Rosh Hashana, The Jewish New Year

A bit like Lent for Catholics, Rosh Hashana is a time for deep reflection and casting off sins. Rosh Hashana begins at sundown today until sundown September 20.

"For me and many others, these inspiring days really stretch from the first of the Hebrew month of Elul, which was Aug. 21, all the way to Simchat Torah Oct. 11, the beginning of the yearlong cycle of reading the Torah starting with Genesis. During the month of Elul we prepare for the awesome tasks before us. We listen to or blow the shofar -- ram's horn -- every day, almost as a spiritual wake-up call to repent. We add the chanting of Psalm 27 to our morning prayers.

We begin a period of deep introspection where we are more diligent about forgiving and more focused about raising our awareness to the ways that we have gone astray during the past year.

We begin to look again for ways to be more holy. The month leading up to Rosh Hashana, which means head of the year, is a time to gird up for an internal spiritual housecleaning. We prepare to stand before God to ask forgiveness for lapsing in our observances of his laws, which we can only do after we have righted the wrongs we have done to our fellow humans. We ask forgiveness from them and from ourselves for mistakes, omissions and hurtfulness. We endeavor to start the New Year with a clean slate.

At Rosh Hashana we observe a ritual tradition called tashlich. It involves symbolically "casting off" the sins of the previous year by tossing pieces of bread into a body of flowing water. This happens locally at places like Magic Island or Nuuanu Stream. The purpose of this ceremony is to facilitate our desire to do "teshuva," to return to God. While tossing the crumbs of bread, I am aware of my transgressions and need to be keenly aware that I am still a child of mitzvah, commandment, but a possessor of transgression."

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