Judaism: Rosh Hashanah (AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062))
Revision Note
Written by: Glenn Millington
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year festival
It lasts two days and commemorates the creation of the world
'Rosh' means 'head' and refers to the direction the new year will take
Judaism teaches that Rosh Hashanah is also a time when God judges all humanity
The belief is that God considers a person's good and bad deeds over the last year and decides what the next year will be like for them
It is linked closely to judgment and urges us to repent of our past sins
During this time Jews consider how they could have lived better lives
Judaism teaches that God decides on the first day of the year who will be forgiven, so they will ensure they apologise to everybody they have been unkind to during the past year
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are a chance for Jews to ask questions about their actions and life throughout the year such as;
What is the most meaningful thing in my life?
Who in my life means the most to me? How often do I let them know this?
What are the most significant things I've achieved in the past year?
What do I hope to achieve next year and in my life generally?
It is followed ten days later by Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement)
Jews believe that on Rosh Hashanah, God judges people for their past deeds and writes this down in a book, which is then sealed on Yom Kippur
At Rosh Hashanah, they hope that they and their loved ones will be written in the Book of Life
How to Celebrate Rosh Hashanah
The Jewish festival of Rosh Hashanah occurs in September or October, depending on the lunar calendar that is followed by Jews
It is a time for Jews to reflect on their year, including their good deeds and their bad deeds
The two days of Rosh Hashanah usher in the Ten Days of Repentance (also known as the Days of Awe) which end with the major fast day of Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement)
One week before Rosh Hashanah, special prayers called Selichot are added to the ritual
Special services are held at synagogue on the eve of Rosh Hashanah
The Shofar (horn) will be blown and special fruits are bought
Jews greet each other by saying 'May you be written down for a good year'
Slices of apple are dipped in honey and a circular challah loaf is eaten (a symbol of the cycle of the year)
In the morning service, the shofar is blown 100 times to symbolise a call for repentance
The Tashlich ceremony takes place during Rosh Hashanah
At this ceremony, sins are cast out (or ‘thrown away’) and people ask for God’s forgiveness
Jews will often pray at a running stream and cast crumbs into the water as we hope to cast our sins away
It is believed that on Rosh Hashanah God writes names into one of his three books. These are:
The Book of Life, for those who are wholly good
The Book of Death, for the truly evil
An intermediate book, which is where most people’s names are written
Jews believe that they can influence which book God writes their name in if they take action during the festival
People can do charity work or anything they feel will make up for the harm they have caused over the past year
In the 10 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Jews consider their past deeds
Judaism teaches that for God to forgive us, we must seek forgiveness from others
During the festival, apples dipped in honey are eaten to represent the hope of a sweet new year
Historically, Jews believed that apples have healing powers, and this belief is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible
Time is spent in the synagogue during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur as they are the most important festivals in the Jewish year
Worked Example
Explain two ways in which Jews celebrate Rosh Hashanah
Refer to sacred writings or another source of Jewish belief and teaching in your answer
(5 marks)
Answer:
One way in which Jews celebrate Rosh Hashanah is by blowing the shofar to symbolise a call for repentance (2 marks)
Another way it is celebrated is by dipping apples in honey and eating them to represent the hope of a sweet new year. Within Judaism, apples are believed to have healing powers. The importance of apples originates from the Garden of Eden (3 marks)
Examiner Tips and Tricks
You may be asked to explain the importance of Rosh Hashanah within Judaism or even to evaluate its importance in relation to another Jewish festival eg. Yom Kippur. For example;
'For Jews, Yom Kippur is more important than Rosh Hashanah.’
Evaluate this statement
In your answer, you should:
• Refer to Jewish teaching
• Give reasoned arguments to support this statement
• Give reasoned arguments to support a different point of view
• Reach a justified conclusion [12 marks]
Arguments in support of the statement could include;
Judgement is finalised on this day so it is the last chance for repentance
Yom Kippur is known as the Day of Atonement and is the holiest day in the Jewish year
It is considered to be very important that repentance and atonement are made ‘atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you of all your sins’ (Tenakh)
God’s judgement on this day is final and it is the last chance for repentance
Asking God for forgiveness helps to restore the individual’s relationship with God
On this day, God’s forgiveness is given and the individual’s relationship with God is restored
Wearing white to symbolise purity, fasting, not bathing, wearing leather shoes or having sex during Yom Kippur emphasises the importance of the festival
The belief that Rosh Hashanah is preparation for the more important festival of Yom Kippur makes Yom Kippur more important
Arguments in support of other views include:
Rosh Hashanah is the start of the Jewish New Year and the first day of a period of reflection and repentance for a ten-day period which leads up to Yom Kippur
It is essential preparation for Yom Kippur and the two festivals are as important as each other
Rosh Hashanah begins ten days of repentance during which relationships between people are repaired. God opens the Book of Life which is closed on Yom Kippur
Rosh Hashanah celebrates/remembers God’s creation of the world, without which nothing would exist, including Yom Kippur
The mitzvah of the Shofar singles out the importance of Rosh Hashanah (Leviticus 23)
Jews are judged during Rosh Hashanah, its called Yom Hadin- Judgement Day, and it offers a chance to improve God’s judgement of them by committing to be a better person
Rosh Hashanah looks to the future and how the year ahead will be, while Yom Kippur looks back towards the actions of the year gone by
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