Rabbi Dan Horwitz discusses the Jewish Holiday Rosh Hashanah at the MSU Hillel Center.
Every year on Jan. 1, everyone everywhere is trying to find ways to better themselves. Whether it’s getting back into the gym, being better with finances or doing better in school or work, people search for ways to make the new year much better than the last. But for the Jewish community, it’s already a new year.
Rosh Hashanah, also known as the Jewish New Year, started Wednesday evening and was brought in with worship service that will continue for the next 10 days, known as Yom Kippur.
In Hebrew, Rosh Hashanah means the head, or beginning, of the new year.
In rabbinic tradition, the day is associated with God’s creation of the world, and with the creation of human beings.
Religious studies professor Benjamin Pollock said Rosh Hashanah also is the day of judgement, where God is said to weigh each person’s merits and sins.
“This is a period of serious introspection during which time Jews traditionally commit themselves to self-improvement, to changing the course of their lives for the better through prayer, good deeds and charity, so as to warrant God’s blessings for life in the new year,” Pollock said.
The symbol and most important ritual object of Rosh Hashanah is the Shofar, or a ram’s horn. During the holiday, the Shofar is blown 100 times as a call to repentance, Pollock said.
Rosh Hashanah starts the first 10 days of repentance known as the high holy days.
Starting Wednesday night, services are being held at synagogs all over the world and will continue until Friday evening.
Rabbi Amy Bigman of East Lansing’s Shaarey Zedek Congregation said anyone is welcomed to attend service any of the days.
“There are variety of different services that take place throughout those days,” Bigman said.
“Some are services for adults and older children, some services that we have for the youngest members of our congregation specially in design to their ability to understand and celebrate the new year.”
Along with the service, dinner is held afterwards serving traditional sides of apples and honey.
Pollock added that most Jewish people look favorably on eating a lot of good food on Rosh Hashanah.
“It’s the new year and one of the new traditions is that we eat apples and honey to represent a sweet new year,” African studies senior Miki Levran said. “It’s a celebration of just starting fresh.”
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