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The Southern Israelite
Page 21
The Season of Sorro w ami Solace
By JOAN JAFFE
A sh Hashonah
•/, Hashonah, part of the
if,h- days" ami devoted to
t „itv and meditation•„ are at
some time to the Jezv sig
n-ant of netv life and hope-
', U 'ss. it is the occasion for
. inhering our great men, and
, v the occasion for taking ac-
u ,it of ourselves. Various
about Rosh Hashonah.
I'lUTOR.
-1 the cooled sun begins to shed
, tied light turning the vivid green
j ntl , a pale yellow; when the sharp, re-
r throb of the living is hushed
liiiescent mood; when nature is bul
lin' elements to help it preoare for
irnl'inged rest and slumber, conies
h Hashonah, the Jewish New Year,
s the fall of the year; it presages
I..tidy skies and long nights; it brings
meditation and sombreness; it breeds re-
ti, Mi and thought. How different
In-e promises are from those surround-
tlie New Year of other peoples.
Theirs comes with the brisk season of the
war and is ushered in by blatant fanfare
joviality. How interesting it is that
whereas the universal greeting for the
asjon is the glih, euphonious phrase
"A Happy New Year”, the Jewish greet-
“L’Shanah Tovah Tikosevu”,
May Voti He Inscribed In The Book of
ife for a Good Year”, a most porten
tous and weighty message.
lYr Rosh Hashonah, while it is part
i the ' Yomim Noraim” (Terrible Days)
riod, while it marks the beginning of
<• revival season among tbe Jews and
e it is known as the greatest Na-
I occasion, it also bears signal signif-
e to the individual Jew;. For it is
ime of “Cheshboh Hanefesh” the
liing of the soul, the reviewing of
ic past, and what is still of equal import,
'triking of a moral balance. Rosh
Hashonah is the day on which the Jew
account of himself and submits
't to his Creator.
entire spirit of Rosh Hashonah is
icated with solemnity and reverence,
her we find ourselves in an old
1 in Lithuania or amidst the re
life forces in the Holy Land;
her we roam the streets of the
ide, or visit the sumptuous Temple
n LI, the ominous sound of the
(Ram's Horn) will reach us and
through our being a poignant feel-
strong, indissoluble bonds with
"pie, and communion with the great
'hat forever linger in our National
' memory, as well as our own
ents. Thus the first day of Rosh
Ia h is known as “Yom Truah”,
e Shofar strikes the. signal for
ew make a record of what he
e and what he has failed to do in
year, and present it to his
1 he second day, which origi-
Post-Biblical times, is, known as
zzikoron, Memorial Day, where-
homage to our great forebears,
jtter of fact a very large portion
ra .vers on Rosh Hashonah dwell
lartyrs and martyrdom the Jews
town throughout their history.
Kven the scriptural lesson for the occa
sion is furnished by the chapter of Abra
ham and Isaac, with emphasis on the
Patriarch’s piety and martyrdom.
Yet in spite of the fact that Rosh
Hashonah is designated as the “Day of
Judgment’ and evokes in the Jew all
the austerity in his being, it is interesting
that this very day, or these very days,
for there are really two, are in the es
sence significant of life and hopefulness.
And strangely enough, just as this Holy
Day is consecrated to our Great Dead,
and is devoted to the solemn ritual of
self analysis, Rosh Hashonah marks
many an integrating and optimistic era in
our history. For example, we are told
that Rosh Hashonah is considered to be
the birthday of our Patriarchs; that it is
the day on which Joseph was freed from
prison; and we are even told that on
Rosh Hashonah marks the anniversary
of the creation of man, and moreover
its the anniversary of the creation of
the world. In short, tradition pours into
this festival all the elemental background
of mankind, as well as our very own
history.
Therefore Rosh Hashonah inspires hope
as well as awe in our hearts. It is
our sacred duty to account for our past
doings, but we are also given the privi
lege to take on life for the new year,
and make our formulas and resolutions
accordingly. And because Rosh Hasho
nah introduces new life and renewed hope
in the face of dissolutions and conflict, we
therefore all inject into the Holiday all
signs of festivity. The occasion is mark
ed by feasting rather than fasting; our
homes are adorned, and we don our holi
day clothes. We are told that in ancient
times the Jews dressed in white on Rosh
Hashonah, a symbol of life and hopeful
ness.
A very moving tale is told to us dating
back to the days after the Destruction
of the Temple. When the two leaders
Ezra and Nehemia were reading the law
to their people on Rosh Hashonah, they
noticed them crying. Whereupon they
gave word:
“Weep not, mourn not. Go your way,
eat the fat and drink the sweet, and send
portions to them for whom nothing was
prepared. For this day is Holy unto
the Lord. Neither be ye sorry, for the
joy of the Eternal is your strength.”
We are further told that later Abaye
ordered the Jews to eat on Rosh
Hashonah pumpkins, dates, beets, etc. be
cause these grow quickly, and in Arabic
their names mean plentiful. In this man
ner the Jews for the past two thousand
years have come to regard the belated
fruits of the season as an omen of good
luck. The Jews designated their reliance
in the goodness of God for the New Year
by partaking of grapes and honey and all
sorts of palatable dishes.
More than any other Holy Day on the
Jewish calendar Rosh Hashonah causes
all Jews to rally to the fold. It unites
us all, old and young, rich and poor,
those whose Judaism is known by other
than the known shadings and forms. If
we do not go to the Synagogue to pray,
we go as we moderns are wont to ex
press it, to hear the Shofar, which is so
impressive. I f we do not go to work be
cause we are religious, we take those
days “off”, because our friends are not
going to work, and because of respect
to our elders. Be the reason as obvious
as it may, or as individualistic and pagan
as we wish it to appear, we arc swept
by the deep significance of Rosh Hasho
nah and regaled by its festivity. For
once on the New Year the border lines
of antagonism vanish ; the various forms
of cleavage among the Jews disappear;
and what is still more important, new
hope rises in our hearts; new life springs
in our veins; and again we take on
courage and strength to continue in a
cosmos which often reminds us that it is
regretful that Rosh Hashonah comes only
once a year, and that its significance is
felt only by the Jews.
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