Rosh Hashanah- the Prayer for Spiritual Rebirth

You must be waiting for the judgment day. It's time for the review of the last year deeds. But, we know God is kind and all our misdeeds will be forgiven. This is the essence of Rosh Hashanah. It is the Jewish New Year for people, animals and legal contracts. This is the only Jewish festival that runs for two days so that people can understand the seriousness of the occasion.

It is believed that God evaluates the past deeds of his men from his golden throne. But the final judgment is not given out on Rosh Hashanah. Yom Kippur is the actual time for the same and that comes ten days after Rosh Hashana. The time span between these two festivals is popularly called "Shabbat Shuva".

This festival is not a purely merry making one. Rosh Hashana is a solemn occasion and Jewish people go for lengthy devotions on that day. It is interesting to note that men and women are assigned with different greetings. Men greet with the words " Leshana tova tikateiv v' technateim" whereas women greetings is "Leshana t ova tikateiv vetichatemi".

Tishri is the chosen month for the festival which is either September or October on Gregorian calendar. But this is a month of restricted rejoicing as Jewish people have to meet their great judgment. The dusk before Rosh Hashana marks the beginning of the celebration of the festival. Jews get ready for the prayers in a very unusual way. A bath is a must in order to purify the body. Jews also get their hair cuts for Rosh Hashana. Wearing special clothes and giving out treats to the children form the basis of the customs which they follow.

The aim is to caste away the sins of the last year. The traditional way to do so is to throw crumbs of breads into water after Torah verse to cast off the sins into the depth of the sea. Jews also shake their garments to get rid of their sins. Repentance goes with the sound of Shofar. The horn is made out of ram's horn and it is blown hundred times every day of Rosh Hashana upon the command of Ha Shem. Each blow carries a different significance with it. The purpose is to remind Jews that their souls are about to enter into repentance. But this would be wrong to assume that Jews get so much tensed with the outcome of the judgment that they fail to enjoy the festival Rosh Hashana. They believe God is merciful and will definitely forgive the bad deeds. Jews carry the spirit of Rosh Hashana with a ray of hope of forgiveness.

Jews take honey, apples, rice, spinach, Tzimmes and even fish for the feast. Honey was used as a sweetener in the past. It is taken on Rosh Hashana just to get a sweet new year. Honey also signifies good living and wealth. Jews go for a mixture of apples and honey . Eating up the head of fish signifies the beginning of a year. It is also symbolic of fertility and abundance. Each year a new fruit is tasted to appreciate the fruits of the earth. Jews also thank Ha Shem for keeping them alive to enjoy the fruits. Rice stands for abundance and spinach for a new productive green year. Tzimmes is an Eastern European recipe of honey baked carrots. Jews take it as a symbol of increasing good deeds.

Rosh Hashana invites all for spiritual regeneration. It is not known whether you will be punished or rewarded for your deeds but once a year we can at least try to be a good human and pray for the well being of all.