Rosh Ha-Shanah, << rohsh hah SHAH nah or rohsh hah shah NAH, >> is the Jewish New Year celebration. The Hebrew words Rosh Ha-Shanah (which are also written Rosh Hashanah) mean Beginning of the Year. During this solemn religious festival, Jews pray for God’s forgiveness, for a good year, and for long life. Rosh Ha-Shanah usually begins in September, on the first day of the Hebrew month of Tishri, and lasts two days. Some Reform Jews celebrate it for one day.
Rosh Ha-Shanah begins the Ten Days of Penitence, which end on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement (see Yom Kippur ). Jews believe Rosh Ha-Shanah is the beginning of God’s annual judgment of humanity. At that time, God decides who will continue to live and who will die during the coming year.
Jews attend synagogue services on Rosh Ha-Shanah. These services emphasize the themes of judgment, penitence, and forgiveness. A ram’s horn, called a shofar, is blown to call the people to repentance and to awaken the Jews to the service of God. Three special groups of prayers are recited during the holiday. The first group reminds the people that God rules the world. The second group tells them that God responds to the sound of the shofar, and the third group that He remembers people’s deeds.
