Blackwell Reference Online

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[ xxii ] (‘New Year’; literally ‘head of the year’) Two-day Jewish new year festival (C hagim ). The Jewish year begins in the autumn, before the onset of the rainy season. Rosh Ha-shanah is a time of judgement when God, ‘the king of all creation’, sits on His heavenly throne of justice and judges humankind for their deeds in the past year. It begins the 10 days of repentance which culminate in the Y om K ippur fast. The ram's horn ( shofar ) is sounded 100 times during the morning L iturgy of the festival to awaken people to repentance. On the afternoon of the first day people go to a stream and, in a ritual known as tashlikh (‘casting’), they symbolically cast their sins away into the water [69: 196]. Although Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are known as days of awe, the former is also a festive day celebrated with fine clothes and good food and drink, because Jews trust in God's mercy and forgiveness. Foods are eaten which are positive symbols for the year ahead; thus bread is dipped in honey rather than in salt to signify a sweet year [70: 174]. People greet each other with the words: ‘May you be written down [in the heavenly book] of those who will have a good year.’ ... log in or subscribe to read full text