretative traditions which, according to traditon, were transmitted orally from Mount Sinai, and were not written in the Torah...
, contains the first known reference to Rosh Hashanah as the "day of judgment." In the Talmud
tractate on Rosh HashanahRosh Hashanah is the name of a text of Jewish law originating in the Mishnah which formed the basis of tractates in both the Babylonian Talmud and the Jerusalem Talmud of the same name. It is the eighth tractate of the order Moed...
it states that three books of account are opened on Rosh Hashanah, wherein the fate of the wicked, the righteous, and those of an intermediate class are recorded. The names of the righteous are immediately inscribed in the book of life, and they are sealed "to live." The middle class are allowed a respite of ten days, until Yom Kippur, to repent and become righteous; the wicked are "blotted out of the book of the living."
Malchuyot, zichronot, shofrot
In Jewish liturgy Rosh Hashanah is described as "the day of judgment" (
Yom ha-Din) and "the day of remembrance" (
Yom ha-Zikkaron). Some
midrashMidrash is a homiletic method of biblical exegesis. The term also refers to the whole compilation of homiletic teachings on the Bible....
ic descriptions depict
GodIn Judaism, the name of God is more than a distinguishing title. It represents the Jewish conception of the divine nature, and of the relation of God to the Jewish people...
as sitting upon a
throneA throne is the official chair or seat upon which a monarch is seated on state or ceremonial occasions. "Throne" in an abstract sense can also refer to the monarchy or the Crown itself, an instance of metonymy, and is also used in many terms such as "the power behind the throne".-Thrones in ancient...
, while books containing the deeds of all humanity are opened for review, and each person passing in front of Him for evaluation of his or her deeds.
The Talmud provides the guidelines for the day's prayers and the rationale for the three central ideas behind the day:
"The Holy One said, 'on Rosh Hashanah recite before Me [verses of] Sovereignty, Rememberance, and Shofar blasts (
malchuyot, zichronot, shofrot): Sovereignty so that you should make Me your King; Remembrance so that your remembrance should rise up before Me. And through what? Through the Shofar.' (Rosh Hashanah 16a, 34b)" This is reflected in the prayers composed by the classical rabbinic sages for Rosh Hashanah found in all machzorim where the theme of the prayers is the strongest theme is the "coronation" of God as King of the universe in preparation for the acceptance of judgments that will follow on that day, symbolized as "written" into a Divine book of judgments, that then hang in the balance for ten days waiting for all to repent, then they will be "sealed" on
Yom KippurYom Kippur , also known as the Day of Forgiveness, is the holiest day of the year for religious Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue services...
. The assumption is that everyone was sealed for life and therefore the next festival is
SukkotSukkot is a Jewish holiday celebrated on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei...
(Tabernacles) that is referred to as "the time of our joy" (
z'man simchateinu.)
Observance of the day
Rosh Hashanah is observed as a day of rest like other
Jewish holidayA Jewish holiday or festival is a day or series of days observed by Jews as a holy or secular commemoration of an important event in Jewish history...
s. When not on Shabbat, Rosh Hashanah is characterized by the blowing of the
shofarA shofar is a horn, traditionally that of a ram, used for Jewish religious purposes. Shofar-blowing is incorporated in synagogue services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.-In the Bible and rabbinic literature:...
, a trumpet made from a ram's horn and not from the horn of any other kind of animal, intended to symbolically awaken the listeners from their "slumbers" and alert them to the coming judgment.
