What is Rosh Hashanah and why is it celebrated?

What is the purpose of Rosh Hashana?

In a nutshell, Rosh Hashanah centers around three main themes. All the common Jewish prayers, mitzvot and customs of the holiday reflect these themes:

Affirming G-d’s Kingship

In the Rosh Hashanah prayer liturgy, we repeatedly reaffirm G‑d’s kingship for the coming year.  This is how we express our desire for His all-knowing, holistic rulership. In doing so, we refuse to limit ourselves to a fate under any mortal human’s flawed and unbalanced judgment.

Remembrance

Rosh Hashanah is a day of judgment in the heavenly realms. That’s why we express our wish that He “remember” the good we’ve done in the past year, not just our less-proud moments.

Shofar-Blowing

On Rosh Hashanah we listen to a shofar – a hollowed and polished ram or sheep’s horn – being blown, usually in synagogue. It represents our people’s outcry to G-d in our collective desire for his mercy, love and presence as a community.

Rosh Hashana in the bible

Rosh Hashanah originates from the completion of G-d’s creation, as in the verse in Bereishit; the first book of the Torah:

“And G-d saw all that he had made, and – behold! – it was very good.  And it was evening, and it was morning; the sixth day.” – Genesis 1:31.  

Rather than commemorating when G-d started creating the world, Rosh Hashanah marks when He completed it – creating Adam and Eve, i.e. mankind. So rather than the first day of creation, we celebrate the “birthday” of the world on the sixth day. Afterall, it’s the human race G-d entrusted with a sacred mission: refine the world and make it a suitable place for His presence. The Chabad-Chassidic sages called this target outcome Dirah Bitachtonim, which means “a dwelling in the lowest of places.”  

What are other names for Rosh Hashana?

Head of the Year, Not the New Year

This holiday’s most commonly used name derives from the Talmud, who’s tractate on the subject bears the same: Rosh Hashanah. Literally meaning “head of the year,” it alludes to the spiritual microcosm the holiday is for the coming year. It’s taught that on Rosh Hashanah G-d judges our previous year, and decides the fate of our coming one. So, the name Rosh Hashanah, refers to its spiritual significance rather than beginning a “new year.”  (In fact, Hebrew months are numbered starting with Nissan, the Hebrew month of Passover.)

First of the Yomim Noraim – Days of Awe

As part of the official High Holiday duo with Yom Kippur, the two together are called the Yomim Noraim (lit. Days of Awe). This alludes to the reverence with which we’re expected to look upon G-d’s power, greatness and sovereignty.It’s during these days that He mulls over our prayers, our sincerity before him, and decides how, and how much, to bless us.

Yom Teruah – Day of the Shofar Blast

The Torah also describes this holiday by its most central mitzvah act: hearing the shofar blasts. Yom Teruah, which means Day of [Shofar] Blasting, communicates just that. 

Yom Hazikaron & Yom Hadin – Day of Remembrance & Day of Judgement

Similarly, the prayers of the day also refer to the holiday as both Yom Hazikaron (Day of Remembrance) and Yom Hadin (Day of Judgement) in several spots. These two names implore G-d to remember our positive acts, simultaneously reminding us to prepare ourselves as he metes out judgments, both positive and negative.

Spiritual significance of Rosh Hashana

Rosh Hashanah centers around an opportunity for self-reflection. We take into account our attitudes, actions and accomplishments of the prior year, and set goals to do better in the coming one.

Simultaneously, G-d makes His accounting and drafts decisions about each one of His people.  As it says in the Rosh Hashanah Machzor (the holiday prayer book), He decrees “…who shall live, and who shall die … who shall be impoverished and who shall be rich; who shall fall and who shall rise.”

When is Rosh Hashana?

Rosh Hashanah takes place on the 1st and 2nd of the month of Tishrei each year.  Like all days on the Colel Chabad luach or Jewish calendar, it starts at sundown and continues through the following day.  

