Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is a two-day holiday. The mornings are spent in the synagogue praying, asking God to grant us a sweet and prosperous year, and listening to the sound of the bell. shofar (a ram's horn). Some customs that make up the complete Rosh Hashanah experience:

Candles are lit, it is done Kiddush And a sumptuous festive meal is enjoyed both nights. No work is allowed, no cars are driven, no writing is permitted, and no electrical appliances are switched on or off. Cooking and carrying goods are allowed in the streets (except on Shabbat).

Many of the customs of Rosh Hashanah are symbolic of the kind of year we hope for. On the first night, we eat a piece of apple with honey, taste a piece of fish head, asking God that this year we be "heads." We eat pomegranates with the prayer that this year we be filled with mitzvot, just as the pomegranate is filled with seeds. In turn, we dip the Challah with honey at all meals. If symbolism isn't enough, we verbalize it by wishing family and friends a good and sweet new year.

On the first day of Rosh Hashanah, there is an ancient custom of going to a body of water where there are fish and performing the ceremony of Tashlij. The word means "to send," and it is a short prayer in which we ask God to cast our sins into the depths of the sea. Water is a metaphor for goodness, and the fish symbolize our hope that God will always watch over us to protect us.