The origin of rosh hashanah

Rosh Hashanah, or the “head of the year”, marks the first day of the new year and the creation of the world according to the Jewish tradition.

Rosh Hashanah begins a ten day period called the ‘Days of Awe’, which builds up to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. This period is a time of looking inward and examining our choices over the course of the last year. 

In the Old Testament, this day is actually called, “Yom Truah”, meaning “a day when the horn is sounded” (Leviticus 29:1).  The practice of blowing a shofar (ram’s horn) originated from this biblical verse.  The tradition of blowing a horn is meant to awaken us spiritually.