Rosh Hashanah

```mediawiki

The Rebbe at Tashlich on Rosh Hashanah (photographed by a non-Jew)

The Rebbe conducting the annulment of vows on the eve of Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah — the Jewish New Year — is the first of the High Holidays and the opening festival of the month of Tishrei. It falls on the first and second days of Tishrei and marks the beginning of a new year in the Hebrew calendar.

According to Jewish tradition, it was on this day that the first human being, Adam, was created. Each year, Rosh Hashanah is the Day of Judgment — the day on which the Almighty judges the entire world and all its inhabitants. It is also the day on which God is proclaimed anew as King. The central act of this coronation is the sounding of the shofar — the ram's horn — which is the primary mitzvah of the day. The prayers on Rosh Hashanah are notably lengthened, and there are special liturgical compositions unique to this day.

In the teachings of Kabbalah — the inner dimension of Torah — the central spiritual work of Rosh Hashanah is called binyan ha'malchus: drawing down a renewed Divine will into the world, renewing the flow of life-energy to all of creation. To bring this about, the Jew's primary task on Rosh Hashanah is the acceptance of the yoke of Divine sovereignty — expressed through scrupulous avoidance of idle talk and continuous engagement in prayer and the recitation of Psalms.

Just as a healthy head is vital to every limb of the body, so does Rosh Hashanah — the "Head" of the Year — influence the entire year that follows. Every moment of Rosh Hashanah is therefore precious, and how one spends it — in accepting God's sovereignty, in Torah study, and in the performance of mitzvos — shapes the quality of the year to come. Connecting to the Rebbe — the Nasi ha'dor, the spiritual head of the Jewish people — assists in the inner work of Rosh Hashanah, drawing his life-energy and inspiration into the year ahead.

Mitzvos and customs of the holiday

A shofar — the ram's horn sounded on Rosh Hashanah

Sounding the shofar

The sounding of the shofar is a positive commandment of Torah law, obligating one to sound the ram's horn on Rosh Hashanah. The Torah calls this day Yom Teruah — "a day of sounding" — and Zichron Teruah — "a remembrance of sounding" — and the Sages derived from these verses the mitzvah to sound the shofar. In total, one hundred shofar notes are sounded on Rosh Hashanah, consisting of three types — tekiah (a long unbroken blast), shevarim (three broken sounds), and teruah (a series of short staccato sounds) — arranged in various prescribed sequences. It is also customary today to sound the shofar throughout the preceding month of Elul.

The shofar and its sounding occupy a central place in the spiritual work of Rosh Hashanah — and especially so in the teachings of Chassidus. Chassidic thought explains that the power of the shofar lies precisely in the simplicity of its sound: unlike other instruments that produce refined, complex, and technically accomplished tones, the shofar gives forth a plain, unornamented cry. In this raw simplicity is expressed the unadorned voice of every Jew, bursting from the innermost depths of the heart — a cry directed to the Almighty as a child to a father: Abba, hatzileini — "Father, save me." This cry accomplishes the re-coronation of God as King and the binyan malchus — the spiritual renewal of the Divine attribute of sovereignty — through which God's life-giving energy is drawn into the world for the coming year.

Prayers of the holiday

The prayers of Rosh Hashanah carry particular weight, as the day is simultaneously the Day of Judgment and the day on which God is proclaimed King. The Chabad liturgy for Rosh Hashanah was established by the Alter Rebbe — Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of Chabad — and later refined by the Frierdiker Rebbe and The Rebbe, and is printed in the Rosh Hashanah machzor (the holiday prayer book) published by Kehot Publication Society. Unusually, this day's prayers — as well as those of Yom Kippur — incorporate poetic liturgical compositions within the reader's repetition of the Amidah, which differs from the general Chabad practice throughout the year.

From the teachings of the Chabad Rebbes, great emphasis was placed on the intention and concentration brought to the prayers, especially to the Evening Prayer of the first night of Rosh Hashanah — the very first prayer of the new year. Many distinctive customs govern the conduct of these prayers.

