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Unlock This CourseRosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are the High Holy Days, the most solemn time in the Jewish year. They come in the autumn, in September or October. The ten days from the start of Rosh Hashanah to the end of Yom Kippur are called the Days of Awe. Jews also call them the ten days of repentance, because they are used to look back over the past year and put things right.
Rosh Hashanah means "head of the year". It is the Jewish New Year. Jews believe it is a time of judgement, when the Almighty looks at how every person has lived. A well-known image is the Book of Life: Jews hope to be written into it for a good year. Friends greet each other with "L'shanah tovah", which means "for a good year". Rosh Hashanah is also a celebration of the creation of the world. Jewish tradition links it to the day the world began, so it is a time to thank the Almighty for life.
Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement. It falls on the tenth day of the same month, at the end of the Days of Awe. It is a day of introspection (looking honestly at yourself), prayer and asking for forgiveness.
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Remember that teshuvah means returning to the Almighty by regretting a wrong and changing. It is the heart of both festivals.
The Torah calls the festival a memorial of blowing (Leviticus 23:24). In the synagogue the Shofar is blown in a series of calls. Its harsh sound is a wake-up call. It tells people to stop and think about how they have behaved, and to turn back to the Almighty. It also reminds Jews of the Almighty as King.
At the festive meal Jews dip apple in honey and hope for a sweet new year. Many families also eat a round challah, a special loaf, to remember the cycle of the year. Families and friends gather, so the festival is joyful as well as serious.
Usually on the first afternoon, Jews walk to a river, a stream or the sea and say prayers. They shake out their pockets or throw crumbs into the water. This is a symbol of casting away sins, based on the words of the prophet Micah that the Almighty will throw sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19).
Rosh Hashanah is a time for thinking about the year ahead. Many Jews decide on goals, such as being kinder, keeping Shabbat more carefully or giving more to charity, so that the new year is better than the last.
Orthodox Jews keep Rosh Hashanah for two days. Some Progressive (Reform and Liberal) communities keep one. Much of the time is spent in the synagogue, where special prayers praise the Almighty as Creator and Judge.
Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year. The Torah commands the people to "afflict" themselves on it (Leviticus 16:29-31), and Jews understand this as fasting.
Jews teach that Yom Kippur brings forgiveness from the Almighty for wrongs against the Almighty. For wrongs against another person, the Mishnah says a person must first put things right with that person. So during the Days of Awe Jews try to say sorry, ask pardon and make up for what they did. Only then can the day of atonement truly work.
Many Orthodox Jews take the judgement and the Book of Life literally. They keep the full fast and spend the whole day in prayer. For them, following the practices exactly is how they obey the Almighty.
Many Progressive Jews see the Book of Life and Tashlikh more as symbols. They stress personal reflection and doing good. Some Jews who are not otherwise observant still fast or go to the synagogue on Yom Kippur, because it keeps them close to the Jewish community.
For Jews today these days matter because they give a regular chance to start again. They link a person with the whole Jewish people, who keep the same days around the world, and with the Torah. They also turn belief into action, because repentance means changing how you treat others.
Do not say Yom Kippur is the Jewish New Year. That is Rosh Hashanah. Do not just describe the customs. Examiners give low marks for listing "they blow the Shofar" and want you to say why, for example "it is a wake-up call to repent". Do not say all Jews keep the festivals in the same way.
(a) Outline two ways in which Jews observe Rosh Hashanah. [4 marks]
(b) Explain why Yom Kippur is important for Jews. [6 marks]
(c) "Fasting is the most important part of Yom Kippur." Discuss this statement, considering the arguments for and against. In your answer you should include reference to teachings, other points of view and your own opinion. [10 marks]
(a) Jews hear the Shofar in the synagogue (1), as a wake-up call to repent and return to the Almighty (1). They eat apples dipped in honey (1), to show their hope for a sweet new year (1).
(b) Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement, the holiest day of the year, so it gives Jews the chance to be forgiven for the past year (1). Through prayer and confession in the synagogue, from Kol Nidrei to Neilah, they ask the Almighty for forgiveness (1). The fast of about 25 hours shows that the day is about the soul, not the body (1). Jews must first put right wrongs against other people, so the day teaches teshuvah and responsibility to others (1). Wearing white shows purity and a fresh start (1). It joins Jews around the world, because all keep the same day together (1).
(c) Plan. For: the Torah commands people to afflict themselves (Leviticus 16:29-31), and fasting is how Jews do this; the fast stops everyday distractions and helps them focus on the soul; Orthodox Jews see keeping it fully as obedience. Against: the Mishnah teaches that repentance towards people must come first, so putting things right matters more than not eating; confession and prayer are the heart of the day; children and sick people are excused, so the fast cannot be the most important part; Progressive Jews may stress reflection and doing good over the fast. Possible conclusion: fasting is an important sign of seriousness, but repentance and forgiveness are the purpose of the day, so fasting is not the most important part.
For a 6-mark "Explain why" question, give three or four reasons. Each one should say what Jews do and why it matters to them, using terms such as Shofar, teshuvah and Neilah.