What are Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur?

Author’s note: I have never been one who saw the United States as a melting pot. To me that has connotations of a ‘cream of’ soup, where all ingredients are blended together to make one thing. Instead, I view us as a chicken or similar soup, where the ingredients come together to create one great soup, but still allows each ingredient to stand on its own deliciousness. That why many people chose to live in West Orange, where there is a diverse group of individuals from different cultures and religious, which give us all the opportunity to learn and grown. But our eyes and ears must remain open to be able to learn and understand each other. We need to all get to know our neighbors because knowing and understanding leads to acceptance. With the antisemitism that has been on steroids since October 7, I decided to submit a series of articles throughout the year so that people can come to understand who the Jewish people are, and hopefully break some of the barriers of hate. I invite you all to share your cultures with us so we can continue to grow and learn.

What are Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur and why are my kids’ schools closed?

The Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar, which means it follows the cycles of the moon and not the sun. Unlike other lunar calendars, the Jewish calendar includes a leap-month every four years to keep holidays within their proper season, as many of the holidays are celebrations and customs that developed with the agriculture cycle in Israel thousands of years ago. So Jewish holidays, when looked at in relation to the Julian calendar, always seem to be early or late. This year Rosh Hashana falls out on October 2 and 3 and is considered ‘late’. Last year Rosh Hashana fell out the week following Labor Day and the year contained a leap-month.

Rosh Hashana

Rosh Hashana which literally means ‘the head of the year’, is the Jewish New Year and starts the month of Tishrai in the new year 5785. It, and the ten days following which lead up to Yom Kippur, are called the Days of Awe and are the holiest days of the Jewish year. It is a period of reflection and repentance and marks the beginning of the ‘high holiday season’. On each of the two days of Rosh Hashana Jews round the world will spend a large portion of the day in synagogue where special prayers are said, reaffirming their connection to G-d and asking for forgiveness for the transgressions of the previous year. The transgressions run the gamut of the 613 commandments, from stealing to dishonoring one’s parents, to speaking bad about another and everything in between. The prayers also include blowing of the Shofar, or ram’s horn, which is traditionally a call to repentance.

More observant Jews will abstain from ‘worldy’ things such as use of electricity and electronic devices, as well as from working, cooking or traveling.

On the afternoon of the first day, it is traditional to perform the ceremony of Tashlich, when people will say a prayer and cast pieces of bread into a body of water. Tashlich, which translates to ‘you shall throw’, symbolizes casting your sins away, with the bread representing your sins. So now if you see swarms of people at Degnan Park on the afternoon of October 2, you will know why!

It is customary to eat certain foods on Rosh Hashana, as symbolic ways of bringing in the new year. Some of the common foods include, but not limited to

• a round challah (bread), often with sweet raisins, to symbolize the constant cycles of the year and seasons
• apples dipped in honey, and eating honey cake, in hopes of a sweet year
• a new fruit that you have not eaten this year, to signify fertility, blessing and new possibilities
• pomegranates, which is said to have 613 seeds, correlating to the 613 commandments given by G-d. As it also represents fertility and abundance, some use this as a new fruit, if they have not eaten it that year
• Fish head, so we can be the head and not the tail, meaning we should lead the new year with strength and integrity (well this one is typically just symbolic!)

Yom Kippur

The days after Rosh Hashana are known as the “Days of Awe”, when special prayers are added to the morning service, and culminate on Yom Kippur.

Yom Kippur, which means “Day of Atonement”, is the holiest day of the year. During the days of the Temple in Jerusalem, the High Priest would sacrifice a goat to obtain forgiveness on behalf of the people. Jews would gather from near and far to witness this event. Since the Temple was destroyed, and hopefully now for humanitarian reasons, sacrifices are no longer made. For 26 hours, from sundown when the holiday begins, to sundown the following day, Jews ‘afflict their souls’, by abstaining from eating or drinking, wearing leather or other ‘haughty’ items such as putting on creams or makeup, and spend the day in synagogue praying for forgiveness. It is customary to wear white, symbolizing purity, atonement and morality. The evening prayer service begins with the Kol Nidre prayer, which is said in a haunting tune, repeated three times getting louder with each recitation. During the daily prayers the U’Netanah Tokef prayer, which refers to the question of what fate each person will face in the coming year, is said. The famous Leonard Cohen song Who by Fire is based on this prayer. It is said that on Rosh Hashana G-d writes your name into the Book of Life and on Yom Kippur your fate is sealed.

The final prayer of the daytime service, called Ne’eelah, is said standing, and culminates with a single blast of the shofar and reciting the ancient Shema prayer (Hear O Israel, G-d is our Lord, G-d is One).

Jews then partake in a festive break fast meal, often gathering at the home of friends or family.

So why are my kids off from school?

Kids are not off from school every where in the United States. Closing of the schools began in communities where a large number of the teachers or students were Jewish, and since so many would be taking off anyway, it made sense to close the school. This is why you will find schools that have virtually no Jewish students that are closed on those days.

L’shana Tovah U’Metuka. Wishing everyone, whether you celebrate or not, a happy and healthy 5785.

Next Up: Sukkot, or what are those funny little huts.