Rosh Hashana

Today is a special day: this evening, Friday 18th, is Rosh Hashana eve, "'Erev 'Rosh Hasha'na" (the ' shows you the stress on each syllable). Rosh Hashana is the New Year of the Jewish calendar: this evening, after sunset, begins the year 5770.

What does this mean for Jews? It depends on whom you are asking.
For the secular Jewish Israeli, who lives according to the Gregorian calendar, this is about tradition, a nice holiday; those who follow old family traditions will serve apple slices and dip them in honey, as a symbol of hope for a "sweet" new year and many other kinds of food, such as pomegranate berries, dates and more. Whatever the various ways people in Israel celebrate Rosh Hashana, it has little in common with western Sylvester celebrations. Mostly, this is a feast of family gatherings. In the large cities, such as Tel Aviv, people also celebrate New Year on 31st December - many throw late night parties, dancing and drinking; it is not a common habit though in Israel.

For religious Jews, Rosh Hashana means that a new year is beginning and this is the time when God decides for every and each person what his or her life will look like in the coming year. The most important thing, for a religious Jew, at Rosh Hashana, is to listen to the Shofar: the Shofar, the traditional Jewish horn celebrates the presence of God, in whose realm we all live - a right one gas to earn. Rosh Hashana is about happiness and joy that one is part of this realm of life. But the horn also reminds cries and sadness - this is to remind people that they must examine their deeds in the past year and see if they have done any wrong; Rosh Hashana is the beginning of the 10 Days of Awe or of Repentance; wrongdoings still may be fixed until Yom Kippur. The next most important thing to do, for the religious Jew, is taking part in the prayer at temple; songs are performed by the Chazan (in Ashkenazi temples, for samples see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7SBznfK4_g) or a "paytan" (in sefardic or oriental temples, for samples see: http://www.piyut.org.il/ ), a religious singer, whose target it is to move and touch the listeners' soul as deeply as possible. Dinner at home is a part of the whole celebration, but an accessory one.

This the occasion at which many Jewish men, mainly chassidic, but also secular, choose to visit the tomb of Rabbi Nachman of Breslav in the Ukraine. For the Breslav Chassidim, this is the highlight of the year.
It seems that for either secular and religious Jews, Rosh Hashana is a basically happy, a life assessing holiday.
Let's all have a happy Rosh Hashana!