|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
By: Chabad.org
On the two nights of Rosh Hashanah, Jews enjoy a festive meal in the light of candles, which are lit before a brief blessing is said. The meal begins with Kiddush, a blessing over wine, and then continues with blessings over round challah bread dipped in honey and other foods that express our prayers and wishes for a plentiful, spiritually uplifting, and sweet new year.
Candles
Girls and all women who are in the house (or if there isn’t a woman in the house, the head of the household), light candles so that the festive table is bathed in their glow. See Procedure for Holiday Candle Lighting for detailed holiday candle-lighting information.
The following is said after the candles are lit:
Bah-rookh ah-tah ah-doh-noi eh-loh-hay-noo meh-lekh hah-oh-lahm, ah-shehr ki-deh-shah-noo beh-mitz-voh-tahv veh-tzee-vah-noo leh-hahd-lik nayr (shehl shah-baht veh-shehl) yohm hah-zee-kah-rohn.
Bah-rookh ah-tah ah-doh-noi eh-loh-hay-noo meh-lekh hah-oh-lahm sheh-heh-kheh-yah-noo veh-kee-mah-noo ve-hig-ee-yah-noo liz-mahn hah-zeh.
Blessed are you, L-rd our G‑d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and has commanded us to kindle the light of (the Sabbath and) the Day of Remembrance.
Blessed are You, Lord our G‑d, King of the universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion.
Kiddush
Before starting the Rosh Hashanah meal, we sanctify the holiday by reciting the kiddush over a cup of wine or grape juice. Click here for the Hebrew/English text of the kiddush.1
New Fruit
On the second night of Rosh Hashanah, a “new fruit,” i.e., a seasonal fruit which we have not yet tasted since its season began, should be present on the table when the holiday candles are kindled and during the kiddush. While reciting the Shehecheyanu blessing after candle-lighting and after the kiddush, one should have the new fruit in mind.2
This fruit is eaten following the kiddush, before washing for bread. Before partaking of the fruit we say the following blessing:
Bah-rookh ah-tah ah-doh-noi eh-loh-hay-noo meh-lekh hah-oh-lahm boh-ray peh-ree hah-aytz.
Blessed are You, L-rd our G‑d, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of the tree.
Challah in Honey
Immediately following the kiddush (and on the second night, the eating of the new fruit), we perform the ritual washing for bread, after which we say the following blessing:
Bah-rookh ah-tah ah-doh-noi eh-loh-hay-noo meh-lekh hah-oh-lahm, ah-shehr ki-deh-shah-noo beh-mitz-voh-tahv veh-tzee-vah-noo ahl neh-tee-laht yah-dah-yim.
Blessed are you, L‑rd our G‑d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the washing of the hands.
When everyone has returned to the table, we raise the two challah loaves and recite the Hamotzie blessing:
Bah-rookh ah-tah ah-doh-noi eh-loh-hay-noo meh-lekh hah-oh-lahm, hah-moh-tzee leh-khehm min hah-ah-rehtz.
Blessed are You, L-rd, our G‑d, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.
Cut the challah, dip it in honey (some also dip it in salt), and have a bite. Pass around pieces and make sure everyone does the same.
On the first night of Rosh Hashanah, after eating the challah with honey, it is customary to eat several foods which symbolize the type of year we wish to have:
We dip a piece of sweet apple into honey. Before eating it we say:
Bah-rookh ah-tah ah-doh-noi eh-loh-hay-noo meh-lekh hah-oh-lahm boh-ray peh-ree hah-aytz.
Blessed are You, L-rd our G‑d, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of the tree.
Yeh-hee rah-tzohn sheh-teh-khah-daysh ah-lay-noo shah-nah toh-vah oo-meh-too-kah.
