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70-676: Israel Abuhatzeira was born on Rosh Hashanah 5650 (1889). He was the scion of the distinguished Abu Hasira/Abuhatzeira family of Sephardic Torah scholars and tzadikim who were also known as baalei mofet (miracle workers). He is the grandson of Yaakov Abuhatzeira . The patriarch of this family was Shmuel Abuhatzeira . Born in the land of Israel , Shmuel lived in Damascus for a while, where he studied Torah together with Chaim Vital . In Shem Hagedolim , Chaim Joseph David Azulai described Shmuel as "an ish Elohim kadosh (a holy man of God). Wise people speak of his might and wonders in saving

140-530: A collection plate during most holiday services as some churches do, as Jews are forbidden to touch money on Shabbat or other holidays such as Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. However, promises to make donations are allowed. Among synagogues in the United States, donations are often sought during the Kol Nidre service, called the "Kol Nidre Appeal," often via a pledge card, where the amount of the donation

210-573: A kittel is worn during daytime Rosh Hashanah prayers, just as one is worn on Yom Kippur . Rosh Hashanah is preceded by the month of Elul, during which Jews are supposed to begin a self-examination and repentance, a process that culminates in the ten days of the Yamim Nora'im , the Days of Awe, beginning with Rosh Hashanah and ending with the holiday of Yom Kippur. The shofar is traditionally blown on weekday mornings, and in some communities also in

280-454: A mikveh in honor of the coming day. Rosh Hashanah meals usually include apples dipped in honey to symbolize a sweet new year; this is a late medieval Ashkenazi addition. Other foods with a symbolic meaning may be served, depending on local minhag ("custom"), such as the head of a fish (to symbolize the prayer "let us be the head and not the tail"). Many communities hold a "Rosh Hashanah seder" during which blessings are recited over

350-442: A desire to have God nullify any negative decrees against us. Pomegranates are used in many traditions, to symbolize being fruitful like the pomegranate with its many seeds. Typically, round challah bread is served, to symbolize the cycle of the year. From ancient to quite modern age, lamb head or fish head were served. Nowadays, lekach (honey cake) and gefilte fish are commonly served by Ashkenazic Jews on this holiday. On

420-431: A large estate which included a yeshiva where young scholars studied night and day. The beit din (rabbinical court) of his father, Mas'ud, was also located on the premises. His older brother, David, studied by himself in an attic. On the rare times that Mas'ud traveled, he would cover his eyes with his cape to avoid seeing inappropriate sights. As a child, Abuhatzeira was a diligent Torah scholar, studying day and night. At

490-555: A low profile for a while, without his neighbors even knowing who he was. Again, he was eventually "discovered" and after the death of Chief Rabbi of Israel, Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel in 1953, he was offered the position, which he also turned down. Several years after his arrival in Israel, the news reached Abuhatzeira that Jewish life in Morocco had spiritually deteriorated greatly, so he returned to his country of birth to lead and inspire

560-524: A sign of solidarity with other Jews worldwide. Karaite Jews , who do not recognize Rabbinic Jewish oral law and rely on their own understanding of the Torah, observe only one day on the first of Tishrei, since the second day is not mentioned in the Written Torah . Originally, the date of Rosh Hashanah was determined based on observation of the new moon (" molad "), and thus could fall on any day of

630-498: A throne, while books containing the deeds of all humanity are opened before Him. Prayer services are longer than on a regular shabbat or other Jewish holidays , and include (on weekdays) the blowing of the shofar . On the afternoon of the first (or the second, if the first was Saturday) day, the ritual tashlikh is performed, in which sins are "cast" into open water, such as a river, sea, or lake. The "ten days of repentance" or "the days of awe" include Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and

700-507: A variety of symbolic dishes. The blessings have the incipit " Yehi ratzon ", meaning "May it be Thy will." In many cases, the name of the food in Hebrew or Aramaic represents a play on words (a pun). The Yehi Ratzon platter may include apples (dipped in honey, baked or cooked as a compote called mansanada ); dates; pomegranates; black-eyed peas; pumpkin-filled pastries called rodanchas ; leek fritters called keftedes de prasa ; beets; and

