September, October: Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur

Rosh Hashanah

The High Holy Days, The High Holidays, and The Days of Awe are all names for the Jewish Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Rosh Hashanah, which translates as “head of the year,” begins at sundown on the first day of the seventh lunar month (September or October). Rosh Hashanah lasts for ten days and ends with Yom Kippur.

It may seem confusing celebrating the beginning of the year during the seventh month, however, in ancient times the Jewish calendar honored four new years: The New Year of the Kings–Nisan 1 (to keep track of the current king’s reign); The New Year for the Tithing of the Cattle–Rosh Hashanah LaBehemot (when a specified amount of cattle were sacrificed); The New Year of the Trees–Tu BiShvat; and The Start of the Agricultural Year–this is the one Rosh Hashanah is celebrated.

Rosh Hashanah

The start of Rosh Hashanah begins with a candle blessing, followed by a Kiddush, and a special meal. A Kiddush is a blessing recited over wine.

The meal includes challah, an egg bread that’s usually braided. But for the new year it’s baked round, symbolic of the hope for a smooth new year, and into a crown, symbolic of God (King of Heaven). Apples dipped in honey are also served with wishes for a sweet and fruitful new year. Other foods include pomegranates (to symbolize fruitfulness), gefilte fish (a type of poached minced fish), and lekach (a honey-sweetened cake). Nuts are not usually consumed during this time as the Hebrew word for nut is egoz and has a numerical equivalent to the Hebrew word for sin.

Jewish people worldwide attend services at their local synagogue and hear the sounding of the shofar (a ram’s horn). The days that follow are known as the Ten Days of Repentance. This is an introspective time when people look at what they have done and ask forgiveness of God and of those they have wronged throughout the year.

Within the first two days it’s customary to visit a body of water such as a river, a lake, or the sea and throw breadcrumbs onto the water, symbolic of casting away ones’ sins. This is know as Tashlich and is accompanied by reciting verses from the Prophet Micah as well as various Psalms.

Yom Kippur

Ten days after the start of Rosh Hashanah is Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement. This is a day of fasting and prayer. It’s customary to wear white garments to symbolize the angles in heaven and purity. During Rosh Hashanah God passed judgment over mankind. It’s recorded in the Book of Life and on Yom Kippur the book is closed and sealed.

There are Five Prohibitions of Yom Kippur:
  • No eating or drinking
  • No wearing of perfumes or lotions
  • No marital relations
  • No washing
  • No wearing of leather shoes

On the last hour of the last service on Yom Kippur, the shofar is sounded again announcing the end of the High Holidays.

Upcoming Dates for the Start of Rosh Hashanah
  • 2021: September 6
  • 2022: September 25
  • 2023: September 15
  • 2024: October 2
  • 2025: September 22
  • 2026: September 11

Rosh Hashanah Festival Gifts

Rosh Hashanah shirts, mugs, cards, and more @ Redbubble | Zazzle | TeePublic

⇴ image from Pixabay.com

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