ROSH HASHANA
WITH SOME LAWS & CUSTOMS
HATARAT NEDARIM
- On Erev Rosh Hashana (and for some on Erev Yom Kippur) it is the custom to do
Hatarat Nedarim, which is the annulment of vows. - A ‘beit din’ of 3 people listens while a Hebrew formula is read out by those who wish to
have their vows annulled. - Usually, this will take place immediately after shacharit on Erev Rosh Hashana.
BITTER FOODS
- There is a custom to refrain from eating bitter, sour or tart foods on Rosh Hashana, to
symbolize our hopes for a sweet, pleasant year. - The Talmud teaches that symbolic acts have significance, as they make us consider the message contained in the symbolism.
HONEY, NOT SALT
- From Rosh Hashana until Hoshana Rabba, the custom is to dip our bread into honey
instead of salt, in light of our desire to desist from sour tastes at this time of year. - Many have the custom not to even have salt on the table, although it is completely
permissible to use salt to flavor your food.
APPLE & HONEY
- There is a widely practiced custom to eat a piece of apple dipped into honey straight after eating the challa on Rosh Hashana night & to say an accompanying prayer that asks G-d
to grant us a ‘good & sweet year’.
POMEGRANATE
- There is also the custom to eat a pomegranate on Rosh Hashanah night, asits abundant
seeds symbolize our hopes that we will come before G-d with abundant merits.
OTHER SYMBOLIC FOODS
- There are a number of other symbolic foods that we eat on Rosh Hashana night.
- Dates,‘Tamar’ in Hebrew, are eaten with an accompanying prayer that is a play on words: “Yitamu Son'enu” – ‘may our enemies be destroyed.
- Leeks, ‘Karti’ in Hebrew, are eaten with an accompanying prayer that is also a play on
words: “Yikartu Son'enu,”‘ may our enemies be uprooted’. - Most famously, we eat the head of a fish, or lamb, praying that our year should be like
a head & not a tail, meaning that we should succeed & not fall behind.
NEW FRUIT
-
On the second night of Rosh Hashanah, it is common to eat a ‘new fruit’,namely a fruit
that one has not eaten for a long time. - This tradition has become a way to taste the newness of the year, by enjoying an
unfamiliar food. - Another reason is that the blessing of ‘Shehecheyanu’ in the Yomtov Kiddush is
superfluous, as we already said that bracha the previous night, so we designate it to the
new fruit instead, thereby avoiding saying a ‘bracha levatala’ a blessing for no purpose.
ADDITIONS IN OUR SHEMONA ESREI
-
From the first night of Rosh Hashana, until Ne’ila of Yom Kippur, we add four additional
phrases to our Amida prayer & we change 2 blessings, to take into account the time of
year. - We make reference to our desire to be inscribed in the Book of Life & we refer to G-d as
the King. - While these prayers certainly reflect this period, their addition is also to create in us the
mood required for teshuva & to awaken in us the need for self-examination. - Another additional prayer is Avinu Malkeinu, said at the conclusion of the chazan’s
repetition at Shacharit & Mincha.
TASHLICH
-
On the first day of Rosh Hashana after Mincha there is the custom to say Tashlich near
an ocean or river, or any large body of water. - One symbolically casts ones sins into the water and say an accompanying prayer,
consisting of verses from the prophet Micha that allude to the casting off of one’s sins. - This custom has its origins in medieval Germany, but has been widely adopted by many communities.
לשנה טובה תכתוב ותחתמו לאלתר לחיים טובים ולשלום
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