Services and greetings
There are a number of additions to the regular Jewish service, most notably an extended repetition of the
AmidahThe Amidah , also called the Shmone Esre , is the central prayer of the Jewish liturgy...
prayer for both Shacharit and the longest Mussaf of any holiday. The traditional
HebrewHebrew is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family. Culturally, it is considered a Jewish language. Hebrew in its modern form is spoken by more than seven million people in Israel while Classical Hebrew has been used for prayer or study in Jewish communities around the world for over...
greeting on Rosh Hashanah is שנה טובה
shana tova for "[a] good year", or
shana tova umetukah for "[a] good and sweet year." Because Jews and the world are being judged by God for the coming year, a longer greeting translates as "may you be written and sealed for a good year" (
ketiva ve-chatima tovah). It is customary that during the afternoon of the first day (second day if the first coincides with Shabbath) the practice of
tashlikhTashlikh is a long-standing Jewish practice usually performed on the afternoon of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, however it can be said up until Hoshana Rabbah...
is observed, in which prayers are recited near natural flowing water, and one's sins are symbolically cast into the water. Many also have the custom to throw bread or pebbles into the water, to symbolize the "casting off" of sins.
Names and origins
The term "Rosh Hashanah" does not appear in the
TorahThe term "Torah" , refers either to the Five Books of Moses or to the entirety of Judaism's founding legal and ethical religious texts...
. refers to the festival of the first day of the seventh month as "
Zicaron Terua" ("a memorial with the blowing of horns"). calls the festival
Yom Terua, ("Day [of] blowing [the horn]") and symbolizes a number of subjects, such as the
Binding of IsaacThe Binding of Isaac, in Genesis , is a story from the Hebrew Bible in which God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, on Mount Moriah.The narration is referred to as the Akedah or Akedat Yitzchak in Hebrew and as the Dhabih in Arabic...
and the
animal sacrificeKorban , in Judaism, is the term for a variety of sacrificial offerings described and commanded in the Torah. Such sacrifices were offered in a variety of settings by the ancient Israelites, and later by the Jewish priesthood, the Kohanim, at the Temple in Jerusalem...
s that were to be performed. (In there is a general reference to the time of Yom Kippur as the "beginning of the year", but it is not referring specifically to the holiday of Rosh Hashanah.)
Number of days
The Hebrew Bible defines Rosh Hashanah as a one-day observance, and since days in the Hebrew calendar begin at sundown, the beginning of Rosh Hashanah is at sundown at the end of 29
ElulElul is the twelfth month of the Jewish civil year and the sixth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. It is a summer month of 29 days...
. The rules of the Hebrew calendar are designed such that the first day of Rosh Hashanah will never occur on the first, fourth, or sixth day of the
Jewish weekThe Hebrew calendar or Jewish calendar is a lunisolar calendar used by Jews, and in recent decades, by a growing number of Christians...
(i.e., Sunday, Wednesday, or Friday).
Since the time of the destruction of the
Second TempleThe Second Temple was the reconstructed Temple in Jerusalem which stood between 516 BCE and 70 CE. During this time, it was the center of Jewish worship, which focused on the sacrifices known as the korbanot...
in
JerusalemJerusalem is the capital of Israel and its largest city in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of if disputed East Jerusalem is included...
in 70 CE and the time of Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai,
normativeSocial norms are the behavioral expectations and cues within a society or group. This sociological term has been defined as "the rules that a group uses for appropriate and inappropriate values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors." These rules may be explicit or implicit...
Jewish law appears to be that Rosh Hashanah is to be celebrated for two days, due to the difficulty of determining the date of the
new moonIn astronomical terminology, the phrase new moon is the lunar phase that occurs when the Moon, in its monthly orbital motion around Earth, lies between Earth and the Sun, and is therefore in conjunction with the Sun as seen from Earth...
. Nonetheless, there is some evidence that Rosh Hashanah was celebrated on a single day in Israel as late as the thirteenth century
CECommon Era, abbreviated as CE, is a designation for the calendar system most commonly used world-wide for numbering the year part of the date...
.
OrthodoxOrthodox Judaism is a formulation of Judaism that adheres to a relatively strict interpretation and application of the laws and ethics first canonized in the Talmudic texts and as subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and Acharonim.Orthodox...
,
Conservative JudaismConservative Judaism is a modern stream of Judaism that arose out of intellectual currents in Germany in the mid-19th century and took institutional form in the United States in the early 1900s.The principles of Conservative Judaism include:* A deliberately non-fundamentalist teaching of Jewish...
