5777 Annual Halacha Guidebook Table of Contents The High Holidays . 2 Rosh Hashana . 2 . The Ten Days of Repentance . 3 Yom Kippur . .4 . Sukkot . 9. Chanukah . .11 . Purim . 17 Passover . 19 Sefirah . 26 . Shavu’ot . 27. Three Weeks . 27 . Schedules High Holiday . 5 Sukkot . 9. Chanukah . .13 . Purim . 17 Passover . 23 Shavuot . 27 Three Weeks . 31 . The High Holidays Rosh Hashana Prepare for your Day in Court Erev Rosh Hashana The forty days from Rosh Chodesh (the beginning of the We do not blow the shofar on Erev Rosh Hashana Hebrew month of) Elul, which began this year on Friday as we do throughout the month of Elul in order to night September 2, is a period designated for Teshuva differentiate between customaryShofar blowing that we (Repentance). This corresponds with the time Moses do during Elul and obligatory Shofar blowing that we do received the second tablets of the Ten Commandments on Rosh Hashana. from G-d. He ascended Mount Sinai on the first of Elul Although the Day of Judgment is a very serious day, and came down with them on the tenth of Tishrei (Yom we celebrate Rosh Hashana as we do on Shabbat and Yom Kippur). On that day G-d proclaimed his forgiveness for Tov (holiday), to show that we put our trust in G-d, that the sin of the Golden Calf. He will bless us with a good year. Therefore, we make our Elul preparations for this special day on the day before, such as food preparation, bathing and hair-cutting. Elul is the time to prepare for the holy days that In order to free ourselves from the sin of violating Rosh Hashana start with (Day of Judgment) and extend a vow/promise, we recite “Hatarat Nedarim”, the Yom Kippur through (Day of Atonement). We set aside annulment of vows, after Shacharit in front of three time for introspection and examination of our behavior, people who act as a court. We also declare that any mitzvah and we need to take greater diligence and care in promise we make in the future should not have the force performance. of a vow. The text for this can be found in a machzor Ma’ariv Rosh Beginning with of the second day of (High Holiday prayer book) or in the Artscroll siddur Chodesh (Saturday night, September 3), we began to (prayer book) on page 762, and should be said in the L’David Hashem Ori recite Psalm 27, , at the end of language that you understand. Shacharit Ma’ariv and . When doing “Hatarat Nedarim”, you should notify Rosh Chodesh Elul On the second day of we began to the court that you are doing so for your spouse as well. blow the Shofar at the end of Shacharit (before we recite L’David Hashem Ori). The crying sound of the Shofar New Year’s Days reminds us to repent from our sins before the new year Rosh Hashana commemorates the creation of the day of Rosh Hashana arrives. world and begins the Jewish calendar year. It is a day of During the month of Elul we include in our intensive prayer that acknowledges G-d’s sovereignty over correspondences wishes of Ketiva VaChatima Tova (May the world. All things pass before Him for judgment on you be inscribed and sealed for a good year). this holy day. On the Sunday before Rosh Hashana we begin to say When we greet one another on the first night of Selichot, the prayers of forgiveness. If Rosh Hashana falls Rosh Hashana, we greet a man with the new year wishes out on a Monday or Tuesday, we begin on the Sunday of “L’shana tova tikatev v’techatem” and a woman with of the previous week. The custom is to recite the first “L’shana tova tikatevee v’techatemee” - “May you be Selichot early Sunday morning, and then continue saying inscribed and sealed for a good year”. them during morning services through Erev Yom Kippur During the evening meals, we eat foods that serve (the day before Yom Kippur). One of the primary prayers as “simanim” (signs) for a good year, such as challah and of the Selichot is the recitation of the “13 Attributes of apple dipped in honey, and the head of a fish. G-d’s Mercy”, which begin with the words, “Hashem, Many machzorim include the procedure, blessings Hashem…” This prayer is only recited in the presence of and prayers for the different foods that we eat as a minyan (a quorum of ten men). The Aramaic passages “simanim”. at the end of the Selichot are also only said with a minyan. We do not eat foods that are bitter or have a vinegar taste. Shofar On Rosh Hashana, we have the mitzvah of sounding the shofar (ram’s horn). It is