Rosh Hashana traditions and customs

Rosh Hashanah, like most other Jewish festivals, mimics Shabbat in its basic “day of rest” elements. This includes lighting candles before sundown, attending prayer services if available, public Torah readings, and hosting or attending festive meals. It also includes refraining from doing any melacha (certain acts that were involved in constructing the Mishkan in the desert, or related tasks).  

Rosh Hashanah’s distinctly unique customs, however, relate to the three themes mentioned above. They vary slightly from one community to another, but here are the most prevalent ones:  

Tzedakah – Before Rosh Hashanah

In preparation for the Day of Judgement, giving a Chabad donation to support a Jewish cause in Israel helps the poor in Israel.  A great time to do this is either right before candle-lighting, or any time leading up to the holiday.

Extra Prayers 

Compared to weekdays, or even Shabbat, Rosh Hashanah prayers last far longer and are more extensive. Perhaps most well known is Avinu Malkeinu, which means “Our Father, Our King.”  It’s a song sung in verses, imploring G-d to have mercy on us, whether as His subjects or His children. 

Some others are Malchiyot (proclamations of G-d’s kingship), Zichronot (remembrances, recalling positive acts of various biblical figures) and Piyyutim (poetic supplications). These all represent the duality of our relationship with G-d; of fear and reverence, respect and love, both communal and personal.

The Musaf prayer for Rosh Hashanah is also much longer than on Shabbat. Musaf is a second Amidah (personal meditation, recited standing) added on Shabbat and many holidays. On Rosh Hashanah, the middle blessing of this prayer is broken into three sections delineating the holiday’s three themes of kingship, remembrance, and shofar.

Hear (or Blow) the Shofar

Shofar is not just a custom for Rosh Hashanah, it’s the holiday’s main mitzvah. The shofar’s startling blasts grab our attention – shake us up a little – like a siren awakening us to do teshuvah.  

However, its majestic call also symbolizes a coronation trumpet, harkening to the concept of crowning G-d as our King once again. 

Further still, the shofar’s cries somewhat resemble the cries of a child for their parents. A shofar isn’t a shiny, brass instrument, it’s a rough-hewn horn producing a less sophisticated, more raw sound. Almost reminiscent of primal screams, its message penetrates deeper than words. This contrasts the complexity and calculated nature of the extensive prayers surrounding it in the service.  

In these ways, the shofar’s sounds and symbolism artfully remind us of our multifaceted relationship with G-d. Traditionally, there are three types of shofar sounds:

• Tekiah: Long blast, symbolizing sobs or shrieks.
• Shevarim: Intermittent blasts, connoting cries or wails. 
• Teruah: Short and quick; staccato blasts, implying excitement and urgency.

Aliyah Auctioning 

The short breaks in between different parshiyot (sections), of the Torah reading, is a common time for rabbis, gabbaim (synagogue managers) and other volunteers and staff to “auction” off aliyot (aliyah, in singular). Aliyot are opportunities for people to be called up to the bimah (Torah-reading platform) and make blessings on the portion to be read next. Knowing that any funds pledged will either go to the synagogue’s own funds, or to one of many Jewish charity organizations, congregants tend to give their best offers of the year. 

Rosh Hashana foods

Round Challah

Like on Shabbat, the festive meals we have on holidays traditionally include loaves of braided challah bread. For Rosh Hashanah, these loaves are made round to symbolize the cycle of the year.

Simanim

The symbolic foods we eat on Rosh Hashanah each serve to emphasize requests we’re making for the year to come.  We call them simanim, or symbols, for this reason. Sweet foods, particularly, are a main feature on Rosh Hashanah. The idea is to enhance our metaphorical request for a ‘sweet’ year in our prayers.  

On the first night of the holiday, many recite a short “Yehi Ratzon” (“May it be Your will…”) prayer, asking for a sweet new year, before eating a slice of apple dipped in honey. Some communities say a different “Yehi Ratzon” specific to each of the simanim on the table.  