, and
Reconstructionist JudaismReconstructionist Judaism is a modern American-based Jewish movement based on the ideas of Mordecai Kaplan . The movement views Judaism as a progressively evolving civilization. It originated as the radical left branch of Conservative Judaism before it splintered...
now generally observe Rosh Hashanah for the first two days of
TishreiTishrei Standard Tiberian ; from Akkadian "Beginning", from "To begin") is the first month of the civil year and the seventh month of the ecclesiastical year in the Hebrew calendar. The name of the month is Babylonian...
, even in
IsraelIsrael officially the State of Israel , is a developed state in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its...
where all other Jewish holidays dated from the new moon last only one day. The two days of Rosh Hashanah are said to constitute "
Yoma Arichtah" (Aramaic: "
one long day"). The observance of a second day is a later addition and does not follow from the literal reading of Leviticus. In
Reform JudaismReform Judaism refers to the spectrum of beliefs, practices and organizational infrastructure associated with Reform Judaism in North America and in the United Kingdom....
, some communities only observe the first day of Rosh Hashanah, while others observe two days.
Karaite JewsKaraite Judaism or Karaism is a Jewish movement characterized by the recognition of the Tanakh as its religious authority...
, who do not recognize Rabbinic Jewish oral law and rely on their own understanding of the Bible, observe only one day on the first of Tishrei, since the second day is not mentioned in the
TorahThe term "Torah" , refers either to the Five Books of Moses or to the entirety of Judaism's founding legal and ethical religious texts...
.
This holiday is considered to be one of the more important Jewish holidays.
Shofar
Laws on the form and use of the
shofarA shofar is a horn, traditionally that of a ram, used for Jewish religious purposes. Shofar-blowing is incorporated in synagogue services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.-In the Bible and rabbinic literature:...
and laws related to the religious services during the festival of Rosh Hashanah are described in
Rabbinic literatureRabbinic literature, in its broadest sense, can mean the entire spectrum of rabbinic writings throughout Jewish history. But the term often refers specifically to literature from the Talmudic era, as opposed to medieval and modern rabbinic writing, and thus corresponds with the Hebrew term Sifrut...
such as the
MishnahThe Mishnah or Mishna is the first major written redaction of the Jewish oral traditions called the "Oral Torah" and the first major work of Rabbinic Judaism. It was redacted c...
that formed the basis of the tractate "Rosh HaShana" in both the
Babylonian TalmudThe Talmud is a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, customs, and history. It is a central text of mainstream Judaism....
and the
Jerusalem TalmudThe Jerusalem Talmud or Talmud Yerushalmi , often the Yerushalmi for short, is a collection of Rabbinic notes about the Jewish Oral tradition as detailed in the 2nd-century Mishnah...
. This also contains the most important rules concerning the calendar year.
Dates and timing
| Jewish Year |
Starts (at sundown) |
| 5769 |
September 29, 2008 |
| 5770 |
September 18, 2009 |
| 5771 |
September 8, 2010 |
Rosh Hashanah occurs 163 days after the first day of
PassoverPassover is a Jewish and Samaritan holy day and festival commemorating the Hebrews' escape from enslavement in Egypt....
(
Pesach). In terms of the
Gregorian calendarThe Gregorian calendar is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was first proposed by the Calabrian doctor Aloysius Lilius, and decreed by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, on 24 February 1582 by the papal bull Inter gravissimas...
, the earliest date on which Rosh Hashanah can fall is September 5, as happened in 1899 and will happen again in 2013. The latest Rosh Hashanah can occur relative to the Gregorian dates is on October 5, as happened in 1967 and will happen again in 2043. After 2089, the differences between the Hebrew calendar and the Gregorian calendar will result in Rosh Hashanah falling no earlier than September 6.
