Purpose of Rosh Hashanah
Literally the “head of the year,” Rosh Hashanah is one of four new year holidays designated in the Jewish calendar and the de facto “Jewish New Year.”
The first of the two High Holy Days listed in Leviticus (Yom Kippur being the second), Rosh Hashanah is at once a joyous celebration and a time of solemn reflection.
Originally a “memorial of blowing of trumpets,” Rosh Hashanah has by rabbinical tradition become a “Day of Judgment.” The holiday—and the Ten Days of Awe that fall between it and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement)—provides us with an opportunity to make amends for past wrongs in preparation for the new year.
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