2022Festivals - First Day Cover

The Significance of Animals in the Jewish New Year Festivals
The name of the Rosh Hashana Jewish New Year festival includes the Hebrew word “Rosh”, meaning head or beginning. This signifies the beginning of the year and the festivals at the start of the year are like a command center for establishing awareness for the entire upcoming year. To prevent simply continuing routinely on from the previous year into the new one, there is specific preparation for the year to come. This invigorating process is for the Jewish people as a whole but also serves each individual on his/her personal journey as well. Every Israeli finds something that touches him/her during these festivals – some are drawn to the primeval sound of the shofar blowing; some are inspired by the prayer-filled day of Yom Kippur; and some feel very much at home inside the temporary sukkah. All of these are among the many expressions of this fundamental process that can be seen as three stages of mental calibration to prepare for the upcoming year. Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and Sukkoth-Shmini Atzeret. Each one of these stages is deeply meaningful. The essence of each festival manifests in many ways, each of which provides a glimpse into the meaning of that particular festival. For example, each festival has its own prayers and mitzvahs. There are different Torah portions as well as unique flora and fauna items related to each festival and every festival has its own historical context. Each of these expressions reveals the internal process of that festival.