t Vof, XXXII—No. f
Y««r'» EdiHon—THE JEWISH PRESS—Roib Ha.honah 5714—Thur.day, September 10, 1953
Symbolism of Rosh Hashonah By Harry Oushing (Copyright, 1553.) Rituals and ceremonials have been for thousands of yearn part of the1 Jewish religion because of the effort to bring tho existence of a spiritual— snd therefore invisible God—before tho minds of the people. Because Jewish law forbids n pictorial representation of God, the .Irwish. people have developed an intrii1 ite ny.st"m of rituals, feigns und ccri-inonials as symbols and reminders of find's omnipresence. Viewed from the perspective, many of the. customs wlflch at first glance seem to be relies of a superstitious period aro actually the impressive signs of a God Who is merciful, just and interested in the works of His creation. Symbolism
for divine aid, whereupon the river disappeared. The Gaon of Vilna concuib with tnu opinion of Rabbi Jacob ben M o s e s Halev (Maharil) that the Jews go to a stream on Rosh Hashonah to remind God of the. merits of Abraham and Isaac and through them win favor for . their descendants,
prayer was offered by Moses when he asked that Israel be forgiven for the sin of the Golden Calf (Exodus 32:11). The Psalms of pavid include numerous penitential prayers. However, it was the Men of the Great Synagogue who fixed the daily recital of the special penitential prayer "S'lach Nah" which is part of the daily Shmoneh Esrei or Amidah prayer. Later, during the Geonic period, the S'lichot for the week before Bosh Hashonah were introduced. The first printed S'licha Book was published at Soncino in 1497 and the second was published in Prague.ln 1629. One of the prevalent customs connected with the Jewish New Year is the sending of Bosh Hashonah greeting cards. These cards usually carry-the Hebrew inscription "L'Shanah Tovah. Tiksawiva Vseichaseimu,"—"May yon be inscribed and sealed for a good year." Known by their shorter name as Shanah Tovah cards, they express the wish that the recipient be written down, for 'a year of health, happiness and contentment.
In feet, the entire month of Elul, which precedes the Hebrew New Year, is dedicated to special supplications, and penitential prayers are recited in the synagogue. On the first dny of Elul, at the end eif the morning services, there begins the blowing of the Shofar. The' Shofar All Mankind blasts at the conclusion of each morn- ~ • The text of the Jewish New Tear ing's service signifies that the season greeting is based on the belief that of penitence is near! .The prayers in God judges all mankind on Bo«h Hathe synagogue are said with deeper shonah—that the fate of each person fervor. There are extra Psalms to be - is written into the great Book of Me* recited. Pious Jews put in more time mortal on Bosh Hashonah and the final studying the holy bonks. j decision is sealed on Tom Kippur, We Solemnity find the first reference to such belief •The solemnity of the month of Elul in the Mishna where according to Rabis evident especially in the cemeteries bi Meir; "Threa books are opened on where visits are made to the graves of ' Bosh. Hashonah. One Is for the out-ar.drelatives and loved ones. Visiting the out wicked; a second for the truly cemeteries and praying before the righteous, and a third for those in begraves during crises goes baek for centween. The righteous are at once inturies. In Chassidic communities it was scribed and sealed for life; the' wicked the custom to visit the graves of Chasfor death; judgment of tlic third group sidic rabbis and leave slips of papers is suspended until Yom Kippur. Should upon which wcri penned petitions and one of that group attain merit during requests. these days he is inscribed for life, otherwise for death." (Bosh Hashonah Generally, the attitude has been 16-A-B). that the p r a y e r s expressed at the graves of righteous ancestors would It is the contention of Isaac Weiss serve us intercession on the theory that in his famous "Dor Dor B'Dorshav" "Z'Chnt Avot," the