Celebrating Jewish High Holidays
Rosh Hashana - October 2
Rosh Hashana, also spelled Hashanah, begins on October this year. Rosh Hashana (Hebrew: “Beginning of the Year”) is a major Jewish observance now accepted as inaugurating the religious New Year on Tishri 1 (September or October). Because the New Year ushers in a 10-day period of self-examination and penitence, Rosh Hashana is also called the annual Day of Judgment or Day of Remembrance. During this period, each Jew reviews his relationship with God, the Supreme Judge. A distinctive feature of the liturgy is the blowing of the ram’s horn (shofar) as prescribed in Numbers 29:1; the notes of the shofar call the Jewish people to a spiritual awakening associated with the revelation to Moses on Mount Sinai. During the Additional Service in the synagogue, the shofar is sounded after the recital of each of three groups of prayers.
Yom Kippur - October 11
Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, is observed on the 10th day of the month of Tishri (falling in September or October). It is the culmination of a 10-day period of penitence and reflection that begins with Rosh Hashana (New Year’s Day). The most solemn of Jewish religious holidays, Yom Kippur is observed with fasting and prayer.
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