Festive meals

Apple dipped in honey — eaten on the first night of Rosh Hashanah

Pomegranate — eaten on the first night of Rosh Hashanah

Beginning with the meal of the first night of Rosh Hashanah and continuing through Hoshana Rabbah (the seventh day of Sukkos), it is customary to dip the Shabbos or holiday bread in honey. The Rebbe would dip his portion of bread three times in the honey. Some report that he would dip an additional piece three times in salt as well. The Rebbe notes that it is worth examining whether this custom applies on weekdays as well, or only on Shabbos and holidays. The Rebbe's personal notes concerning the days on which bread is dipped in honey list only: Rosh Hashanah, the eve of Yom Kippur, the conclusion of Yom Kippur, the two days of Sukkos, and Hoshana Rabbah — with a question mark beside Chol HaMoed Sukkos, the intermediate days of the festival.

At the meal of the first night, it is customary to eat various foods whose names or properties symbolize a blessing for the coming year. This practice is rooted in the Talmud and is codified in the Shulchan Aruch.

The central food eaten on this night in Chabad custom is an apple dipped in honey. It is eaten at the beginning of the meal, after the blessing over bread. The Rebbe would dip the apple piece in honey three times before reciting the blessing, having cut and dipped it beforehand to avoid a lengthy interruption between the blessing and eating. After the blessing and before eating, the following is recited:

Yehi ratzon milfanecha shetechadesh aleinu shanah tovah u'mesukah — "May it be Your will to renew for us a good and sweet year."

In addition, a pomegranate is eaten — as a sign that our merits should be as numerous as the seeds of a pomegranate — and the head of a ram or of another animal, as a sign that we should be as a head and not as a tail. However, the declaration of Yehi ratzon is recited only over the apple.

On the second night, a fruit not yet eaten that season is brought to the table, and the blessing of Shehecheyanu — "Who has kept us alive to reach this time" — recited during the evening Kiddush (the sanctification over wine) is intended also with this new fruit in mind. The fruit is eaten after Kiddush and before the ritual hand-washing for the meal. The difference in the placement of these foods — the apple after hand-washing on the first night, the new fruit before hand-washing on the second night — has a precise reason: the apple is better eaten after hand-washing in order to keep the Kiddush as close to the meal as possible, while the new fruit is eaten before hand-washing so that it immediately follows the Shehecheyanu blessing, to which it lends its own occasion.

Tashlich

Tashlich — literally "you shall cast" — is a special prayer recited on Rosh Hashanah (or on one of the Ten Days of Repentance that follow) beside a spring, river, or other source of flowing water, symbolically "casting" one's transgressions into the depths. In Chabad custom, Tashlich is recited after the afternoon Mincha prayer on the first day of Rosh Hashanah. If the first day falls on Shabbos, it is recited on the second day. The reason for this postponement is that it was observed that many people were carrying their prayer books in the public domain on Shabbos — a prohibited act — and the practice was therefore moved to the following day when Shabbos is involved.

Additional customs

• Adding time: Among the Chabad Rebbes, it was customary in each generation to begin Rosh Hashanah slightly earlier than in the previous generation. The Rebbe Maharash related that at his father the Tzemach Tzedek's table, Rosh Hashanah began four minutes earlier than it had at the Ba'al Shem Tov's; at his grandfather the Mitteler Rebbe's, three minutes earlier; at the Alter Rebbe's, two minutes earlier; and at the Maggid of Mezeritch's, one minute earlier. Each generation adds one minute — this additional time serves to draw down blessings into the festivals and the year.

• Connecting Rosh Hashanah with the weekdays that follow: The Rebbe Rashab — Rabbi Shalom DovBer Schneersohn, the fifth Chabad Rebbe — would deliver a Chassidic discourse on the afternoon of the second day of Rosh Hashanah and continue into the evening hours. He explained that this was in order to engage the power of speech in Chassidic matters as the new year begins, and to draw the spiritual influx of the forty-eight hours of Rosh Hashanah forward into the world, so that the radiance of those hours would be felt continuously throughout the year. The Rebbe suggested that each person adopt this practice personally — to bridge the final hours of Rosh Hashanah and the beginning of the night that follows through the study of Chassidus. In our times, this should be done through both the revealed dimension of Torah and the inner mystical teachings, in order to draw the spiritual influx of Rosh Hashanah into the fabric of the world. The Rebbe instituted a Chassidic gathering at this transitional hour.