Merits of the Fa(Book III, page 156) that Rabbi Judah thers, help their descendants. hen Ilai was the one who originated These visits to the cemeteries and the idea that Rosh Iloshonah was the praying to tho dead have become so Day of Judgment. This idea of Judah •popular in modern time* thnt a special ben Ilai, one of the more important il collection have bee'n created Tnnnaim, was not entirely original. .About a thousand years before tho snd is known as "Ma'oneh Lashon," the Jews had established their kingdom Answer of the Tongue. The name of the under David, the Babylonians already •Booklet is based on the verse in Provregarded their New Year as a Day erbs 10:1. "The preparations of the of Judgment. However, Rabbi Judah heart nre man's but the answer of tho was the first among the Jews,to conis from the Lord." ceive that idea. A product of the seventeenth century, thn • "Mn'ant'h Lashon" has apWeiss' contention is quite correct peared in many editions in the past because in the days of Rabbi Akiba the three hundred years, including German, idea of a Day of Judgment on Rosh Yiddish nnd English translation*. A seHathonah was not yet prevalent among quel to the "Ma'avar Yabok," which the Jews. For, according to Rabbi Jose, is a manual of the ritual of death and "a man is judged every day," and Rabburial, find includes also prayers on bi Nathan theorized that "a man is visiting graves, the "Ma'aneh Lashon" judged every hour." specifically contains prayers to be reDay of Judgment cited nt the grave of each relative, i Climax ' Because Bosh Hashonah is a Day of Judgment, the, sentiment against an The month of Elul is climaxed with evil'decree was carried over to the food a s c r i e s of S'lichot or Supplication customs of the holiday. It is the custom services which Wgin on the Sunday to eat sweets and avoid sour foods. This - preceding Rosh Hnshonah. The first custom goes back for more than a S'lichot service is hold on Saturday at thousand years and is mentioned in the midnight before Rosh Ilashonah. After Besponsa of the Geonim. A dish of that the Bcrvices arc held early each honey is 'usually' on- the' table 'during morning until tho holiday,' the several meals of Bosh Hashonah Historically, the first penitential
Sun-Berthed Alley In Sofod
The ten days between the beginning of Bosh Hashonah and the end of Yom Kippur are known as the Ten Days of Repentance. Special penitential prayers are included in the regular prayers. The Sabbath between Bosh Hashonah and Yom Kippur is known" as Shabbat Shuvat-or the Sabbath of Bepentence. This Sabbath ia more solemn than the other Sabbaths of the year and. rabbi's Bennon is usually a special effort to arouse the people to true repente'nee, > Just as the Tashlieh ritual is a characteristic ceremony on Bosh Hashonah, the Kapparot ceremony is a significant feature before the observance of Yom Kippur. The persistence of a custom whieh^holds an appeal for the masses, even though the highest authorities have opposed it, is found in the ceremony of Kapparot, perofrmed two days before Yom Kippur.
Services For High Holidays A prayer Jor tlw >siu VIMI "Oh Lord our ratlin, (n.iiuj ot the Univorfce, how long aic You going to be silent, bPiiiiR tli.it Yom Children aro destroying fuch other mid that the ways of the wicked nre succeeding. Open our eyes and gi\c us wisdom to understand one another, and to see that You have ctcated and prouded enough for all Your children. • Let sin cease on this earth, and l^t wickedness be no more , . , oh satisfy us in the morning with Thy mercy, that we may rejoice nnd be glad .a.11 our days. Grant us peace on the New Year1 and to those near and far. Amen."
Beth El Bosh Hashonah Wednesday, Sept. 9— Evening Service 8:00 p.m. Thursday, Sept. lO-i Morning Service 8:00 a. m, , Youth Service ."11:00 a.m. 'Mincha-Maariv Service. "6:15 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11— Morning Service 8:00 a. m. Youth Service 11:00 a. m, Mincha-Maaxiv Service. 6:15 p.m.
