A SWEET NEW YEAR
L’Shana Tovah!
Since the 1650s, Jews have been sharing that Rosh Hashanah greeting in New York, and celebrating the holiest time of their calendar.
It means “for a good year,” and – at least in my corner of the world – it’s a great way to greet friends and family who celebrate the High Holy Days.
The eight-day period begins with a celebration and ends in solemn reflection, with plenty of traditions along the way. If you’ve been doing something for five thousand years (Happy 5782!) you come up with plenty of good ways to celebrate.
Family meals (usually dinner) are a big part of this holiday, as for most Jewish celebrations. This time, there will almost certainly be honey and apples in some form; they symbolize a sweet New Year, so they’re a prominent part of the meal. Some people just dip apples in the honey – while others like apple cakes, pies and other treats. Or all of the above!
It’s also the time to bring out old traditional foods you don’t see the rest of the year. That’s how I ended up eating gefiltefish at my first Rosh Hashanah dinner with my husband’s relatives. Apparently, in the right hands, it’s sort of like a salmon croquette. This particular version, though, was both sweet and crunchy – and after the meal, my husband told me that nobody but one very elderly relative actually eats it!
I got points for being a good sport, at least.
As well as the private family events, there are religious services throughout the eight days – more services for the more observant, of course. Another popular observance is “Taslich,” the washing away of sins: people go to a lake or river and thrown in stones or bread to symbolize spiritual cleansing. In some parts of New York, people have seen their neighbors doing that for decades – or even centuries.
New York has had organized Jewish congregations since 1680 – and by the early 1800s, there were several large and visible groups. For a long time, though, the services were held in the style of the first group who arrived: Sephardic (Spanish and Middle Eastern) Jews, despite the fact that most of the congregants were Eastern European Ashkenazi Jews.
Whatever kind of service they went to, the congregation probably looked pretty sharp. New clothes for a new year are part of many families’ tradition, much as Christians buy new outfits for Easter. Dressing up for an important holiday is a pretty common human impulse, after all.
The High Holy Days end with Yom Kippur, a solemn day of religious atonement and reflection. Even less-observant families (mine!) will often take the day off work and disconnect from social media so they can spend the time fasting, contemplating, and making things right for the next year.
That’s not just getting right in the religious sense -- it’s also about getting right with the people around you. If you’ve wronged anyone, you’re expected to do your best to fix it.
By the way, if you’re wondering what to say to a friend who’s marking Yom Kippur, it’s better to wish them “a blessed atonement” than to wish them a happy one. It shows understanding and support on what is a very solemn day…and isn’t that exactly what a true friend wants to do?
Got a #Throwback Thursday idea? Drop it in the comments.
Since the 1650s, Jews have been sharing that Rosh Hashanah greeting in New York, and celebrating the holiest time of their calendar.
It means “for a good year,” and – at least in my corner of the world – it’s a great way to greet friends and family who celebrate the High Holy Days.
The eight-day period begins with a celebration and ends in solemn reflection, with plenty of traditions along the way. If you’ve been doing something for five thousand years (Happy 5782!) you come up with plenty of good ways to celebrate.
Family meals (usually dinner) are a big part of this holiday, as for most Jewish celebrations. This time, there will almost certainly be honey and apples in some form; they symbolize a sweet New Year, so they’re a prominent part of the meal. Some people just dip apples in the honey – while others like apple cakes, pies and other treats. Or all of the above!
It’s also the time to bring out old traditional foods you don’t see the rest of the year. That’s how I ended up eating gefiltefish at my first Rosh Hashanah dinner with my husband’s relatives. Apparently, in the right hands, it’s sort of like a salmon croquette. This particular version, though, was both sweet and crunchy – and after the meal, my husband told me that nobody but one very elderly relative actually eats it!
I got points for being a good sport, at least.
As well as the private family events, there are religious services throughout the eight days – more services for the more observant, of course. Another popular observance is “Taslich,” the washing away of sins: people go to a lake or river and thrown in stones or bread to symbolize spiritual cleansing. In some parts of New York, people have seen their neighbors doing that for decades – or even centuries.
New York has had organized Jewish congregations since 1680 – and by the early 1800s, there were several large and visible groups. For a long time, though, the services were held in the style of the first group who arrived: Sephardic (Spanish and Middle Eastern) Jews, despite the fact that most of the congregants were Eastern European Ashkenazi Jews.
Whatever kind of service they went to, the congregation probably looked pretty sharp. New clothes for a new year are part of many families’ tradition, much as Christians buy new outfits for Easter. Dressing up for an important holiday is a pretty common human impulse, after all.
The High Holy Days end with Yom Kippur, a solemn day of religious atonement and reflection. Even less-observant families (mine!) will often take the day off work and disconnect from social media so they can spend the time fasting, contemplating, and making things right for the next year.
That’s not just getting right in the religious sense -- it’s also about getting right with the people around you. If you’ve wronged anyone, you’re expected to do your best to fix it.
By the way, if you’re wondering what to say to a friend who’s marking Yom Kippur, it’s better to wish them “a blessed atonement” than to wish them a happy one. It shows understanding and support on what is a very solemn day…and isn’t that exactly what a true friend wants to do?
Got a #Throwback Thursday idea? Drop it in the comments.
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