For many Jews, the High Holidays can be fraught with feelings of sadness, loneliness, and regret. And that goes double if you’re a chicken doomed to end up as soup. Or don’t know what fraught means. But even for us humans, one of the reasons for this holiday melancholy is our tendency to idealize High Holidays and synagogue services past, succumbing to precious memories of friends and relatives who’ve moved away, grown away, or passed away. We’d give anything for one more holiday meal with them. Even Uncle Jake, with his same corny jokes and pull-my-finger trick every meal.

Since Rosh Hashana is the Day of Judgment, it is customary to eat simanim,* foods with symbolic meanings that invoke God’s blessing. We also recite a short prayer before eating them. While apple with honey is a universal custom, other symbolic foods eaten depend on family custom. Here are some examples.

The Rosh Hashana tashlich ceremony is a tradition that is dear throughout the many diverse Jewish communities. Tashlich literally translates to “You will throw.” But what, exactly, is it?

As the weather turns from sweltering hot to a little chilly, and with the High Holidays just upon us, it’s time to deal with a question that might arise: Is it gauche to date on Rosh Hashanah?

We make promises all the time. We swear that we are going to do something, and then hope that we will be in a position to fulfill the vow.

In neither of the two Torah references to the holiday of Rosh Hashana (Leviticus 23:23-25, Numbers 29:1), is there a specific mention of the shofar, the ram’s horn. Only the Teruah, the sound made by the shofar, is noted. So why do we only use the shofar on Rosh Hashana when the same sound can be made on another instrument?

There are a lot of attractive, intelligent, classy women out there who’d love to meet the right man. Sadly, they may have already gone out with him, but wouldn’t have given him a second chance because of mistakes he made on the first date.

One of the new holidays that has gained traction due to internet calendars is “Positive Thinking Day,” celebrated this year on September 13th. With only three days left until Rosh Hashana, Jewish Treats can think of no better time of year to highlight the important message of positive thinking.

Rosh Hashana, the head of the year, is the day on which God determines the fate and fortune of both individuals and communities for the year to come. It is assumed that on this day God determines exactly how much money one will earn in the coming year. As it says, “All of a person’s earnings are fixed in the time from Rosh Hashana until (and including ) Yom Kippur, except for his expenses for Shabbat, holidays and expenses incurred in teaching his children Torah” (Beitza 16a).

Autumn is on the horizon, and if you’re like me, you’re hotly anticipating the fall premieres of some of your favorite shows. So what do you do when you’re at a friend’s viewing party and you’ve got your eye on a cute, single acquaintance who also happens to love your favorite show as much as you do? You whip out a cheesy pick-up line, of course! And we’ve got a list that’s guaranteed to get you through some of the most popular shows on the fall slate (or get you slapped – it’s all in the delivery).