ROSH HASHANAH: CELEBRATING A NEW BEGINNING

Ringing in the Jewish New Year isn't done with bells and whistles but with the awakening call of the shofar, a ram's horn.

Sounding the shofar begins the call to reflection and repentance for Rosh Hashanah, a holy Jewish day.

Jews around the world will celebrate Rosh Hashanah beginning at sundown Sunday. Those in Cape Girardeau number so few that services are rarely held at the B'nai Israel Synagogue along South Main Street.

Instead, many Jews in the region will attend services at synagogues in St. Louis or Carbondale, Ill.

Rosh Hashanah -- usually a period of two days -- celebrates the birth of the world. It is a time for all nations, not just Jews, to be judged. It is a time for repenting and change.

The holiday is celebrated at different times each year because the Jewish calendar is based both on the sun and moon. The sun determines the Jewish year while the moon determines the months of the Jewish calendar.

During Rosh Hashanah, Jews contemplate their lives and consider renewal, said Lynne Margolies of Cape Girardeau.

"It is not like making a resolution" as many people do for each new calendar year, she said. "It is more sincere, you must feel it very deeply."

During the days between the holy days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Jews believe that God opens three books. The book of life is inscribed with the names of the righteous and the book of death with the names of the evil. The third book is for the average person.

For this reason, Jews spend their days celebrating the "head of the year" while meditating on their life and a time of renewal. It is a time for atonement and remedying wrongs.

During Rosh Hashanah, Margolies typically does not leave her home unless to attend synagogue. She doesn't answer the telephone or teach her Spanish courses at Southeast Missouri State University.

It is a time to seek forgiveness from God and from others. Before seeking atonement on Yom Kippur, Jews must ask forgiveness from those they have hurt.

"The idea is that you speak directly to that person you have hurt and atone for that hurt directly," Margolies said. It is symbolic to throw bread crumbs into bodies of water or to turn out pockets in an attempt to get rid of burdens, she said.

Yom Kippur is a day filled with fasting and prayer. Most of it is spent in the synagogue in meditation. It also is a time to remember the dead.

Atoning for sins isn't simply saying you are sorry, but being remorseful and vowing to not commit the sin again. "It's not something you can do lightly," Margolies said.

A part of the Yom Kippur service is the confession. Prayers are said by the entire Jewish community, listing categories of sin that affect everyone. It is both a communal and personal day of atonement.

"You are atoning for things that are wrong," Margolies said. "You devote yourself to the idea of atonement. You realize that if you are human you will have done some of these things."

JEWISH TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS

Traditions and customs of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year:

-- Blowing the shofar after morning services during the month preceding Rosh Hashanah until the day before Rosh Hashanah.

-- Visiting the graves of relatives and friends.

-- Greeting people with the words "Have a good and sweet year" or "May you be written into the book of life."

-- Sending New Year's cards to friends and relatives is an American Jewish holiday that likely originated in Germany.

-- Dipping pieces of apple and hallah (egg bread) in honey instead of salt and reciting a prayer at the beginning of a meal.

-- Serving two round sweet hallot symbolizing the roundness and fullness of life. Some people see the round hallah as a crown or symbol of the kingship of God.

Traditions and customs of Yom Kippur, a Day of Atonement:

-- Giving charity before Yom Kippur begins.

-- Eating well before Yom Kippur to prepare for the fast and honor the day. It is forbidden by Jewish law to eat and drink from sunset of Yom Kippur until after sunset the next day.

-- Wearing white clothing. White is a symbol of purity.

-- Wearing shoes of man-made material instead of leather.

-- Lighting memorial candles for deceased relatives.

Source: The Jewish Tradition by Judith B. Fellner.