Rosh Hashanah

An Interactive Guide to the Jewish New Year

Key Symbols & Sounds

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Apples & Honey

Dipping apples in honey is a central custom, symbolizing the hope for a sweet and fruitful new year.

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The Shofar

The ram's horn is blown like a trumpet, serving as a spiritual "wake-up call" and heralding God's kingship.

Click to hear a sound:

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Pomegranate

This fruit is eaten with the hope that our merits in the new year will be as plentiful as its many seeds.

Historical Origins

Rosh Hashanah (lit. "Head of the Year") is the Jewish New Year, but its biblical origins are not explicit. The Torah doesn't call it "Rosh Hashanah" but refers to a sacred day on the first of the seventh month (Tishrei) as Yom Teruah (Day of Blasting [the horn]).

By the time of the Mishnah (c. 200 CE), this holy day had evolved. It was firmly identified as the "New Year" for calendar years and agricultural cycles. Over time, it also became the primary spiritual new year, known as Yom HaDin (Day of Judgment), when God is said to judge all humanity. The rabbis taught this was the anniversary of the creation of humanity.

Traditions & Customs

Blowing the Shofar

The central ritual is hearing the shofar (ram's horn). Traditionally, 100 blasts are sounded in the synagogue, serving as a powerful, wordless call to repentance (Teshuvah) and symbolizing the coronation of God as King.

Festive Meals & Symbolic Foods

Families gather for festive meals. Symbolic foods, or simanim, are eaten to represent hopes for the new year:

  • Apples dipped in honey: For a sweet new year.
  • Round Challah: Often with raisins, its circular shape symbolizes the cycle of the year.
  • Pomegranates: To have merits as plentiful as the seeds.
  • Fish Head: To be "a head and not a tail," expressing a wish to lead.
Traditional symbols of Rosh Hashanah: A shofar, pomegranates, apples, honey, and wine.

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Tashlich ("Casting Off")

On the first afternoon, many walk to a flowing body of water (like a river or sea) and recite prayers. They symbolically "cast off" their sins, often by throwing breadcrumbs into the water, representing a fresh start.

Prayer Services

Services are long and use a special prayer book called a Machzor. The liturgy emphasizes God's kingship, remembrance, and the shofar. A famous, solemn prayer is Unetaneh Tokef, which describes the Day of Judgment: "On Rosh Hashanah it is written... who shall live and who shall die..."

Core Theological Themes

Rosh Hashanah is imbued with profound, layered meanings:

  • Divine Kingship: The shofar blasts are like a trumpet herald at a coronation, symbolically crowning God as King of the Universe for the new year.
  • Divine Judgment (Yom HaDin): Tradition holds that on this day, God reviews the deeds of all people and decrees their fate for the coming year in the "Book of Life."
  • Repentance & Renewal (Teshuvah): It's not a day of final doom, but a call to action. It begins the Ten Days of Repentance, a period for introspection and self-improvement to influence the final decree on Yom Kippur.
  • Creation & "Birthday of the World": The holiday is seen as the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve—the birthday of humanity and the completion of the world.
  • Mercy & Hope: Despite the solemnity of judgment, the day is filled with hope. Prayers like Avinu Malkeinu ("Our Father, Our King") appeal to God's mercy as both a sovereign and a compassionate parent.

Modern Observances

In Israel

Rosh Hashanah is a two-day national holiday. Even secular Israelis often gather for large family feasts. Synagogues are full, and the sound of shofars can be heard in many neighborhoods. The holiday blends national, cultural, and religious identity.

In the Diaspora

Outside of Israel, observance varies. Many Jews who are not otherwise observant attend synagogue on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (sometimes called "High Holy Day Jews"). It's a time for family gatherings, and communities often hold large, public Tashlich ceremonies at local parks or waterfronts.

Historical Tashlich: Early 20th-century American Jews perform the Tashlich prayer on a bridge in New York City.

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Cultural Variations

Different Jewish communities have unique customs. Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews hold a special "seder" with symbolic foods, while Ashkenazi Jews might focus on brisket and sweet carrot tzimmes. The core themes, however, remain universal.

Observance Across Denominations

While all Jewish movements observe Rosh Hashanah, practices can differ:

Orthodox Judaism

Observes two full days, even in Israel. Services are long, entirely in Hebrew, and follow traditional Jewish law strictly. The theology of a literal Day of Judgment is fully embraced. Men and women sit separately.

Conservative Judaism

Also observes two days. Services are traditional and mostly in Hebrew, but men and women sit together, and women participate equally. The theology is traditional, though open to more modern interpretations.

Reform Judaism

Typically observes one day (though some congregations now offer a second). Services are shorter, with a mix of Hebrew and English, and often include musical instruments. The theology is often interpreted more metaphorically, focusing on personal renewal and ethical reflection.