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Rosh Hashanah

Honey drizzling into a dish near two red apples on a red surface.

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.

Latest Rituals

“We welcome those who join us virtually on these days”
person having online call or meeting with someone on the computer. live person is shown with hand as if gesturing in conversation. person on computer is smiling.
“Why make my descendants suffer like that?”
woman in a desert with mounds of sand shown with shadows. she is small and far away in the scene.
“My dear, there are no keys to the palace”
light brown skinned woman with curly dark hair dressed in gauzy gown looking contemplative in halo-like crown with hair pinned up and curls coming down in field with tree and sunlight
“May the seeds of this year / Be planted”
closeup of white hand holding seed packet pouring seeds into garden container near soil
“Forgive me and help me to forgive myself and others”
white woman with eyes closed immersed in water, half her face submerged, smiling
An introduction to the Zikhronot section of the Rosh Hashanah liturgy
person in silhouette looking up at dark night sky in navy and various shades of blue and stars. Person is looking up to sky.
“May you be as a baby yet unborn, / floating in Mother Ocean”
four people, some wearing kippot, at the edge of a lake throwing breadcrumbs to perform the tashlikh ritual
“I propose that we add an element to the traditional tashlikh ceremony, symbolizing our power: fire.”
group of people sitting around bonfire under night sky, their faces glowing
“And the ram spoke to Abraham saying: go back and comfort Sarah”
white ram shown at a distance under huge blue sky with white clouds
“May this be the year we choose / to live our lives fully”
Person walking on a path toward the sunrise, with a mountain in the background.

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