If you have Jewish friends or relatives, have the good fortune to be invited to a holiday meal, or even if you're Jewish, here are a few fascinating facts and customs about the holiday to keep in mind:

1.  In Hebrew, Rosh Hashanah means “head of the year” or “first of the year.” The holiday encompasses four meanings: The Day of Judgment, The Day of Remembrance, the Day of Shofar (ram's horn) blowing, along with The New Year. Although it is a happy time, this holiday is also a more solemn time for reflection on actions, thoughts, words, and goals.  

2. The main difference between this New Year's holiday and others is that it does not come and go in one day. Rosh Hashanah is so important that it is celebrated over 48 hours as one. It is followed by 10 days known as the High Holy Days---a time of penitence and prayer that ends with Yom Kippur, a day of fasting, in October (more in our October tip).

3.  It is customary to refrain from sleeping during the day of Rosh Hashanah. Instead, observers take this time to study the Torah and engage in other spiritually productive activities. It is said that if you are idle, it is as if you are sleeping. The Talmud Yerushalmi states, "If one sleeps at the year's beginning, his good fortune likewise sleeps."

4.  During Rosh Hashanah, families gather for a holiday meal. They enjoy traditional foods sweetened with honey, apples, and carrots, symbolizing sweetness, blessings, abundance, and the hope for a sweet year ahead. Here's a link to an easy recipe for Honey Bread you can bake and bring to work to share: http://www.chabad.org/holidays/JewishNewYear/template.asp?AID=4419

Traditional foods for feasting include.
•  Challah (sweet egg bread)
•  Kugel (a sweet or savory pudding made with noodles)
•  Honey
•  Apples
•  Pomegranates.

5.  The first night's meal might begin with apple dipped in honey. Challah , the bread usually eaten on the Sabbath, is not braided as it is at regular meals, but baked in a circle, as a wish that the coming year will roll around smoothly without unhappiness or sorrow. Some dip it in honey before eating.

6.  Although this is not a traditional time for gift-giving, it is most appropriate to send Shanah Tovah (Happy Holidays) cards to friends and relatives, similar in practice to sending other holiday cards throughout the year. As desired, here's a link to send an e-card: http://www.chabad.org/holidays/jewishnewyear/greetingcards/default.asp

7. If you would like to give a gift, here are a few appropriate items.

General gifts:
•  Jewish desk or wall calendar
•  Blank journals
•  Apple honey tray
•  Whimsical honey pot
•  Gift basket of gourmet kosher treats
•  Candles in the shape of apples

Specific gifts:
•  "The Birthday of the World" Rosh Hashanah CD
•  A new jacket, tie, or yarmulke for synagogue
•  Star of David neck chain
•  Holiday prayer book (special prayers are said for Rosh Hashanah).

--- Do not give or serve nuts during Rosh Hashanah. The numeric value of the Hebrew word for nut (17), egoz, is the same as that for the Hebrew word for sin, chet.

--- Keep all anger at bay during Rosh Hashanah, as it is believed God judges us the same way as we judge others.

As you return to school or get back to work from the summer vacation months, use this special occasion to reflect on renewal in your own life.

BONUS: It is traditional to write sins on pieces small pieces of paper and cast them into a river or ocean to wash them away. [Be sure to use biodegradable paper!]

Happy Practicing!

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