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Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year according to the Hebrew calendar. It is the first of the High Holidays and usually falls sometime in September.
143 Questions
What is Rosh Hashanah ot the Day of Atonement all about?
1) Rosh Hashana is the Jewish new year. It is a chance to start again and to change your character traits for the next year. Therefore, it is a happy day. The Jews eat festive meals, and dress in nice clothes to welcome in the new year. The blowing of the shofar is to "wake you up" and do teshuva, or repent.
2) Yom Kippur, or the day of atonement is the day when the Jews get judged by
God. You are either written in the book of life, or the book of death. God also decides what is going to happen during the year. It is a fast day, so the Jews can concentrate on praying. You cannot wash your hands past your knuckles, as well as general washing. You cannot apply cream. You cannot drink or eat. YOu cannot wear leather shoes. Before the fast starts, you have a festive meal. You dress in white to represent angels.
How do you cut the challah on Rosh Hashanah?
You don't cut challah, you never cut challah. It is torn and eaten. The reason is that challah is the bread of Sabbath, and a knife is an instrument of strife. In Micah 4:3, we are told that men will make plows of swords and not learn war any more in the day of the Lord. Since Shabbat is the Day of the Lord, we don't cut the bread we use on that day.
Why did the Jews during Jesus Christ time celebrate Rosh Hashanah?
Rosh Hashanah was a Biblical holiday, so it was celebrated for centuries before the birth of Jesus Christ and has been celebrated continuously since then.
In what way is שענא רבה connected to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur?
שענא רבה, or shanah tovah, is the traditional greeting between Jews during Rosh Hashanah and the Ten Days of Awe. It literally means "for a good year" and as such expresses one's wish that the person hearing it said will have a happy, peaceful and in all ways pleasant year to come.
In Hebrew, to say someone has a "Rosh Kachol" is to say they have a "dirty mind".
How many men came to the Rosh Hashanah service?
Most Jewish men in a community will go the Rosh Hashana service however there needs to be at least ten adult males to be able to hold a full service and read from the Torah.
Why does Rosh Hashanah last for two days?
Answer 1
All of the Appointed Feasts are held for two days outside of Israel, because in the days before instant communication, it was not possible to quickly tell outlying communities when the month had started.
The Jewish calendar is luni-solar, as opposed to the Gregorian (Western) solar calendar in general use. In order to be accurate about when the feast begins, there had to be two witnesses to the sighting of the new moon IN ISRAEL. Since it took several weeks for the announcement of the new months to get to the far-flung communities, it became the custom for the Diaspora to celebrate the "first day" and a second day...because that was the only way that they could be sure to have celebrated on the appropriate day in Israel.
Answer 2
The real question is "why does Rosh Hashanah last for two days in Israel, when in Israel all other Jewish holidays are only one day?"
Outside of Israel all the holidays are two days. The reason has to do with how the Jewish Calendar is set. The Jewish calendar is luni-solar, with the first of the month established as the day you can see the new moon. The new moon is about 29.5 days after the previous new moon, so lunar months are 29 or 30 days long.
In ancient times the Sanhedrin (the Jewish supreme court) would accept testimony from witnesses who had seen the new moon. They would establish that day as the first of the month and send word out to the rest of the country. Most Jewish holidays start in the middle of the lunar month, so by the time of the holiday, word had been received throughout Israel as to which would be the proper day to start the holiday. Hence in Israel holidays are one day. Outside of Israel they would never receive the message in time, so they had to keep 2 days. Outside of Israel holidays are still two days (Talmud, Beitzah 4b) due to this ancient custom (even though the modern lunar calendar is a fixed calendar and we no longer use testimony).
Rosh Hashanah is different because of its starting date. Rosh Hashanah is the first day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei. Since it is the first day of the month, even in Israel they needed to keep both days because of the doubt that existed, would witnesses come and establish the 29th or 30th day as the new month? (Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 30b.)
Is the trumphet blown at the beginning of Rosh Hashanah?
Rosh Hashanah starts in the evening, and the Shofar is blown the following morning, on each of the two days.
Is Rosh Hashanah celebrated in December?
No.
Rosh Hashanah occurs on the first day of the Hebrew month of "TEESH-ray", which is usually in the fall .
Rosh Hashana is the Jewish New Year, a feast day marking the Days of Awe, a period of reflection and repentance that runs up to Yom Kippur, the day of Atonement. Rosh Hashanah is on the first of the Jewish month of Tishrei (and on the day following -- it's traditionally a two-day holiday). All Jewish months begin on the new moon, and Tishrei usually begins within two weeks of Autumnal Equinox, sometimes before it, sometimes after.
Do people celebrate Rosh Hashanah because they have to?
Some certainly only celebrate Rosh Hashanah because they feel guilty otherwise, but most Jews choose to celebrate Rosh Hashanah because they want to engage with their history and traditions.
What happens on the tenth day after Rosh Hashanah?
The tenth day after Rosh Hashanah is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
How are yom kippur and rosh hashanah related?
Rosh Hashanah is the first two days of the month of Tishrei, and is the Jewish New Year. Our traditions state that at that time the world is judged for the coming year (Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 16a); and during services we read the Torah and say prayers which ask for a good year and which declare God's kingship over the world. The shofar (ram's horn) is blown (Leviticus 23:24; Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 33b-34a), symbolically heralding God's kingship, and calling to mind the covenant of Isaac (see Genesis ch.22). Festive meals are held in the home, and traditional foods (such as the well-known apple dipped in honey) are eaten to symbolize a sweet year (See Talmud, Keritut 6a).
On Rosh Hashanah we proclaim God as our King and submit to His judgment. Blessing for the coming year is based on our performance in the previous year and our repentance. On Yom Kippur the decree is sealed. On each Rosh Chodesh (beginning of the month) we are again judged to see if we are still worth to receive the blessing allocated for that month. Each Shabbat the blessing for the following week is brought down.Yes, in the following ways:
1) When the Temple still stood, the shofar (a kind of trumpet) was sounded (Leviticus ch.23) even when Rosh Hashanah occurred on Shabbat. Today, if Rosh Hashanah occurs on Shabbat the shofar is not used.
2) When the Temple still stood, sacrifices were offered on Rosh Hashanah (Numbers ch.29).
3) In ancient times, Rosh Hashanah was celebrated for only one day. For a technical reason involving the timely appearance of witnesses to testify concerning the new moon, the sages instituted the celebration of two days for Rosh Hashanah.
Why do Jewish people celebrate rosh hashanh?
Rosh Hashanah celebrates the New Year, the anniversary of the date that God created Adam and Eve.
What religion practices rosh hashanah?
Rosh Hashanah is one of the festivals in Judaism.
Rosh Hashanah is the first two days of the month of Tishrei, and is the Jewish New Year. Our traditions state that at that time the world is judged for the coming year (Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 16a); and during services we read the Torah and say prayers which ask for a good year and which declare God's kingship over the world. The shofar (ram's horn) is blown (Leviticus 23:24; Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 33b-34a), symbolically heralding God's kingship, and calling to mind the covenant of Isaac (see Genesis ch.22). Festive meals are held in the home, and traditional foods (such as the well-known apple dipped in honey) are eaten to symbolize a sweet year (See Talmud, Keritut 6a).See also:
