https://staging.thenewjew.org/articles/holidays-yamim-noraim-rosh-hashanah.xml/articles/holidays-yamim-noraim-rosh-hashanahxmlarticleRosh HashanahThe Jewish New Year — the Day of Judgment, the head of the Ten Days of Repentance, and the day on which the shofar is sounded.The New Jew/index.xmlSacred Time/sections/sacred-time.xmlRosh Hashanah/articles/holidays-yamim-noraim-rosh-hashanah.xml
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holidays-yamim-noraim-rosh-hashanahRosh HashanahThe Jewish New Year — the Day of Judgment, the head of the Ten Days of Repentance, and the day on which the shofar is sounded.Summary. Rosh Hashanah (literally "head of the year") falls on the 1st and 2nd of Tishrei. The Torah commands the day as Yom Teruah, the day of sounding (Bamidbar 29:1); the Mishnah (Rosh Hashanah 1:2) declares all the world's inhabitants pass before God in judgment on this day. The shofar is sounded 100 times during services; the liturgy is unusually solemn and rich; the apples-and-honey table custom looks forward to a sweet new year. Rosh Hashanah opens the Ten Days of Repentance (Aseret Yemei Teshuvah) that close with Yom Kippur.essentialholidaysrosh hashanahnew yearshofar2026-07-06T02:19:03.001Z6613sacred-timeSacred Timesummary
Summary. [Rosh Hashanah](/glossary.xml#letter-R) (literally "head of the year") falls on the 1st and 2nd of [Tishrei](/glossary.xml#letter-T). The [Torah](/glossary.xml#letter-T) commands the day as [Yom Teruah](/glossary.xml#letter-Y), the day of sounding ([Bamidbar 29:1](https://www.sefaria.org/Numbers.29.1)); [the Mishnah (Rosh Hashanah 1:2)](https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Rosh_Hashanah.1.2) declares all the world's inhabitants pass before God in judgment on this day. The [shofar](/glossary.xml#letter-S) is sounded 100 times during services; the liturgy is unusually solemn and rich; the apples-and-honey table custom looks forward to a sweet new year. Rosh Hashanah opens the Ten Days of Repentance ([Aseret Yemei Teshuvah](/glossary.xml#letter-A)) that close with [Yom Kippur](/glossary.xml#letter-Y).
Summary. Rosh Hashanah (literally "head of the year") falls on the 1st and 2nd of Tishrei. The Torah commands the day as Yom Teruah, the day of sounding (Bamidbar 29:1); the Mishnah (Rosh Hashanah 1:2) declares all the world's inhabitants pass before God in judgment on this day. The shofar is sounded 100 times during services; the liturgy is unusually solemn and rich; the apples-and-honey table custom looks forward to a sweet new year. Rosh Hashanah opens the Ten Days of Repentance (Aseret Yemei Teshuvah) that close with Yom Kippur.heading
When and How Many Days
When and How Many Daysparagraph
1st and 2nd of Tishrei. Two days in both Israel and the diaspora — an exception to the usual rule, because Rosh Hashanah falls at the beginning of the month when the sanctification of the new moon was historically uncertain even within the Land. The two days are treated as a single "long day" ([yoma arichta](/glossary.xml#letter-Y)) for many [halachic](/glossary.xml#letter-H) purposes.
1st and 2nd of Tishrei. Two days in both Israel and the diaspora — an exception to the usual rule, because Rosh Hashanah falls at the beginning of the month when the sanctification of the new moon was historically uncertain even within the Land. The two days are treated as a single "long day" (yoma arichta) for many halachic purposes.heading
The Shofar
The Shofarparagraph
The shofar (a ram's horn) is the central [mitzvah](/glossary.xml#letter-M) of Rosh Hashanah. The blowing pattern includes three sounds: [tekiah](/glossary.xml#letter-T) (a long single blast), [shevarim](/glossary.xml#letter-S) (three medium blasts), and [teruah](/glossary.xml#letter-T) (nine short staccato blasts). [The Mishnah (Rosh Hashanah 4:9)](https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Rosh_Hashanah.4.9) prescribes the sequence; the contemporary practice sounds 100 blasts over the course of the morning services. The shofar is not sounded if the first day of Rosh Hashanah falls on [Shabbat](/glossary.xml#letter-S); in that case the obligation is fulfilled on the second day.
