Rosh Hashannah

Assembly Ideas

Background Information

	Jews celebrate the festival of Rosh Hashanah (the first day of the year) in September or October.
	On Rosh Hashanah God seats himself on His throne, the record of all human lives is opened, and all the secret thoughts and hidden acts of every person are revealed. Loud blasts are sounded on a shofar (ram's horn) and every human being pauses before God, who decrees the destiny of each one. Howevr, by sincerely repenting of wrong doing, by devotion to prayer and by performing acts of kindness, it is possible for people to change the course of their lives.
	Over the period of the festival, a shofar is blown in the synagogue, the rabbi wears a white robe and the scrolls of the Torah are covered in white. In the home at this time it is customary to place honey on the table at meals. Each person dips a piece of apple and hallah bread into the honey and says the following words: "May it be your will, O God, to give us a good and sweet year."
	Some families practice the custom of Tashlich and gather by the banks of a river or lake to recite prayers of forgiveness. After the prayers, the dust and bits of fluff that gather in the pockets are shaken out, or breadcrumbs are thrown into the water, to symbolise the casting off of sins before making a new beginning with the approach of the New Year.

Class and Assembly ideas

	September is a good time of year to discuss New Beginnings. The school begins a new (academic) year and Jews celebrate their new year.
	If your school has a set of rules or a prayer why not begin by reading this in assembly? Children can then reflect on the year before and decide what they are going to do differently. New school year resolutions can be written by each class member so they have something to work towards and aim for by the end of the year.
	This is also an opportunity to discuss New Year celebrations around the world.
	January 1st is a new date in the calendar. But this has little real significance and most major faiths recognise a different New Year's Day from that which is celebrated in Britain. The Gregorian calendar introduced by Pope Gregory in 1582, to replace the original Julian version, was not officially accepted by the British parliament until 170 years later. By that time, Britain had fallen 11 days behind the countries which had adopted it earlier. When the change took place, the days between the 2 and 14 September were dropped, causing riots in the streets by people who thought their lives were being shortened by 11 days.
	This solar calendar is based on the number of days taken by the Earth to orbit the Sun. Jews, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs follow a lunar calendar (the 12 months of their year begin at the time of each new moon) the year being 11 days shorter than its 365 day solar counterpart.

Much of this information was taken from the book Active Assemblies Through the Year written by Ian Addis. Click here for more information on this book.