770-521: A whole fish with the head intact. It is also common among Sephardim to eat stuffed vegetables called legumbres yaprakes . Some of the symbolic foods eaten are dates , black-eyed peas , leeks , spinach , and gourd , all of which are mentioned in the Talmud : "Let a man be accustomed to eat on New Year's Day gourds (קרא), and fenugreek (רוביא), leeks (כרתי), beet [leaves] (סילקא), and dates (תמרי)." Carrots can have multiple symbolic meanings at

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840-490: Is Ketivah VaChatimah Tovah (Hebrew: כְּתִיבָה וַחֲתִימָה טוֹבָה ‎), which translates as "A good inscription and sealing [in the Book of Life]", or L'shanah tovah tikatevu v'techatemu meaning "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year". After Rosh Hashanah ends, the greeting is changed to G'mar chatimah tovah (Hebrew: גמר חתימה טובה ‎) meaning "A good final sealing", until Yom Kippur . After Yom Kippur

910-454: Is Shanah Tovah ( Hebrew : שנה טובה ; pronounced [ˈʃona ˈtɔ͡ɪva] in many Ashkenazic communities and pronounced [ʃaˈna toˈva] in Israeli and Sephardic communities), which translated from Hebrew means "[have a] good year". Often Shanah Tovah Umetukah (Hebrew: שנה טובה ומתוקה ‎), meaning "[have a] Good and Sweet Year", is used. In Yiddish the greeting

980-526: Is blown at various points during the Rosh Hashanah prayers, and it is customary in most communities to have a total of 100 blasts on each day. The shofar is not blown on Shabbat . While the blowing of the shofar is a Biblical statute, it is also a symbolic "wake-up call", stirring Jews to mend their ways and repent. The shofar blasts call out: "Sleepers, wake up from your slumber! Examine your ways and repent and remember your Creator." Additionally,

1050-498: Is designated as a month of introspection and repentance. In preparation for the Jewish New Year, special prayers are recited. In many communities, Psalm 27 is added at the end of morning and evening prayers . The shofar (ram's horn) is blown at the end of morning services on weekdays , and in some communities in the afternoon service as well (it is omitted on the eve of Rosh Hashanah in order to differentiate between

1120-399: Is needed to prepare food (Leviticus 23:23, 24). Samaritans preserve the biblical name of the holiday, Yom Teruah , and do not consider the day to be a New Year 's day. The Torah defines Rosh Hashanah as a one-day celebration, and since days in the Hebrew calendar begin at sundown, the beginning of Rosh Hashanah is at sundown at the end of 29 Elul . Since the time of the destruction of

1190-466: Is not a requirement in order to attend. However, the High Holy Days are usually peak attendance days for synagogues and temples, often filling or over-filling synagogues. For this reason many synagogues issue tickets for attendance and may charge for them: practice varies on whether paid-up synagogue members must also buy these or whether it is included in the subscription. Synagogues never pass

1260-415: Is over, until Hoshana Rabbah , as Sukkot ends, the greeting is Gmar Tov (Hebrew: גְּמָר טוֹב ‎), "a good conclusion". Unlike the denominations of Rabbinical Judaism, Karaite Judaism believes the Jewish New Year starts with the first month and celebrates this holiday only as it is mentioned in the Torah, that is as a day of rejoicing and shouting. Karaites allow no work on the day except what

1330-566: Is represented by a paper tab that can be bent down in the amount of donation desired. Some temples provide a card listing donation amounts, and a paper clip which the congregant may put on the card indicating their preferred donation amount. In both cases, the card is stored inside an envelope with the congregant's name and other personal contact details, and the temple reaches them after the High Holidays are over. Rabbis and other temple representatives say that holiday ticket sales represent

1400-550: Is the beginning of the ecclesiastical year; the months are numbered beginning with Nisan. It marks the start of the year for the Three Pilgrimage Festivals . Its injunction is expressly stated in the Hebrew Bible: "This month shall be unto you the beginning of months" ( Exodus 12:2 ). Their injunction is expressly stated in the Hebrew Bible: "Three times in the year you shall keep a feast unto me...

