L’Shanah Tovah, Mustangs! While Rosh Hashanah doesn’t begin until sundown tonight, we’re going to give our gentile brethren a crash course in the holiday that gives SMU’s Jewish community the day off tomorrow.
Rosh Hashanah, which in Hebrew translates to “Head of the Year,” is the celebration of the Jewish New Year. You may be asking yourself, if it’s the New Year, why isn’t it January and where’s the champagne?
Well, first of all, its Manischewitz, and secondly, the Hebrew calendar is a bit different from the Gregorian calendar that we’re all used to. Today is the 29th of Elul or Erev Rosh Hashanah (think New Years’ Eve), and tomorrow is the 1st of Tishri, the first day of the Hebrew New Year.
But don’t expect Grandpa Moshe and Bubbie Sylvia to be partying into the wee hours, throwing confetti and kissing at midnight. Instead, expect shofar blowing and noshing on apples and honey, and round challah bread.
The shofar is a trumpet-like instrument, made from a ram’s horn, that was blown in ancient times to awaken the listener and alert them the “coming judgment.” Now the shofar is used to awaken grandpa after he falls asleep during temple.
Those with strong lungs get up infront of the congregation and blow specific rhythmic patterns called out by the rabbi or cantor from the bima, the stage where all the action takes place at temple.
Usually, large men with large bellies try their hand at the shofar blowing, resulting in very red faces and a stomach that grows as its air supply shrinks.
The apples and honey tradition is a delicious combination that reminds people of the sweet new year. This sweet treat is a far cry from champagne and its accompanying hangover that usually rings in most new years.
The traditional Shabbat table centerpiece, challah bread, also has a special place on the buffet at Rosh Hashanah. Challah bread is a delicious egg bread that you probably get your sandwiches on at Central Market. See, you’re already more Jewish than you think. Usually seen in its braided form, challah bread gets a makeover for Rosh Hashanah, and comes in a round shape to symbolize the cycle of the year.
This is just a quick smattering of the stand-out traditions that go along with one of the two high holy days of the Jewish year, (the other holiest of days for the Jewish people is Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, which is next Saturday).
And, unlike most Jewish holidays that coincide with a specific historical event, (like Passover which celebrates the Jews’ freedom from Egypt,) Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are purely religious holidays that have been celebrated for more than 5,000 years. That’s a long tokhes time.
