Rosh Hashana

Holy Days - Rosh Hashana
Written by d fine
When Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbos, Chazal forbade the blowing of the shofar, lest we desecrate Shabbos by carrying the Shofar to Shul. However, the gemarra tells us that any year which does not witness the blowing of a shofar at its beginning (I.e. on Rosh Hashanah) has an element of danger to it. Why would Chazal ban the shofar if it’s dangerous for us? Reb Tzvi Kushulevski answers that the key to shofar is yiras shamayim - the deafening voiceless call of the shofar imbues the listener with an all-important sense and sensitivity of fear of Heaven. Similarly, as Rabeinu Yonah writes, following Rabbinic laws (their being enacted as a fence around the Torah) also causes a sense of yiras shamayim, for the very fact that Rabbinic laws make biblical transgression less likely shows that one is worried about transgressing a Torah law. The additional Rabbinic decrees thus emanate yiras shamayim. Therefore, when we heed Chazal’s words by not blowing shofar on Shabbos, we get the yiras shamayim that the shofar would have provided anyway, and thus there’s no danger.

Rosh Hashanah; a day out?

Holy Days - Rosh Hashana
Written by d fine
Rosh Hashanah is the day of judgment, and as such one would expect it to be the final day of the year - this way we can be judged for what we have done over the past year. However, as its name suggests, this is not so. Rosh Hashanah is the first day of the new year. Howzat? As Rav Wolbe highlights, the idea is that on Rosh Hashanah we are not judged for what we have done over the previous year - we are judged by who we are at the present moment. We are judged according to how much we can presently commit to reflecting HaShem’s glory in this world and how prepared we are to live spiritual lives. Rosh Hashanah is not about the past. It’s about the present.

the simanim - what are they good for?

Holy Days - Rosh Hashana
Written by d fine
On Rosh Hashanah we start the meal with various simanim and their accompanying brachos and texts. For example, we eat a pomegranate and ask that our merits should be as numerous as pomegranate seeds, and we eat apply with honey so that we should have a sweet new year, etc. What is the idea of these simanim - are they just games or examples of clever play on words? Rav Neventzal explained that the main idea of these simanim are to inspire us to repent. When we look at the apple and honey and ask for a sweet new year, we are reminded that we need to mend our ways to merit such sweetness. And so it goes for all the simanim - they are mental reminders and motivators for us to repent. The Shem Mishmuel offers a different approach, arguing that each thing we eat on Rosh Hashanah has certain effects in the spiritual realms. It is these spiritual effects that we are tapping into when we eat these select foods on the Day of Judgment

1st of Tishrei or 1st of January?

Holy Days - Rosh Hashana
Written by Rafi Jager
On Rosh Hashanah, the Jews spread throughout the four corners of the earth and entered their houses of prayer. They beseeched G-d, "and inscribe us for a good year," and listened intently as the shofar was being blown. The heavenly court looked at their actions, but they were not enough to tip the scales for good and their judgment hung in balance. During the ten days of repentance between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, many Jews gave extra charity, asked
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Why Honey?

Holy Days - Rosh Hashana

Written by Y Kormornick

On Rosh Hashanna we dip the sweet apple in the even sweeter honey, symbolising our desire for a sweet new year. The apple, like most other fruits is a naturally sweet fruit. But honey is not only made from a non-kosher insect but from a bee that stings. And what’s more, it is the honey that tastes sweeter than the apple!

What is the message of the honey?

In life things come our way that are obviously good. Like the apple, they look good and they taste good. But throughout life we also have many tests, many difficulties, many struggles…and they sting! They do not feel good. But what we have to remember is that even the things that sting us, that don’t seem to be good are all for our very best and can push us to our greatest heights. And so on Rosh Hashana we daven that we should have the clarity to be able to look past the sting of the bee to see and to taste the sweetness of the honey.

Holy Days - Rosh Hashana
Written by Administrator
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Elul - mixtures of ahava and yirah

Holy Days - Rosh Hashana
Written by Administrator
[heard from Rav Osher Weiss]...We know that Elul is supposed to be days of introspection and fear. The shofar is supposed to spark off feelings of re-alligning ourselves with the path of HaShem, and the Rambam tells us
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Ayecka? - Where are YOU?

Holy Days - Rosh Hashana
Written by Administrator
Leading up to the all important Day of Judgement and the Day of Atonement (Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur respectively, for those of the Hebraic persuasion), i thought i'd share some important ideas with the facebook readership, both Jewish and non-Jewish this is relevant to all our lives.
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