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by Lesley Misko
If you hear people saying “happy new year” this week, don’t worry! You have not fallen into a lengthy sleep only to awaken on January 1, 2025. The good wishes are for the Jewish New Year.
Beginning sundown, Wednesday, Oct.2 and ending at sundown, Friday, Oct. 4, people who observe the Jewish faith locally, like those around the world, will celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the arrival of the year 5785 on the lunar Jewish calendar.
Religious services will be held at synagogues, and families and friends will gather to enjoy holiday dinners. Although the holiday is a happy one, it begins a solemn period known as the “10 Days of Awe,” a time when Jews focus their attention on reflection and repentance. It is believed that during this time, God evaluates the actions, intentions, and repentance of people, and based on that evaluation, determines the fate of each during the upcoming year..
A highlight of the Rosh Hashanah services is the blowing of the “shofar,” an ancient wind instrument made from a ram’s horn. Used to call Jewish people to prayer, the sounding of the shofar during the holiday aims to awaken souls that have grown complacent and marks the start of a period of intense personal reflection that culminates on Yom Kippur. the “Day of Atonement," which is the most holy of the Jewish holidays. Usually, a congregation is lucky to have a member who owns a shofar and can sound it successfully.
“Sweetness” is the theme for Rosh Hashanah foods. Roast chicken flavored with orange and apricot, apples dipped in honey, sweet wine, and most especially a dish called Tzimmes, a stew of sweet root vegetables like parsnips, sweet potatoes, carrots, sometimes with added meat, will enable Jewish folks to begin the new year on a sweet note.
The date of Rosh Hashanah, like all Jewish holidays, varies each year, based on the Hebrew calendar, which is both a lunar calendar and a solar calendar. The months correspond to the moon cycles and the years correspond to the cycles of the sun. Centuries ago, a complex system was created to reconcile the two. Though the specific date changes, these holidays always occur in September or October.
This year's holiday also comes on the eve of the solemn, one-year anniversary of the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel, which saw Hamas murder over 1,200 people and take hundreds of people hostage, including several Americans. Hamas' attack has the distinction of being the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, and it sparked not only a renewal of regional tensions and bloodshed after a period of extended calm in the Middle East, but also a wave of anti-Semitism across the globe.
Against this backdrop, we can all use a sweet new year, so to all, "Shanah Tovah."( shah-NAH toe-VAH), which means "Good year."
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013447-sweet-potato-carrot-and-dried-fruit-casserole.
Click here for another version of Tzimmes.
Click here to hear the sound of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah.
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