The most common simanim are:

• Apples and honey: As mentioned, exemplifying sweetness, in hopes of a ‘sweet’ year.
• Pomegranates: A mediterranean fruit symbolizing the wish for our merits to be numerous like its bountiful seeds.
• Head of a fish or ram: Symbolizing that we want to ‘come out on top,’ be leaders, and ‘get ahead,’ so to speak.
• Tzimmes: a sweet side dish of cooked carrots tossed with dried fruits and honey.  Ashkenazim eat this because the Yiddish word for carrots is mehren, which also means “increase,” symbolizing abundance.
• Leeks: The Hebrew word for leeks is karti, which has the same root as the word for “cut.” This one implies we’d like our enemies to be ‘cut off.’
• Gourds: Sefardim eat gourds, such as pumpkin, which are called kara in Hebrew. This has the same root as the word for “call out,” or “proclaim.” It alludes to wanting G-d to proclaim our merits, as opposed to the opposite.
• Beets: selek, in Hebrew, which shares the same root as the word for “remove,” imploring G-d to remove all negativity in our lives in the coming year.

Shehecheyanu – New Fruit

In addition to simanim, it’s customary to eat a fruit we haven’t eaten in-season yet this year. We observe this custom on holidays when we recite the “Shehecheyanu” blessing at candle-lighting time and/or as part of the kiddush blessing. According to Jewish halacha (Torah law) eating a new fruit strengthens the reasoning behind saying this blessing before the meal. That’s why we’re taught to think about these fruits when reciting the blessing earlier on.

What Not to Eat

• Nuts: There are many reasons cited for this widespread custom. An interesting one is based on gematria, or Jewish numerology. The Hebrew word for “nut” is egoz, which has a numerical value of 17 when its Hebrew letters are added up as numbers. 17 is also the numerical value of the Hebrew word cheit, which means “sin.” Refraining from eating nuts, therefore, is a symbolic way of ‘keeping far from sin.’
• Vinegar and spicy-hot foods: Simply because they’re the opposites of sweet.

Attend Tashlich

On the second day of Rosh Hashanah, we gather at a body of water containing fish and perform Tashlich (lit. “cast-off”). In this atonement ritual, we recite biblical passages from Exodus recalling G-d’s mercy, symbolically casting off our sins into the water by shaking the edges of our clothes from excess metaphorical dust.

Express Well Wishes to Others

We bless others, by verbally stating to them our wish, l’shana tova umetuka, “for a good and sweet year.”  

Feeding the poor in Israel: How Colel Chabad helps

All year round, Colel Chabad has ways to help Israel whether it’s ongoing funds and initiatives to support food security in Israel, medical care, childcare, children’s education, seasonal needs such as gemach loans and all manner of circumstances. Our programs assisting widows, orphans, and agunahs provide much-needed aid to those who need it most.  

Some seasonal programs we’re running include (soup) food kitchens, additional food card distribution for needy families and immediate support for injured IDF soldiers protecting the country.  

Much of the funding required to make these things happen comes from the generous donations of those who pledged on Rosh Hashanah. But why wait until then? You can help these people now – before the holiday expenses become a burden on them.   

Make Rosh Hashanah meaningful: Turn prayer into action for sweetness all year

As the official Head of the Year, Rosh Hashanah poses the spiritual opportunity to influence the entire coming year. It’s more than just a catchphrase. What we choose to do leading up to and on Rosh Hashanah truly sets the tone for the year. Our positive and selfless actions can inspire G-d to treat us the way we’ve treated others. When you do acts of chesed (loving kindness) and tzedakah, everyone gets sweetness for the year.

This Rosh Hashanah, we encourage you to offer up your most fervent prayers for the wellbeing of the entire Jewish people. But Prayers aren’t enough. Though Rosh Hashanah is a festival full of powerful words, we also need your action.