1470-544: Is אַ גוט יאָר " a gut yor " ("a good year") or אַ גוט געבענטשט יאָר " a gut gebentsht yor " ("a good blessed year"). The formal Sephardic greeting is Tizku Leshanim Rabbot ("may you merit many years"), to which the answer is Ne'imot VeTovot ("pleasant and good ones"); while in Ladino , they say אנייאדה בואינה, דולסי אי אליגרי " anyada buena, dulse i alegre " ("may you have a good, sweet and happy New Year"). A more formal greeting commonly used among religiously observant Jews

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1540-530: The Amidah prayer for both Shacharit and Mussaf including piyyutim; even communities that omit most piyyutim throughout the year recite some selection of these piyyutim. In the contemporary Sephardic rite, no piyyutim are recited inside the repetition, and in the Italian rite very few are recited, but many Sephardic communities recite piyyutim before or after the Torah reading. The shofar is blown during Mussaf at

1610-589: The Persians or Greeks or Hindus; the primary reason was agricultural in both cases, the time of sowing the seed and bringing in the harvest. Some scholars posit a connection between the Babylonian festival Akitu and Rosh Hashanah, as there are some striking similarities. The Akitu festival of Ur was celebrated in the beginning of Nisanu (first month), which lasted at least five days, and again in Tashritu,

1680-525: The Second Temple of Jerusalem in 70 CE and the time of Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai , normative Jewish law appears to be that Rosh Hashanah is to be celebrated for two days, because of the difficulty of determining the date of the new moon . Nonetheless, there is some evidence that Rosh Hashanah was celebrated on a single day in Israel as late as the thirteenth century CE . Orthodox and Conservative Judaism now generally observe Rosh Hashanah for

1750-589: The autumnal equinox . In terms of the Gregorian calendar , the earliest date on which Rosh Hashanah can fall is 5 September, as happened in 1842, 1861, 1899, and 2013. The latest Gregorian date that Rosh Hashanah can occur is 5 October, as happened in 1815, 1929, and 1967, and will happen again in 2043. After 2089, the differences between the Hebrew calendar and the Gregorian calendar will result in Rosh Hashanah falling no earlier than 6 September. Starting in 2214,

1820-555: The mikveh , pray the morning service, and eat breakfast. This was followed by in-depth gemara study, the afternoon prayers, and a shiur in Shulchan Aruch . In 1951, Abuhatzeira immigrated to Israel and settled in Lod where he tried to conceal himself from the public. However, he was soon discovered and offered the position of Chief Rabbi of Lod, which he declined. He then moved to Baka, Jerusalem where he managed to keep

1890-568: The "day of judgment" ( Yom haDin ). In the Talmud tractate on Rosh Hashanah, it states that three books of account are opened on Rosh Hashanah, wherein the fate of the wicked, the righteous, and those of the intermediate class are recorded. The names of the righteous are immediately inscribed in the Book of Life and they are sealed "to live". The intermediate class is allowed a respite of ten days, until Yom Kippur, to reflect, repent, and become righteous;

1960-808: The "topic". The verses are three from the Torah , three from the Ketuvim , three from the Nevi'im , and one more from the Torah. During the repetition of the Amidah, the shofar is sounded (except on Shabbat) after the blessing that ends each section. Recitation of these three blessings is first recorded in the Mishna , though writings by Philo and possibly even Psalms 81 suggest that the blessings may have been recited on Rosh Hashanah even centuries earlier. In many Ashkenazic communities, primarily those from Germany or Hungry,

2030-463: The Ashkenazic and Italian practice is to start a few days before Rosh Hashanah. The day before Rosh Hashanah day is known as Erev Rosh Hashanah ("Rosh Hashanah eve"). It is the 29th day of the Hebrew month of Elul, ending at sundown, when Rosh Hashanah commences. Some communities perform hatarat nedarim (a nullification of vows) after the morning prayer services. Many Orthodox men immerse in

