(Note: Jewish holidays start at sunset the evening before the first day of the holiday) Rosh Hashanah (Sept. 21-22, 2017) On Rosh Hashanah the sound of the shofar announces the arrival of the High Holy Days, or 10 Days of Awe that stretch from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur. Rosh Hashanah celebrates the creation of…
“Knock knock!” “Who’s there?” “Me.” “Me who?” A silly childhood joke, right? Perhaps, but it could also be viewed as one of the most compelling questions of all time. Because, if asked differently, the question “Me who?” is actually: “Who am I?” Since the beginning of time, we have been attempting to understand and articulate…
Pomegranates frequently appear on Rosh Hashanah tables. The reasons are nearly as numerous as the plentiful seeds of the fruit. On Rosh Hashanah, we wish that our good deeds in the ensuing year will be as plentiful as the seeds of the pomegranate. The fruit is said to contain 613 seeds, corresponding to the 613…
(To turn this visual feast into a culinary feast for your Rosh Hashanah table, see the recipes online at azjewishlife.com/rosh-hashanah-feast/) BRISKET Brisket has become standard Rosh Hashanah fare across North America. Recipes abound for this main dish staple, but we’ve selected a Savory Roast by Brynie Greisman that originally appeared in Mishpacha Magazine Family Table….
Rosh Hashanah is a time of repentance, reflection and returning, or Teshuva in Hebrew. Returning to our roots, returning to our values and returning to the Earth that sustains us. In the Torah, G-d grants humanity dominion over the Earth and all that dwells within it. However, as it is said, with great power comes…
Before I moved to Israel I was always puzzled by the ending to the Book of Jonah, read on Yom Kippur as part of the mincha service. As you might recall, Jonah is upset at God for pardoning the city of Nineveh, and he says: “Please, Lord, take my life, for I would rather die than…
For the secular New Year, people make resolutions to improve themselves for the coming year. But the Jewish New Year is preceded by a month of preparation to enter the New Year as a better person with past sins forgiven. During the month of Elul, it is customary to ask those you have wronged for…
