The Religious Affairs Office

In Hebrew, Rosh Hashanah literally means “New Year’s Eve,” and it refers to the first day of Tishri, which is the first month of the civil year for Jewish people. Judaism has a single calendar, but various starts to the year, according to how it is used. Rosh Hashanah, therefore, marks the start of the working year as well as sabbatical and retirement years. In the lunar-solar calendar, it is close to the autumn equinox, a date which varies between September and October in the Gregorian calendar.

Rosh Hashanah is a public holiday which celebrates the start of the year and the creation of the world. According to tradition, it is advisable to prepare yourself for this festival a few days in advance, especially on the last day of the previous month, elul, when it is customary to fast and do charitable works.

For New Year's Eve, Jewish people usually visit their synagogue and read appropriate religious texts: the Book of Psalms (Tehillim), poems and prayers for reflection (selichot) and other festive prayers contained in the collections known as machzorim. Passages from the Torah are read, especially those that refer to the story of Abraham and his son Isaac.

 

THE SYMBOLISM OF ROSH HASHANAH

Preparation for Rosh Hashanah concerns a state of penitence (teixuvà) or returning to one’s origins in a profound, sincere way. All of one’s sins or wrongful actions committed previously (during the previous year or cycle) are symbolically thrown into the water in a purification rite known as taixlikh.

The start of the year is unequivocally linked to the creation of the world, which is, above all, the creation of human beings from the “dust of the earth” and “the breath of life.” Tradition relates this breath to the ritual blowing of the xofar, an animal horn, during this festival. For this reason, Rosh Hashanah is known as both the day of shouting or blasting (yom teruah) as well as the day of judgement (yom ha-din), as the Talmud states that on New Year’s Eve, the book where our destiny is written is opened. In this way, origin, destiny and the end of life meet on the same day, during the celebration of Rosh Hashanah.

In Judaism, days officially begin with the setting of the sun, and the civil year begins with the autumn equinox. The relation between Rosh Hashanah and the autumn is also a reference to the time for sowing in the agrarian cycle, especially for cereals.

The sweets eaten for Rosh Hashanah are usually fruit, expressing power and fertility, especially dates, apples (in jams) and pomegranates (significant because of the large number of seeds they contain).