Happy Rosh Hashanah!

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year, traditionally observed on the first two days of Tishrei (from sunset the night before through nightfall the second day), and marks both the creation of humanity and the start of the “High Holidays.” It’s a time of prayer, introspection, and renewal: people attend special synagogue services, hear the sounding of the shofar (ram’s horn), and ask God for a good, sweet, and peaceful year ahead. Customs include lighting candles, sharing festive meals with symbolic foods (like apples and honey for sweetness), performing Tashlich (casting sins into flowing water), giving tzedakah (charity) as part of the process of repentance and renewal, and greeting others with wishes for being “inscribed and sealed” for a good year. Rosh Hashanah also kicks off the Ten Days of Repentance, culminating in Yom Kippur.