It's difficult to write about the festivals of the Jewish calendar in the English language. None of the available words seem to capture the mood of these landmarks in Jewish time. Holiday? Too frivolous. Holy Day? Too somber. Festival? Better, but still not quite the right word. The Hebrew phrase Yom Tov literally and blandly translates as "good day." How, indeed, to describe the blend of reverence and revelry, seriousness and exuberance, liturgy and lokshen kugel that is the Jewish festival?
In particular, the first festival of the year, Rosh Hashanah, seems to fit no familiar mold. It is the day on which we tremulously submit to the divine sovereignty and crown G-d as our king, but as the Chassidic masters point out, a coronation is always a festive event, with bands playing in the streets and crowds picnicking in the parks and fields. It is the day on which we stand in judgment before G-d, the day on which the Heavenly Court rules "who shall live and who shall die...who shall be impoverished and who shall be enriched... who shall fall and who shall rise"; but also the day on which we "eat lush foods and drink sweets... for the joy of the Eternal is your strength." The Talmud offers the image of a person coming to court where a life-or-death verdict will be handed down on him, but he is dressed in white and has a feast awaiting him at home, confident that he will triumph in his trial.
No single article can capture the paradox of Rosh Hashanah, much less explain it. To understand Rosh Hashanah, we need to exprience it -- spend those hours praying in synagogue, hear the shofar's hundred notes, dip the apple in honey and eat the tzimmes. But here is a sampling of essays, insights and stories -- some Rosh Hashanah reading to get us in the mood...