2100-463: The Ashkenazic rite, Avinu Malkeinu is never recited on Shabbat (except in Ne'ila on Yom Kippur), and it is also omitted at Mincha on Fridays. The narrative in the Book of Genesis describing the announcement of Isaac's birth and his subsequent birth is part of the Torah readings in synagogues on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, and the narrative of the sacrifice and binding of Isaac is read in synagogue on

2170-460: The Bible (Ezekiel 40:1), where it has a different meaning: either generally the time of the "beginning of the year", or possibly a reference to Yom Kippur , or to the month of Nisan . In the prayer books ( siddurs and machzors ), Rosh Hashanah is also called Yom haZikkaron "the day of remembrance", not to be confused with the modern Israeli remembrance day of the same name. The origin of

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2240-597: The Hebrew Bible to "raise a noise" on Yom Teruah. Eating symbolic foods that represent various wishes for the new year is an ancient custom recorded in the Talmud . Other rabbinical customs include the " tashlich ", attending synagogue services and reciting special liturgy about teshuva , as well as enjoying festive meals. Rosh is the Hebrew word for "head", ha is the definite article ("the"), and shana means year. Thus Rosh Hashanah means "head of

2310-543: The Jewish community from many difficulties." Shmuel's descendants eventually moved to the city of Tafilalt , Morocco, where Shmuel's descendent Mas'ud became the rabbi of the city. Mas'ud's son, Yaakov, known as the Avir Yaakov, succeeded his father as rabbi of Tafilalt. Yaakov's eldest son, Mas'ud, became an av beit din in the same city, and it was here that his son, Israel, was born. Abuhatzeira's family lived on

2380-475: The Jewish year. The Hebrew Bible calls the day Yom Hakippurim "Day of the Atonement/s". In the Hebrew calendar, the ninth day of Tishrei is known as Erev Yom Kippur (Yom Kippur eve). Yom Kippur itself begins around sunset on that day and continues into the next day until nightfall, and therefore lasts about 25 hours. Observant Jews will fast throughout Yom Kippur and many attend synagogue for most of

2450-471: The New Year is connected to the beginning of the economic year in the agricultural societies of the ancient Near East . The New Year was the beginning of the cycle of sowing, growth, and harvest; the harvest was marked by its own set of major agricultural festivals. Semitic speakers generally set the beginning of the new year in autumn, while other ancient civilizations chose spring for that purpose, such as

2520-446: The Rosh Hashanah table. The Yiddish word for carrot is ma’rin (מערין), which also means “increase.” By eating carrots one asks for their merits and blessings to be increased. Sliced carrots are also typically eaten to symbolize gold coins and hopes for continued wealth and prosperity. In Hebrew the word for carrot is gezer (גזר) which sounds similar to the word g’zar - the Hebrew word for “decree.” Serving carrots on Rosh Hashanah symbolizes

2590-480: The Saturday night or Sunday morning before Rosh Hashanah (or one week before that, if the first day of Rosh Hashanah is Monday or Tuesday), Ashkenazi Jews begin reciting selichot . On the following days, however, they generally recite the selichot before the regular morning prayers. On the eve of Rosh Hashanah, extra prayers are recited and many fast until noon. Rosh Hashanah ( Hebrew : ראש השנה "Beginning of

2660-502: The Shofar.' (Rosh Hashanah 16a, 34b)" This is reflected in the prayers composed by classical rabbinic sages for Rosh Hashanah found in traditional machzors, where the theme of the prayers is the "coronation" of God as King of the universe, in preparation for the acceptance of judgments that will follow on that day. The best-known ritual of Rosh Hashanah is the blowing of the shofar, a musical instrument made from an animal horn. The shofar

2730-571: The Year") is the Jewish New Year, and falls on the first and second days of the Jewish month of Tishrei (September/October). The Mishnah , the core work of the Jewish Oral Torah , sets this day aside as the new year for calculating calendar years and sabbatical and jubilee years. Rabbinic literature describes this day as a day of judgment. God is sometimes referred to as the "Ancient of Days." Some descriptions depict God as sitting upon

2800-475: The act of blowing the shofar, like the rainbow, is ordered by God as a reminder to God of humanity and our plight. On Rosh Hashanah day, religious poems called piyyutim are added to the regular services . A special prayer book, the machzor (plural machzorim ), is used on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Some additions are made to the regular service, most notably in the Ashkenazic rite (both Nusach Ashkenaz and Nusach Sefard ) an extended repetition of