• Smoking: Even those who smoke throughout the year, and who permit themselves to smoke on other Jewish holidays, refrain from doing so on Rosh Hashanah. The Chabad Rebbes instructed that "it is fitting that Torah scholars be scrupulous in this, and that they influence their acquaintances as well."

• The kittel: The white robe worn on Yom Kippur is not worn on Rosh Hashanah — it is worn only on Yom Kippur.

The spiritual work of Rosh Hashanah

On Rosh Hashanah one must treasure every moment and devote oneself to reciting the letters of repentance and Torah. The reason time is so precious on this day is that Rosh Hashanah is the general source that contains within it, in a latent form, the vitality of every day of the coming year. The hours and moments of these days are collective and all-encompassing — comparable to the brain among the limbs of the body, whose vitality determines the vitality of every individual limb.

The Rebbe Rashab would caution that on Rosh Hashanah one should appeal particularly and stir Divine compassion through tears and genuine inner arousal — for the rectification of character traits and for conducting oneself with Chassidic refinement.

Accepting the yoke of Divine sovereignty

The primary spiritual work of Rosh Hashanah — both by day and by night — is kabbalas ol malchus shamayim: the wholehearted acceptance of the yoke of Divine sovereignty.

For this reason, even those on a high spiritual level are called upon to engage in what may appear to be elementary work: reciting Psalms throughout the day, minimizing sleep during these two nights to whatever extent possible, and scrupulous avoidance of idle talk — like a servant who has not a moment free from his master's service, or like a son wholly absorbed in the joy of greeting his father. Because the essence of the day's work is specifically the acceptance of the yoke — which is the foundation and root of all spiritual service — it is through this very work that one reaches the highest levels of spiritual accomplishment.

The acceptance of the yoke on Rosh Hashanah differs in nature from the acceptance practiced throughout the year. Throughout the year, one accepts the yoke in the context of specific commandments and particular spiritual faculties. On Rosh Hashanah it is a total, all-encompassing acceptance — an acceptance not yet of specific laws and commandments, but of sovereignty itself: "Accept My kingship — and afterward, accept My decrees."

Recitation of Psalms

The recitation of Psalms throughout Rosh Hashanah begins after the afternoon Mincha prayer of Erev Rosh Hashanah — the eve of the holiday — and continues until the holiday ends. This practice traces back to the Alter Rebbe, who observed it from his youth, having learned it from his father Rabbi Baruch. He saw the same custom practiced by his own teacher, the Maggid of Mezeritch. The Alter Rebbe instilled this practice in his sons and grandsons, and it has been observed by all the Chabad Rebbes in every generation.

The Frierdiker Rebbe instructed yeshiva students to recite Psalms throughout Rosh Hashanah. He went further, asking that shifts be organized so that Psalms would be recited continuously, with someone reciting them at every hour of the day and night.

The Chabad Rebbes stressed that the recitation of Psalms takes precedence even over other important activities. When the Tzemach Tzedek's sons and Chassidim once asked him to deliver a Chassidic discourse while the assembled were reciting Psalms, he opened the door, peered out, and said: "The congregation is reciting Psalms, and you are asking for a Chassidic teaching?! It is far better to recite Psalms!" — and Psalms they recited. In the year 5702 (1941–1942), when someone asked the Frierdiker Rebbe whether it would be appropriate to sing a niggun at the meal of the second day, he replied: "The time is not suited for it. In general, Rosh Hashanah is the time for reciting Psalms. This was once known even by the village schoolteacher, who taught it to his pupils. Now people are introducing innovations — Chassidic gatherings, festive tables."

Minimizing speech

Throughout both days of Rosh Hashanah, the Chabad Rebbes taught and personally practiced the minimizing of all unnecessary speech.

