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jewish new year
17 Rosh Hashanah facts that everyone should know!
Heads up! Surprise! Rosh
Hashanah does not mean “New
Year” in Hebrew. It actually
means “Head of the Year.” Just
like your head (brain) tells your
body what to do, how you behave
on Rosh Hashanah has far-reaching
consequences for the entire
year.
Toot-toot! Th e central observance
of Rosh Hashanah is listening
to the blowing of the shofar
on both mornings of Rosh
Hashanah. Made from a hollowed
out ram’s horn, the shofar
produces three “voices”: tekiah
(a long blast), shevarim (a series
of three short blasts) and teruah
(a staccato burst of at least
nine blasts). Th e shofar is blown
at various intervals during the
Rosh Hashanah morning service.
Add them all up and you get 100
“voices” in total.
Silent Shabbat. When Rosh
Hashanah coincides with
Shabbat, we do not blow the shofar
on that day. Th e sages enacted
this as a precaution, in case someone
would end up carrying a shofar to an
expert to blow. Th ere is a deeper lesson
here as well. On Shabbat, the coronation
of the King is so deep and so special that
it’s accomplished without the bells and
whistles of the shofar.
House calls. Chabad rabbis all over
the world walk many miles on Rosh
Hashanah (when car travel is forbidden)
to blow shofar for people who are unable
to make it to synagogue. If you know
someone who cannot make it to synagogue,
let your closest Chabad rabbi know
as soon as possible.
Twice as nice. Rosh Hashanah is celebrated
for two days. In fact, while most
holidays get an extra day in the Diaspora,
Rosh Hashanah is the only one that is celebrated
for two days in Israel as well.
But not thrice. Th e Jewish calendar follows
a particular rhythm. Th e fi rst morning
of Rosh Hashanah can be Monday,
Tuesday, Th ursday or Shabbat—never
Sunday, Wednesday or Friday.
Fireworks in your dining room. Like
Shabbat and other Jewish holidays, the
Rosh Hashanah meals should be eaten
in the joyous glow of candles, lit by
the woman (or women) of the house.
Remember: On the fi rst night, it is ideal
to light before the onset of the holiday.
On the second night, light only aft er
nightfall, taking care to use a preexisting
fl ame and not blow out your match
when done. (Even though we may light
fi res and cook on holidays, kindling a
new fi re or extinguishing fl ames are forbidden.)
Round rolls. On Rosh Hashanah we
traditionally start our holiday feasts with
two loaves of round challah, sweetened
with raisins to demonstrate our wish for
a sweet new year. To add sweetness to our
already sweet wish, we dip the challah in
honey before taking the fi rst bite
Apples dipped in honey. Th e meal then
proceeds, including a number of sweet
delicacies and other foods that express
our prayerful wishes for the year. Th e
most common symbolic food is apple slices
dipped in honey (or sugar in some communities).
Another favorite is tzimmes,
a traditional Eastern European dish that
includes carrots.
Head for the head. It is customary to
sample a morsel from the head of a fi sh
on Rosh Hashanah, symbolizing our wish
to be “a head and not a tail.” Some people
prefer the head of a ram, which is
appropriate since it evokes the time when
Abraham almost followed God’s command
to sacrifi ce his son Isaac, until God
stopped him at the last moment and had
him sacrifi ce a ram instead.
Seed count. Many people eat pomegranates
on Rosh Hashanah, demonstrating
their wish for as many merits as the
pomegranate has seeds. It is commonly
said that the pomegranate has 613
seeds, corresponding to the 613 mitzvahs
in the Torah. However, this has yet to be
empirically demonstrated by seed counters
worldwide.
Meet and greet. Th e traditional Rosh
Hashanah greeting is “shanah tovah” ( הנש
הבוט ), which means “good year.” Th e word
u’metuka ( הקותמו ), “and sweet,” is sometimes
added.
A day to play. Th e Rosh Hashanah
morning services are particularly long,
mostly due to the extra liturgy inserted
into the cantor’s repetition of the Amidah
(the standing prayer). Much of it is poetic
in style, and arranged according to
the Hebrew alphabet—a boon for people
wishing to learn the prayers by heart.
Birth and (near) death. On both days
of Rosh Hashanah we read about the life
of Isaac. On the fi rst day we read about
God granting Sarah’s wish and blessing
her with a son, Isaac. On the second day
we read how Abraham almost sacrifi ced
him on an altar.
Cast away sins. On the fi rst aft ernoon
of Rosh Hashanah (provided it is not
Shabbat), it is customary to walk to a
body of fresh water and recite a special
prayer, symbolically casting our
sins into the waters. Th e waterside
ceremony (called tashlich) is
evocative of the coronation ceremonies
of old, where the rushing
waters symbolized good wishes
for a long reign—appropriate on
Rosh Hashanah, when God is
coronated King of the Universe.
Don’t blink! Even though napping
on Shabbat is considered a
virtuous way to celebrate the day
of rest, on Rosh Hashanah we
make a point of not napping (and
some people even stay awake at
night), not wasting a precious
moment on something as trivial
as shuteye. Th e Talmud states
that if one sleeps at the beginning
of the year—i.e., on Rosh
Hashanah—his good fortune also
sleeps.
Like sheep. On Rosh Hashanah
every single creature passes
before God in judgement. Yet it
is not a sad day, but one of quiet
confi dence and optimism. Aft er
all, if God created us and continues
to sustain us, He obviously
believes we have something to accomplish
on His earth. And if He believes in
us, so should we.
Copyright and reprinted with permission
of Chabad.org. Edited for format.
BAY TERRACE GARDEN
JEWISH CENTER
PLEASE JOIN US FOR HIGH HOLIDAY SERVICES
We are pleased to announce the renowned
Rabbi/Cantor Josh Lissauer will be conducting our
Slechot, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur High Holiday
services. In addition, he will be conducting Sukkot,
Shemini Atzeret, Simchat Torah and several Shabbat
services throughout the year. His reputation and
talents are well known for his outstanding Cantorial
services.
Tickets are available and membership is required.
New members receive two free tickets for the first
year of membership.
Please come & worship with us! For more detailed schedule
information, please contact the Synagogue office. We look
forward to spending the Holidays with you!
BAY TERRACE GARDEN
JEWISH CENTER
1300 209TH STREET
Bayside, NY 11360
718-428-6363
Office Hours: Mon-Fri 9am-1pm
office@bayterrace.org
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