Rosh Hashanah is an important religious holiday that marks the Jewish New Year. This holiday usually falls in September or October each year, is celebrated for two days by most Jews, and features a variety of unique costumes.
Step
Step 1. Reflect on your past and future
Rosh Hashanah is Hebrew for "Start of the Year". This day is considered the birthday of the world, and is therefore referred to as the Jewish New Year. Rosh Hashanah is a time to learn from your mistakes from the previous year, and reflect on how you will improve in the future. Today is also the time to make personal resolutions both large and small.
Step 2. Visit the mikvah (Hebrew for ritual bath) the night before Rosh Hashanah
This will help purify your soul ahead of the holiday.
Step 3. Attend a Rosh Hashanah mass at a nearby synagogue
People often dress up for this important holiday. So, wear formal clothes, not casual clothes.
Step 4. Listen to the sound of the shofar
This is the only commandment directly mentioned in the Torah regarding the celebration of holidays. The shofar is the horn of a male goat. This horn is sounded at mass by the "Ba'al Tekiah", or shofar blower. It is a symbol of awakening and spiritual contemplation. Since we don't know exactly how the shofar was sounded in the ancient Temple, four different blasts were sounded to ensure that the shofar was heard clearly each new year:
- Tekiah: One blow, a few seconds long and stops suddenly.
- Shevarim: Three short blasts of one or two seconds that rise rapidly from a low to a high note.
- Teruah: Nine short, rapid blasts.
- Tekiah Gedolah: This blast is long and continuous, traditionally lasting nine beats, but in progressive societies blown as long as possible.
Step 5. Perform Tashlikh (Hebrew:
"letting go"), which is the activity of going where the water flows and emptying the contents of the pocket into the water current. Most people throw in stale bread crumbs. This activity was carried out on the first afternoon of Rosh Hashanah.
Step 6. Recite the blessings of Rosh Hashanah on candles, wine, and challah (Hebrew:
"bread"). The challah is round on Rosh Hashanah to symbolize the cycle of the year.
Step 7. Eat an apple dipped in honey
Honey-dipped apples are also a traditional food. This tradition symbolizes the prayer for a "Sweet New Year" like the sweetness of honey. Another common Rosh Hashanah food is pomegranates. According to Jewish tradition, the pomegranate contains 613 seeds which symbolize the 613 Commandments. It symbolizes hope for a fruitful new year.
