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 variety of candle lighting blessings, traditional and modern, for holidays
The masculine hierarchical God-language so prevalent in High Holiday liturgy can be painful and distancing. This article offers suggestions to restore the empowering potential of the High Holidays for those who have felt diminished, uninterested, and/or angered by traditional High Holiday prayer.
A new version of the traditional prayer using some feminine and non-gendered terms
A meditation walk that one can do to prepare to do teshuvah (repentance)
Reinterpretation of the idea of casting away sins during Rosh Hashanah
Try tashlikh for Rosh Hashanah: a healing ritual to cast off burdens
Takes listeners through the Jewish year and explores their feelings at each season
A humorous list of different types of bread to use for different sins for tashlikh
Feminine aspects of some foods and rituals associated with Rosh Hashanah
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