Rosh Hashanah
The Feast of Trumpets  
Jewish Year 5772
Sunset September 28, 2011
...In the seventh month, on the first of the month, there shall be a sabbath for you, a remembrance with shofar
blasts, a holy convocation. -Leviticus 16:24

Rosh Hashanah occurs on the first and second days of Tishri. In Hebrew, Rosh Hashanah means, literally, "head
of the year" or "first of the year." Rosh Hashanah is commonly known as the Jewish New Year. This name is
somewhat deceptive, because there is little similarity between Rosh Hashanah, one of the holiest days of the
year, and the American midnight drinking bash and daytime football game.

There is, however, one important similarity between the Jewish New Year and the American one: Many
Americans use the New Year as a time to plan a better life, making "resolutions." Likewise, the Jewish New Year
is a time to begin introspection, looking back at the mistakes of the past year and planning the changes to make
in the new year. More on this concept at Days of Awe.

The name "Rosh Hashanah" is not used in the Bible to discuss this holiday. The Bible refers to the holiday as
Yom Ha-Zikkaron (the day of remembrance) or Yom Teruah (the day of the sounding of the shofar). The holiday
is instituted in Leviticus 23:24-25.

The shofar is a ram's horn which is blown somewhat like a trumpet. One of the most important observances of
this holiday is hearing the sounding of the shofar daily. A total of 100 notes are sounded each day. There are
four different types of shofar notes: tekiah, a 3 second sustained note; shevarim, three 1-second notes rising in
tone, teruah, a series of short, staccato notes extending over a period of about 3 seconds; and tekiah gedolah
(literally, "big tekiah"), the final blast in a set, which lasts (I think) 10 seconds minimum. Click the shofar above to
hear an approximation of the sound of Tekiah Shevarim-Teruah Tekiah.  The shofar's sound is a call to
repentance. The shofar is not blown if the holiday falls on Shabbat.

No work is permitted on Rosh Hashanah. Much of the day is spent in synagogue, where the regular daily liturgy
is somewhat expanded. In fact, there is a special prayerbook called the machzor used for Rosh Hashanah and
Yom Kippur because of the extensive liturgical changes for these holidays.

Another popular observance during this holiday is eating apples dipped in honey, a symbol of our wish for a
sweet new year.

Another popular practice of the holiday is Tashlikh ("casting off"). We walk to flowing water, such as a creek or
river, on the afternoon of the first day and empty our pockets into the river, symbolically casting off our sins.
Small pieces of bread or stones are commonly put in the pocket to cast off. This practice is not discussed in the
Bible, but is a long-standing custom.

Religious services for the holiday focus on the concept of God's sovereignty.

The common greeting at this time is L'shanah tovah ("for a good year"). This is a shortening of "L'shanah tovah
tikatev v'taihatem" (or to women, "L'shanah tovah tikatevi v'taihatemi"), which means "May you be inscribed and
sealed for a good year." More on that concept at Days of Awe.

You may notice that the Bible speaks of Rosh Hashanah as occurring on the first day of the seventh month. The
first month of the Jewish calendar is Nissan, occurring in March and April. Why, then, does the Jewish "new year"
occur in Tishri, the seventh month?

Judaism has several different "new years," a concept which may seem strange at first, but think of it this way: the
American "new year" starts in January, but the new "school year" starts in September, and many businesses
have "fiscal years" that start at various times of the year. In Judaism, Nissan 1 is the new year for the purpose of
counting the reign of kings and months on the calendar, Elul 1 (in August) is the new year for the tithing of
animals, Shevat 15 (in February) is the new year for trees (determining when first fruits can be eaten, etc.), and
Tishri 1 (Rosh Hashanah) is the new year for years (when we increase the year number. Sabbatical and Jubilee
years begin at this time).