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What's Happening in the Torah? Rosh HaShanah Activities for Families
Learn how you and your family can pursue social justice during the Jewish high holidays.
The Rosh HaShanah Amidah
The basic Rosh HaShanah Amidah is an elaboration of that for the Festivals. Both have seven benedictions, as on Shabbat—the first three and last three of the daily Amidah, with the Kedushat hayom (“Sanctity of the Day”) benediction in the middle.1 On both Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, the Kedushat hayom benediction builds on the text for the Festivals:
What a Way to Start a New Year: A Rosh HaShanah Story
Dina and her family move to a new city right before Rosh HaShanah. The move brings about a set of problems — the family car breaks down, the new house is a mess and filled with unpacked boxes, and Dina’s parents aren’t able to prepare a festive holiday dinner. When the family goes to the local synagogue to celebrate Rosh HaShanah, Dina doesn’t recognize anyone and feels left out. However, the family then receives help from an unexpected source!
Turning Rosh Hashanah Into an Opportunity
Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur worship services are among the most attended services of the year. That can be a challenge when the worship experiences are not the easiest entry points to Judaism, especially compared to the joyousness of Simchat Torah, the food and rituals of Hanukkah, or the sensory stimulation of Passover.
New Fruits and Old Crumbs for Rosh HaShanah
My husband and I experimented with a CSA (community-supported agriculture) this year for the first time. It was like getting a surprise box every week. In our second CSA, we pulled out something we’d never seen before.
Incidence of anti-Semitism in Baltimore over Rosh Hashanah
As we begin the new Jewish year, these Yamim Noraim (Days of Awe) are a time for us to reflect on the year that was and renew our commitments to tzedakah (justice) and tikkun olam (repairing the world). We also mark these days by heading to our synagogues to pray as a community, which is why it was even more disheartening to hear about a possible hate crime at a synagogue in Baltimore over Rosh Hashanah. According to reports, a man yelled out in front of a synagogue and shot a BB gun in the vicinity of the building.
Rosh HaShanah
Literally, “head of the year;” the start of the new year on the Jewish calendar.
Rosh HaShanah Beehive
The texture of bubble wrap is the perfect way to recreate a beehive! This craft is a great way to bring the sweetness of the holiday home (without any pesky bees).
Colorful Rosh HaShanah Apples
A little bit of effort pays off with these painted and colored apples
Environmental Stewardship on the Eve of Rosh Hashanah: The People's Climate March
Yesterday I was one of over 310,000 people to march across Manhattan the weekend before the UN Climate Summit with the People’s Climate March. Together, we asked our leaders both domestically and internationally to support a strong, global commitment to curbing greenhouse gas emissions and protecting the most vulnerable communities worldwide from the devastating effects of climate change. The march included a broad swath of people from environmental, labor, scientific and faith communities. In the hours leading up to the March, Reform Jews stood side by side with Catholics, Muslims, Protestants, Unitarians, Southern Baptists, seekers and pagans for an interfaith prayer service. On a stage propped up in front of an inflatable mosque and an interfaith arc, we watched Rabbi Arthur Waskow give a benediction, Josh Nelson and Neshama Carlebach lead a niggun, monks, preachers, imams and priests all provide blessing in their traditions for the march, the UN Summit leaders, and the earth.