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THE GOALS The Days of Awe Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, are known as the High Holy Days and are the most important days in the Jewish calendar. The ten days from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur are called the Days of Awe or the Ten Days of Penitence (or Repentance). This is a time of serious reflection when Jews consider the sins they have committed in the previous year, repent to God and make peace with those they have wronged by contacting them and asking for forgiveness. Jews believe that God judges all people on Rosh Hashanah and decides what our circumstances shall be during the following year. Our actions of repentance, prayer, and charity during the Days of Awe can alter God’s decree for the year ahead, which is finalised on Yom Kippur. According to the Talmud, God determines who will be inscribed in the ‘book of life’ and who will be inscribed in the ‘book of death’ for the coming year. The Days of Awe are thus days of great solemnity. The Shabbat which falls during this week is a special Shabbat called Shabbat Shuvah (pr. sh-oo-vah) which means the ‘shabbat of return’. 46 Source On Rosh Hashanah (it) will be inscribed and on Yom Kippur (it) will be sealed how many will pass from the earth and how many will be created, who will live and who will die; who will die at his predestined time and who before his time; who by water and who by fire, who by sword and who by beast, who by famine, who by thirst…… Who will rest and who will wander, who will live in harmony and who will be harried, who will enjoy tranquillity and who will suffer, who will be impoverished and who will be enriched, who will be degraded and who will be exalted. But repentance, prayer and charity remove the evil decree. Mussaf prayer, Rosh Hashanah machzor (prayer book) RMPS: WORLD RELIGIONS – JUDAISM (INT 2, H) © Learning and Teaching Scotland
Rosh Hashanah THE GOALS Rosh Hashanah is regarded as the birthday of the world, as it marks the anniversary of the day when God created man. Its names include Yom Ha’din (pr. ha-deen), the Day of Judgement, as this is when God judges people for their deeds of the previous year, and Yom Hazikaron (pr. hazee-ka-ron), the Day of Remembrance, as people remember their actions and deeds of the previous year. Rosh Hashanah lasts for two days. Like all Jewish festivals and Shabbat, prayers start with the evening service on the previous day. As people leave the synagogue, they greet each other with ‘Shana Tova’ (Happy New Year). This being the Jewish New Year many Jews will have sent Jewish New Year greeting cards to their family and friends beforehand. Preparation for Rosh Hashanah is very similar to Shabbat with the addition of a new fruit being bought. This fruit must be one that has not been tasted in the past year, e.g. a pomegranate. This symbolises renewal and a special blessing will be recited before eating it. Another popular observance during this holiday is eating apples dipped in honey, and honey cake. These are symbols of wishing for a sweet new year. Like Shabbat, Rosh Hashanah will be brought in by lighting candles, and no work is allowed on the festival. The prayers for Rosh Hashanah are read from a special prayer book called a machzor. The high point of the morning service is the blowing of the shofar. Unlike in Ellul when only a few notes are blown, on Rosh Hashanah a hundred notes are blown to warn the people and stir them to improve their moral behaviour and become closer to God. This is in accord with the command, ‘And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month; …it is a day of blowing the horn unto you’ (Numbers 29: 1). This explains why Rosh Hashanah is also called Yom Teruah (pr. te-rooah), the Day of the Sounding of the Shofar. The notes of the shofar represent the crying of one’s soul yearning to be reunited with God. If Rosh Hashanah falls on a Shabbat the shofar is not blown; since observing the Sabbath when musical instruments are not played (because it is considered to be work) is more important than blowing the shofar. It is also an object lesson in the importance of observing the Sabbath. Another custom of Rosh Hashanah is tashlich, which takes place after the afternoon service of the first day of Rosh Hashanah. This involves RMPS: WORLD RELIGIONS – JUDAISM (INT 2, H) 47 © Learning and Teaching Scotland
Page 1 and 2: Religious, Moral and Philosophical
Page 3 and 4: CONTENTS Introduction 1 Section 1:
Page 5 and 6: INTRODUCTION Using these support ma
Page 7 and 8: SECTION 1 JUDAISM - AN OVERVIEW The
Page 9 and 10: JUDAISM - AN OVERVIEW that commemor
Page 11 and 12: SECTION 2 What does it mean to be h
Page 13 and 14: The concept and image of God THE HU
Page 15 and 16: THE HUMAN CONDITION He had already
Page 17 and 18: Creation THE HUMAN CONDITION Jews b
Page 19 and 20: Shabbat THE HUMAN CONDITION God res
Page 21 and 22: THE HUMAN CONDITION of the Torah, c
Page 23 and 24: Suggestions for further reading and
Page 25 and 26: THE HUMAN CONDITION Yet, even in ju
Page 27 and 28: SECTION 3 Yetzer Harah and Yetzer T
Page 29 and 30: THE CAUSE OF THE HUMAN CONDITION Su
Page 31 and 32: Suffering is at times inexplicable
Page 33 and 34: SECTION 4 THE GOALS The meaning of
Page 35 and 36: THE GOALS The Shema is the most imp
Page 37 and 38: THE GOALS The meaning of obedience
Page 39 and 40: THE GOALS Activity 17 1. Give the r
Page 43 and 44: Activity 18 1. Read the Ten Command
Page 47 and 48: THE GOALS rest is commentary. Go an
Page 49: The importance of repentance Repent
Page 53 and 54: Source THE GOALS For the sin that w
Page 55 and 56: 3. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are
Page 57 and 58: SECTION 5 The concept of the Messia
Page 59 and 60: Olam ha-Bah THE FINAL AIM OF EXISTE
Page 61 and 62: THE FINAL AIM OF EXISTENCE Genesis
Page 63 and 64: SECTION 6 The Torah THE MEANS Torah
Page 65 and 66: THE MEANS The prophetic writings al
Page 67 and 68: The Ten Commandments THE MEANS The
Page 69 and 70: Activity 26 THE MEANS (a) Categoris
Page 71 and 72: THE MEANS fifth century these were
Page 73 and 74: A page from the Talmud (see Activit
Page 75 and 76: THE MEANS Theoretically, the term h
Page 77 and 78: SECTION 7 Moral and social responsi
Page 79 and 80: THE PRACTICES THAT HELP ACHIEVE THE
Page 83 and 84: Rites of passage and education Brit
Page 89 and 90: APPENDIX Glossary APPENDIX Amidah:
Page 91 and 92: APPENDIX Tanakh: the term for the H
Page 93 and 94: Useful addresses J E Levingstone (f

RMPS - Int2/Higher - World Religions - Judaism - Education Scotland

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