Kapparot Ceremony
and for the mwil prior to the Yora Kippur fast. The honey spread on 1 he bread at the beginning of each meal is symbolic of the hope lor a sweet yeurSince Rosh Hashonah is the Day of Judgment there is also the custom in 'many communities to eat the head qf Homo animal, usually that of a sheep, for the head represents leadership. Bat-, ing from tho head of a sheep implies the hope that one would not descend the ladder of misfortune but rather contiuo to succeed, and bo a leader. Perhaps the most characteristic ceremony of Rosh Hiushonuh is the symbolic observance of Tashlieh. On the first day of the holiday, just before sunset, processions arc formed to the banks of a brook or river and the final verses from the Book of Micah which end with the words, "And Thou wilt cast all their iniquities in tho depths of the sea," (Micah 7:19), are recited. Crumbs of bread, symbolic of broken promises to God and sin, described in the Talmud as "the leaven in the dough," are thrown into the water. The first written reference to the Tashlieh custom may be the comment in the Antiquities by Josephus (XIV, 10 par. 23)' when • referring to Halicanasians decree permitting the Jews to "perform their holy rites according-tp. the Jewish laws and have their ' p l a c e s of
prayer by the nea according to the eiustom of their fathers" The Zohar, too, probably r e f e r s to the Tashlieh ceremony when it says that "whatever falls into the deep, is lost forever . . . it acts like the scapegoat for the ablutioii of sms." (Zohar, Leviticus 101A and B). Interpretation The interpretation that the Tashlich ceremony is actually based on the verse in Micah does not please all. Many authorities of Jewish religious lore theorize thaft1 the custom originated rather as a reminder of Abraham and Isaac. Tho "Sefer Maharil" which appeared on J.425" gives Ais the first direct reference where, by the Midrashic legend of tho "Scfer Hayashar" the custom is explained as a reminder of tho Akcdan, the,Binding of Isaac incidentIn the legend, whioh also appears in Midrash Tanchuma (Vaqera 22), Satan made a wager with God that Abraham would not stand the test to offer his son as a sacrifice. He, therefore, made, a considerable effort to hinder Abraham in every way, When Satan saw that Abraham was determined to carry out God's command, ho threw himself across Abraham's path as a deep stream. Abraham and Isaac nevertheless.plunged into ,tho. waters -even'up to th'eir'necks. They prayed
A Yemenite Jew
Much older than the Tashlieh ritual, Tho Kapparot .ceremony was popular among the Jews of Babylonia in the tenth century. The Kesponsa of the Gehonim indicates that in< those days the ric,h Jews used a ram in the performance of the ceremony, as a reminder of the ram of Isaac. Later, a rooster came to be used- The custom consists of -taking a fowl and reciting certain -passages including the following formula: "This,is a substitute for • me; this is in exchimg for me; this is my atonement. This cock (or hen) shall • be consigned to death, while I shall have a long and p l e a s a n t life and . peace" After the fowl is hliuiRlitercd it is eaten during the meal preceding Yom Kippur. Spreading from Babylonia the Kapparot custom was accepted in mnnv Jpwish communities nil over the world Many rabbis warned the people against the custom because of its implied origin in idol worship. For example, the custom of swinging the- biflfl around the head "is an attempt to frighten the devil. The encircling ceremony is based on the concept of primitive men known as tho "mrtgin ring." In studying the development of the ritunls and ceremonials it is noted that JcwisH observances, including those of Rosh Hashonnh and Yom JCippur, are so many links in that powerful, unend• ing chain which1 stretches -from the hoary,past, wl)on out ancestor* still clung to the beliefs and superstitions their pagan neighbors had developed, to tho purified and spiritualized ceremonials which wo khow today. It was the far-sighted Men of the Great Synagogue and the generations of rabbis that followed, who instituted the covenant between Israel and God. The moral and spiritual worth of Rosh Hashonah .and Yom >Kippur are hallowed institutions. T/hrougK the lessons they teach they have sustained Judaism's hopo in, a-.world.that ^will "bring closer tl(8" realization of man's divine mission.