Rosh Hashanah will occur on the following days of the Gregorian calendar:
- Jewish Year 5769: sunset September 29, 2008 - nightfall October 1, 2008
- Jewish Year 5770: sunset September 18, 2009 - nightfall September 20, 2009
- Jewish Year 5771: sunset September 8, 2010 - nightfall September 10, 2010
- Jewish Year 5772: sunset September 28, 2011 - nightfall September 30, 2011
- Jewish Year 5773: sunset September 16, 2012 - nightfall September 18, 2012
Historical origins
In the earliest times the Hebrew year began in autumn with the opening of the economic year. There followed in regular succession the seasons of seed-sowing, growth and ripening of the corn (here meaning any grain) under the influence of the former and the latter rains, harvest and ingathering of the fruits. In harmony with this was the order of the great agricultural festivals, according to the oldest legislation, namely, the feast of unleavened bread at the beginning of the barley harvest, in the month of Aviv; the feast of harvest, seven weeks later; and the feast of ingathering at the going out or turn of the year. "Aviv" literally means "Spring". (See ; ).
It is likely that the new year was celebrated from ancient times in some special way. The earliest reference to such a custom is, probably, in the account of the vision of
EzekielAccording to religious texts, Ezekiel was a priest in the Bible who prophesied for 22 years sometime in the 6th century BC in the form of visions while exiled in Babylon, as recorded in...
. This took place at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month (Tishri). On the same day the beginning of the year of jubilee was to be proclaimed by the blowing of trumpets . According to the Septuagint rendering of , special sacrifices were to be offered on the first day of the seventh month as well as on the first day of the first month. This first day of the seventh month was appointed by the Law to be "a day of blowing of trumpets". There was to be a holy convocation; no servile work was to be done; and special sacrifices were to be offered . This day was not expressly called New-Year's Day, but it was evidently so regarded by the Jews at a very early period.
Religious observance and customs
Rosh Hashanah is a day of rest : with some variations, the activities prohibited on Shabbat are not prohibited on all major
Jewish holidayA Jewish holiday or festival is a day or series of days observed by Jews as a holy or secular commemoration of an important event in Jewish history...
s unless that day also falls on Shabbat, excluding Yom Kippur which the Torah refers to as a "Shabbaton" and is always observed with the strictures of Shabbat.
Rosh Hashanah is characterized by the blowing of the
shofarA shofar is a horn, traditionally that of a ram, used for Jewish religious purposes. Shofar-blowing is incorporated in synagogue services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.-In the Bible and rabbinic literature:...
, a trumpet made from a ram's horn.
Preceding month
The
Yamim Noraim are preceded by the month of
ElulElul is the twelfth month of the Jewish civil year and the sixth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. It is a summer month of 29 days...
, during which
JewThe Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
s are supposed to begin a self-examination and repentance, a process that culminates in the ten days of the
Yamim Noraim known as beginning with Rosh Hashanah and ending with the holiday of
Yom KippurYom Kippur , also known as the Day of Forgiveness, is the holiest day of the year for religious Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue services...
.
The
shofar is blown in traditional communities every morning for the entire month of
ElulElul is the twelfth month of the Jewish civil year and the sixth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. It is a summer month of 29 days...
, the month preceding Rosh Hashanah. The sound of the
shofar is intended to awaken the listeners from their "slumbers" and alert them to the coming judgment.
Orthodox and some Conservative Jewish communities do not blow the shofar on
ShabbatShabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from sundown Friday until the appearance of three stars in the sky on Saturday night...
.
In the period leading up to the
Yamim Noraim (
HebrewHebrew is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family. Culturally, it is considered a Jewish language. Hebrew in its modern form is spoken by more than seven million people in Israel while Classical Hebrew has been used for prayer or study in Jewish communities around the world for over...
, "days of awe") penitential prayers, called
selichotSelichot are Jewish penitential poems and prayers, especially those said in the period leading up to the High Holidays, and on Fast Days. The Thirteen Attributes of God are a central theme throughout the prayers.-Selichot of the High Holidays:...
, are recited.
