Rosh Hashanah Arrives With Nightfall

The two-day festival of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins at sunset, and, like others all around the world, Millburn-Short Hills Jews will gather for High Holidays worship and for traditional family meals with relatives, neighbors and friends.

The holiday is observed on the first and second days of Tishrei. The Hebrew calendar is lunar-based which is why Jewish holidays fall on different dates every year on the U.S. western calendar. Last year it fell during the middle of the month.

Rosh Hashanah ushers in what's known as the Ten Days of Repentance, a time to reflect upon the ups and downs, the triumphs and failures of the previous year and to atone for misdeeds.  The "Book of Life" is opened and fates of those good, those evil and those in-between are decided and recorded. The High Holiday period ends with Yom Kippur, which begins at nightfall on Sept. 17 and goes until sundown on Sept. 18.

The Rosh Hashanah service consists of prayers, hymns and times of reflection.  Other traditions observed during the holiday period are Tashlich, when sins are metaphorically cast away upon water, and Shofar blowing, when a ram's horn is sounded to usher in the New Year.

Come Wednesday and Thursday evenings Millburn families will be enjoying Rosh Hashanah dinners consisting of traditional foods such as brisket, roast chicken, challah, matzo ball soup, gefilte fish, chopped liver and kugel.

While every holiday table may be different (unlike Passover when there are specific items on the Seder Plate) sweet foods, symbolizing a sweet new year, are emphasized. Challahs are studded with raisins, and sweet potato tsimmes and luchen kugel are on most menus as are sliced apples dipped in honey.

Click here for Temple Sha'arey Shalom's schedule of events. 

Click here for Temple Beth Ahm Yisrael's services. 

Click here for Congregation Israel.