|
Rosh Hashanah is one of the Jewish holidays. Rosh Hashanah is the first holiday on the year. Rosh Hashanah is celebrated on the first day of the first month – Tishrey in the Hebrew calendar. (September – October in the Gregorian calendar)
The name – Rosh Hashanah
The name Rosh Hashanah means the first day of the year. Rosh means first – Rosh Hashanah is the first day of the year.
The Date of Rosh Hashanah
In the past Rosh Hashanah was one day in the land of Israel. In the past the main court which was in Jerusalem determined when the month started. Someone who saw the "new" moon (the Hebrew calendar is determined to the moon) and went to say to the court.
Many months were full month and many were missing months, so the first day could be after twenty nine days or thirty days and Rosh Hashanah also could be.
So our sages determined us to celebrate Rosh Hashanah two day from dough which day is the true day. So Rosh Hashanah is celebrated on the first and second day of Tishrey
The history of Rosh Hashanah
On the twenty-fifth day of Elul, g-d made the world and started to keep it. On the sixth day g-d made the first man (this day was Rosh Hashanah).
The Day of Judgment
Rosh Hashanah is also named the Day of Judgment. On Rosh Hashanah g-d judges the humans – Jewish, non Jewish, men, women, everyone will be judged on Rosh Hashanah.
On the Rosh Hashanah day g-d considers the good acts and the bed acts - if your good acts are the most you will be written in the righteous person's book, but if your bed acts are the most you will be written in the evil person's book, If your good acts and your bed acts are same you have ten days to improve yourself.
On the Rosh Hashanah day g-d also judges the countries – which country will have war, which country will have peace, which country will have famine, which country will have satiation, which country will have fire, which country will have deluge, and other things that g-d decided.
Before Rosh Hashanah is Elul month in the Hebrew calendar – in Elul g-d is very near us, and who want to find g-d can find g-d. On this month we can to ask for sorry – sorry to g-d and to our friends, family, environment…
The Rosh Hashanah's orders and customs
In Rosh Hashanah we must heard the Shofar's sounds. In Rosh Hashanah we crown g-d on the world.
The shofar.jpg)
The shofar is one of the holy things. It is foundation of deer (Spanish, Ashkenazi Jewish customs) or antelope called "kodo" – "Tragelaphus" (the Yemenis Jewish customs), but he can't be made from bull's horn.
His minimal long is eight cm – ten cm (8cm – 10cm).
The Shofar has three sounds:
1. T'qiah - slightly longer than the length of either the sh'varim or the teruah – (signposted – Ta/T)
2. Sh'varim is composed of three connected short sounds. (signposted – Sh)
3. Teruah is a series of nine very short notes divided into three disconnected or broken sequences of three notes each. The nine notes of the teruah is equal the three notes of the sh'varim in duration. (signposted – Ra)
G-d orders us to hear the Shofar sounds on Rosh Hashanah – we must heard T'qiah, teruah, T'qiah three times on Rosh Hashanah, but we don't know about which "teruah" we are ordered to sound on Rosh Hashanah. We don't know if the "teruah" was "Sh'varim" or "teruah" or "Sh'varim - teruah". So we do all on Rosh Hashanah:
1. T'qiah, Sh'varim, teruah, T'qiah (TaShRaT) x3 (four sounds X3)
2. T'qiah, Sh'varim, T'qiah (TaShaT) x3 (three sounds X3)
3. T'qiah, teruah, T'qiah (TaRaT) x3 (three sounds X3)
Four sounds X3 + three sounds X3 + three sounds X3 = thirty sounds
• So from the Torah we must hear nine sounds on Rosh Hashanah (T'qiah, teruah, T'qiah X3)
• From our sages we must hear thirty sounds on Rosh Hashanah (TaShRaT x3, TaShaT x3, and TaRaT x3)
• We blow three times thirty sounds (3X30=90) and one times ten sounds (TaShRaT, TaShaT, and TaRaT) on Rosh Hashanah.
In Rosh Hashanah we blow the shofar one hundred times (for the Spanish customs – one hundred and one times).
The Rosh Hashanah's section
On Rosh Hashanah we are customary to do section. In Rosh Hashanah's section we eat sweet foods which their name symbolizes good things (the Hebrew name or the Aramaic) and we hope the year will be good. The foods we eat in Rosh Hashanah are:
1. We eat apples dipped honey on Rosh Hashanah – symbolizes a sweet new year.
2. We eat head of fish on Rosh Hashanah – symbolizes the "head" of the year, we pray to be always in the head and never be in the tail.
3. We eat dates on Rosh Hashanah – sweet New Year, our enemies will die.
4. We eat pomegranates on Rosh Hashanah – to do a lot of Mitzvot like his seeds.
5. We eat black eyed peas (called Lobia/Robia in Hebrew) on Rosh Hashanah – like the Pomegranates.
6. We eat pumpkin on Rosh Hashanah - filled pastries called rodanchas (k'ra) – our negative judgment will be confused and our good deed will be read.
7. We eat leek fritters on Rosh Hashanah – our enemies will die.
8. We eat beets on Rosh Hashanah – our enemies will be clear
9. We eat Spinach on Rosh Hashanah
These foods are mentioned in the Talmud to eat in Rosh Hashanah.
Tashlich (prayer recited on Rosh Hashanah)
The Tashlich is one of the customs in Rosh Hashanah. It is performed on the afternoon of the first day of Rosh Hashanah. This act means that we want to change us and we drop our sins to the water.
This act is performed on Rosh Hashanah next to water (sea, lake, pool…) which has fishes.
The Rosh Hashanah Cards
A nice customs before Rosh Hashanah is to send cards each other and to say good year. This customs cause to solidarity and this is important before Rosh Hashanah - the Day of Judgment.
|