2870-408: The afternoon, for the entire month of Elul, the month preceding Rosh Hashanah. The sound of the shofar is intended to awaken the listeners from their "slumbers" and alert them to the coming judgment. The shofar is not blown on Shabbat. In the period leading up to Rosh Hashanah, penitential prayers called selichot , are recited. The Sephardic tradition is to start at the beginning of Elul, while

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2940-454: The age of 12, he began to fast during the six weeks of Shovavim . Knowing his parents would not let him continue, he hid his fasting from them, but his brother, David, noticed how weak and pale he was. Though David urged him to stop, Yisrael continued his fasting. After his bar mitzvah , he entered his family's yeshiva, where the students rose at midnight for Tikkun Chatzot and then studied Kabbalistic works until dawn, when they would go to

3010-511: The beginning of the civil year, according to the teachings of Judaism, and is the traditional anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve , the first man and woman according to the Hebrew Bible , as well as the initiation of humanity's role in God's world. Rosh Hashanah customs include sounding the shofar (a hollowed-out ram's horn), as prescribed in the Torah , following the prescription of

3080-678: The community there. In 1964, he returned to Israel again and soon settled in Netivot , a city in the Negev . He received visitors from all over, asking him for blessings and advice. Abuhatzeira died in 1984 (4 Shevat 5744). His funeral was attended by an estimated 100,000 people. His gravesite in Netivot has become a popular pilgrimage site in Israel. On the anniversary of his death , thousands come to visit his tomb and pray. Rosh Hashanah Rosh Hashanah ( Hebrew : רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה ‎ , Rōʾš hašŠānā , lit.   ' head of

3150-521: The conclusion of each of the middle blessing of the Chazzan's repetition; in some communities, it is also blown during the silent Musaf. (In many synagogues, even little children come and hear the shofar being blown.) . The Aleinu prayer is recited during the silent prayer as well as the repetition of the Mussaf Amidah . The special Avinu Malkeinu prayer is also recited on Rosh Hashanah. In

3220-402: The creation of Man. In Jewish practice, the months are numbered starting with the spring month of Nisan, making Tishrei the seventh month; Rosh Hashanah, the first day of the new calendar year, is also actually the first day of the seventh month. The second of these "New Years", the first of the lunar month Nisan (usually corresponds to the months March–April in the Gregorian calendar )

3290-454: The customary blasts of the month of Elul and the obligatory blasts of Rosh Hashanah, and in some communities it is omitted for the 3 days proceeding Rosh Hashanah). Among Sephardi Jews , selichot are recited at dawn on weekdays throughout the month. Also, many complete the entire Psalms twice during the month. It is customary to increase the giving of tzedakah (charity) and to ask forgiveness from people one may have wronged. At midnight on

3360-486: The cycle of autumnal religious festivals running through Sukkot which end on Shemini Atzeret in Israel and Simchat Torah everywhere else. Rosh Hashanah is a two-day observance and celebration that begins on the first day of Tishrei , which is the seventh month of the ecclesiastical year . In contrast to the ecclesiastical lunar new year on the first day of the first month Nisan , the spring Passover month which marks Israel's exodus from Egypt , Rosh Hashanah marks

3430-645: The day is a national holiday. (federal) = federal holidays, (abbreviation) = state/territorial holidays, (religious) = religious holidays, (cultural) = holiday related to a specific racial/ethnic group or sexual minority , (week) = week-long holidays, (month) = month-long holidays, (36) = Title 36 Observances and Ceremonies High Holy Days In Judaism , the High Holy Days , also known as High Holidays or Days of Awe ( Yamim Noraim ; Hebrew : יָמִים נוֹרָאִים ‎ , Yāmīm Nōrāʾīm ) consist of: The term High Holy Days most probably derives from

