Rosh Hashanah – The Jewish New Year and Its Significance
Rosh Hashanah is the holiday that marks the beginning of the New Year according to the Jewish calendar. Rosh Hashanah is the time of the year when we praise the creation of the world. The ten day period beginning with this holiday is a time for self-evaluation and repentance: the Jewish person examines how he or she can become a better person in the upcoming year.
Don’t let the term New Year mislead you – this holy holiday is nothing like the North American New Year’s Eve party!
The serious part of the holiday – self- examination
Rosh Hashanah occurs right before Yom Kippur, and there’s logic behind it. On Rosh Hashanah Jewish people reflect on their past mistakes in the context of their relationship with G-d. They ask themselves, have I followed all God’s commandments?
Another important part of this self-examination is in the context of relationship with other people, especially family and friends. It is a time for major introspection: to ask yourself if you hurt someone’s feelings, or treated your colleagues or friends disrespectfully. Based on the Jewish tradition, we all make these mistakes because we’re human, but it’s what we do about it that counts in the eyes of God.
Then comes Yop Kippur. Now it’s time to make new resolutions, apologize to the ones you’ve hurt and forgive the ones who have hurt you.
The ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are called “Days of Awe” – ten days devoted to the examination and repentance of our sins.
“May you be inscribed in the Book of Life” goes the common blessing we give to others during this time.
One of the most important commandments during this period is hearing the sound of the Shofar blown in the synagogue.
On Rosh Hashana we greet our friends with Shana Tova!
Traditional dinner: Add lots of honey, honey!
After self introspection and repentance, it’s time to celebrate the festive dinner. There’s nothing like serious self-reflection to get your hunger juices flowing.
On the eve of the holiday, the Jewish family gathers around the table for a festive meal that includes different kinds of symbolic foods. We eat apples sweetened with honey and bless each other, “may you be replenished for another good and sweet year.”
We also dip a slice of Challah bread in honey, another way of setting the intention for a pleasant and prosperous year. Honey symbolizes the Promised Land of Israel which the bible refers to as “the land of milk and honey”.
Pomegranate – healthy, delicious and full of anti-oxidants!
It is a Jewish tradition to eat a ripened fruit of the holy land on Rosh Hashanah, such as the pomegranate. The pomegranate is one of the seven species the land of Israel is blessed with. Rich with seeds, the pomegranates is a symbol of abundance and prosperity we hope to be blessed with in the upcoming year.
As we bless on the pomegranate, we wish that our merits will be as plentiful as the seeds of the pomegranate.
The Rosh Hashanah You Tube Hit Song
