Tag
Rosh Hashanah
18 articles
High Holiday Preparation: A Complete Guide for Elul and Beyond
The High Holidays don't start on Rosh Hashanah — they start a month earlier, in Elul. Here's your complete guide to spiritual and practical preparation, from selichot prayers to meal planning to the inner work of teshuvah.
Jewish Food Symbolism: What Every Dish Means
In Judaism, food is never just food. Apples dipped in honey, round challah, eggs at a shiva meal, pomegranates with 613 seeds — every dish tells a story. Explore the rich symbolism behind Jewish foods and the meanings they carry.
Rosh Hashanah Customs and Simanim: A Complete Guide
Rosh Hashanah is rich with customs and symbolic foods — from apples and honey to the head of a fish, from pomegranates to dates. Explore the full simanim table, Ashkenazi vs. Sephardic comparisons, and the meaning behind every tradition.
Rosh Hashanah: The Jewish New Year
The sound of the shofar marks the beginning of the Jewish New Year — a time of reflection, prayer, and hope for the year ahead.
The Fast of Gedaliah: Mourning the End of Jewish Autonomy
The Fast of Gedaliah — observed the day after Rosh Hashanah — commemorates the assassination of the last Jewish governor of Judah, an act that extinguished the final ember of Jewish self-rule after the destruction of the First Temple.
Selichot: The Midnight Prayers That Open the Gates of Mercy
Selichot — penitential prayers recited before the High Holidays — fill the night with haunting melodies and raw pleas for forgiveness. From Ashkenazi midnight vigils to the Sephardi month-long tradition, these prayers prepare the soul for judgment.
Rosh Hashanah: The Complete Guide to the Jewish New Year
Everything about Rosh Hashanah — the shofar, teshuvah, tashlich, the meals, the prayers, the customs, and why the Jewish New Year is less celebration and more soul-searching.
All Jewish Holidays: A Complete Guide and Calendar
The definitive guide to every Jewish holiday — from the weekly Shabbat to the High Holy Days, pilgrimage festivals, and minor observances, with dates, greetings, customs, and foods for each.
The Binding of Isaac (Akedah): Abraham's Ultimate Test
Genesis 22 tells of God commanding Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac — then stopping him at the last moment. The Akedah is read on Rosh Hashanah and has been debated by Jewish thinkers for three thousand years.
Parashat Nitzavim: Standing Before God, Covenant Renewal, and Choose Life
Parashat Nitzavim presents the final covenant renewal — every Israelite standing before God, the promise of return after exile, and the immortal command: 'I have set before you life and death — choose life.' Always read before Rosh Hashanah.
Aleinu: The Prayer That Concludes Every Service
Aleinu — 'It is upon us to praise' — closes every Jewish prayer service with a bold declaration of God's uniqueness. Discover its origins in the Rosh Hashanah musaf, its connection to Jewish martyrdom, and why the entire congregation bows during its words.
Ashkenazi vs Sephardi Holiday Customs
Same holidays, different customs — from the kitniyot debate at Passover to the simanim on Rosh Hashanah. A guide to how Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews celebrate the same festivals in beautifully different ways.
Tashlich: The Rosh Hashanah Ritual of Casting Away Sins
Tashlich — the Rosh Hashanah custom of going to water and symbolically casting away sins — is one of Judaism's most evocative rituals. Its origins, prayers, community dimension, and what happens when Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat.
Rosh Hashanah Cards: The Beautiful Tradition of L'Shanah Tovah
From 19th-century German lithographs to WhatsApp messages, the tradition of sending Rosh Hashanah greetings connects Jews across distance and time with wishes for a sweet new year.
Unetaneh Tokef: Who Shall Live and Who Shall Die
Unetaneh Tokef — 'Let us proclaim the power of this day' — is the dramatic High Holiday prayer that envisions God judging every living soul. Explore its haunting imagery, its legendary origins, and its call to repentance, prayer, and charity.
Tractate Rosh Hashanah: The Sound That Resets the World
Tractate Rosh Hashanah covers the Jewish New Year, the shofar blast, and the ancient system of calendar determination — the moment when time itself begins again.
Rosh Hashanah Menu Plan: Symbolic Foods for a Sweet New Year
Plan the perfect Rosh Hashanah dinner with this complete menu guide — from apples and honey to round challah, pomegranates, and traditional mains across Ashkenazi and Sephardi traditions.
Lekach: Traditional Jewish Honey Cake
The history, symbolism, and recipe for lekach — the traditional Ashkenazi honey cake served at Rosh Hashanah and other celebrations, representing hopes for a sweet new year.