Erev Rosh Hashanah
The day before Rosh Hashanah is known as
Erev Rosh Hashanah in Hebrew ("Rosh Hashanah eve"). It falls on the 29th day of the Hebrew month of
ElulElul is the twelfth month of the Jewish civil year and the sixth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. It is a summer month of 29 days...
, the day before the 1st of
TishreiTishrei Standard Tiberian ; from Akkadian "Beginning", from "To begin") is the first month of the civil year and the seventh month of the ecclesiastical year in the Hebrew calendar. The name of the month is Babylonian...
. Some communities have the customs to perform Hatarat nedarim - a nullification of vows - after the morning prayer services during the morning of Erev Rosh Hashanah. The mood becomes festive but serious in anticipation of the new year and the synagogue services. Many Orthodox men have the custom to immerse in a mikveh in honor of the coming day.
Day of Rosh Hashanah
On Rosh Hashanah itself, religious poems, called
piyyutA piyyut is a Jewish liturgical poem, usually designated to be sung, chanted, or recited during religious services. Piyyutim have been written since Temple times...
tim, are added to the regular
servicesJewish services are the prayer recitations that form part of the observance of Judaism...
. Special prayer books for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, called the
mahzorThe mahzor is the prayer book used by Jews on the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Many Jews also make use of specialized mahzorim on the three "pilgrimage festivals" of Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot...
(plural
mahzorim), have developed over the years. Many poems refer to : "Blow the
shofar on the [first day of the] month, when the [moon] is covered for our holiday".
Rosh Hashanah has a number of additions to the regular service, most notably an extended repetition of the
AmidahThe Amidah , also called the Shmone Esre , is the central prayer of the Jewish liturgy...
prayer for both Shacharit and Mussaf. The Shofar is blown during Mussaf at several intervals. (In many synagogues, even little children come and hear the Shofar being blown.) Biblical verses are recited at each point. According to the
MishnahThe Mishnah or Mishna is the first major written redaction of the Jewish oral traditions called the "Oral Torah" and the first major work of Rabbinic Judaism. It was redacted c...
, 10 verses (each) are said regarding kingship, remembrance, and the shofar itself, each accompanied by the blowing of the shofar. A variety of
piyyutA piyyut is a Jewish liturgical poem, usually designated to be sung, chanted, or recited during religious services. Piyyutim have been written since Temple times...
im, medieval penitential prayers, are recited regarding themes of repentance. The
Alenu prayer is recited during the repetition of the Mussaf
AmidahThe Amidah , also called the Shmone Esre , is the central prayer of the Jewish liturgy...
.
There are three different sounds that the Shofar makes:
- Tekiah (one long sound)
- Shevarim (3 broken sounds)
- Teruah (many short, staccato sounds, at least 9)
In addition to the three sounds there are two variations:
- Tekiah Gedolah (a very long sound, used at the end of the Ashkenazi rite prayer services)
- Teruah Gedolah (a very long series of short staccato sounds used at the end of the Sefardi rite prayer services)
Tashlikh
During the afternoon of the first day occurs the practice of
tashlikhTashlikh is a long-standing Jewish practice usually performed on the afternoon of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, however it can be said up until Hoshana Rabbah...
, in which prayers are recited near natural flowing water, and one's sins are symbolically cast into the water. Many also have the custom to throw bread or pebbles into the water, to symbolize the "casting off" of sins. In some communities, if the first day of Rosh Hashanah occurs on Shabbat,
tashlikh is postponed until the second day. The traditional service for
tashlikh is recited individually and includes the prayer "Who is like unto you, O God...And You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea", and Biblical passages including ("They will not injure nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be as full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea") and , 121 and 130, as well as personal prayers.
Rosh Hashana meals and symbolic foods
Rosh Hashanah meals usually include
appleThe apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family Rosaceae. It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits...
s and
honeyHoney is a sweet food made by some insects using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...
, to symbolize a sweet new year. Various other foods with a symbolic meaning may be served, depending on local
minhagMinhag is an accepted tradition or group of traditions in Judaism. A related concept, Nusach , refers to the traditional order and form of the prayers...
