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L’shana Tovah!

18th September 2017 Posted by: Laila Serejo Hawrylyshyn

THE  month of September is the month of the High Holidays, or Yamim Nora’im, in the Jewish faith.

The holiday begins with Rosh Hashanah, this year starting on the 20th and ends with Yom Kippur, on the 29th. The days in between are known as the ten days of repentance. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are two of the most important Jewish holiday in which most refrain from work and attend synagogue ceremonies.

Translated from the Hebrew language, Rosh Hashanah means the first of the year. It is to the Jewish community what January 1st is to most outside of it. However, the only similarity is both being seen as a day to look at the mistakes from the previous year and to plan changes, or resolutions, to improve life in the new year.

 

Rosh Hashanah is referred in the Bible as the day of remembrance and the day of the sounding of the shofar. As such, the blowing of a shofar, which is a ram’s horn, is the most important tradition of this day. This represents three things: the trumpet blast that is sounded at a king’s coronation, the ram that replaced Isaac as an offering to God and a call to repentance. The shofar is blown in the mornings of both days of the holiday unless the first falls on a Shabbat, in which case it is only blown on the second day.

 

In the afternoon of the first day, another tradition is to walk to a body of water such as a creek or a river, to empty small pieces of bread from pockets into the water. This is known as casting off, or Tashlikh, and it represents the casting off of sins committed in the previous year.  Once again, if the first day falls on a Shabbat, then this tradition is moved to the afternoon of the second day.

Rosh Hashanah | Jewish Celebrations| Student World Online |

On both evenings of Rosh Hashanah, tradition calls women and girls to light candles while reciting the appropriate blessings. On the second evening, the candles must be lit from an existing flame, as is the tradition during Hanukah. Finally, as a symbolic wish for a sweet New Year, it is common to eat apples, as well as bread dipped in honey.

 

A week later, Yom Kippur begins. From the Hebrew it translates into a day of atonement. It is the last chance to demonstrate repentance and right your wrongs. As such, the custom is to wear white and spend the day at the synagogue listening to prayers, confessing and asking for forgiveness. The final service, Ne’ilah, translates to 'the closing of the gates' and ends with a long blast of the shofar, or the tekiah gedolah.

 

It is also a custom to refrain from eating or drinking from before sunset the night before to the nightfall the following day. This practice symbolizes when Moses fasted for two forty day stints at Mount Sinai to ask God to forgive the people of Israel for worshipping a gold calf. In preparation for this, it is common to set the day before aside for eating and preparing a festive meal in which honey cake is consumed as a wish for a sweet year. The same occurs on the day following the fast.

Sukkot | Jewish Celebrations | Student Life | Student World Online

The holidays don’t end here, however. Five days later, Sukkot, an agricultural pilgrimage festival is celebrated, so preparations must start!


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