3500-412: The day. There are five prayer services, one in the evening (sometimes known as " Kol Nidre " from one of the main prayers) and four consecutively on the day. On Yom Kippur day, Ne'ilah, a prayer only recited on this day, is said. It symbolizes the closing of the gates of heaven as the day of repentance comes to an end. It provides one last chance to seek forgiveness and offer prayers before the conclusion of

3570-539: The days in between, during which time Jews should meditate on the subject of the holidays and ask for forgiveness from anyone they have wronged. They include the Fast of Gedalia , on the third day of Tishrei , and Shabbat Shuvah, which is the Shabbat between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Shabbat Shuvah has a special Haftarah that begins Shuvah Yisrael (come back, oh Israel), hence the name of that Shabbat. Traditionally

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3640-497: The feast of unleavened bread ( Passover )... the feast of harvest ( Shavuot )... and the feast of ingathering ( Sukkot ) which is at the departing of the year " (Exodus 23:14–16). "At the departing of the year" implies that the new year begins here according to the Babylonian Talmud . It is also when a new year is added to the reign of Jewish kings. The third New Year, the first of Elul, the new year for animals, began

3710-485: The first day of Rosh Hashanah by most Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jews (but not by Spanish and Portuguese Jews or some Yemenites, as well as those who follow the practices of the Vilna Gaon ). Prayers are recited near natural flowing water, and one's sins are symbolically cast into the water. Many also have the custom to throw bread or pebbles into the water, to symbolize the "casting off" of sins. In some communities, if

3780-416: The first day of Rosh Hashanah occurs on Shabbat, tashlikh is postponed until the second day. The traditional service for tashlikh is recited individually and includes the prayer "Who is like unto you, O God... And You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea", and Biblical passages including Isaiah 11:9 ("They will not injure nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be as full of

3850-599: The first of Nisan (when the Exodus began), the first of Elul , and Tu BiShvat (the fifteenth of Shevat ). Each one delineates the beginning of a year for different legal or ecclesiastical purposes. The Talmudic distinctions among the New Years are discussed in the tractate on Rosh Hashanah . Rosh Hashanah is the new year for calculating ordinary calendar years, Sabbatical years , Jubilee years , and dates inscribed on legal deeds and contracts. Rosh Hashanah commemorates

3920-600: The first two days of Tishrei , even in Israel where all other Jewish holidays dated from the new moon last only one day. The two days of Rosh Hashanah are said to constitute " Yoma Arichtah " (Aramaic: " one long day"), with certain practical implications in Halacha. In Reform Judaism , while most congregations in North America observe only the first day of Rosh Hashanah, some follow the traditional two-day observance as

3990-420: The holiday. The seventh day of Sukkot is known as Hoshana Rabbah . Jews take bouquets of willow branches that represent their sins and bash them on the floor while saying a special prayer to God to forgive them for the sins that may have been missed on Yom Kippur. Generally, throughout most of the year, Jewish worship services are open to all, regardless of affiliation, and membership or payment of any fee

4060-500: The knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea") and Psalms 118:5–9 , Psalms 121 and Psalms 130 , as well as personal prayers. Though once considered a solemn individual tradition, it has become an increasingly social ceremony practiced in groups. Tashlikh can be performed any time until Hoshana Rabba , and some Hasidic communities perform Tashlikh on the day before Yom Kippur . The Hebrew common greeting on Rosh Hashanah

4130-606: The new latest date will be 6 October. The connection between the date of Rosh Hashanah and the memory of the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 has been noted, for example by the British Chief Rabbi . In 2020 the Jewish President of Ukraine , Volodymyr Zelenskyy , announced that Ukraine would declare Rosh Hashanah a national holiday. This makes Ukraine the only country besides Israel where

4200-584: The new year for trees, began the religious taxation period for tithing fruits and nuts from trees. Shevat corresponds to the Gregorian January/February, the end of the Mediterranean wet season when the majority of the year's rainfall had occurred. Taking fruit or nuts from a tree younger than three years old, with the birthday counted as Tu Bishvat, was prohibited. The Mishnah contains the second known reference to Rosh Hashanah as

