Oct. 2 marked the beginning of the year 5785 in the Jewish calendar. The holiday honors the new year, which falls in the month of Tishrei and is called Rosh Hashanah, which means the year’s end.
It is a chance to refresh and restart with a clean slate, so it is followed up by another important holiday only 10 days later: Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur is a holiday where Jewish people fast to atone for their sins. It’s a form of self-control to remind the Jewish people that they have control over their actions and choices throughout the year.
These two holidays are considered the most sacred in the Jewish religion and are the most popular holidays to go to temple for.
“There is something beautiful about the care we take to dress our Torah so beautifully. We change them to white and shine all of their crowns. I think the community reflects this by taking care to dress themselves for the occasion,” said Margolis.
Community members’ willingness to help out shows how important these holidays are to many Jewish congregants.
“To meet the needs of our community, we recruit a lot of help from the community,” said Vice President of Education at Temple Beth Israel Ms. Anya Margolis.
A major part of making this holiday special for Jewish people is the community and families gathering together to start a fresh year with new experiences together.
“I love that I have the chance to catch up and spend time with my family,” said junior Tori Kaufman when asked about her favorite part of Rosh Hashanah.
People get so busy throughout the year and these holidays serve as an amazing chance to spend time surrounded by loved ones to celebrate this important holiday with.
All Jewish holidays begin at sundown and end at sunset. Rosh Hashanah is a holiday celebrated all day, similar to New Year’s, so it ended on Oct. 4 at sundown.
Just like many other holidays, Rosh Hashanah has food-related traditions that go along with it. To represent a sweet New Year, the Jewish people dip apples into honey. It is also a tradition to eat challah, but unlike holidays such as Shabbat where the challah is shaped like a loaf, this challah is round to symbolize the circularity of the calendar.
Another traditional food for Rosh Hashanah is pomegranate seeds, specifically 613 seeds for the 613 commandments of the Torah. They are meant to bless the person who eats seeds for the next year. This holiday is usually celebrated by having dinner with close or extended family to ring in the new year together.
Although there are nighttime services, many people go to services in the morning of the first, or both, days. Since this holiday marks the beginning of the year, it is also when Jewish people restart the reading of the Torah from the very first story, which is in the book of Genesis.
Ten days following Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur falls. Like all other Jewish holidays, it begins at sunset, but since the Jewish people fast for this holiday, it is very important to make sure that dinner is finished before sundown. This day, and meal, before the holiday starts is called Erev Yom Kippur, the eve of Yom Kippur, where families often eat and drink a lot of water before they are no longer allowed to. That evening, after 26 hours of fasting when people do not eat or drink liquids, they break the fast.
Break fast is at sunset on the second day of Yom Kippur which is when families and friends gather to eat and drink together. Break fast food is often served as though it is the first meal of the day for those fasting. Bagels are one of the most popular foods at this meal.
“Although it is not the easiest day because we have to fast and go out of our way to change our daily routine, it reminds me how important the holiday is,” said junior Jordan Morley.
It is a great way to start the year with a clean slate and since it falls near the beginning of the school year it is a great time to try and become the best version of yourself.