The Jewish New Year, the first and second days of Tishrei mark the beginning of the High Holy Days, the Days of Awe. It is a time of introspection, prayer, and hopeful renewal as Jews around the world reflect on the past year and prepare for the days of judgment ahead.
On Rosh Hashanah, the Book of Life is opened, and for ten days, the year ahead is still being written.
Rosh Hashanah is considered the birthday of the world in Jewish tradition, the anniversary of God's creation of humanity. It opens a ten-day period of reflection and repentance culminating in Yom Kippur. The shofar's blast is said to awaken the soul and call people to account for their actions. Jewish teaching holds that on Rosh Hashanah, God opens the Book of Life and writes each person's fate for the coming year, which is then sealed on Yom Kippur, making these days among the most spiritually significant in the Jewish calendar.
Synagogue services feature the sounding of the shofar (ram's horn), an ancient call to reflection. Families gather for festive meals featuring apples dipped in honey, symbolizing the hope for a sweet new year. Round challahs are baked to represent the cycle of the year. Many Jews perform Tashlich, casting breadcrumbs into flowing water to symbolically release sins. Greeting cards are exchanged and the traditional wish 'L'Shanah Tovah Tikateivu' may you be inscribed for a good year, is shared.
L'Shanah Tovah Tikateivu, May you be inscribed for a good year
If someone wishes you "Shanah Tovah," simply say it back, or reply "Gam atem" ("you too"). The fuller greeting is "L'shanah tovah u'metukah" "for a good and sweet year."
“Speak to the children of Israel, saying: In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. You shall do no laborious work, and you shall bring an offering by fire to the Lord.”Leviticus 23:24-25
Rosh Hashanah 2026 begins at sundown on Friday, September 11 and ends at nightfall on Sunday, September 13.
"Shanah Tovah" ("good year") is the simple, warm greeting. The fuller version is "L'shanah tovah u'metukah" "for a good and sweet year."
It is not a US federal holiday, but many observant Jews take the day(s) off for synagogue and family, and employers increasingly accommodate it.
Both are sweet, and dipping the apple in honey is a simple prayer for a sweet year ahead, the custom's most beloved symbol of renewal.
You can, but "Shanah Tovah" carries more meaning. Rosh Hashanah is a reflective, spiritual new year, solemn and hopeful rather than a countdown party.
Sundown, Fri Sep 11 – nightfall, Sun Sep 13, 2026
Like all Jewish holidays, Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown the evening before the first day and ends at nightfall on the final day.
L'Shanah Tovah Tikateivu, May you be inscribed for a good year