This week, the Jewish religion celebrated the holiday Rosh Hashanah. We had big family dinners filled with matzoh ball soup, wine, and rugalach. There is nothing like sitting around the table with your family, catching up and sharing the best food you've had in a while. This holiday is about way more than just yummy food, though. I have been receiving a lot of questions from my non-Jewish friends about the holiday, so I decided to answer them all at once in this article.
1. What does "L'shana Tova" mean?
You've probably heard a lot of people saying this, or posting about it on social media. This phrase simply means "Happy new year" in Hebrew.
2. Why are you celebrating New Years in October?
In the Jewish religion, we use the lunar calendar which is a calendar that goes by the moon instead of the sun. We are now starting the Jewish year 5777.
3. What is a matzoh ball?
A matzoh ball is made with matzoh meal, egg, and some kind of fat. All of those ingredients get mixed together and rolled up. They start out small and when you stick them in any kind of soup (usually chicken soup) they fluff up into a nice round ball.
4. What is the shofar?
The shofar is made out of a rams horn, and is blown into to make a variety of sounds during Rosh Hashanah. In the Torah, there is the story of Moses blowing the shofar to state G-d's commandments over Mount Siani. If you're wondering what the shofar sounds like, or what it takes to be able to blow the shofar correctly, there are videos on YouTube that show it all.
5. Why do you dip apples in honey?
You dip apples in honey during Rosh Hashanah because it is meant to represent a sweet new year. We choose an apple over any other fruit because the apple is not only also sweet, but it is supposed to represent the Garden of Eden.
6. Why is Rosh Hashanah two days long?
Because we use the lunar calendar, a month could either last 29 or 30 days. Rosh Hashanah is always celebrated on the first of the month of Tishrei (a Jewish month), so Rosh Hashanah has to be celebrated when the new moon is seen.
Next is Yom Kippur, which is a 26 hour fast. We take the time in between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur to repent for the past year, and get ready to start the new one. Yeah, the fasting part of the holiday is hard, but when you finally get to have all the food you and your family have been cooking all day and gather around the table together to eat it, it makes it all worth it.
L'Shana Tova everyone!
