How to Observe Rosh Hashanah Correctly

During Rosh Hashanah many Laws are abided by the Jews with absolute fidelity to mark allegiance to their religion. Laws like lighting of candles and blowing of shofar is of prime importance.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. 
   Happy Rosh Hashanah

   Numerous laws or should we say salient features are abided by during this important Jewish festival . Laws that have hardly anything to do with the religious sancity of the festival but more with the superstitions associated with them. Nonetheless, they are followed with absolute fidelity for they believe complying with those will bring forth harmony and happiness in the near future, wiping out all sins of the past.

2. 
   happy Jewish New year

   It’s meant to be a day of ‘no work’. Thus, ‘Melacha’, which means actions that serve any positive purpose, are prohibited on Rosh Hashanah with the exception of food preparation, carrying and transferring or increasing of fire. This is done as the day is solely dedicated for praying in the synagogue, asking for redemption of one’s sin and enjoying oneself with one’s family. Lighting of candles is yet another core part of the festival. It is symbolic of the bright new year that awaits us. Thereby, it is mandatory for the woman of the household to light two candles before sunset on the first night and half an hour prior to sunset on second night to herald the festival. This ritual is accompanied by the recital of blessings.

3. 
   Rosh hashanah cards

   There are many more important laws concomitant with this festival. For instance, ‘Zohar’, the main text of the Jewish Kabbalah emphasizes the importance of giving alms to poor people in the form of holiday meals. This is an act of charity (tzedakah) which is especially important on Erev Rosh Hashanah for it is written in Nechemiah (8:10) that the Lord commanded his followers to eat good food and drink saccharine beverages as well as offer the same unto those who have nothing prepared, for the day is consecrated in the name of the Almighty. This law is usually adhered to as all desire to be blessed with the grace of the Almighty on the Day of Judgment.

4. 

   Blowing of Shofar is the crux of the festival, so there are many rules pertaining to the same.The commandment to hear the shofar blowing requires conscious zeal to fulfill the mitzvah.
   The shofar blower recites two blessings; the community is bound to listen to the blessings and respond "Amen" to each one. However, one should not say "Baruch hu uvaruch sh'mo" to these blessings. All are required to stand during the recital of the two blessings as well as during all the shofar blasts.
   One is forbidden to speak from the beginning of the first blessing until after the final shofar blast at the end of Musaf (the additional prayer service added after the morning prayers on Sabbath, biblically mandated holidays and the first day of the Jewish month).

5. 

   Shofar is not blown if Rosh Hashanah happens to fall on Shabbos. The shofar is blown as a mark of obedience to mitzvah (commandments). But recently as it doesn’t serve much purpose, so it is considered to be ‘muktzeh’, denoting an object which may not be moved on Shabbat or Jewish holidays, perhaps because it serves no permissible purpose on these days.

6. 

   More so, it is said that no matter if a person prays all by himself, he has to hear thirty blasts of the shofar that are made prior to Musaf. It is said that one should not blow shofar while saying Musaf, perhaps to avoid distraction. Hearing of those thirty blasts is believed to confuse the Satan and thus prevent him from raising his voice against the devotee while he is praying. If the devotee finds none who can blow the shofar for him, then he needs to remember to hear the shofar blast at a latter time. One is forbidden to blow the shofar once the blowing of the shofar has been completed as well as avoid unnecessary relocation.

7. 

   There’s a dogma which states that if the evening of the second day falls on Motzei Shabbos, everyone needs to avoid using wicks that extinguished on the first day of Rosh Hashanah as they went out on Shabbos (a day of rest, beginning with sundown). If the same wicks had been lit, extinguished and relit on Erev Shabbos, then it is taken for granted that they were prepared for lighting before the Shabbos, so this restriction does not hold good. Sometimes, it is substituted with new wicks or the same wicks turned upside down and ignited so that the flame does not catch where the wick was burned before. Though it is not Jewish which prohibits smoking, yet it is not permitted on holidays. Even when smoking was suitable for all, the poskim (legal decisor) wrote that ‘baal nefesh’, meaning pious individual should avoid smoking on those two holidays. It is also not advisable to go for an afternoon siesta on Rosh Hashanah, for there is a saying in the Jerusalem Talmud that, if one chooses to give into slumber at the very beginning of the year, his good fortune likewise remains dormant. In other words it means that if a person is idle at the very beginning of the year, he’ll remain so for the rest of the year and consequently will be unable to progress or materialize his dreams.
   All these laws are perhaps the road to redemption from one’s sin, an opportunity to resolve how one can lead a righteous life in the coming year

Resources

• Rosh Hashanah Wishes
• Rosh Hashanah Laws
• Hebrew Cards on Rosh Hashanah
• Rosh Hashanah Traditions

[AuntieAndrea]

on 12/2/2008 Wow! What a well researched article. So blowing of Chafar is reciting blessings or is Chafar some type of musical instrument?