"Shana tova!" (meaning "Happy New Year!") is a common greeting on Rosh Hashanah. The Jewish New Year lasts two days and falls this year on October 3rd and 4th. Jews primarily commemorate the covenant between God and Israel, which is of vital importance to Israel, but also the creation of the world and God's judgment – the day doesn't have a single, clearly defined theme. Whether Rosh Hashanah has a biblical basis is debated. Some see its foundations in Leviticus 23:24-25 and Numbers 29:1-6.
On New Year's Day, synagogues are often decorated with white cloths and appropriate decorations. The atmosphere is meant to be festive. In stark contrast to this is the ram's horn (shofar), which has a harsh, piercing sound. Rosh Hashanah is the Feast of the Shofar. It is sounded over a hundred times during the service. It not only proclaims the new year but also the reign of God, the King of the world. Furthermore, it calls for repentance and ushers in the ten-day period of repentance (the "Days of Awe"), which then ends on Yom Kippur.
Some communities begin the repentance period by going to a flowing body of water. Jewish men and women pray according to the Tashlich ritual, asking for forgiveness of their sins. Symbolically, they empty their pockets, throwing lint and crumbs into the water as a sign that all sins are being washed away. This is reminiscent of Micah 7:19: “He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot and hurl all our sins into the depths of the sea.”
Rosh Hashanah is also celebrated at home with family. Fish is eaten, often including the head, to recall Deuteronomy 28:13: "The Lord will make you the head and not the tail." Round white loaves are eaten—a symbol of the cycle of the year—and apple slices spread with honey, representing a bountiful and fruitful year. Jews also eat pomegranates and express the wish that their good deeds in the coming months will be as numerous as its seeds. This, however, is only possible through repentance, and so Rosh Hashanah is followed by a period of intense self-examination, ensuring that good intentions go beyond mere superficiality and lead to a reorientation of one's life. Therefore, even the joyful "Shana tova!" has a different ring to it than our New Year's Eve greeting.
