High Holidays - Chabad of Ventura

High Holidays Ventura - Rosh Hashanah 2023 FAQ Part 1

Monday, August 21, 2023 - 4:06 PM

When is Rosh Hashanah 2023?

Rosh Hashanah 2023, which ushers in the Jewish year 5784, starts just before sundown on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, and ends after nightfall on Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023.

Observed on the day G‑d created Adam and Eve, it’s celebrated as the head of the Jewish year. The central observance of Rosh Hashanah is blowing the shofar (ram’s horn).

Rosh Hashanah feasts traditionally include round challah bread (studded with raisins) and apples dipped in honey, as well as other foods that symbolize our wishes for a sweet year.

Read: What Is Rosh Hashanah?

Why Rosh Hashanah Is Important?

Wednesday, August 9, 2023 - 11:09 AM

Why Rosh Hashanah Is Important?

The Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah actually means “Head of the Year.” Just like the head controls the body, our actions on Rosh Hashanah have a tremendous impact on the rest of the year.

As we read in the Rosh Hashanah prayers, each year on this day “all inhabitants of the world pass before G‑d like a flock of sheep,” and it is decreed in the heavenly court “who shall live, and who shall die ... who shall be impoverished and who shall be enriched; who shall fall and who shall rise.”

It is a day of prayer, a time to ask the Almighty to grant us a year of peace, prosperity and blessing. But it is also a joyous day when we proclaim G‑d King of the Universe. The Kabbalists teach that the continued existence of the universe depends on G‑d’s desire for a world, a desire that is renewed when we accept His kingship anew each year on Rosh Hashanah.