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- The world is judged (i.e sentenced) in four groupings:
- on Pesach for produce;
- on Shavuot for fruit;
- on Succot for water;
- while, on Rosh Hashanah, each person is judged and inscribed individually - with the inscription sealed on Yom Kippur.
( Rosh Hashanah : Mishnah 1:2 and Talmud 16a)
- Rosh Hashanah, the Day of Judgement: 'Repentance, prayer and charity can mitigate the sentence'.
- 'Sound [the shofar] on the New Moon, on the day appointed as our festival' (Psalm 8:14).
- The five names given to the festival are:
- Rosh Hashanah (New Year)
- Judgement Day
- Day of Remembrance
- Day of 'Sounding'
- Kesseh.
- Rosh Hashanah is a two day festival (one day mentioned in the Torah).
- The Akedah - Binding of Isaac - the merit of the Patriarchs.
- Prayers.
- Festive meal.
- Food associated with the Festival:
- apple dipped in honey,
- head of the fish (or sheep…),
- pomegranates,
- dates,
- sweetened carrots.
- Tashlich prayer.
- According to Rabbi Eliezer (Talmud Rosh Hashanah 10b),on Rosh Hashanah:
- (a) G-d completed His Creation of the world (the Sixth Day) with the creation of man;
- (b) Sarah, Rachel and Hannah conceived (they were childless, and on this day G-d remembered them, so that they could give birth);
- (c) Joseph was released from prison;
- (d) The decree of excessive hard labor imposed on our ancestors in Egypt was abolished, i.e., the beginning of their liberation.
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