The shofar (a ram's horn) is the central mitzvah of Rosh Hashanah. The blowing pattern includes three sounds: tekiah (a long single blast), shevarim (three medium blasts), and teruah (nine short staccato blasts). The Mishnah (Rosh Hashanah 4:9) prescribes the sequence; the contemporary practice sounds 100 blasts over the course of the morning services. The shofar is not sounded if the first day of Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat; in that case the obligation is fulfilled on the second day.heading
The Liturgy
The Liturgyparagraph
The Rosh Hashanah Musaf [Amidah](/glossary.xml#letter-A) includes three special sections — [Malchuyot](/glossary.xml#letter-M) (Kingship), [Zichronot](/glossary.xml#letter-Z) (Remembrances), and [Shofarot](/glossary.xml#letter-S) (Shofar verses) — each comprising ten biblical verses on the theme. The [Unetaneh Tokef](/glossary.xml#letter-U) ("Let us speak of the awesomeness"), an anonymous [piyyut](/glossary.xml#letter-P) whose language and structure point to the Byzantine period, is the most famous Rosh Hashanah prayer: "On Rosh Hashanah it is written and on the Fast of Yom Kippur it is sealed: who shall live and who shall die, who in their time and who not in their time..." A tradition first recorded in the 13th-century Or Zarua holds that [Rabbi Amnon of Mainz](/glossary.xml#letter-R) recited the piyyut as he died a martyr; the poem appears, however, to have existed well before his lifetime, and its author is unknown.
The Rosh Hashanah Musaf Amidah includes three special sections — Malchuyot (Kingship), Zichronot (Remembrances), and Shofarot (Shofar verses) — each comprising ten biblical verses on the theme. The Unetaneh Tokef ("Let us speak of the awesomeness"), an anonymous piyyut whose language and structure point to the Byzantine period, is the most famous Rosh Hashanah prayer: "On Rosh Hashanah it is written and on the Fast of Yom Kippur it is sealed: who shall live and who shall die, who in their time and who not in their time..." A tradition first recorded in the 13th-century Or Zarua holds that Rabbi Amnon of Mainz recited the piyyut as he died a martyr; the poem appears, however, to have existed well before his lifetime, and its author is unknown.heading
Customs at the Table
Customs at the Tableparagraph
Apples dipped in honey — symbolic of a sweet year. The blessing is [borei pri ha'etz](/glossary.xml#letter-B); some add a "may it be Your will" formula after.
Apples dipped in honey — symbolic of a sweet year. The blessing is borei pri ha'etz; some add a "may it be Your will" formula after.paragraph
Round [challah](/glossary.xml#letter-C) (rather than the usual braided loaf) — symbolic of the year coming round; often raisin-studded for sweetness.
Round challah (rather than the usual braided loaf) — symbolic of the year coming round; often raisin-studded for sweetness.paragraph
Pomegranate — for the abundance of mitzvot. Many recite "may our merits multiply like the seeds of the pomegranate."
Pomegranate — for the abundance of mitzvot. Many recite "may our merits multiply like the seeds of the pomegranate."heading
Fish (in some traditions, fish heads) — "may we be a head and not a tail."
Fish (in some traditions, fish heads) — "may we be a head and not a tail."paragraph
[Sephardic](/glossary.xml#letter-S) [seder](/glossary.xml#letter-S) Rosh Hashanah — a multi-course tradition with [simanim](/glossary.xml#letter-S) (symbolic foods: dates, leeks, gourds, black-eyed peas, beets) each accompanied by a brief liturgical formula.
Sephardic seder Rosh Hashanah — a multi-course tradition with simanim (symbolic foods: dates, leeks, gourds, black-eyed peas, beets) each accompanied by a brief liturgical formula.paragraph
[Tashlich](/glossary.xml#letter-T) — on the afternoon of the first day of Rosh Hashanah (or the second if the first is Shabbat), a customary walk to a body of flowing water for the symbolic casting away of sins (drawn from [Micah 7:19](https://www.sefaria.org/Micah.7.19)).
