Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is celebrated during the first two days of the month of
Tishrei. In the bible, the holiday is called the "Yom Teruah – The Day of the Shofar Blast".
According to tradition, on this day God starts sitting in judgment that lasts until after Yom
Kippur, deciding individual human fate and that of the world for the previous year and
determining their future for the year to come. Accordingly, it is customary to ask forgiveness
from others, to admit and confess our sins and to pray for a good year and blessings of life
and peace. The shofar is also blown in order to remind God of the merits of Abraham who
bound his son Isaac on the altar of faith (replacing him with a ram from which the shofar is
made), and to arouse the congregation to repent. It is traditional on Rosh Hashanah to eat
foods that symbolize blessings for the New Year: apple dipped in honey for a sweet year,
pomegranate seeds for an abundance of merit and good deeds etc. Rosh Hashanah is
considered an opportunity to summarize the previous year and for introspection, both social
and public. It is customary to send New Year greetings to each other and to celebrate the
holiday with festive family meals.
For the Rosh Hashanah study pages on the Midreshet website:
