In this article, we will discuss the Jewish New Year and its customs.
So, What is the Jewish New Year?
The Jewish Rosh Hashana marks the beginning of the Jewish year, however, it does not occur in January but in the month of Tishrei – which corresponds to the months of September-October.
There is also no need to wait until midnight to kiss. Rosh Hashana begins in the evening when three stars are visible, but instead of kissing, it is celebrated with family, extended or limited.
In the past children of Israel used to prepare “Shana Tova” greetings, known as “Shanot Tovot”. Today, with email and WhatsApp, much less effort is necessary. Another Jewish Rosh Hashana custom is to eat an apple dipped in honey as we wish for the year to be as sweet as the apple and honey. We also eat the head of a fish with the blessing “Let us be the head and not the tail”, meaning that we should lead ahead and not be led like a tail.
In Israel, Rosh Hashana is like Shabbat, and from the start of the holiday there is no public transportation, for example, most Israelis do not work.
An important mitzvah on Rosh Hashana is the blowing of the shofar, a kind of wind instrument that used to be made from a horn of a deer. Blowing the shofar symbolizes the beginning of the year. According to Jewish tradition, it is not customary to celebrate the first day of Rosh Hashanah on Sundays, Wednesdays, or Fridays. In this case, the holiday is postponed to the next day.
The holiday in Israel includes the eve of the holiday, Rosh Hashana Aleph, and Rosh Hashanah Bet. – three days. Originally, Rosh Hashana was celebrated for one day only as was determined by the Rabbinical court according to the status of the moon.
As the Jews moved away from Jerusalem and were exiled to the Diaspora it would take time for the news to spread outside Jerusalem and so another day was added to ensure that everyone would have time to celebrate. On both days they are commanded to refrain from any labor and blow the shofar.
The Origin of the New Jewish New Year
The celebration of Rosh Hashana is a mitzvah from the Bible. However, the JD is not mentioned in the Bible as “Rosh Hashana” but as “Yom Tru’a” or “Zichron Tru’a” since the Shofar is the main mitzvah. The name Rosh Hashana appears later in the Mishna where it also states that it takes place in the month of Tishrei.
Rosh Hashana, the Day of Judgement, and the Ten Terrible Days
Rosh Hashana marks the day on which God judges all human deeds over the past year. The ten days between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur are called the Ten Terrible Days, and on Yom Kippur, the fate of every person in the world will be decided and written in the book of life.
The prayers on Rosh Hashana
On Rosh Hashana, prayers are frequent. There is a difference in the number of prayers and the times of the prayers between Ashkenazi Jews and Sephardim, but they all abound in prayers and hymns.
One of the well-known hymns is “And gave validity” which is said in the Mussaf prayer on both days of Rosh Hashanah. Another hymn is “Little sister” – which opens the Rosh Hashanah service and is sung mainly in the Sephardic-Jewish community.
The story of the expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael is read from the Torah on the first day and on the second day the story of the Sacrificing of Isaac.
Additional customs on the Jewish Rosh Hashanah
We mentioned the New Year greetings (Happy New Year), but apart from that there are other blessings addressed to one another on Rosh Hashanah, one of them is “End a year and its curses, begin a year and its blessings”, – it means that the year should end with its curses and the new year should begin with its blessings. Another blessing is “Into a good year we should be written and signed”, meaning God should judge you for good and you should be registered positively in the book of life.
These blessings are said until the end of Yom Kippur.
Another custom, mainly in the Ashkenazi community, is Tashlich. The worshippers go to a body of water like a sea, lake, or a mikveh where they recite the “Tashlich” prayer whilst shaking their clothes and pockets as if throwing their sins into the water. Another custom is to undo vows – it is customary on Rosh Hashanah to undo vows- to be released of vows made before Hashem. A vow ceremony is performed in front of 3 people, this constitutes a court, and thus the person releases himself from his vows and is no longer obligated to perform them.