symbolic of the blowing of the trumpet at the coronation of a King, which on this The High Holidays day means that we reaffirm our belief in G-d’s sovereignty over the world and our commitment to serving Him. (We should have these thoughts in mind while hearing the shofar blow.) 2 The three basic sounds of the shofar are: 1. Tekiah: a long drawn-out sound. The Ten Days of Repentance 2. Shevarim: three broken, plaintive sounds; and The Ten Days of Repentance 3. Teruah: nine short, staccato sounds. The Ten Days of Repentance We blow 30 sounds before Mussaf, 30 during the The period from Rosh Hashana through Yom repetition of the Amidah, and 40 after the Amidah on Kippur is called Aseret Yemai Teshuva - The Ten Days of each day of the holiday. Repentance. During this period there are changes made We do not blow the shofar on Shabbat. in our prayers. You must intend to fulfill your obligation through the a) In Kaddish, we say “...l’ayla u’l’ayla mikol blessings and blows of the Ba’al Tokeah (shofar blower). birchata…” in place of “...l’ayla min kol birchata…” You must remain silent from the time the blessings b) In the firstbracha (blessing) of the Amidah, we are made before the blowing of the shofar until all the add “zochrenu l’chaim”. In the second bracha, we add “mi blows are completed at the end of the Mussaf service. khamocha…”. If you forget these, you need not repeat the Amidah. Tashlich c) In the third bracha of the Amidah, we conclude On Rosh Hashana, we recite Tashlich, the prayer with “…haMelech haKadosh” instead of “…ha’Kel expressing our hope that Hashem will forgive our haKadosh”. If you forget and conclude the bracha without transgressions on the Day of Judgment. We do not recite this change and don’t immediately correct yourself, or if Tashlich on Shabbat, so on those years it is recited on you are in doubt about whether you made the change the afternoon of the second day of Rosh Hashana. At the when you recited the third blessing of the Amidah, you conclusion of Tashlich, it is customary to shake out our must repeat the Amidah. pockets as a symbol of casting away our sins. d) In the bracha of “ha’shiva shoftenu”, we conclude We are forbidden to feed any animals or throw stones with “…haMelech hamishpat” instead of “Melech ohev…”. into the water at Tashlich. At the end of the bracha of “Modim”, we add “u’chtov If you are unable to recite Tashlich on Rosh Hashana, l’chaim…”. And at the end of the bracha of “Sim shalom”, you may do so up until Hoshana Raba (the seventh day of we add “B’sefer chaim...”. If you forget any of these, you the holiday of Sukkot). do not repeat the Amidah. The Second Night e) We recite Avinu Malkenu after the repitition of the Amidah by shacharit and mincha. On the second night of Rosh Hashana, we place a fruit that we haven’t eaten for a year on the table while Tzom Gedalya/ The Fast of Gedalya Kiddush is recited, so that the “Shehechiyanu” blessing in After the destruction of the firstBet Hamikdash (the the Kiddush should also be recited over the fruit. After Holy Temple)at the hands of the ancient Babylonians, drinking the Kiddush wine, we make the blessing “boreh the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, appointed p’ri ha’etz” on the fruit and eat some of it. We then wash Gedalya son of Achikom as governor over the remaining our hands, say “Hamotzi” and continue with the meal. Jews in Israel. On this day Gedalya was assassinated. Pruzbol Nebuchadnezzar retaliated by killing thousands and exiling the last remaining Jews in Israel. At the end of the Shmitta year, all outstanding loans This day was therefore proclaimed as a fast day. are nullified as the Torah states: “that this is the manner of the release; to release the hand of every creditor from what he lent his friend; he shall not exact from his friend or his brother, because time of the release for the Lord has arrived” (Devarim 15:2) This will take place at the end of this year’s Jewish calendar. By writing a document known as “Pruzbul” you assign the collection of the debts to a Beit Din (a Rabbinically-sanctioned court) which prevents the cancellation from occurring. The court then allows you to collect the debt in their stead. The latest this can be done by is the day before Rosh Hashana, September 13, 2015. You can see examples of the document at the RCA and Star-K. The rabbi is available to administer a pruzbul for you.