("custom"), such as cooked tongue or other meat from the head of an animal or fish (to symbolize the "head" of the year).
Foods consumed with the Yehi Ratzons vary depending on the community. Some of the symbolic foods eaten are dates,
black-eyed beansThe black-eyed pea, also called black-eyed bean or "mulato gelatto" is a subspecies of the cowpea, grown around the world for its medium-sized edible bean. The bean mutates easily, giving rise to a number of varieties. The common commercial one is called the California Blackeye; it is pale-colored...
,
leekThe leek, Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum , also sometimes known as Allium porrum, is a vegetable which belongs, along with the onion and garlic, to the Alliaceae family...
,
spinachSpinach is an edible flowering plant in the family of Amaranthaceae. It is native to central and southwestern Asia. It is an annual plant , which grows to a height of up to 30 cm. Spinach may survive over winter in temperate regions...
and
gourdA gourd is a plant of the family Cucurbitaceae, or a name given to the hollow, dried shell of a fruit in the Cucurbitaceae family of plants of the genus Lagenaria...
, all of which are mentioned in the
TalmudThe Talmud is a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, customs, and history. It is a central text of mainstream Judaism....
.
PomegranateThe pomegranate is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub or small tree growing to between five and eight meters tall. The pomegranate is native to Southwest Asia and has been cultivated in the Caucasus since ancient times...
s are used in many traditions. The use of apples and honey is a late medieval Ashkenazi addition, though it is now almost universally accepted. Typically, round
challahChallah also known as khale ,, berches , barkis , bergis , chałka and kitke , is a special braided bread eaten by Ashkenazi and by most Sephardic Jews on the...
bread is served, to symbolize the cycle of the year.
Gefilte fishGefilte fish are poached fish patties or fish balls made from a mixture of ground deboned fish, mostly carp or pike...
and
LekachLekach or Jewish honey cake is a honey-sweetened cake, one of many symbolically significant foods traditionally eaten by Ashkenazi Jews at Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year.Recipes vary widely...
are commonly served by Ashkenazic Jews on this holiday. On the second night, new fruits are served to warrant inclusion of the
shehecheyanuThe Shehecheyanu blessing is a common Jewish prayer said to celebrate special occasions. It is said to be thankful for new and unusual experiences. The blessing has been recited by Jews for nearly 2000 years...
blessing, the saying of which would otherwise be doubtful (as the second day is part of the "long day" mentioned above).
Sephardic Rosh Hashanah Seder
Other symbolic foods are eaten in a special Rosha Hashana Seder, particularly in the Sephardic and Mizrahi communities. Symbolic foods are eaten in a ceremony called the Yehi Rasones or Yehi Ratzones.
Yehi Rason / Ratzon means "May it be Your will", and is the name of the ceremony because the names of the symbolic foods eating have names that are puns in Hebrew or Aramaic. Each pun serves as a desire or prayer that God will fulfill that desire represented by the pun.
In rabbinic literature
The
MishnahThe Mishnah or Mishna is the first major written redaction of the Jewish oral traditions called the "Oral Torah" and the first major work of Rabbinic Judaism. It was redacted c...
, the core text of Judaism's oral Torah, contains the first known reference to the "day of judgment". It says: "Four times in the year the world is judged: On Passover a decree is passed on the produce of the soil; on
Shavuotis a Jewish holiday that occurs on the sixth day of the Hebrew month of Sivan . Shavuot commemorates the anniversary of the day God gave the Torah to Moses and the Israelites at Mount Sinai. It is one of the shalosh regalim, the three Biblical pilgrimage festivals...
, on the fruits of the trees; on Rosh Hashanah all men pass before Him ("God"); and on the Feast of Tabernacles a decree is passed on the rain of the year.
PhiloPhilo , known also as Philo of Alexandria , Philo Judaeus, Philo Judaeus of Alexandria, Yedidia and Philo the Jew, was a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher born in Alexandria....
