Shalom, this is Rabbii Jonathan Ginsburg Ezra-Habonim, the Niles Township Jewish Congregation, in Skokie, Illinois. This video is about Rosh hashana the holy new year of the Jewish people. First of all according to the bible, it is not the New Year it is the first day of the seventh month. The New Year according to the Torah begins in April. But The Talmud says there are four new years in Judaism and this is one. But the most famous one for the Jewish people today. So what is it? The bible calls it Yom Hazikarom the day of remembrance when God remembers our deeds, it is also called Yom Truah by both the Torah, a day of blowing the rams horn and by the Rabbiis. It reflects the idea that on this day is the beginning of the ten days repentance including with Yom Kippur. We begin to search our souls and God searches our deeds to judge us. There is a solemn but not morbid mood, it is also celebratory because the Rabi said it coincides with the anniversary of the creation of the world so we read the Torah the first day of Rosh hashana, the story of the birth of Isaac and in the half Torah is the birth of Samuel the Prophet. Both the birth of this important Jews reminds us about the birth of the world. Not that we actually believe the world was created on that day, although some Jews might but it is a way of talking about a new start because the Torah says that when we conclude with Yom Kippur, if we done our work of repentance, well we then become clean before God. I also urge you to view two other videos I have, one on repentance and the other on the Torah portion Vayera which deals with the binding of Isaac which is a Torah reading for the second day of Rosh hashana and also deals with some of the basic ideas of Rosh hashana. So what are the customs, well the period starts really in a month before the (foreign language), when we have penitential prayers called Selichot and a big service at midnight on the Saturday night before Rosh hashana. Usually it is less than four days, lapsing between then is moved back to the last week in which we offer penitential prayers. Rosh hashana is two days and it is a time when we celebrate as I said the New year in this theme of creation. One of the customs is specially to eat apples dipped in honey as the sweetness of the year. We suppose to say to one another L'Shana Tova for Happy New Year. L'Shana Tova Tika Tevu that we should be written in the book of life for a good year, then after Rosh hashana we begin saying L'shana Tova -- Ketivah vi-chatima Tova the last word vi-chatima Tova means that we should be sealed in the book of life.
The imagery is that God has a book of life and records our deeds and then determines whether we enter in for another year. I do not believe that is literally true. One of the perimeter professors of medieval Jewish Liturgy and expert on the Mazhar I use to give lectures of my first synagogue in Brooklyn and he was the Canter for the high holidays and he is to talk about how this is really constructed as a play were the central participants in this play and we are to act as if this were true in order to asses our lives and improve our lives. It is not the way it is done but actually to read ourselves of clutter of the spiritual garbage and the mistakes we made long year to God that we can atone for. Now this period is not atoned for the transgressions against people that we have to do on our own. We have to ask them for forgiveness and so we have all of these ideas of both celebration and some to reflection.
On of the highlights of the liturgy is of course the blowing of the ram’s horn the shofar. There are basically two types, there is a shorter version, smaller one at the European Jews and wait a second I will show you one. Here is an example of the shofar used by the Jews. I want to make this, there is three sounds, have not practiced I hope I will do it okay. The first one is nine brief staccato ( demo ) called teruah then there is three middle size notes called Shevarim (demo ) and then there is a long one called Tekia ( demo ) and then there is a really long one called Tekia Gehdola the great Tekia that you do at the end. That is to wake us up, now there are many reasons given by mymanotis about why we blow the Shofar but my favorite is mymanotis saying basically is a wake up form your spiritual slumber and realize that God is the savor of the universe and you are being judged and if you never doubt that then watch the eyes of little children when they heard the Shofar blown. It is over a hundred notes total blown in (foreign language) except if it is Shabbat we do not blow the Shofar. Maybe reformed Jews do but traditional Jews do not and then on Yom Kippur, the very end there is a set accommodating in the Tekia Gehdola. But I will do a different video on Yom Kippur. So that is a lot of basic ideas you will see in the clergy often wearing white gowns in some more traditional synagogues other Jews will a white Kittles there cog to reflect the issue of purity. It is a saber of self reflection but also celebratory people are hugging, kissing and it is the time when most Jews comes to synagogues besides Yom Kippur so hopefully a time for family and friends to get together for celebratory meals, I whish one another a happy new year.
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