Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year festival. It lasts two days and commemorates the creation of the world.
Judaism teaches that Rosh Hashanah is also a time when God judges all humanity. The belief is that God considers a person's good and bad deeds over the last year and decides what the next year will be like for them.
Rosh Hashanah is a time of asking for forgiveness of Act of rebellion or disobedience against the known will of God in Judaism, Christianity or Islam.. Many Jews believe that God keeps a Book of Life with the names of everyone who is sorry for what they have done wrong. At Rosh Hashanah, they hope that they and their loved ones will be written in the Book of Life.
Judaism teaches that God decides on the first day of the year who will be forgiven, so they will ensure they apologise to everybody they have been unkind to during the past year. God makes his final judgement on Yom Kippur which means Day of Atonement.
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are a chance for Jews to ask questions about their actions and life throughout the year. Here are some examples.
- What is the most meaningful thing in my life?
- Who in my life means the most to me? How often do I let them know this?
- What are the most significant things I've achieved in the past year?
- What do I hope to achieve next year and in my life generally?
Time is spent in the Building for Jewish public prayer, study and assembly. during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur as they are the most important festivals in the Jewish year.