, in his treatise on the festivals, calls Rosh Hashanah the festival of the sacred moon and feast of the trumpets, and explains the blowing of the trumpets as being a memorial of the giving of the Torah and a reminder of God's benefits to mankind in general ("De Septennario," § 22).
Rabbi
Yaakov KamenetskyRabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky , was a prominent rosh yeshiva, posek and Talmudist in the post-World War II American Jewish community....
explains that in earlier generations it was considered preferable not to reveal that it was a "day of judgment" so as not to mix any other feeling into "the day of the coronation of G-d". In later generations as people lost touch with the significance of the day it was necessary to reveal that it was also "the day of judgment" so that people would approach the holiday with proper awe and respect. (B'Mechitzot Rabbenu)
According to rabbinic tradition, the creation of the world was completed on 1 Tishrei.
The observance of the 1 Tishrei as Rosh Hashanah is based principally on the mention of "
zikkaron" ("memorial [day]"; ) and the reference of Ezra to the day as one "holy to the Lord" seem to point. The passage in referring to the solemn feast which is held on New Moon Day, when the shofar is sounded, as a day of "
mishpat" (judgment) of "the God of Jacob" is taken to indicate the character of Rosh Hashanah .
In Jewish thought, Rosh Hashanah is the most important judgment day, on which all the inhabitants of the world pass for judgment before the Creator, as sheep pass for examination before the shepherd. The Talmud states, in
tractate on Rosh HashanahRosh Hashanah is the name of a text of Jewish law originating in the Mishnah which formed the basis of tractates in both the Babylonian Talmud and the Jerusalem Talmud of the same name. It is the eighth tractate of the order Moed...
that three books of account are opened on Rosh Hashanah, wherein the fate of the wicked, the righteous, and those of an intermediate class are recorded. The names of the righteous are immediately inscribed in the book of life, and they are sealed "to live." The middle class are allowed a respite of ten days till Yom Kippur, to repent and become righteous; the wicked are "blotted out of the book of the living."
The zodiac sign of the balance for Tishrei is claimed to indicate the scales of judgment, balancing the meritorious against the wicked acts of the person judged. The taking of an annual inventory of accounts on Rosh Hashanah is adduced by Rabbi Nahman ben Isaac from the passage in , which says that the care of God is directed from "the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year". 1 Tishrei was considered as the beginning of
CreationCreation according to Genesis is the account of the creation of the world and of the first man and woman as found in the first two chapters of the Book of Genesis of the Hebrew Bible....
.
It is said in the Talmud that on Rosh Hashanah the means of sustenance of every person are apportioned for the ensuing year; so also are his destined losses.
The
ZoharThe Zohar is widely considered the most important work of Kabbalah, or . It is a mystical commentary on the Torah , written in medieval Aramaic...
, a medieval work of
KabbalahKabbalah is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the mystical aspect of Judaism. It is a set of esoteric teachings that is meant to explain the relationship between an infinite, eternal and essentially unknowable Creator with the finite and mortal universe of His creation...
, lays stress on the universal observance of two days, and states that the two passages in and , "when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord," refer to the first and second days of Rosh Hashanah, observed by the Heavenly Court before the Almighty.
Traditional Rosh Hashanah greetings
- On the first night of Rosh Hashanah after the evening prayer, it is the Ashkenazi and Hasidic
Hasidic Judaism or Hasidism, from the Hebrew: , Hasidut, meaning "piety") is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality and joy as the fundamental aspects of the Jewish faith. The majority of Hasidic Jews are ultra-orthodox....
custom to wish Leshana Tova Tikoseiv Vesichoseim (Le'Alter LeChaim Tovim U'Leshalom) which is Hebrew for "May you immediately be inscribed and sealed for a Good Year and for a Good and Peaceful Life"
- Shana Tova is the traditional greeting on Rosh Hashanah which in Hebrew means "A Good Year."
- Shana Tova Umetukah is Hebrew for "A Good and Sweet Year."
