The High Holy Days refer the two festivals of Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) and the Ten Days of Repentance (Penitence) in between them. The commandments to observe these days are found in the Torah.
Background
Rosh Hashanah occurs on the first and second day of the Hebrew month of Tishri, which corresponds to September or October in the Gregorian calendar. (See The Jewish Year). According to Jewish tradition it marks the anniversary of the creation of the world. Rosh Hashanah is followed by the Ten Days of Repentance which conclude with Yom Kippur. The High Holy Days are the most important spiritual days of the whole of the Jewish year. The celebration of the New Year is tempered by the fact that we then spend the following ten days thinking very carefully about our behaviour so that we can ask God for forgiveness for our sins on Yom Kippur. It is a time for serious, painful, soul-searching and penitence.
Our prayers at this time of year focus on God’s majesty and mercy. We imagine Him as a Divine King of Justice, reviewing our past deeds in the Book of Life. This is like an imaginary ‘report’ on all of us- on one side is written one’s good deeds and on the other, one’s bad ones. At this time of year, God will weigh the good against the bad. Our wish is that ‘we be inscribed in the Book of Life (for good)’.
Rosh Hashanah
At Home
Like all our celebrations, this is welcomed at sunset on the evening before the main day itself. We light and bless two candles followed by the blessing and drinking of Kosher wine (or grape juice) and eating Challah bread in the shape of a spiral or circle.
This represents the year as the circle or cycle of life – we end one year and immediately start the next. The circular shape also symbolises the crown God wears as the ‘King of the Universe’ – the phrase used to venerate Him in many of our prayers. Sometimes the Challah is braided or decorated with dough ‘ladders’ to help our prayers ‘climb’ to God.
We then bless and eat apples (and sometimes Challah) dipped in honey. Honey or apple cake is also eaten. (see Traditional Jewish Recipes). We wish each other a ‘sweet New Year’.
After the Blessings, we share a special festive meal, during which some families place a fish’s head on the table to represent the ‘head’ of the year! This is a reminder of a saying in Deuteronomy which says ‘He will make you the head not the tail, you will be only at the top and not at the bottom’.
On the second night, it is customary to eat a ‘new fruit’ that we haven’t eaten recently. This is commonly a pomegranate, firstly because it is one of the native Israeli fruits and also because its many seeds represent the commandments in the Torah.
Pomegranates, apples, honey, the round Challah, the Book of Life and the Shofar (see below) are often used as symbols on cards sent at Rosh Hashanah.
We wish each other L’Shana Tovah or Shana Tova- have a Happy New Year!
In Synagogue
During the High Holy Days, all the coloured curtains and drapery in the Synagogue are replaced by white ones, including the Rabbi’s ceremonial robes and Kippah. The colour white symbolises holiness and purity. We use a special prayer book for the High Holy Days called a Machzor.
During the morning service, the story of ‘The Binding of Isaac’ is read from the Torah. (See Jewish Festival Stories) The message of this story is of Abraham’s unstinting loyalty and love of God. At the last minute a ram was chosen for the sacrifice instead of Isaac. This is one of the reasons we blow the Shofar, the ram’s horn, in Synagogue on the two High Holy Days.
In Biblical times, the Shofar recalls God’s Revelation on Mount Sinai and it was subsequently blown to announce important occasions. ( In the Bible, Rosh Hashanah is known as Yom Teruah, the day of blowing of the ram’s horn.)
Nowadays the Shofar is blown to celebrate God’s continuing majesty and to act as a ‘wake up call’ to inspire our commitment and sincerity. It is blown in a series of ‘shofar sounds’ by a trained shofar blower. There are 4 different sounds making 100 blasts in total. One very long and loud blast marks the end of the final combination. Click here for video link.
In the afternoon of Rosh Hashanah we perform a traditional ceremony called Tashlich. (Hebrew – casting off). This is when we ‘cast off’ our sins of the previous year by throwing crumbs into the flowing water of a nearby stream thereby literally putting them away from us.
The Ten Days of Repentance
These ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur will be spent in introspection and prayer. These prayers are known as Selichot. (Hebrew- forgiveness)
Making amends for our sins is known as Teshuvah, literally ‘returning’. It is a three step process. Firstly, we have to recognise our mistakes and have a genuine desire to correct them. Then we have to apologise sincerely and seek forgiveness from those we have hurt. Then we must also demonstrate that we have learned from our mistakes by promising not to repeat them. Only now can we seek forgiveness from God.
When a Jew is sincere in his apologies, it is the responsibility of other Jews to show forgiveness.
It is also customary to perform acts of Tzedakah (charity) during this time of repentance.
Yom Kippur
The most Holy and serious day in the Hebrew Calendar, sometimes known as the ‘Sabbath of Sabbaths’. It occurs on the 10th day of Tishri. The night before is known as Kol Nidrei (Aramaic – All Our Promises). It is also the name of the solemn and haunting song at the beginning of the Kol Nidrei service. This song is a legal formula for the collective annulment of promises which dates back many centuries. In essence it is an expression of repentance for all unfulfilled promises and oaths made to God during the year.
All healthy adults able to do so will fast for 25 hours from sunset on Kol Nidrei until sunset on Yom Kippur. Children may fast for several hours to prepare them for this adulthood practice or perhaps forego their ‘treats’ for the day.
We fast to cleanse the body and spirit and so we can focus exclusively on our prayers for forgiveness and self improvement instead of the mundane. It is also an act of humility and sympathy for those who suffer hunger every day.
No work is permitted. There are five services in Synagogue which last all day, including a Memorial Service for our dear ones who have passed away. It is customary to light a long lasting Memorial (Yarzheit) candle for them at home.
We also read from the Book of Jonah during the afternoon service. This story reminds us of God’s mercy and forgiveness to all people. (See Jewish Festival Stories).
The final service on Yom Kippur ends with a single long blast of the Shofar. This marks the conclusion of the fast and is a sound of both hope and freedom.
Summary
The High Holy Days are the most important days in Judaism. They are when we feel closest to God. At their conclusion, the hope is that Jews are reconciled with a merciful God and also with their peers. As a result, we can go forward in the New Year determined to be better Jews in the future.