I was asked by a couple of non-affiliated, Reform friends some questions about the High Holy Days, so I figured I'd also post some answers here.

--Taken together, the High Holy Days are for judgment, remembrance, and most important, teshuvah ("repentance" or "return.") The High Holy Days are the only holidays in the Jewish calendar that focus exclusively on a person's relationship with God. Teshuvah can be seen as the process of forgiving & being forgiven. It's accomplished through prayer, changing one's conduct, and acts of charity. The goal of this self-analysis and making amends is to let go of the past and prepare (sometimes with a great deal of fear) for what's coming.

For some reason, people who aren't familiar with the shofar (ram's horn) always ask questions, so here goes:

--According to the Bible, the Hebrews heard one at Mt Sinai as they waited for Moses to return with the Law.
--Abraham sacrificed a ram when God spared Abraham's son, Isaac (or Abraham tricked God into thinking the ram was actually Isaac, depending on one's interpretation.)
--The sound of the shofar is to be a warning to wake up and turn our lives around; only its sound can shake the "calluses that have hardened the heart."

The shofar is blown approximately 100 times during High Holiday service, with three distinct "notes" blown: tekiah (one long note,) shevarim (three medium notes,) and teruah (eight staccato notes followed by one long one.) I always enjoy hearing the reader call out the pattern to be blown (....tekiah, terurah, shevarim, tekiah...) as the blower starts awailing. The final note in the pattern is always tekiah gedolah (a particularly long blow.) If it's really good, you can hear congregants mumble "wow" when it ends.

My favorite tradition of the holiday is Tashlich ("You shall cast") in which we go to the ocean or river (any body of water will do) though if it's a river, you can pretend you're Springsteen--and throw off guilt/let go of the year just ending by casting crumbs into the water. It's usually performed the afternoon of the first day of Rosh Hashanah (it's great to get out of synagogue and go for a walk!) When I was in the seminary--from which I was expelled--one of the rabbis humorously suggested:

--ordinary sins, use white bread
--dark sins, use pumpernickel
--auto theft, use caraway
--money-hungry, use raw dough
--holier-than-thou attitude, use bagels

Though Rosh Hashanah translates to "Head of the Year," it is celebrated on the first day of Tishrei, the 7th month of the year. This is because Jewish tradition claims there are actually four new years:

--Exodus 12:2 says the calendar begins with the month of Nisan and thus it's the start of the religious year, making Passover (on Nisan 15) the first festival.
--The year number changes on Rosh Hashanah (this year will be 5764.) This is the day the years of Kings were counted & some believe Adam was created on it. It has come to be the "birthday" for humanity.
-- Tu B'Shvat (the 15th of Shvat) is New Year of the Trees, very Lorax "I speak for the trees."
---The Fiscal year begins with the tithing of cattle, at the start of Elul, which is the month that precedes Tishrei (the one with Rosh Hashanah.) The 40 days from the 1st of Elul to Yom Kippur are sometimes called "Days of Awe," to remind us to self-analysis necessary to properly atone for our sins and change our ways.

I can't imagine anyone actually reading this, but when I gave the resposes to one of the orginal questioner, his reaction was "Shit, you really know this stuff..." wink

~Adam

Now you can.

I check this section of the board now and then to see if the same old...stuff is going on. Your thread seems to be the only one that doesn't touch on politics in any way.

This may be a little off topic, but my company recently began reviewing its products for kosher status. Noticed that one of the requirements is that it not be processed at above 115 deg F. Wonder why that specific number - temperature of a high fever maybe?

[ September 24, 2003, 02:44 PM: Message edited by: sportinlife ]

I'll be celebrating Rosh Hoshanah with my sweetie this weekend. Will anyone else be doing the same?

While I won't be blowing a shofar... I probably will wind up blowing something else instead. wink

[QUOTE]Originally posted by ung:
[QB] I'll be celebrating Rosh Hoshanah with my sweetie this weekend. Will anyone else be doing the same?

I'll be celebrating Rosh Hashanah this weekend as well with my family. I bring my boyfriend along as well. Nothing eloborate..just some good food and company.

Josh

I will be celebrating also and Happy New Year to everyone!!!

Interesting stuff, Adam, and I thank you for enlightening me. Happy New Year(s?)!

Adam, did you go to JTS too? Just wondering.

And l'shanah tovah to all the fellow members of the tribe who post on this board.

What kind of bread do you toss to cast off the guilt of killing Palestinian children with missles from helicopter gunships?

Poppy seed?

[ September 24, 2003, 07:20 PM: Message edited by: DallasUNC ]

Aaaaaah. The virulent anti-Semitism of the American left rears its grotesquely mishapen head once again.

Please get over yourself. Since when has anti-semitism been the exclusive of either the right or the left. Bias is bias, and ironically is not biased on political affiliation.

Yes, Mr. Moderator, I know this is off topic. I will stop now.