Tashlich — on the afternoon of the first day of Rosh Hashanah (or the second if the first is Shabbat), a customary walk to a body of flowing water for the symbolic casting away of sins (drawn from Micah 7:19).heading
Where Denominations Diverge
Where Denominations Divergeparagraph
All denominations observe Rosh Hashanah as a major holiday and the shofar is universal. [Orthodox](/glossary.xml#letter-O) and Conservative diasporic communities observe two days; [Reform](/glossary.xml#letter-R) typically observes one day. The liturgical content varies by denomination; Reform [machzorim](/glossary.xml#letter-M) include substantial English readings; Conservative Lev Shalem and Mahzor Hadash include matriarchs in the [Avot](/glossary.xml#letter-A) blessing.
All denominations observe Rosh Hashanah as a major holiday and the shofar is universal. Orthodox and Conservative diasporic communities observe two days; Reform typically observes one day. The liturgical content varies by denomination; Reform machzorim include substantial English readings; Conservative Lev Shalem and Mahzor Hadash include matriarchs in the Avot blessing.heading
Sources
Sourcesparagraph
Torah: [Vayikra 23:23–25](https://www.sefaria.org/Leviticus.23.23-25); [Bamidbar 29:1–6](https://www.sefaria.org/Numbers.29.1-6).
Torah: Vayikra 23:23–25; Bamidbar 29:1–6.paragraph
[Mishnah, Rosh Hashanah (entire tractate)](https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Rosh_Hashanah).
Mishnah, Rosh Hashanah (entire tractate).paragraph
[Talmud Bavli, Rosh Hashanah 16a–17b](https://www.sefaria.org/Rosh_Hashanah.16-17).
Talmud Bavli, Rosh Hashanah 16a–17b.paragraph
[Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Shofar](https://www.sefaria.org/Mishneh_Torah,_Shofar,_Sukkah_and_Lulav).
Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Shofar.paragraph
[Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 581–603](https://www.sefaria.org/Shulchan_Arukh,_Orach_Chayim.581-603).
Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 581–603.paragraph
[17 Rosh Hashanah Facts Every Jew Should Know](https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/3743979/jewish/17-Rosh-Hashanah-Facts-Every-Jew-Should-Know.htm) — Chabad.org.
17 Rosh Hashanah Facts Every Jew Should Know — Chabad.org.paragraph
[What Is a Shofar? The Horn Blown on Rosh Hashanah](https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/4837/jewish/Shofar.htm) — Chabad.org.
What Is a Shofar? The Horn Blown on Rosh Hashanah — Chabad.org.paragraph
[Unetaneh Tokef: A Commentary](https://www.thetorah.com/article/unetaneh-tokef-a-commentary) — TheTorah.com.
Unetaneh Tokef: A Commentary — TheTorah.com.paragraph
[Rosh Hashanah Musaf Service](https://www.exploringjudaism.org/rosh-hashanah-musaf-service/) — Rabbinical Assembly.
Rosh Hashanah Musaf Service — Rabbinical Assembly.heading
Further Reading
Further Readingparagraph
[Yitz Greenberg](/glossary.xml#letter-R), The Jewish Way — Rosh Hashanah chapter.
Yitz Greenberg, The Jewish Way — Rosh Hashanah chapter.paragraph
Arthur Green, These Are the Words — entry on Rosh Hashanah.
Arthur Green, These Are the Words — entry on Rosh Hashanah.paragraph
Mahzor Lev Shalem (Conservative); [Koren Sacks](/glossary.xml#letter-J) Machzor ([Modern Orthodox](/glossary.xml#letter-M)).