Quaint Entrance
Yom Kippur Friday, Sept. 18— Kol Jlidfe Service ....- 6 : 1 5 p . m . - , Saturday, Sept. 19— ' v Morning Service 8:00 a. m. Yiskor (Memorial) 10:30 a.m. , , Youth Service 11:00 a. m, Mincha-Neilah Service. 4:15 p.m.
Beth Israel and Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol Bosh Hashonah 'Wednesdin. Sept 0— Evening bi-nues . . . 6 15 p. m. Thuisday, S»pt 10— Horning Services 7:30 a.m. Sermon 10:00 a. m. Evening Services , 6:15p..m. Friday, Sept. 11— Morn ing Seniecs 7:30 a.m. Sermon ..10:00a.m. Yom Kippur Friday, Sept 18— Kol Nidre Service 6.00 p. m. Sermon 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19— Morning Services . 7:30 a. m, , Sermon 10:30a.m. , Yiskor (Memorial) . , . . 11:00 a. m. Neilah Service 5:0O p. m. Succoth "Wednesday, Sept. 23— Evening Services Thursday, Sept. 24— Morning Services Evening Services Friday, Sept. 23— Morning Services Evening Services
6:00 p. m. 8:30 a. m. 6:00p.m. '" ' 8:80 a. m. 6:0O p. m.
Temple Israel 1
Rosh- Hashonah (Note: "Wednesday and Thursday ' services at Scottish Ilite Cathedral; Friday -services at the Jew.ish Community Center.) Wednesday, Sept. 9— Evening Services 8:0t)p. m, Thursday, Sept. 10—. Morning Services 10:00 a.' ra.. Story Hour , 10:00a.m:-' Children's Service 11 ;00 a. m. Friday, Sept. 11 — Evening Services . : . . . 8:00 p. m. Yom Eippnr (Note: Friday and Saturday services at Scottish Bite Cathedral.) Friday, Sept. 18— Evening Services 8:00 p. m. Sntnrday, Sept. 19— Morning Services 10:0O a. m. Children's Service 1:15 p. m Memorial Service 4:15 p. m.
B'nai Israel of C.B.
,
The ancient city of Safcd,, located en the Mlli of Cuuan in southern flaluee, U a holy city with » long hUtory ot Jevith reUt;lou* creativity. Adjacent to S&fed 1* Mlron, site of the frsve of Slmn Ben y«ehol, author ot the Kabbala. Became ot It* location fiafed In reoeat yean hM virtually become an artist's colony. ..
Thli I* a portrait of a Yemenite Jnw whojvo>!tved from Arab ! atrocities Immediately after the eitnMlnhmcnT fit I»rael. The expreMlon oh. hi* lace mirror* the two-tUomand-yeamlong JewUh falnth. The portrait wan mnde In a camp In Tlheriila. Language difficulties made It difficult for the artist to oommutalcate with tho subject
, The entrance to the Jewish quarter of Snfed, consisting of narrow, Ialiyrlnthlne alley* Is located on tlio western section of the steep mountain of. Canaan. The ancient street* are dotted with ensdorim, yeshlvoth, lynagogue*, congregation* and kloslm. because of the narrowness of the streets, the donkey'there I» the most Important medium of transportation.
Bosh Hashonah Wednesday, Sept. D— Evening Rorvice 6 30 p. m. Thuisday, ficp^. 10-^ Morning Service 8:00n.ta. Sermon 10:30 a.m. Evening Service G :30 p.m. Fiielav, Sept 11 — Morning Service .'..... 8:00a.m. fk ". .10:30 a. m. Herviec G:30p in. Yom Kippur Friday, Sept lb— Kol Nidru! . . . . . . . . - 6:10 p. m. Saturday, Sept. 1 9 — Morning Service 8:0O a. m, • Sermon . . . : . . . 10:30a.m. Yiskor 11:00 a.m. ' Children's Service . . . . 8:00p.m. Minclui . . . . . ; , . . . . . . . 3:00 p.m. Jlinclia . ' . . . . , . . , . , , , . 4:00p.m,
Neilah , . ; . . . . . ; . . . . . . 5:15p.m.
'.
i, J