I guess I have to retract this statement. Sorry, Adam.

Today's press reports that several Israeli pilots have joined to sign a petition asking that the IAF stop its bombing of Palestinians. This follows on other reservists' refusing to serve in the GStrip or WBank. Clearly, these actions show that some very visible Israelis are acting in accordance with the principles of forgiveness and atonement cited above.

News like this, regardless of one's views of the overall conflict, is much more relevant to this thread and - gratifying to hear - than offensive, out-of-place agit-prop like that emanating from TX. One might well ask, "What good ever came out of Dallas?" frown

I stand by my statement:

1. One of the more left-wing posters on the Board just posted a disgusting bit of anti-Semitism in a thread devoted to the celebration of a Jewish holiday.

2. A virulent form of anti-Semitism (not just anti-Israeli-ism) infected the left-wing anti-War protests this spring.

So, yes, I detected a peculiarly leftist strain of anti-Semitism in the above Texas-originated post. I also found it interested that you felt it necessary to criticize me for pointing out the turd in the Rosh Hashanah punchbowl ... yet you felt no need to criticize the original anti-Semitism. I'm not accusing you of also holding those beliefs. I'm merely questioning your priorities.

That said: now that it's sundown ... a happy happy Rosh Hashanah ... or Rosh Hashanah Eve ... I'm never quite certain with these lunar-based days when one day ends and the next begins ... to all those opting to celebrate this day.

its a real shame that the start of the holiest days in the Jewish religion has started such mean spirited posts on this board. Im very proud to be Jewish and just because im Jewish it doesnt mean i support and applaud every move the govt of Israel makes.
I think its a real shame that gays can be so hateful and mean spirited in such a thread as just wishing everyone a very happy New Year and a nice start to the High Holy Days of the Jewish faith.

Adam, thanks for sharing the story about Rosh Hashanah and the High Holy Days, as well as your experience in the seminary (we await the details on the reasons for your expulsion wink ) It's unfortunate the thread degenerated into a heated political argument. My best wishes to you and all other Outsporters of the Jewish faith for a happy and peaceful year 5764.

Well, me for one.

To hit on some of the high notes around here.

First, sundown on Friday, 9/26/2003 will mark the beginning of the Rosh Hashannah holiday this year. It's not the lunar calendar that's the problem, Charlie, it's that days start at sundown and end at darkfall 24 or so hours later which confuses everyone.

Frankly, I will not engage DallasUNC on this topic here. If he or anyone else wishes to discuss the current deplorable situation in the Middle East, start a thread about it and discuss it there. I would not come into a thread about Ramadan or Christmas just to cast figurative stones at the celebrants.

Adam, Landsman! It's nice to know another seminarian in here. I spent four years at WITS in Milwaukee and a year at Chofetz Chaim in Jerusalem. Where did you attend Yeshiva?

and for those amused by Adam's limited list of Tashlich metaphors, here is a more complete list that's been banging around the internet for years. And DallasUNC, you'll notice poppy seed was already taken.

Taking a few crumbs to Tashlich from whatever old bread is in the house lacks subtlety, nuance and religious sensitivity. I would suggest that we can do better.

Instead:

For ordinary sins,use................White Bread
For exotic sins .................... French Bread
For particularly dark sins ......... Pumpernickel
For complex sins .....................Multi-Grain
For twisted sins ........................Pretzels
For tasteless sins .................. Rice Cakes
For sins of indecision ................. Waffles
For sins committed in haste ............. Matzah
For sins committed in less than eighteen minutes.. Shmurah Matzah
For sins of chutzpah ........ .......Fresh Bread
For substance abuse/marijuana .... Stoned Wheat
For substance abuse/heavy drugs....... Poppy Seed
For committing auto theft ............Caraway
For petty larceny ................ ...Stollen
For committing arson .................... Toast
For timidity ....................... Milk Toast
For being ill tempered/sulky ........ Sourdough
For silliness .........................Nut Bread
For not giving full value .......... Shortbread
For jingoism .................... Yankee Doodles
For risking one's life unnecessarily . Hero Bread
For excessive use of irony .......... Rye Bread
For telling bad jokes .............. Corn Bread
For hardening our hearts ...... Jelly Doughnuts
For being money hungry .Enriched Bread or Raw Dough
For war-mongering ................Kaiser Rolls
For immodest dressing ................ Tarts
For causing injury or damage to others .. Tortes
For promiscuity ..................... Hot Buns
For promiscuity with gentiles ....Hot cross Buns
For racism ............................ Crackers
For sophisticated racism ......... Ritz Crackers
For davenning (praying) off tune .... Flat Bread
For being holier than thou ............. Bagels
For unfairly upbraiding another ....... Challah
For indecent photography ........... Cheese Cake
For trashing the environment......... Dumplings
For sins of laziness ........ Any Very Long Loaf
For being hyper-critical ............ Pan Cakes
For political skullduggery ........... Bismarcks
For over-eating . Stuffing Bread or Bulky Rolls
For gambling .................. Fortune Cookies
For abrasiveness ....................... Grits
For sins of pride ................. Puff Pastry
For cheating ... Baked Goods with Nutrasweet and Olestra
For being snappish ............... Ginger Bread
For impetuosity .................. Quick Bread
For incompetent child rearing .... Raisin Bread
For negligent slip ups ........... Banana Bread
For dropping in without warning ...... Popovers
For trying to improve everyone within sight ..... Angel Food Cake
For being up-tight and irritable .......... High Fiber or Bran Muffins
For sycophancy ........................ Brownies