Mahzor Lev Shalem (Conservative); Koren Sacks Machzor (Modern Orthodox).holidays-yamim-noraim-yom-kippurYom Kippur/articles/holidays-yamim-noraim-yom-kippur.xmlholidays-shalosh-regalim-sukkotSukkot/articles/holidays-shalosh-regalim-sukkot.xmlholidays-yom-tov-shemini-atzeret-and-simchat-torahShemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah/articles/holidays-yom-tov-shemini-atzeret-and-simchat-torah.xmlholidays-shalosh-regalim-pesachPesach/articles/holidays-shalosh-regalim-pesach.xmlcalendar-daf-yomi-a-page-a-dayDaf Yomi: A Page a Daydeeper/articles/calendar-daf-yomi-a-page-a-day.xmlholidays-fasts-the-four-minor-fastsThe Four Minor Fastsdeeper/articles/holidays-fasts-the-four-minor-fasts.xmlAmidahעֲמִידָהLiterally 'standing' — the central prayer of every Jewish service, recited standing and traditionally facing Jerusalem. It is also called the Shemoneh Esrei ('Eighteen'), after the original count of its weekday blessings.essentials-essential-prayers-the-amidah-shemoneh-esreiAseret Yemei Teshuvahעֲשֶׂרֶת יְמֵי תְּשׁוּבָהThe Ten Days of Repentance — the span from Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur, devoted to self-examination, apology, and return.Avotאָבוֹת'Fathers' — the Patriarchs Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov, and the name of the first blessing of the Amidah, which invokes them. Pirkei Avot, the Mishnah's tractate of ethical teachings, shares the name.HalachaהֲלָכָהJewish law — literally "the way one walks" — the legal system that develops from the Torah's mitzvot through the Mishnah, Talmud, and the great codes; the movements differ on how binding it is, not on its centrality to the tradition.essentials-essential-questions-what-is-halachaJonathan SacksRabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks (1948–2020) served as Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom and became one of the most widely read Jewish thinkers of his generation; his commentary anchors the Koren Shalem Siddur, the Field Guide's recommended first siddur for most New Jews.where-to-start-your-first-siddurMalchuyotמַלְכֻיּוֹת"Kingships" — the first of the three special sections of the Rosh Hashanah Musaf service, proclaiming God's sovereignty (followed by Zichronot and Shofarot).Modern OrthodoxModern Orthodoxy is the stream of Orthodox Judaism that combines full Halachic observance with active engagement in general society, secular education, and often Zionism — distinct from Haredi communities that maintain greater separation from the surrounding culture.essentials-essential-judaica-kippahOrthodox JudaismOrthodox Judaism holds Halacha as fully binding and the Shulchan Aruch as its canonical code; it spans Haredi and Hasidic communities as well as Modern Orthodoxy, and is the starting point from which this Field Guide is written, even as it engages seriously with other denominations.how-to-use-this-field-guideRabbi Amnon of Mainzרבי אמנון ממגנצאA figure of medieval legend, said to have composed the Rosh Hashanah prayer Unetaneh Tokef with his dying breath after being mutilated for refusing conversion; historians doubt the story, since the prayer's text predates the tale's 11th-century setting, but it remains attached to the prayer in popular memory.holidays-yamim-noraim-rosh-hashanahRabbi Yitz GreenbergRabbi Irving 'Yitz' Greenberg (b. 1933), a Modern Orthodox rabbi and Holocaust theologian known for the principle that no Jewish theological statement should be made that would not be credible in the presence of burning children; author of The Jewish Way.holidays-modern-observances-yom-hashoahReform JudaismReform Judaism treats Halacha as a source of values and meaning rather than binding law, emphasizing individual autonomy, ethical monotheism, and tikkun olam; it was the first movement to fully recognize patrilineal descent and ordain women as rabbis.how-to-use-this-field-guideRosh Hashanahרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָהThe Jewish New Year, observed on the 1st and 2nd of Tishrei with the sounding of the shofar; it opens the Ten Days of Repentance that culminate in Yom Kippur.holidays-yamim-noraim-rosh-hashanahSephardiסְפָרַדִּיA Jew whose family traces to medieval Spain and Portugal — and, in common usage, to the broader communities of the Mediterranean and