Rosh Hashanah began at sunset yesterday, Sunday, September 25, 2022 (to nightfall of Tuesday, September 27.) 2022 is Hebrew Year 5783.
Rosh Hashanah, literally “Head of the Year” in Hebrew, is the beginning of the Jewish new year. It is the first of the High Holidays or “Days of Awe,” ending 10 days later with Yom Kippur. The two day festival marks the anniversary of human’s creation — and the special relationship between humans and God, the creator.
Rosh Hashanah begins with the sounding of the shofar, an instrument made of a ram’s horn, proclaiming God as King of Universe. Rosh Hashanah is described in the Torah as Yom Teru’ah, a day of sounding (the Shofar.) The sound of the shofar is also a call to repentance — to wake up and re-examine our commitment to God and to correct our ways. Thus begins the “Ten Days of Repentance” which ends with Yom Kippur, the “Day of Atonement.”
The Jewish calendar is different than the Gregorian calendar. It is a “Luni-Solar” calendar, established by the cycles of the Moon and the Sun, so the lengths of days vary by season, controlled by the times of sunset, nightfall, dawn, and sunrise. Rosh Hashanah occurs on the first two days of Tishrei, the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar. All Jewish holidays begin at sunset.
Some of the traditions associated with Rosh Hashanah include:
Attending synagogue and spending time with family and friends.
Reflecting on the year before and repenting for any wrongdoings and then reflecting on the year ahead to start afresh.
Wearing white and new clothes, symbolizing purity.
Every evening, candles are lit. Candles are often a symbol of remembrance.
On the first day of Rosh Hashanah, the Tashlich ceremony is performed. This involves visiting a body of fresh water to symbolically cast past sins away.
Spicy, sharp, or sour foods are avoided in favor of sweet delicacies, representing wishes for a sweet and pleasant year — not a bitter year.
The traditional way to wish someone a Happy New Year in Hebrew is to say “Shana Tova.” In Hebrew this means “A good Year.”
So to my Jewish friends — and everyone else — Shana Tova.
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