Tag: Rosh Hashana

Every year as we sit in shul during Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, we make a chesbon nefesh - a reckoning of our actions and reactions.

From time to time, I am asked where I get ideas for my articles. The answer is simple. Just from getting up in the morning and experiencing life.

QUESTION: Why do some people say Tashlich on the second day of Rosh Hashana when the first day falls on a Sabbath, while others say it on the first day (in areas where there is an eruv)? What if someone missed saying Tashlich? Finally, what is the source for this custom?Zvi Kirschner(via email)

No time of prayer is more intense than at Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, as we literally pray for our lives, our sustenance, and ultimately, our salvation.

QUESTION: Why do we say Shalom Aleichem at Kiddush Levana, when we bless the new moon, and why do we do so three times? Is it because we have not seen a new moon for a whole month? Can you explain a little more about this mitzva?Ira WarshanskyPhiladelphia, PA

QUESTION: I do not understand the practice of blowing so many extra blasts of the shofar, as is done in most synagogues on Rosh Hashana. Is that not in violation of the command bal tosif, as stated in Deuteronomy (13:1), "You shall not add to [G-d's commandments]"?Elliot Solomon(Via E-Mail)

QUESTION: I do not understand the practice of blowing so many extra blasts of the shofar, as is done in most synagogues on Rosh Hashana. Is that not in violation of the command bal tosif, as stated in Deuteronomy (13:1), "You shall not add to [G-d's command-ments]"?Elliot Solomon(Via E-Mail)

Old favorites and new delicacies add up to wonderful additions to a Yom Tov meal.

One of the favorite food staples in the Jewish home during the High Holy Day season is honey. Traditionally, from Rosh Hashana until after Succot, honey is served with every major meal. It is smeared on the bread over which we recite the Hamotzi blessing, the sweet apple is dipped into honey on the night of Rosh Hashana, sweet baked goods are baked with honey, and honey is used in the preparation of foods such as glazed carrots and sweet desserts. Aside from the caloric disaster that this custom entails, one is really hard pressed to find a negative thing to say about honey.