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Judaism

At Rosh Hashanah we get a second bite of the apple

The New Year takes us symbolically back to the Garden of Eden and the original vision for humanity at Creation

September 22, 2011 10:28
22092011 apple

By

Rabbi Dr Raphael Zarum,

Rabbi Dr Raphael Zarum

2 min read

The most astute description of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur I ever read came from an essay by a non-Jewish student on a basic Judaism course. The teacher had spent much time explaining the customs and traditions of these Yamim Noraim, these "Days of Awe", but the student had heard and understood something else. His essay was titled "The Daze of Ahhh!"

This is a surprisingly accurate portrayal of the high point of the Jewish calendar. The long hours in shul send us into a daze and we finally end them with a sigh of relief, ahhh.

One issue that keeps us dazed and confused is not really understanding the difference between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Besides fasting on Yom Kippur, much of what we do on these High Holy Days is the same: the shul is adorned in white, we dress up, pray a lot, stand austerely, kneel occasionally, and think about our mistakes and how we can improve.

But there is a vital difference between the two. Yom Kippur is all about our sins, while on Rosh Hashanah we make no mention of them at all. On Yom Kippur we beat our hearts, confess our failings and pray for forgiveness. On Rosh Hashanah we do none of these; in fact, we hardly refer to our everyday lives at all.