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For Jews, a year of breaking through

Mark Schantz/SUNCOAST

Rabbi Yossi Eber, spiritual leader of West Pasco Chabad, shows Rebecca Yates, how to cut a rams horn to create a shofar.

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By Mark  Schantz | The Suncoast News

Published: September 18, 2009

Updated:

Jews in North Pinellas and West Pasco and around the world are marking one of the holiest holidays of the year, Rosh Hashanah. Within Judaism, Rosh Hashanah is the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, marking the special relationship and dependence between God and mankind.

It is the year 5770 on the Jewish calendar, a particularly significant year because the numbers, translated into Hebrew letters, stand for Home of the Messiah, according to Rabbi Shalom Adler of Young Israel Chabad of Pinellas.

One can only ponder what that may mean, but it offers a message of hope, said Adler, a member of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic sect within Orthodox Judaism.

The letters also stand for "breaking through," which could signify a new feeling of empowerment, the breaking down of barriers, overcoming obstacles and starting anew, with a revitalized spirituality and connection to God, Adler said. It is a good time to overcome fears and pray to go onto a new higher level in life.

There may be breakthroughs in medical research or in other areas, this year, one has to wait and see what the Lord has in store, the Rabbi said.

On Rosh Hashanah a person contemplates their life, what they have done in the past year, where they have been, whether they have strayed from what has real meaning and where they are going. It is said on this day the Lord contemplates the fate of his flock, what each person has done with their lives, who shall be inscribed for a year of peace and who shall be tormented.

"This is not a passive experience, participation in the process is definitely recommended," Adler explained. A person can reflect on their life, pray and change their focus, deciding to be a better and more pious individual. The Lord is forgiving, he noted.

Jewish tradition includes plenty of honey cake and honey-dipped apple slices, and honey is consumed at gatherings to usher in a sweet year. Jews traditionally flock to a body of water to cast away their sins by tossing in pieces of bread and saying a prayer.

During prayer services the ram's horn is sounded to call people to prayer and repentance. Rabbi Yossi Eber, spiritual leader of West Pasco Chabad, said the ending of a decade on the Jewish calendar and the start of a new one has particular significance because we look back and think about where 10 years have gone, what we have done with our lives and where we are going.

"In this hectic world, filled with turmoil, Rosh Hashanah gives is a time to put on the brakes and stop and think about where we are going, our connection to family and our spiritual connection with God," Eber said. "We think about what is really important in life, our faith in God and what we want for our future."

The 10 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is a time of repentance and more private reflection. It's a time to ask forgiveness to the Lord and also those who have been hurt by your actions.

On Yom Kippur, which this year begins the night of Sept. 27, the Day of Atonement is the most solemn day of the year for Jews. It is said on this day God is ready to forgive members of his flock. One's fate for the next year is sealed or determined, although a person can change the decree with repentance, prayer and doing good deeds. During Yom Kippur, observant Jews refrain from eating or drinking for 24 hours and pray in the temple for most of that day, as a sign of repentance and in hopes of being inscribed for a good year.

"May you been inscribed and sealed for a good year," is the Hebrew greeting exchanged on Yom Kippur.

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