Accepting a new refinement

The Chabad custom is to accept upon oneself a new refinement — a hidur, an additional care — at each Rosh Hashanah: an added scrupulousness in performing a positive commandment, greater vigilance around the boundaries of a prohibition, or a new refinement in personal conduct and character — even if one's behavior has been entirely proper until now.

This custom was practiced among the sons of the Tzemach Tzedek, each of whom would accept upon himself an additional commitment in Torah study each Rosh Hashanah beyond what he had undertaken the previous year. Until Hoshana Rabbah the matter remained open to reflection, and on Hoshana Rabbah they would enter their father's room, where he would give his approval — or sometimes redirect them toward a different resolution. The Rebbe Rashab likewise accepted upon himself an additional refinement before each Rosh Hashanah. In one year, he resolved to no longer drink tea made from water heated in a samovar — only from his own electric kettle.

The Rebbe Rashab further taught that on Shemini Atzeres — the festival that concludes the Tishrei holiday season — one should pause and accept upon oneself an additional refinement in both refraining from wrongdoing and actively doing good. This is the vessel through which one preserves and sustains the resolutions made on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

The Rebbe emphasized that any good resolution, and especially one made on Rosh Hashanah, must be framed carefully so as not to constitute a formal vow — a neder — which would create an additional obligation under Jewish law.

After Rosh Hashanah

The first words spoken after Rosh Hashanah should be words of Torah and Divine service.

Rosh Hashanah in Chassidic thought

The Rebbe at the conclusion of Rosh Hashanah 5751 (1990)

"Head" of the year

The day is called Rosh HaShanah — the Head of the Year — not the beginning of the year. The word "head" is deliberate: just as the head is the seat of the brain and the source of life for all the limbs of the body, Rosh Hashanah is the source of spiritual life for all the days of the year that follow. Every moment of Rosh Hashanah is therefore precious, and how one lives it — accepting God's sovereignty, learning Torah, performing mitzvos — determines the character of the entire year to come.

The world is structured according to the pattern of Olam, Shanah, Nefesh — Space, Time, and Soul. Just as within the soul the head is the seat of primary vitality, from which life is drawn into each individual limb, so too within Time: the universal life-energy of the year is concentrated in Rosh Hashanah, and from there it flows into each month and each day.

Connecting with the Rebbe — the Nasi, the spiritual head of the Jewish people in every generation — assists in the inner work of Rosh Hashanah, enabling one to draw his energy and inspiration forward into the year as a whole.

The day of humanity's creation

Rosh Hashanah is the anniversary of the creation of the first human being. The world was created on 25 Elul, and Adam was created on the first of Tishrei. On this day, God's sovereignty was first revealed — for the concept of kingship applies only in relation to a being endowed with free will. Before the creation of Adam, there was no one to recognize and accept Divine rule. The sovereignty that was revealed with the creation of Adam was an itaruta d'le'eila — an awakening from above. Now, each year anew, it falls to the Jewish people to reawaken this quality through an itaruta d'ltata — an awakening from below — so that the Divine will to reign over creation may be renewed. This is the essence of Rosh Hashanah and the binyan ha'nukva — the rebuilding of the attribute of Divine sovereignty.

Through this awakening from below — through the nullification of one's own will in favor of God's sovereignty, accepting His kingship wholeheartedly — one arouses from above the ratzon ha'elyon, the Supreme Will, to invest itself in the attribute of sovereignty. This is what is called the formation of the keter malchus — the crown of kingship.

This awakening from below is accomplished primarily through the sounding of the shofar — a simple, unadorned sound from the innermost depths of the heart. Through this sound, the innermost Divine delight — oneg ha'elyon — is awakened on high.

The withdrawal of life-energy

The rebuilding of Divine sovereignty accomplished on Rosh Hashanah is preceded by a withdrawal of life-energy on the night of Rosh Hashanah. The verse refers to this night as bakeseh l'yom chageinu — "on the concealment of our festival day" — because on the night of Rosh Hashanah the life-energy is veiled and hidden, as the attribute of sovereignty withdraws to its ultimate root and source. Through the spiritual work of Rosh Hashanah — the act of coronation and acceptance of sovereignty — the attribute of malchus is drawn down and renewed for the coming year.

