by Charles Kim on Newsmax
Rabbi Yaakov Menken told Newsmax that the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah, which begins tonight at sundown, is an opportunity to “reset” for the new year.
“This is the holiday, the day of judgment, [that] is an opportunity to hit the reset button and go back in the direction that we’ve always known we ought to be going, and kind of fix where we have strayed from what we were told 3,300 years ago,” Menken said during “American Agenda” Friday. “This is the anniversary of the creation of the world. So, we have an opportunity, all of humanity is touched by that, and so we have the opportunity to celebrate together.”
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According to the My Jewish Learning website, Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year and is celebrated for two days, starting tonight, and going through sundown on Sunday.
The site said the holiday takes place in the fall, at the beginning of the seventh month of the Jewish year known as Tishrei and is a time of rejoicing and serious introspection.
Former New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind joined Menken on the broadcast and said Rosh Hashanah is one of the most important Jewish holidays of the year.
“It’s a magnificent holiday where everybody gets an opportunity in the Jewish community, and everyone can partake,” Hikind said. “It’s sort of like a new beginning. A new start. Wherever you’ve been, whatever difficulties, whatever challenges, Rosh Hashanah is a new year, new opportunities to make a difference and do good. It’s one of the most beautiful holidays, with families gathering all over the world. This is one of the most important holidays on the Jewish calendar.”
USA Today reported that the holiday begins the 10 “Days of Awe” that ends with the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, the most sacred holiday for the Jewish people.
“These are moments where we come together as a community, where we take time to think about ourselves as individuals, but also think about the ways that we can help others,” Rabbi Rob Gleisser, the Peter J. Rubinstein reform senior Jewish educator at Penn State Hillel, told the news outlet. “Think about the ways that we want to create a safe community, a welcoming community, a warm community and then be able to enrich the world around us after having those moments of introspection.”
According to the report, some Jewish people may pray near a body of water during the holiday in a ceremony called “Tashlich,” and throw pieces of bread into the water as a symbol of sending off sin.
Originally published on Newsmax