Rosh Hashanah
What is Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah is one of the most important Jewish holidays! In the Bible Numbers 29:1, we learn: And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a holy convocation: You shall do no manner of work; it is a day of blowing the horn unto you.
Rosh Hashanah is the time when everyone is judged by G-d based on his or her deeds during the previous year. The resulting judgment is inscribed by G-d and the person’s future is determined for the following year. Though that judgment is inscribed, it is not yet sealed and can still be changed at least for another ten days. G-d waits until Yom Kippur to seal the book for the year.
Rosh Hashanah has several names in Jewish tradition: the Bible refers to it as Yom Terua – the day of raising a cry, or the day of sounding the ram‘s horn, Yom Zichron Terua the day of remembering the Terua, and Yom Hadin - the Day of Judgment.
Throughout synagogue services on Rosh Hashanah, the sounding of the ram‘s horn takes place at different points unless it falls on Shabbat, in which case the Shofar is not blown at all. The simple sound of the Shofar spiritually touches people on this holy day of soul-searching, repentance and judgment.
Rosh Hashanah Wishes
On the first night of Rosh Hashanah we pray to be inscribed in the book of life, hoping for a good and happy year. Traditional greetings before, during and after Rosh Hashana include: Shana tova meaning: Have a good year and Ketiva vachatima tova: May you be inscribed and sealed for good. TO SEE A SHANAH TOVA WISHING IDEA PLEASE CLICK THE LINK.See an example
Blessings and Omens
During the meal of Rosh Hashanah Eve we wish ourselves and every one that the New Year will bring good fortune.
Everyone knows some of the customs of Rosh Hashanah, such as bread and honey, and apple and honey, a new fruit, and eating other sweet dishes to make it a sweet year.
Yet there is a range of traditions and customs that developed in each Diaspora according to the fruits and vegetables that could be found at the time of year in that area. When planning your own Rosh Hashanah Seder, you can be creative and develop your own English puns.
When we say the prayers we see that the blessing ceremony is based on Hebrew puns involving the food in question. Those blessings are called Simanim, meaning signs.
Yehi Ratzon, May it be Your will, Hashem our G-d and the G-d of our forefathers that…and here comes the special ingredient:
Before eating a date, tamar in Hebrew, we wish she yitamu hataim and Sheyitamu sonainu, that our enemies be ceased and May our misdeeds be cut down
On the other hand we eat black eyed peas or beans called ruviah, a word that sounds like the Hebrew Harbeh, to increase, Sheirbu zechuyotainu, may our good deeds call out our merit before You.
Selek, Hebrew for beets sounds like Yistalek meaning go away that is used to express the hope that our enemies disappear. We say Sheyistalku oyvainu, that our adversaries be removed.
Carrots, Gezer in Hebrew, are eaten sheytamu gezerotynu, that our evil sentence, in Hebrew gzerot, be torn before you and our merits be read out before you.
Pomegranates are been eaten becouse there are 613 commandments in the Torah for a Jew to fulfill. An individual pomegranate supposedly has 613 seeds and we hope that it be Your will that our merits be numerous as the pomegranate.‘‘
Head of fish or sheep is eaten to show that it will be Your will that we should be at the head and not at the tail. By fish some add: May it be Your will that our merits be fruitful and multiply as do the fish.