4270-429: The popular English phrase, “high days and holy days”. The Hebrew equivalent, " Yamim Noraim " ( Hebrew : ימים נוראים ), is neither Biblical nor Talmudic. Professor Ismar Elbogen avers that it was a medieval usage, reflecting a change in the mood of Rosh Hashanah from a predominantly joyous celebration to a more subdued day that was a response to a period of persecution. The Hebrew month preceding Rosh Hashanah, Elul ,

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4340-406: The rabbi gives a long sermon on that day. It is held that, while judgment on each person is pronounced on Rosh Hashanah, it is not made absolute until Yom Kippur. The Ten Days are therefore an opportunity to mend one's ways in order to alter the judgment in one's favor. Yom Kippur ([יום כפור] Error: {{Lang}}: invalid parameter: |translit= ( help ) "Day of Atonement") is the holiest day of

4410-551: The religious taxation period for tithing animals in Biblical times. Elul corresponds to the Gregorian August/September, after the spring birthings, when it was relatively simple to count the number of animals in herds. However, the halacha follows the second opinion that the day coincides with Rosh Hashanah itself, and therefore this third new year has no bearing in halacha. The fourth New Year, Tu Bishvat,

4480-491: The second day of Rosh Hashanah. The Mussaf Amidah prayer on Rosh Hashanah is unique in that, apart from the first and last three blessings, it contains three central blessings making a total of nine. These blessings are entitled "Malchuyot" (Kingship, and also includes the blessing for the holiness of the day as in a normal Mussaf), "Zichronot" (Remembrance), and "Shofarot" (concerning the shofar). Each section contains an introductory paragraph followed by selections of verses about

4550-407: The second night, new fruits are served to warrant the inclusion of the shehecheyanu blessing. The general Ashkenazic custom is to eat sweet foods, such as honey cake and teiglach , to augur a sweet year. The Sephardic and Mizrahi custom is frequently to eat light-coloured foods, or rather, to avoid dark ones, so as to avoid a dark year. The ritual of tashlikh is performed on the afternoon of

4620-530: The seventh month, which lasted eleven days. Akitu was also strongly tied to the creation myth of Enuma Elish and the victory of Marduk over the sea monster Tiamat, and the creation of the universe from her corpse. Similarly it is said that the world was created on Rosh Hashanah. Rosh Hashanah marks the start of the numbering of a new year in the Hebrew calendar. According to the Mishnah , four different New Years are observed: Rosh Hashanah (the first of Tishrei ),

4690-409: The week. However, around the third century CE, the Hebrew calendar was fixed such that the first day of Rosh Hashanah never fell out on Wednesday or Friday, and by the ninth century it had been fixed so that it also could not fall out on Sunday ( lo AD'U rosh ). Rosh Hashanah occurs 163 days after the first day of Passover , and thus is usually (but not always) determined by the new moon closest to

4760-574: The wicked are "blotted out of the book of the living forever." Some midrashic descriptions depict God as sitting upon a throne , while books containing the deeds of all humanity are opened for review, and each person passes in front of him for evaluation of his or her deeds. "The Holy One said, 'on Rosh Hashanah recite before Me [verses of] Sovereignty, Remembrance, and Shofar blasts ( malchuyot, zichronot, shofarot ): Sovereignty so that you should make Me your King; Remembrance so that your remembrance should rise up before Me. And through what? Through

4830-748: The year ' ) is the New Year in Judaism . The biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah ( יוֹם תְּרוּעָה ‎ , Yōm Tərūʿā , lit.   ' day of shouting/blasting ' ). It is the first of the High Holy Days ( יָמִים נוֹרָאִים ‎ , Yāmīm Nōrāʾīm , 'Days of Awe"), as specified by Leviticus 23:23–25, that occur in the late summer/early autumn of the Northern Hemisphere. Rosh Hashanah begins ten days of penitence culminating in Yom Kippur , as well as beginning

4900-402: The year", referring to the day of the New Year. The term Rosh Hashanah in its current meaning does not appear in the Torah . Leviticus 23:24 refers to the festival of the first day of the seventh month as zikhron teru'ah ("a memorial of blowing [of horns]"). Numbers 29:1 calls the festival yom teru'ah ("day of blowing [the horn]"). The term rosh hashanah appears once in

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