I hope I wrote that correctly. (Is it 'Happy', 'Merry', etc.?) In the spirit of brotherhood and understanding in the wake of the WTC\Pentagon tragedies, would someone please explain the significance of this holiday? Thanks!
Rosh HaShanah is the day on which God created Man, Adam, God’s final and most precious creation. Each Rosh HaShanah, the birthday of Mankind, Jews proclaim God as their one and true King. They then reaffirm their desire to serve him every moment of their lives. At this same time, God reviews the status of his creation and determines if he or she merits another year in this world. On the first night of Rosh HaShanah, after prayer services, a special greeting is used, which is only said on this night "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year." On Rosh HaShanah, everyone is judged by God based on his or her actions during the previous year. The resulting judgment is inscribed by God and a person’s future is determined for the following year. Though that judgment is inscribed, it is not yet sealed and can still be changed at least for another ten days. God waits until Yom Kippur to seal the book for the year. How can a person change their judgment for the better? "Repentance, Prayer, and Charity can remove the bad decree." God looks especially at three areas during the time between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, the Ten Days of Repentance. By doing teshuvah with true regret for the past and commitment for the future, a person can erase his misdeeds and hence improve his judgment before it is sealed on Yom Kippur. Similarly, by praying with greater concentration before God, and by giving charity with the proper spirit, one can also upgrade one's status.
Wow..thanks for sharing that mr. gootan....that's really interesting. I was completely ignorant as to the significance of the meaning of Rosh Hashana. It's hard to beat repentance, prayer and charity!!
I've got to say Mr. Gootan, that is one of the most thorough explanations of those two Jewish Holy Days I have ever seen expressed in such a brief statement. Bravo!
mr_gootan Please tell us more about the whole festival, The Feast of Tabernacles, Day of Atonement, etc. I sincerely appreciate the info!
It is customary on Rosh Hashanah, during the evening meals, to eat foods symbolizing sweetness, blessings, and abundance. They dip the challah in honey; and afterwards, on the first night, they eat a piece of apple dipped in honey. In general, this time of year is a very profitable one for those in the honey business, as some families have the custom of using honey instead of salt for challah right through Sukkot and Shmini Atzeret, and honey is also a main ingredient in many holiday recipes. After the appropriate blessing on the apple, they add: "May it be Your will to renew for us a good and sweet year." Other customs include eating the head of a fish (1), pomegranates (2) and carrots (3). These foods are eaten as "simanim," "good omens," of success and happiness for the coming year. It is customary to refrain from sleep during the day of Rosh HaShanah, and rather to engage in Torah study or other spiritually productive activity. If one is idle, it is as if he slept. The Talmud Yerushalmi writes, "If one sleeps at the year’s beginning, his good fortune likewise sleeps." It is customary to avoid eating nuts on Rosh Hashanah, mainly because the gematria (numeric value) of the Hebrew word for "nut," "egoz" is the same as that for the Hebrew word for "sin," "chet.". One should be especially careful to avoid anger on Rosh HaShanah. Always remember that G-d judges us in the same manner that we judge other people. If we get angry easily, so too will He. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (1) Head of a Fish The symbolism of the head is that we should be "on top" and not "on the bottom." The symbolism of the fish is based on the fact that they are very fertile creatures, but their reproductive activity is hidden from view, and therefore one could say that they embody the very desirable characteristic of "tzniut," "modesty." (2) Pomegranates The symbolism of this fruit is based on the "fact" that it contains as many seeds as there are Mitzvot (Torah Obligations), namely six hundred thirteen (613); you are free to count them if you wish. We want to be as full of Mitzvot as the Pomegranate is full of seeds. (3) Carrots The symbolism of this vegetable is based on the fact that in Yiddish, the word for carrots is "merren," having the additional connotation of "more." We want to have more children, have more wealth, gain more Torah knowledge, give more charity and perform more good deeds.
