Jews in Racine and around the world prepare tomark Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur
BY LEE B. ROBERTS
Journal Times | Posted: Saturday, September 8, 2007 12:00 am
The blast of the shofar that will sound next week at Racine's Beth Israel Sinai and other synagogues around the world, will mark the beginning of the Jewish High Holy Days, Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.
The shofar - a long, hollow animal horn that produces a powerful, almost haunting wail - is blown during these, the most important of Jewish holidays, as it has been blown for major events throughout the history of Judaism.
"Rosh Hashana is a time of remembrance and renewal, and the blowing of the shofar is like a wake-up call telling us to return back to the ways of the Torah and the ways of God," said Martyn Adelberg, rabbi of Racine's Beth Israel Sinai Congregation.
Rosh Hashana, which falls on Sept. 13 and 14 this year, means "head of the year" and is commonly referred to as the Jewish New Year. Unlike other New Year holiday celebrations, it is not a time for partying and indulgence.
"It is a more somber, serious time," said Bruce Fishbain, a lifelong member of Beth Israel Sinai. "A time to reflect on people who have departed and a time to look at what you've done in the past year and what could be improved for the coming year."
"There is something about the sound of the shofar at Rosh Hashana that is awe-inspiring," said Trisha Levine, a Franklin resident who attends Racine's Beth Israel Sinai with her family. "It is like a moral alarm clock that leads you to take inventory of what you've done and work on making things right in the next year."
Time to think
Such reflection continues in the 10 days between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, which will be celebrated on Sept. 21 this year, Yom Kippur is the Jewish day of atonement - the day of final judgement, when you stand before God and seek forgiveness, Adelberg explained.
Together these holidays mark the holiest time of year for Jews. It is a time for worship, with extended services at the synagogue and both family and congregational gatherings.
Work is not permitted on Rosh Hashana, and children are not supposed to go to school, explained Fishbain. Instead, most of the time is spent in synagogue, listening to special, longer liturgies centered on the theme of God's sovereignty.
"These are singing, praying holidays," said Levine. "The services are long, but very meaningful."
They are also family times, said Fishbain. Rosh Hashana is often when extended family gets together to share a meal, and while it is not a holiday necessarily associated with feasting, there are special foods that are served.
Sweet things, such as apples dipped in honey and honey cake, are often served with wishes for a sweet new year. And challah bread, which is traditionally braided in a long loaf, is made into round loaves for Rosh Hashana, to symbolize the cyclical nature of the year.
"Sometimes raisins are baked into the challah bread, for the high holidays for a sweet new year," Levine explained.
"Blessed are You, Lord our God, king of the universe, who creates the fruit of the tree. Amen," reads a blessing said over the apples dipped in honey. After taking a bite of the apple, a short prayer is recited: "May it be Your will, Lord our God and God of our ancestors, that you renew for us a good and sweet year."
Forgiveness
Yom Kippur, on the other hand, is a time for fasting. From sunset on the night before, to the end of the day on Yom Kippur, no food or water is to be consumed on what is considered the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.
"It is a more penitent time than Rosh Hashana," said Levine. "And, it can be pretty intense."
One of the most emotional aspects of Yom Kippur for Levine is the Yizkor service, which occurs at the end of the day. This memorial service, held in remembrance of all the departed loved ones, including the victims of the Holocaust, is very moving, she said.
It is a solemn holiday, but Yom Kippur is also a time of hope for Jews.
"We are hopeful that God will be gracious and forgive us," said Levine.
"The Lord, the Lord God is gracious and compassionate, patient, abounding in kindness and faithfulness, assuring love for a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin, and granting pardon," reads part of the Torah service for the High Holy Days.
Rather than being a time of confession in the traditional Catholic sense, Yom Kippur is more of a time for looking inward when each person deals with his or her own issues in their own way, Fishbain said.
"It is not a joyful holiday, but a time for rejuvenation," he said. "A time for a fresh start."
While both Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashana, are times for personal reflection, they are also times when Jews look beyond themselves to issues affecting everyone as they plan for the new year.
"Our reflection is not a selfish thing," said Fishbain. "We do think about things on community, national and world levels as well."
Wishes for things such as world peace and empowerment of people who are oppressed are also a part of the High Holy Days, explained Adelberg.
"While some of these things may sound elusive, they are still something worth pursuing," the rabbi said. "We would like to see the day when all people can live with dignity."