Remember, you don't have to show your crumbs to anyone. For those who require a wide selection of crumbs, an attempt will be made to have pre-packaged Tashlich Mix available in three grades (Tashlich Lite, Medium and Industrial Strength) at your local Jewish bookstore.

[ September 26, 2003, 12:55 AM: Message edited by: jqueer ]

The list was interesting but I love this one!

Adam's reference to being in the seminary struck me because I always think of a seminary as a Catholic thing. Pretty silly thinking, I guess.

Joe in Philly wrote:

I thought exactly the same thing Joe, and was going to mention it in my previous post, but thought I'd look like a dummy (so I let you say it for both of us wink ) In fact, when Adam recently referred to his days in the seminary in another thread, I said to myself...'Huh? Isn't he Jewish? He must have converted to Judaism after being expelled from the seminary!' I figured the Jewish equivalent was 'rabbinical college' or something like that. But sure enough, the dictionary definition of 'seminary' is a lot more inclusive than what we had both assumed.

Just like a Priest comes from a "Catholic seminary" a rabbi is trained at a "rabbinic seminary." I went to SMU in which the Perkins School of Theology is a Methodist seminary. As soon as the pagan community gets its act together, I'm sure we'll see a Wiccan seminary.

Shannah Tovah
Happy New Year

Marc and Joe in Philly: Sorry if my use of "seminary" without the (correct) descriptive "rabbinical" caused any confusion, but over the years, I have become so used to referring to it as merely the "seminary" it's the most natural for me. My favorite bit of confusion happened at a Thanksgiving I spent with Kyle & his family early in our relationship. His oldest brother, Brian, is a Catholic priest & he and I were comparing seminary-is-hell-stories. We were overheard by one of his aunts, who knew me only as a friend of Kyle's, and she asked whether Brian & I had attended seminary together. The last time I spoke with Brian, a few weeks before Kyle's death, we reminisced about that night.

~Adam

No need to apologize, Adam. It wasn't really confusing. After all, a rabbi has to come from somewhere. wink

Eh youre right poppy is taken...For substance abuse/heavy drugs....... Poppy Seed

But I dont see how making a statement on the futility of firing missiles into people's homes is anti-Semetic. Simply something that popped in my mind as the holy days approach and the hawks in Israel continue to retaliate violently. They just happen to be Jews. I could say the same thing as radical Muslims will probably blow themselves up during Ramadan. Does that make me a Muslim hater too? By the way, Id hardly put myself on the left.

Youre correct. I was wrong in posting that quip in a Rosh Hashanah thread. So I apologize.

Ok, I think maybe I worked out the 115 degree F thing. It seems to have to do with "kashrus"ing or processing according to Jewish law in such a way that flavors cannot be transferred from non-kosher food to kosher food processed with the same equipment. Apparently there is a temperature "yad soledes bo" above which flavors are assumed to be transferred to or from containers. That temperature is generally agreed to be around 110 degrees F. An interesting site:Rabbi Chaim Cohn discusses flavoring.

Happy New Year 5764, guys!!! This is a great reference site: The Site
Why can't we learn from one another instead of demanding that our individual ways are the right ways? Just because it is right for one person does not make it right for another.

[ October 06, 2003, 01:59 PM: Message edited by: bobby78751 ]

Aside from the brief aside on anti-semitism (and kudos to DallasUNC for the apology), I must say this was one of the most informative threads I have ever read. Growing up in VERY Catholic town (around 90%), I didn't even know any Jews growing up - or should I say didn't realize I knew any (I did make the mistake, at the age of 5 or so, of asking the bookeeper at my dad's company what the numbers tatoo'd on her arm meant). Getting away to college was my first experience with a lot of Jewish people, and it was very confusing to understand all the traditions.

Hope that all your celebrations went off well, and if I am remembering correctly, Yom Kippur should be any day now, and I recall that celebration being much more somber, but I may have my days confused.

well...... now that sundown has come and we all have feasted after the brief fast. (see? the jews fast for one day. while the muslims fast for a whole month. Guess which one is the easy pay plan)

anyway.... I hope everyone broke the fast with a buffet while watching Boston win and Indy's amazing comeback win. Did everyone adequately atone? wink