This year, those of the Jewish faith celebrated the anniversary of the creation of the universe for two days beginning on sundown September 9 and ending at nightfall on September 11. The celebration is called Rosh Hashanah, the “head of the new year” and on that date, the Jewish calendar rolled over to 5779.
For the devout, this period sets the pattern for the year to come. “…all inhabitants of the world pass before G‑d like a flock of sheep,” according to Chabad.org, “and it is decreed in the heavenly court ‘who shall live, and who shall die … who shall be impoverished and who shall be enriched; who shall fall and who shall rise.’”
To mark the occasion, the shofar, or ram’s horn, is blown, following the Hebrew bible’s dictate to “raise a noise,” and to remind believers of their roots. The devout attend synagogue and enjoy special meals which may include apples dipped in honey to begin a “sweet year.”
This year, since Rosh Hashanah ends on Sept. 11, at least one congregation in Great Neck, New York, plans to pay tribute to the fallen and the volunteers of 9/11in this special day of remembrance by a recitation of Kaddish, a prayer for the dead, which does not mention the dead but instead is a prayer for peace and for suffering to cease and reminds the living of their role in perfecting creation.
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