Middle East that follow Sephardic law and liturgy. The plural is Sephardim.ShabbatשַׁבָּתThe seventh day — the weekly day of rest from Friday sunset to Saturday nightfall, marked by candle lighting, kiddush, festive meals, and rest from creative work.where-to-start-your-first-shabbatShofarotשופרותThe third of the three special sections of the Rosh Hashanah Musaf service, built of verses about the shofar; it follows Malchuyot (kingship) and Zichronot (remembrance).TashlichתשליךThe Rosh Hashanah ceremony of going to a body of water and symbolically casting away one's sins, echoing Micah's promise that God will cast our sins into the depths of the sea.TishreiתשריThe autumn month that opens the Jewish year, dense with holy days: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah.TorahתּוֹרָהThe Five Books of Moses — the scroll at the center of Jewish life — and, more broadly, the whole of Jewish teaching. 'Learning Torah' can mean anything from Chumash to Talmud.Unetaneh Tokefונתנה תוקףThe awe-filled High Holiday prayer — 'who shall live and who shall die' — declaring that repentance, prayer, and tzedakah temper the severity of the decree.Yom Kippurיום כיפורThe Day of Atonement — the holiest day of the Jewish year, a 25-hour fast devoted to prayer, confession, and repair of one's relationships with God and with other people.holidays-yamim-noraim-yom-kippurYom Teruahיום תרועה'The day of sounding' — the Torah's own name for Rosh Hashanah (Bamidbar 29:1), the day the shofar is sounded.Zichronotזכרונות'Remembrances' — the second of the three special sections of the Rosh Hashanah Musaf service, woven of verses in which God remembers creation and covenant.borei peri ha'etzבּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הָעֵץThe blessing recited before eating fruit that grows on trees: '…who creates the fruit of the tree.'challahחַלָּהThe bread — customarily a braided loaf — over which the blessing is said at Shabbat and festival meals; two loaves recall the double portion of manna. The word originally names the portion of dough set aside as an offering.machzorמַחְזוֹרThe holiday prayer book — a siddur arranged for a particular festival, most commonly the High Holiday machzorim for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.mitzvahמִצְוָהA commandment — one of the Torah's 613 divine instructions, and by extension any religious duty or good deed. The plural is mitzvot.essentials-essential-facts-the-613-mitzvotpiyyutפִּיּוּטA liturgical poem — one of the artful hymns woven into the prayers, especially on the High Holidays and festivals. The plural is piyyutim.sederסֵדֶרLiterally 'order.' Most often the Passover-night ritual meal that retells the Exodus in fifteen ordered steps; the word also names the six divisions of the Mishnah and any fixed session of study.shevarimשְׁבָרִיםThe shofar call of three broken blasts — a sound the tradition hears as sighing — sounded on Rosh Hashanah between tekiah and teruah.shofarשופרA ram's horn sounded on Rosh Hashanah and at the close of Yom Kippur, producing the piercing blasts that call the listener to repentance.simanimסימנים'Signs' — the symbolic foods of the Rosh Hashanah table (apples in honey, pomegranate, and others), each eaten with a short prayer playing on its name for a good year.tekiahתקיעהThe long, unbroken shofar blast, one of the three sounds of Rosh Hashanah; the tekiah gedolah is the extra-long final blast that closes the sequence and ends Yom Kippur.teruahתרועהThe rapid series of at least nine staccato shofar blasts — the 'alarm' sound; the Torah calls Rosh Hashanah Yom Teruah, the day of sounding.yoma arichtaיומא אריכתא'One long day' (Aramaic) — the halachic idea that the two days of Rosh Hashanah form a single extended day, which is why it is kept for two days even in Israel.parentSacred Time/sections/sacred-time.xmlrelatedYom Kippur/articles/holidays-yamim-noraim-yom-kippur.xmlrelatedSukkot/articles/holidays-shalosh-regalim-sukkot.xmlrelatedShemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah/articles/holidays-yom-tov-shemini-atzeret-and-simchat-torah.xmlrelatedPesach/articles/holidays-shalosh-regalim-pesach.xmlrelatedDaf Yomi: A Page a Day/articles/calendar-daf-yomi-a-page-a-day.xmlrelatedThe Four Minor Fasts/articles/holidays-fasts-the-four-minor-fasts.xml