Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, is the first of the High Holy Days or Yamim Noraim (Days of Awe). It weds seriousness with celebration and begins the 10 days of repentance that culminate in Yom Kippur. The new year focuses our attention on themes of judgment, repentance, memory, and the divine presence in the world. At the same time, Rosh Hashanah invites us to celebrate birth and creation on many levels. The liturgy suggests that Rosh Hashanah commemorates the creation of the world. Family-oriented services often include a birthday cake for the world—a big hit for kids of all ages! We dip apples in honey to emphasize the sweetness of starting the cycle of seasons once again, and eat round challot to remind us of the cycles of life. The Torah and Haftarah readings for the holiday also address birth and the preciousness of all human life. These stories remind us that the arrival of every child—each and every one of us—is a promise for a renewed world. We renew ourselves at Rosh Hashanah in order to reconnect with this promise and to help ourselves fulfill it in the year ahead.
A welcome greeting to people of other faiths and backgrounds on Rosh Hashanah
Alternative shofar blasts using everyday sounds
A Rosh Hashanah seder to mark each year of the shmita cycle
A reminder to place yourselves on the path of holiness, joy, and truth
A prayer and poem asking to return us to ourselves and our source
Combines the ritual of tashlikh with the words and sentiments of U’netaneh Tokef and Al Het in a series of experiential activities to recognize and let go of our sins
A ritual to help begin the transformation of a bad habit to something that is healthy and life-affirming
A prayer reminding us to stay open so that we come closer to the divine
A worksheet to assist in the process of assessing what we need to cast off during tashlikh
A prayer for tashlikh, which can be read solo, or used as a responsive reading
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