Photo: Happy New Year.
It will be a blustery start to the Jewish New Year as Rosh Hashanah 5778 begins at sunset, Wednesday, Sept. 20 and lasts until Friday evening.
Rosh Hashanah – which in Hebrew translates to “head of the year” – is a time of inner renewal and divine atonement. It begins the period of the High Holidays culminating with Yom Kippur on Friday evening, Sept. 29. It is a time for observant people to acknowledge their sins of the previous year and are judged for their transgressions by God.
Meals include apples dipped in honey to symbolize a sweet new year and at least one brisket dinner. Other traditions include participating in tashlich, Hebrew for “casting off” in which people go to a nearby body of water and throw in pieces of bread, which signifies the washing away of sin.
The holiday will effect after school activity and athletic events at Belmont schools. Under current district rules, teachers should be aware of the holiday when assigning homework and tests as some students will be attending religious services.
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