Rosh Hashanah among the Chabad Rebbes

Delivering Chassidic discourses

The Alter Rebbe would deliver a Chassidic maamar — a formal discourse drawing on Kabbalistic and Chassidic themes — on both days of Rosh Hashanah. The Tzemach Tzedek would deliver a discourse on the morning of Erev Rosh Hashanah, on the afternoon of the second day after Mincha, and occasionally on the first day as well. The Rebbe Rashab delivered a maamar twice: on the night of the second day before the Evening Prayer, and at the conclusion of the holiday.

Extended prayer and minimal speech

The Maggid of Mezeritch — Rabbi Dov Ber, the great disciple and successor of the Ba'al Shem Tov — would recite the Evening Prayer of the first night of Rosh Hashanah at extraordinary length, sometimes for several hours, with profound weeping. At the festive meal that followed he did not speak at all, not even words of Torah. His recitation of the Shema before retiring on the first night likewise extended for several hours, and he would spend the entire night reciting Psalms. The Alter Rebbe instilled this practice in his sons and grandsons, and it was observed by each generation of Chabad Rebbes. On the first night the Alter Rebbe would speak only to share teachings he had heard directly from the Ba'al Shem Tov, transmitted through the Maggid. Only after the Evening Prayer of the second night would the Chabad Rebbes deliver public Chassidic discourses. At the meal of the second night it was their practice to recount stories and teachings from the Ba'al Shem Tov and his disciples, from the Rebbes and the elder Chassidim, and from the conduct of simple, sincere Chassidim as well.

The Mitteler Rebbe — Rabbi Dov Ber, the Alter Rebbe's son — would speak on the first night, but only on the theme of malchus d'Atzilus — the Divine attribute of sovereignty as it exists within the highest spiritual world. The Tzemach Tzedek would speak about malchusa d'ar'a — earthly sovereignty. The Rebbe Maharash would not speak on the first night — with one single exception throughout his life.

The Rebbe Rashab accepted upon himself from the year 5635 (1874–1875) not to speak on the first day of Rosh Hashanah at all — until after the maamar that his father, the Rebbe Maharash, would deliver on the second night. He maintained this practice after assuming the leadership of Chabad as well. On the second day he would speak, but only very briefly. During the Ten Days of Repentance he likewise minimized his speech. At the meals of the second night and second day, he would tell brief stories or share short teachings from the Ba'al Shem Tov, the Maggid, the Alter Rebbe, the Mitteler Rebbe, the Tzemach Tzedek, and the Rebbe Maharash. From the year 5654 (1893–1894) onward, his practice was to mention each of these figures in turn over the course of the twenty-four-hour period — recounting a story or teaching from each.

The Rebbe Rashab was known to extend the Evening Prayer of the first night for no less than three or four hours. Rabbi Elchanan Dov Morozov once related that after the prayer, the Rebbe Rashab recited the Shema before retiring for a further four hours.

The Rebbe reduced his speech on the first night to an absolute minimum. The meals of the first night and first day passed almost entirely in silence, with at most one or two remarks concerning the needs of the meal itself. At the second-day meal of Rosh Hashanah 5731 (1970), someone asked the Rebbe to say l'chaim — the traditional toast. The Rebbe replied: "At a Chassidic gathering I say it — but here, at my father-in-law the Frierdiker Rebbe's table, I do not wish to depart from his practice. He did not say l'chaim on Rosh Hashanah."

External links

• Likkutei Sichos organized by holiday — Rosh Hashanah — Mafteiach
• Rosh Hashanah: laws, customs, articles, and stories — Chabad Israel
• Rabbi Yosef Yeshaya Braun: daily halachic guide — Rosh Hashanah 5781 (2020)
• The Rosh Hashanah prayer text, with commentary by Rabbi Mordechai Tzvi Berkowitz, cantor at 770 Eastern Parkway — chabad.info
• The Rebbe's customs on Rosh Hashanah — class with Rabbi Tuvia Zilbershtrom
• Rabbi Ofen: a vivid and moving account of the Rebbe's conduct during the High Holidays — video