Rosh Hashanah

What Is Rosh Hashanah?

Rosh Hashanah, often translated as “Head of the Year,” is the Jewish New Year. It is a major Jewish holiday marking the beginning of the High Holy Days, a ten-day period of introspection and repentance culminating in Yom Kippur. This observance is a time for personal reflection, prayer, and communal gathering.

It is one of the most significant dates in the Jewish calendar, representing not only the start of a new year but also a period of divine judgment and self-assessment. Rosh Hashanah is a two-day observance, even in Israel, which typically observes holidays for one day. This is due to historical uncertainties in lunar calendar calculations.

Jewish communities across the world observe Rosh Hashanah through specific prayers, customs, and festive meals. While it is a public holiday in Israel, Jewish people in other countries observe it as a religious and cultural event, often taking time off work or school to participate in services and family gatherings.

History and Origins of Rosh Hashanah

The origins of Rosh Hashanah are rooted in biblical texts. Leviticus 23:23-25 describes a “memorial of blowing of trumpets,” or “Yom Teruah,” on the first day of the seventh month (Tishrei). This day was designated as a sacred assembly where no regular work was to be done.

Over time, this observance evolved into Rosh Hashanah, the New Year celebration, as detailed in the Talmud and later rabbinic literature. The concept of the day as the world’s anniversary, the day of creation, and a time of divine judgment solidified in post-biblical Judaism. It became a solemn yet hopeful occasion for spiritual renewal.

The two-day observance is a remnant of ancient times when the exact start of a new month, determined by the sighting of the new moon, could not be communicated rapidly across vast distances. To ensure everyone observed the holiday on the correct day, it was customary to observe two days. This practice has continued even with modern calendar calculations.

How Rosh Hashanah Is Celebrated

Rosh Hashanah celebrations centre on synagogue services, family meals, and symbolic traditions. Work is generally avoided on both days of the holiday.

Synagogue Services and Shofar Blowing

A central feature of Rosh Hashanah is the blowing of the shofar, a ram’s horn, during synagogue services. The sounds of the shofar are intended to awaken introspection and repentance, symbolising a call to spiritual renewal. Specific sequences of notes—tekiah (a long blast), shevarim (three medium blasts), and teruah (nine short blasts)—are sounded.

Special prayers are recited throughout the services, including the Unetaneh Tokef, which speaks of God’s judgment and the fragility of life. The liturgy also includes prayers for a prosperous and good year, reflecting themes of creation, sovereignty, and divine memory.

Festive Meals and Symbolic Foods

Family and communal meals are an integral part of Rosh Hashanah. These meals often feature symbolic foods intended to express hopes for the new year. Eating apples dipped in honey is a widespread tradition, symbolising a wish for a sweet year.

Other customary foods include pomegranates, representing a desire for abundant merits like the pomegranate’s many seeds, and round challah bread, symbolising the cyclical nature of the year and God’s crown. The head of a fish or lamb may be served, signifying a desire to be “at the head” (leaders) rather than “at the tail” (followers).

Tashlich

On the first afternoon of Rosh Hashanah (or the second if the first is Shabbat), many Jewish communities perform Tashlich. This ritual involves symbolically casting one’s sins into a natural body of flowing water, such as a river, lake, or sea. Breadcrumbs are often thrown into the water, representing the casting away of transgressions.

Global Observance

In Israel, Rosh Hashanah is a national public holiday, with businesses and schools closed. Jewish communities in countries such as Argentina, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia observe the holiday with similar customs, adapted to local contexts. Synagogues hold services, and families gather for traditional meals. The global nature of Jewish diaspora means these traditions are carried and maintained wherever Jewish people reside.

When Is Rosh Hashanah?

Rosh Hashanah is a variable date holiday determined by the Hebrew calendar. It falls on the first and second days of the month of Tishrei, which is the seventh month of the ecclesiastical year but the first month of the civil year in the Jewish calendar.

Because the Hebrew calendar is lunisolar, its dates fluctuate relative to the Gregorian calendar. Rosh Hashanah typically occurs in September or early October. The evening before the first day of Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the holiday, as Jewish days traditionally start at sundown. The two-day observance ensures that the sacred day is properly kept, irrespective of uncertainties in ancient calendar calculations.

Rosh Hashanah Key Facts