Rosh Hashanah Overview

Rosh Hashanah

• Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year and celebrates God creating the world.
• It takes place over two days.
• During this festival, Jews will reflect on their relationship with God and look forward to the year to come.
• Rosh Hashanah is considered the Day of Judgment, where God judges individuals based on their actions from the previous year.
• Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the ten days of High Holy Days, known as the Days of Awe, a time for self-reflection, repentance, and seeking forgiveness.
• Jews hope to enter the new year with a clean slate.
• In the month leading up to Rosh Hashanah, Jews contemplate their faults and the Shofar is blown daily.
• Orthodox Jews may visit a mikveh, a ritual bath of purification.
• Symbolic food is eaten, including apples and honey representing a sweet new year, and pomegranates symbolizing the 613 mitzvahs (commandments).
• On the morning of Rosh Hashanah, Jews attend synagogue where the Shofar is blown 100 times.
• Orthodox Jews generally go to the synagogue on both days, while Reform Jews may only celebrate and attend on the first day.
• Many Jews practice Tashlikh, throwing bread into a stream to symbolize the casting away of sins.

Yom Kippur

• Yom Kippur occurs ten days after Rosh Hashanah.
• It is known as the Day of Atonement.
• Traditionally, in Leviticus, Israelites symbolically placed their sins on a goat and sent it into the desert.
• Yom Kippur is a solemn day for seeking forgiveness.
• Many Jews spend the day in the synagogue praying and asking for forgiveness.
• Yom Kippur is marked by fasting, symbolizing atonement for sins.
• Orthodox Jews wear a white kittel, a garment symbolizing purity and sinlessness.
• There are five prayer services in the synagogue instead of the usual three.
• Jews ask for God's forgiveness and remember the dead.
• Jews also apologize to those they have wronged in the previous year.
• During Yom Kippur, the doors of the Ark, which contains the Torah scrolls, are kept open, symbolizing a closer connection with God.
• In the final service, the doors of the Ark are closed, signifying the closing of the gates of heaven.

Passover (Pesach)

• Commemorates the Israelites' escape from slavery in Egypt, a festival of freedom.
• The Angel of Death "passed over" Israelite homes marked with lamb's blood, sparing them from the final plague, the death of the firstborn sons.
• Jews are commanded to celebrate Passover every year, lasting either 7 or 8 days.
• During Passover, leavened bread (bread with yeast) is forbidden; homes are thoroughly cleaned.
• The search for the afikoman (piece of matzah) adds a playful element for children.
• No leavened food is eaten because the Israelites fled Egypt so quickly their bread did not rise.
• Matzah (unleavened bread) is eaten during Passover.
• Candles are lit at the start of Passover evenings.
• Synagogue services are held, followed by family Seder meals at home.
• The Haggadah (story of the Exodus) is read during the Seder.
• Passover is a time for Jews to reflect how they can help those oppressed.
• During the Seder, the youngest child asks questions about the Passover origins and significance.
• Symbolic foods on the Seder plate include:
  • Lamb's bone: representing the blood on doorposts in Egypt
  • Parsley dipped in salt water: representing the slaves' tears
  • Bitter herbs: symbolizing the bitterness of slavery
  • Haroset: representing the mortar used by slaves in Egypt
  • Wine: representing the joyful nature of Passover

Sukkot

• A harvest festival commanded in Leviticus.
• Commemorates the Israelites' 40-year journey in the wilderness, living in temporary shelters (booths).
• Jews remember the challenges faced by the Israelites and God's protection.
• Starts five days after Yom Kippur, lasting for seven days.
• Jews construct a Sukkah (booth) outside their homes, with three walls and a simple roof.
• The openness of the Sukkah symbolizes Jewish openness to God's presence and their need for God's protection.
• Many Jews eat and spend time in their Sukkah, some even sleep there.
• The Lulav (palm branch) and Etrog (citrus fruit) are kept in the Sukkah.
• These are known as the "Four Species," waved in four directions, symbolizing God's omnipresence.
• It reminds Jews of God's blessings.
• Some Jews organize interfaith events in their Sukkah, encouraging dialogue between religions.

The Ten Commandments

• Two versions of the Ten Commandments exist in the Torah, differing slightly in wording and order.
• The version in Exodus 20 is the most widely recognized.
• God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai after the Israelites' escape from Egypt.
• The Israelites' journey to the Promised Land encompassed forty years.
• The Ten Commandments are the most significant mitzvot in the Torah for Jewish people.
• Orthodox and Reform Jews consider and follow the Ten Commandments.
• Synagogues commonly display the Ten Commandments.

The Ten Commandments - God and Relationships With People

• The Ten Commandments are categorized as those concerning God and those regarding relationships with other people.

Monotheism

• The first commandment emphasizes monotheism, the belief in one God.

Statues and Images

• The second commandment forbids creating statues or images of God.
• Consequently, synagogues do not contain statues.

Shabbat

• The fourth commandment designates Shabbat (the Sabbath) as a day of rest, observed from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset.

Respect for Parents

• The fifth commandment demands respect for one's mother and father.

Sanctity of Life

• The sixth commandment highlights the sanctity of human life, stating that only God can take life.
• This principle is relevant in discussions regarding capital punishment, abortion, and euthanasia.

Covenant

• The Ten Commandments are part of the covenant between God and Moses.
• Jewish people believe they are God's chosen people, bound to obey His laws.