A Beginner’s Primer of Jewish
Holidays
Rosh Hashanah-
The New Year
In
most cultures, a new year is ushered in with public street celebrations
and wild parties. Not so the Jewish New Year, called “Rosh Hashanah”, or
“head of the year”. As with all days in the Jewish calendar they start
not at midnight but at sunset on the eve of the holiday.
Some kibbutzim begin their Rosh Hashanah festivities
with an outdoor ceremony, a communal farewell to the year’s final sunset.
This is a time for taking stock of the past year’s achievements and shortcomings,
both individual and collective. We want to acknowledge and be thankful
for all that is good, while trying to adjust all that needs correction.
The following story will illustrate the point.
It is told of a village Rabbi who, one evening on the
week before Rosh Hashanah, noticed a dim light burning at the shop of the
cobbler. Peaking in, the Rabbi saw the cobbler frantically fixing a shoe
by the light of a dwindling candle.
“Why are you in such a rush?” asked the Rabbi.
“Because”, answered the cobbler, “as long as the candle
still burns, I still have enough light to keep fixing!”
The Rabbi, inspired, ran through the village yelling,
“Hear me, my brothers. As long as there is light, we can still fix things!”
Rosh Hashanah is about fixing things in ourselves and
in our community, before the New Year commences.
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Starting
a year in the Autumn
Autumn
seems to be a curious time for starting a year. Springtime would at first
glance seem preferable to associate with rebirth and renewed growth. As
usual, Jews do things differently. Our year begins when the summer heat
is waning, and preparations are under way for a new agricultural season.
Old crops are being plowed under, and fields are being prepared for the
winter seeding before the rainy season, which usually begins around November.
Accordingly, Jewish tradition maintains that the world
was created on the first day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, which is the
first day of the New Year. At this time of year the days and the nights
are of equal length (Sept. 21 is the “equinox”). Interestingly, the
astrological sign for this month is Libra, or balancing scales, indicating
a sense of balance in nature. But the scales are also a universal sign
of justice. It is a tradition going back thousands of years that on Rosh
Hashanah, the day of universal creation, all creatures human and animal
stand before the creator in judgement.
The partying will wait for other times of the year ---
these are days of reckoning.
On Rosh Hashanah you may hear the sounding of the “Shofar”,
a curved ram’s horn. This is perhaps the most ancient of New Year customs,
dating to the Bible. More recent customs include eating an apple dipped
in honey, or eating pomegranates.
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A Brief Glossary of Terms
Akeidat Yitzchak
– the “binding of Isaac”, refers to the Biblical story of Abraham who was
called upon by God to sacrifice his son as a sign of his faith. At the
last moment God’s angel appeared and reversed the order. This portion is
read in the Synagogue service.
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Gluyot B’racha
– greeting cards people send to friends in the New Year season. Cards made
by children in kindergarten are especially colorful and original.
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Rimonim -
pomegranates, common in Israel in the late summer. Because they are so
sweet, they are eaten on Rosh Hashanah as a symbolic wish for a ”sweet”
year.
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“Shanah Tovah”
– a frequent greeting meaning “have a good year”.
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Shofar
– the horn of a ram; in ancient times it was sounded to rally the armies
to battle; in Jewish tradition it is blown on Rosh Hashanah to rally the
people to repent.
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Tapuach B’dvash
– an apple dipped in honey; apples are in season now, and dipping them
in honey makes for a very sweet New Year.
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U’netaneh
Tokef – One of the most solemn and heartrending
of the prayers, it is recited on Rosh Hashanah as well as Yom Kippur. Following
is an excerpt:
“On New Year’s Day our fate is inscribed and on the Fast
of Atonement it is sealed; how many will pass away, and how many will be
born; who is to live, and who is to die, who will come to the end of his
time, and who to an untimely end; who will perish by fire, and who by water,
who by the sword, and who by wild beasts who by earthquake, and who by
plague: who will stagger: who will be serene, and who will by harassed;
who will be at ease, and who will suffer: who will be lifted up, and who
will be brought low, who will be rich, and who will be poor.”
The prayer was composed by a certain Rabbi Amnon, and
this is his legend:
Rabbi Amnon, a renowned thinker, lived in Magenza, Germany
during the Middle Ages. He was repeatedly urged by the city Cardinal and
its Ministers to convert.
One day when he could no longer withstand their insistent
pressure he asked to be granted the following: “Give me three days and
I’ll have an answer for you.” Upon saying these words he suddenly realized
the gravity of his error.
Is it possible? He asked himself. And he fasted and he
prayed and he wept.
When the three days had passed Rabbi Amnon of Magenza
did not appear so the Cardinal sent soldiers to bring him. The Cardinal
asked him: “Why did you not come before me as you promised?”
Rabbi Amnon answered by saying that his tongue should
be cut out for having uttered the awful statement:” Give me three more
days.”
The Cardinal considered this and replied: “It will not
be your tongue that is removed but your legs that did not bring you to
me, and your hands that refused to make the sign of the cross. And so it
was that Rabbi Amnon’s hands and legs were amputated.
It was the eve of the New Year, Rosh Hashanah, after
the ‘Musaf’ prayer when Rabbi Amnon, hands and legs amputated, asked that
he be carried to the ‘Bimah’, to the Torah Scrolls.
On the most holy of days he sang out the marvelous prayer:
‘The Day of Judgement’.
Upon completing the prayer he died.
* * * *
* *
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On a lighter
note, we’ll conclude with the following
Rosh Hashanah resolutions composed by the children of one kibbutz.
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Every person should have the right when to live and
when to die.
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All animals should also have that right.
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Criminals won’t have that right.
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All people should be equal --- no rich and no poor.
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There shouldn’t be any money.
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People and animals should be able to talk to each
other.
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That we will make the wilderness bloom but also leave
lots of space for the animals
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There shouldn’t be any war during the holidays, and
the Arabs will make peace with us.
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I will be a nice person and only do good things.
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That my dolls and my mother will be nice to me.
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That I will be sweet as honey, that everyone will
like me, and that I’ll get to know everyone I don’t know now.
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Have a “Shanah Tovah”
Written and edited by Mordy Stein
Inter-Kibbutz Holidays Institiute – Beit Hashita
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Akeidat
Yitzchak
