Rosh Hashanah in Practice - 5785

-

I wish you a sweet new year.  May you be inscribed and sealed for a year of health, abundance and great spiritual growth.  May Hashem continue to show us great miracles and bless the efforts of our heroic soldiers who put their lives on the line to protect the Jewish people.  May we  see the release of all the hostages and the end of terrorism, and may this be a year of true peace and of redemption.  As I write this, I am listening to the news of Israel being under attack.  May Hashem protect our people in Israel and all over the world.


Here are some practical things to remember for the upcoming holiday:

(Click here for a lot more information on customs, practices and meanings.)


On Wednesday, we make an “Eruv Tavshilin” in order to be able to cook and prepare on Friday for Shabbat.  Follow the link to see the explanation and instructions.


Candle lighting is a little complicated, due to the two days of holiday followed immediately by Shabbat.  On Wednesday evening the candles are lit as usual before sunset.  On Thursday they are lit after dark from a pre-existing flame, and on Friday at least 18 minutes before sunset from a pre-existing flame.


We have four festive meals for Rosh Hashanah, (both nights and both daytimes), each including kiddush and challah dipped in honey.  On the first night, Wednesday, we also dip a piece of apple in honey, and we eat pomegranates, carrots, and other foods that evoke sweetness, success, merit, and growth.


It is important to attend community services on Rosh Hashanah if you are able to walk to Shul.  The most important observance of the holiday, however, is hearing the Shofar, at least 30 blasts.  This happens both days of Rosh Hashanah.  If you can't make it to Shul, many Chabad Houses hold Shofar blowings in the park in the afternoon.


On Thursday afternoon, it is customary to go to a body of water that contains fish and say the prayer  of “Tashlich.”  Contrary to what seems to be popular belief,  it is not appropriate to feed the fish on the holiday.


Rosh Hashanah is a time for prayer and contemplation, a time to reconnect with our Creator, to remember who we are essentially, and to rebuild our relationship with Hashem. This is also the deeper significance of the blowing of the Shofar.  (See more here.)  We believe that the world is constantly being created by Hashem, and every year on Rosh Hashanah we evoke anew Hashem’s desire to continue His energy flowing in the world.  We do this by accepting His kingship and committing ourselves to His service, making the world a home for him through our observance of Mitzvot.  


The world was created with words, and so it is important to use our words carefully at this time when we are reliving the creation.  It is therefore appropriate to spend as much time as possible saying words of prayer and (written) Torah and refraining from negative talk.  Many, therefore, have the custom to read the Tehillim (Psalms) every available moment of the two days.


Chabad’s doors are open to everyone.  Please join us for a meaningful and uplifting holiday.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sacrifice for Shabbat

-
  One of the things, our Sages said, that helped the Jews in Egypt merit the Exodus from Egypt, was Shabbat observance. This merit will also help bring the redemption from our current exile. In honor of the Parsha Vaera, where we read about the beginning of the process of redemption, I would like to reprint a story that was published today by Rabbi Mordechai Lipskier.  He wrote that he heard the story from Rabbi Moshe Raitport, who heard it first hand. A few years ago, a woman called the Shomrei Hadas Funeral Chapels in Brooklyn to arrange her husband’s funeral. “Before going ahead with the arrangements, I have a request to make. May I tell you a story?” This woman had gotten married in the early 1940s in Brooklyn. It was difficult for a Shabbat observer to hold down a job, so like many other Jews, her husband was pink-slipped from one job after the next. (They would often take a job on Monday, and when they refused to come on Shabbat, they were fired.) Their struggle worsened as the f
Read more

Breaking Ground

-
Image
“Ma Tovu Ohalecha Yaakov…” – How goodly are your tents, Jacob, your dwelling places, Israel.  These famous words are the evil prophet Bilaam’s reluctant blessing to the Jewish people.  There are several ways to explain his blessing.  He saw how the opening of the tents were placed so as to ensure privacy, and he was moved by the modesty that is one of the hallmarks of the Jewish people.  Another explanation is that he was foreseeing the synagogues and Torah study halls of the future.   I want to venture a guess that he would also be impressed by the way we open our homes to guests.  Hachnasat Orchim – bringing guests into the home –  is a value that we have going back to our forefather Avraham.  It is one of the pillars of the great Mitzvah of Gemilut Chasadim, acts of kindness.  Another crucial part of that Mitzvah is Bikur Cholim – visiting (or caring for) the sick.  How great is it then when both of these Mitzvot are bundled together! I am therefore gratified that this week, the wee
Read more

Are We There Yet?

-
Are we there yet?  The question that all parents dread on a long road trip.  The kids are really excited packing their little suitcases, preparing food and getting into the car.  Then the journey starts, and now the pressure is on.  How much longer, and when will we get there? How many of us live our lives that way?  I had some relatives who came to visit, and I took them to see the breathtaking scenery of California.  A minute into each stop, the same person would say: “OK, let’s move on.”  We felt sorry that they were not able to just stop and soak in the beauty of the location.   We are all on a journey through life, and a productive life means setting goals and working to fulfill them.  But are we constantly focusing on the outcome, or are we finding meaning in every step of the journey? Imagine the disappointment of our forefathers in the Sinai desert, when they found out that, instead of going straight to Israel, they would have to spend 40 years wandering in the desert.  Would t
Read more