by Alysa Dudley

Created on: September 13, 2010   Last Updated: October 16, 2010

One of the Jewish High Holidays occurring in the fall, Rosh Hashanah, is also called the Jewish New Year.  In Hebrew, Rosh Hashanah means “head of the year.”  Many people consider Rosh Hashanah, along with Yom Kippur, to be the most important Jewish holiday of the year, and that’s why they are called the “High Holidays”.  This New Year's Day, however, is quite different from the celebrations marking January 1.

The commandment to celebrate Rosh Hashanah is in the book of Numbers (29: 1-6):  “The first day of the seventh month shall be a sacred holiday to you when you may not do any mundane work.  It shall be a day of sounding the shofar.”

The first thing the reader may notice is the passage refers to the “seventh month.”  In ancient calendars the first month of the Jewish year was Nissan which is in the spring.  Rosh Hashanah is celebrated in the month of Tishrei, which today is considered the beginning of the Jewish calendar year.

The shofar, a ram’s horn, is blown during Rosh Hashanah. The sound of the shofar announces the holiday and calls people to wake up and pay attention. In addition, the commandment forbids regular work.  Therefore, most Jews will take these days off of work and school.

Rosh Hashanah is believed to be the birthday of the world.  According to the Hebrew calendar, the world was created about 3,760 years before the common era.  For example, in September of the civil year 2010, it is the Hebrew year 5771.  

Rosh Hashanah is the beginning of the Days of Awe.  This period of 10 days culminates with the holiday of Yom Kippur.  It is believed that the Book of Life is opened on Rosh Hashanah, and it is closed on Yom Kippur but  through repentance, prayer and charity people have the opportunity to change their fate.

During the Rosh Hashanah service there are special prayers and melodies and there are special readings from the Bible.  The morning services last 3 to 4 hours.  In the afternoon of the first day of the holiday, there is a special service called tashlich during which people throw bread in the water to symbolically cast away sins.

Families often have festive meals during the holiday.  It is customary to dip apples in honey to symbolize the hope for a sweet year.  Honey cake is another traditional food of Rosh Hashanah.  

Rosh Hashanah is a beautiful holiday celebrating a new year and a fresh start.  It is a time to think about how to approach the coming year.

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