To all of our Jewish friends around the world, tonight on this Sunday October 2nd marks the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, one of the holiest holidays in the Hebrew calendar ad we wish you a very Happy and Joyous one. The celebration will last two days and begins at sundown. Here are all the key facts to know. The year in the Hebrew Calendar is 5777.
What is Rosh Hashanah? Rosh Hashanah literally translates as “head of the year” or “first of the year.” But it also marks the anniversary of the birth of the universe via God’s creation of Adam and Eve. In Judaism, it is a day to reflect on a person’s deeds of the past year and set the tone for the year ahead.
It occurs on the first and second days of the Jewish month of Tishri, which is the seventh month of the religious year but the first month of the civil year.
Rather than wishing someone “happy New Year,” the common greeting is L’shanah tovah, literally “for a good year.” This is shortened from “L’shanah tovah tikatevi v’taihatemi” to women, or to men “L’shanah tovah tikatev v’taihatem. Both mean “may you be inscribed and sealed for a good year, referring to the inscription of a person’s name in the “book of life.
Hoping this year will be a great one!