AFTER SUNSET on WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, the new year 5785 begins for Jewish families around the world. And while Rosh Hashanah always is focused on joy and the richness of God’s blessings—this will be a serious High Holy Day season with global conflicts continuing and a rising tide of antisemitism in the world.
Nevertheless, if you have Jewish family and friends, it’s always appropriate to wish them L’shanah tovah—“For a good year!”
On the first and second days of the Jewish month of Tishri, Rosh Hashanah is celebrated by Jews around the world. In Hebrew, Rosh Hashanah means “head of the year,” or “first of the year,” and many Jews use this period of time to make resolutions and commitments for self-improvement.
‘WE TRY TO REMEMBER, NOT FORGET’
Compared with secular New Year celebrations, writes Rabbi Lenore Bohm in this inspiring reflection on the holiday, “the Jewish New Year, while joyful, is spiritual, thoughtful, and reflective. We try to remember, not forget. We visit the graves of loved ones. We look for opportunities to be especially generous and charitable. We gather with close friends and family for delicious, home-cooked meals. We express hope that we have grown in the year gone by.” (You’ll also enjoy the list of holiday questions Rabbi Bohm lists at the end of her column, which all of us—whatever our faith—would benefit from asking.)
On Rosh Hashanah, work is not permitted and many more traditional adherents spend the day in the synagogue. The shofar, a ram’s horn blown like a trumpet, is one of the holiday’s most famous symbols—but Rosh Hoshanah also comes with special readings and prayers for a good new year.
THE HIGH HOLIDAYS
What are the High Holidays? Sometimes referred to as “High Holidays,” or “High Holy Days,” this is the period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and usually the phrase includes the 10 days in between. One description of this period says, in essence, that G_d opens the books of judgment as the new year begins and finally, on Yom Kippur, the judgment for the year is “sealed.”
Yom Kippur starts at sunset on Friday, October 11, this year.
The popular harvest festival Sukkot, then, starts on Wednesday, October 16.
HONEY, APPLES AND BREAD: A SWEET NEW YEAR
Of the sweet foods consumed on Rosh Hashanah, none is more popular than honey. Jerusalem, biblically referred to as “the land of milk and honey,” is yet another reason to eat honey on this special holiday. Jewish families like to serve apples or bread dipped in honey, or create dishes that incorporate these ingredients.
Sweet recipes: Looking to bake up something sweet and scrumptious this Rosh Hashanah? Try forward.com’s granola baked apples. For an entire menu of Rosh Hashanah recipes, check out AllRecipes, Epicurious, Food Network and Martha Stewart.
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