A summary of facts, characters, and holidays pertaining to the month of Tishrei
This "Essence" is taken from the Sourcebook for Leaders, written by Rabbi Rachel Gartner and Barbara Berley Melits, forRosh Hodesh: It's a Girl Thing! This experiential program was created by Kolot: The Center for Jewish Women's and Gender Studies to strengthen the Jewish identity and self-esteem of adolescent girls through monthly celebrations of the New Moon festival. The program is now available through Moving Traditions.
Fast Facts
Tishrei is the seventh of the twelve months of the Jewish calendar. It is always 30 days.
Tishrei coincides with the secular months September/October.
Tishrei contains the fall equinox. We begin to seek an inner balance that reflects the equilibrium between day and night. As the seasons change from summer to fall, we too seek changes in our lives. We hope that our journey is also colorful and bright.
The
mazal (constellation) for Tishrei is a pair of scales, symbolizing scales of justice. The zodiac sign is Libra.
Tishrei overflows with holy days which usher in the Jewish New Year. The four main holidays of Tishrei correspond to the four phases of the moon.
Festivities
Rosh HaShanah (The New Year) is observed on Rosh Hodesh Tishrei. The
Torah refers to Rosh HaShanah as
Yom Teruah (The Day of Sounding the
Shofar) or
Yom HaZikaron (The Day of Remembering). It was not called Rosh HaShanah until talmudic times. Many Reform communities celebrate Rosh HaShanah for one day only. It is the only holiday that Israeli Jews celebrate for two days. Rosh HaShanah marks the anniversary of the creation of the world.
Rosh HaShanah
Shofar. Reflected in one of the names of the Holy Day (
Yom Teruah), the shofar is blown 100 times on each day of Rosh HaShanah. One of many traditions suggests that the shofar blasts represent
Sarah's cries when she learned that
Abraham had set out to sacrifice
Isaac. Sarah's cries recall women's cries for justice for themselves and for their families throughout history and all over the world. The shofar calls all Jews together and stirs each soul to repentance.
Tashlich. (You will cast away). In this context,
tashlich refers to a custom dating from at least as early as the fourteenth century, based on the last verses of the Book of Micah: "And You will cast into the depths of the sea all their sins" (7:19). Consequently, Jewish communities have for many generations gathered by rivers, streams, or oceans on the first day of Rosh HaShanah, recited tashlich prayers, and thrown bread crumbs into the water to symbolize our desire to rid ourselves of our sins. Kurdish Jews actually threw themselves into the water for tashlich!
Hasidim of Galicia sent straw floats out into the water, used candles to set them on fire, and rejoiced as they burned up or washed away.
Tzom Gedaliah (Fast of Gedaliah), observed on Tishrei 3, is an annual fast to commemorate the assassination of Gedaliah Ben Achikam, the Governor of Israel during the last days of Judean semi-autonomy before Jews were driven into final exile by the Babylonians.
Aseret Yamei Teshuvah (Ten Days of Repentance) are observed between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. The special character of these days manifests itself in emphasis on
teshuvah, (turning our backs on what is worst in ourselves and embracing what is best),
tefillah (prayer), and
tzedakah (acts of justice/charity).
Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) is observed on Tishrei 10, as the moon swells. Yom Kippur is meant to bring Jews closer to a sense of God in our lives and to inspire us to bring out what is best in ourselves through the process ofteshuvah.
Yom Kippur Customs
Fasting, as well as the other abstentions observed on this day, is meant to guide our thoughts away from our physical needs and help focus our minds on spiritual growth and teshuvah. Tradition urges that this fast should also remind us of those who lack basic sustenance. Many communities donate the amount of money they would have spent to feed themselves on Yom Kippur to organizations that feed the hungry. (Please note that pregnant women, the infirm, or anyone who might be harmed by doing so are prohibited from fasting.)
Refraining from wearing leather, one of the other five traditional abstentions for Yom Kippur, is meant to guide us away from materialism as leather is considered to be a sign of luxury.
Sukkot (Booths) begins on the full moon of Tishrei 15 and continues through Tishrei 21. Sukkot comes just five days after Yom Kippur. Only after we have accomplished the challenging spiritual work of
Yom Kippur, can we be truly joyous on Sukkot. Indeed, there is a special
mitzvah of
simcha (happiness), on Sukkot. Sukkot commemorates how protective clouds surrounded the Jewish people during the forty years of wandering in the desert. It also commemorates how the Jews lived in temporary dwellings (sukkot) during that same time.
Sukkot Customs
Welcoming Guests. Today we decorate our sukkot and it is customary to invite our ancestors symbolically to join us for a meal! "According to the mystical text the
Zohar, "when you sit in the
sukkah ... the
Shechina (God's feminine indwelling presence) spreads its wings over you and.... Abraham, five other righteous ones, and King David, make their dwelling with you...Thus you should rejoice with a shining countenance each and every day of the festival together with these guests who lodge with you..." (
Zohar Emor, 103b).
From this verse, Jewish mystics in the sixteenth century popularized the custom of symbolically inviting seven biblical characters as
ushpizin (guests) into their
sukkot over the seven nights of the holiday... Traditions inviting biblical women, or
ushpizot (plural feminine of ushpizin), into the
sukkah also exist. According to sixteenth-century mystic Manachem Azariah, known as the Ramah of Fano, the seven female figures to welcome are the seven prophetesses: Sarah,
Miriam, Devorah,
Hannah,
Avigail,
Huldah, and
Esther. Other traditions include
Rebecca, Rachel and
Leah."
Hoshana Rabbah, observed on Tishrei 21, is the seventh and last day of Sukkot. Hoshana Rabbah is known as the day of the final sealing of judgment, which began on Rosh HaShanah.
Shmini Atzeret, observed on Tishrei 22 as the moon wanes, begins the period in the year in which we add to our regular liturgy a special prayer praising God as the Source of the blessing of rain.
Simchat Torah is observed on Tishrei 23 in some Jewish communities in the Diaspora and on Tishrei 22 in Israel and some Reform and Reconstructionist communities. Simchat Torah celebrates the completion and the beginning of the annual cycle of Torah readings. On the night preceding Simchat Torah, and again in the morning, Jews all over the world dance joyously with the Torah.
Foods
Rosh HaShanah
In addition to eating apples and
hallah dipped in honey for a sweet new year, there are numerous lesser-known and quite extraordinary food customs for Rosh HaShanah. The following foods are eaten as
simanim (good omens) of success and happiness for the coming year. Try inventing and serving your own!
The head of a fish, for we should always be "on top" like a head, and not "on the bottom."
Pomegranates, for we want to be as full of good deeds as the pomegranate is full of seeds.
