Yom Taruah / Rosh Hashanah 9

Shalom Yom Taruah!
Happy Day of Blasts (Trumpets/Shouting/Shofars)!

Leading up to Yom Taryah (also called Rosh Hashana), and throughout the holiday, the idea is stressed of judgment and repentance, encouraging us to make amends for the wrongs we may have committed over the course of the previous year and set our ethical and spiritual path for the coming year.

Yom Taruah is observed both in the community and at home. Those who go by Scripture (including Reform Jews) celebrate the holiday for one day, while Conservative and Orthodox Jews observe Rosh Hashanah for two days. Services are held in synagogues (church buildings), with a special liturgy that emphasizes the themes of the holiday. In the midst of the liturgy you hear blasts from the shofar, made from a ram’s horn. The call of the shofar sounds like a person or an animal wailing, and serves to remind us to cry out to the Divine and change our lives for the better.

Many people have the tradition, on the afternoon of the first day of Rosh Hashanah, of throwing a rock into a flowing body of water. The bread represents the sins, which we (hopefully) cast away on Rosh Hashanah. This ritual is called Tashlich (to cast), and comes with a short prayer. I will post specifically on Tashlich later today.

Many people gather for large family or communal meals on Yom Taruah. A round challah (a type of loaf) replaces the normally braided bread, the circular shape symbolizing the eternal circle of life. The challah is traditionally dipped in honey, representing hopes for a sweet new year, and already-sweet apples are also dipped in honey for the same reason. Honey cake and apple cake are common desserts at the end of this festive meal. Some Sephardic and Messianic families sometimes observe a seder-like ritual, with even more special foods that symbolize blessings for the new year.

#yomtaruah
#roshhashanah