ROSH HASHANAH IS THE TIME TO HIT REWIND
THE NEW YEAR IS HERE; LEAVE THE OLD ONE BEHIND.
ROSH HASHANAH (Hebrew for “head of the year”) celebrates the Jewish year’s new cycle. The holiday falls on the 1st day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, which – this year – corresponds to Monday, September 14th – Tuesday, September, 15th. Celebrations begin at sundown the night before.
The THEME of the holiday is one of renewal. As we prepare to enter a new year, it is an opportune time to revisit our “personal mission statement”: Are we the person we want to be? Are our choices in sync with our higher selves? How are our relationships with each other? With our families? With our community? With our Creator: are we living in ways that are in sync with our G‑d given potential? Beginnings offer great potential for ‘do-overs’ and ‘start-agains’.
The practices, foods and rituals of the Rosh Hashanah all emanate from this theme:
· We aim to chart our year to be a sweet one, and we ask G‑d to gift us with that. Thus, the FOOD MENU is a sweet palate: apples dipped in honey, raison filled challah, fruit stews, etc. We eat pomegranates, filled with seeds, to symbolize our hope that we are granted a year of plenty.
· We spend quality time in SYNAGOGUE reciting poetic Rosh Hashanah liturgy; we are without distractions as we self-reflect on the endeavor of the day.The Chabad Center provides a fun children’s program simultaneous to the adult one. Please see our www.chabadcentral.org for more info.
· For children, one of the highlights of synagogue services is the powerful SHOFAR sound. A Shofar is a hollowed out ram’s horn which is blown somewhat like a trumpet. Rabbi Mendy, dressed in white (the color of purity), blows the Shofar for our community. Its piercing sound is intended to “wake us up” from a status quo, urging us to make amends from past behaviors and to begin this year anew. Altogether, we hear 100 short blasts each of the two days.
· Another interesting custom is a river-side service, called TASHLICH(Hebrew for “to throw”). Into a flowing stream of water, we symbolically “throw” all our misdeeds. The cleansing waters represent the clean slate we now have. The fish swimming in the water, with their open (lidless) eyes represents G‑d eternally watching us, protecting us and rooting for us!
· We wish our family, friends and community a good, sweet, productive year ahead. " SHANAH TOVA", (Hebrew for "Have a good year”) is the common greeting on Rosh Hashanah!
With blessings for a sweet, prosperous, meaningful year!
Morah Malkie