- Ketiva ve-chatima tovah which translates as "May You Be Written and Sealed for a Good Year."
- The formal Sephardic greeting is Tizku leshanim rabbot ("may you merit many years"), to which the answer is ne'imot ve-tovot ("pleasant and good ones"). Less formally, people wish each other "many years" in the local language.
Fast of Gedalia follows Rosh Hashanah
The Fast of Gedalia (or Gedaliah)
Tzom Gedaliah) is a
Jewish fast dayA ta'anit or taanis is a fast in Judaism. A Jewish fast may have one or more purposes, including:*A tool for repentance*An expression of mourning...
from
dawnDawn is the time that marks the beginning of the twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the presence of weak sunlight, while the sun itself is still below the horizon...
until
duskDusk is the beginning of darkness in the evening. It is often confused with sunset, which is the daily disappearance of the sun below the horizon. The sky generally remains bright and blue for some time after the sun sets. This period is known as twilight. Dusk is the end of the evening civil...
to lament the assassination of the righteous governor of
JudeaJudea or Judæa is the name given to the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel , an area now divided between Israel and the West Bank Judea or Judæa (Hebrew: יהודה,
Standard Yəhuda
Tiberian , "praised, celebrated"; Greek: Ιουδαία, Ioudaía; ) is the...
of that name, which ended Jewish rule and completed the destruction of the First Temple.
The fast is observed immediately after the second day of the High Holy Day of Rosh Hashana, commencing on the third of
TishreiTishrei Standard Tiberian ; from Akkadian "Beginning", from "To begin") is the first month of the civil year and the seventh month of the ecclesiastical year in the Hebrew calendar. The name of the month is Babylonian...
according to the
Hebrew calendarThe Hebrew calendar or Jewish calendar is a lunisolar calendar used by Jews, and in recent decades, by a growing number of Christians...
. The
GregorianThe Gregorian calendar is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was first proposed by the Calabrian doctor Aloysius Lilius, and decreed by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, on 24 February 1582 by the papal bull Inter gravissimas...
date for The Fast of Gedalia varies from year to year based on when it corresponds with the third of
TishreiTishrei Standard Tiberian ; from Akkadian "Beginning", from "To begin") is the first month of the civil year and the seventh month of the ecclesiastical year in the Hebrew calendar. The name of the month is Babylonian...
.
When Rosh Hashanah falls on Thursday and Friday, the fast is postponed until Sunday (which would be the fourth of
TishreiTishrei Standard Tiberian ; from Akkadian "Beginning", from "To begin") is the first month of the civil year and the seventh month of the ecclesiastical year in the Hebrew calendar. The name of the month is Babylonian...
), since no public fast may be observed on
ShabbatShabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from sundown Friday until the appearance of three stars in the sky on Saturday night...
(Saturday) with the exception of
Yom KippurYom Kippur , also known as the Day of Forgiveness, is the holiest day of the year for religious Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue services...
.
In 2008, this fast day was observed on October 2.
In 2009, this fast day was observed on September 21.
In 2010, this fast day will be observed on September 12 (fourth of Tishrei).
In 2011, this fast day will be observed on October 2 (fourth of Tishrei).
In 2012, this fast day will be observed on September 19.
The fast is observed from daybreak until the stars appear at night. As a minor fast day, other laws of mourning are not required.
See also
- High Holidays
- Jewish holiday
A Jewish holiday or festival is a day or series of days observed by Jews as a holy or secular commemoration of an important event in Jewish history...
s
- Hebrew calendar
The Hebrew calendar or Jewish calendar is a lunisolar calendar used by Jews, and in recent decades, by a growing number of Christians...
- Rosh Hashana kibbutz (Breslov)
The Rosh Hashana kibbutz is a large prayer assemblage of Breslover Hasidim held on the Jewish New Year...
- Shofar
A shofar is a horn, traditionally that of a ram, used for Jewish religious purposes. Shofar-blowing is incorporated in synagogue services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.-In the Bible and rabbinic literature:...
- Ras as-Sanah