by Roz Blades AM of the Jewish community and the City of Greater Dandenong Interfaith Network
As the Jewish representative in the Interfaith Network I am pleased to present this message of hope.
I have tried to ally these messages around major Jewish festivals, so whilst it is a little early, I wanted to talk a bit about Rosh HaShanah.
Rosh HaShanah is the beginning of the year according to the traditional Jewish calendar in the month of Tishrei.
It begins at sunset on Sunday September 27th and is a two-day festival which marks the anniversary of human creation and the special relationship between humans and the creator.
The festival begins with the sounding of the shofar, an instrument made of a ram’s horn and is described as Tom Teru’ah – a day of sounding.
The sound of the shofar is also a call to repentance to wake up and re-examine our commitment to a greater good.
The food generally associated with this festival are apples and honey, which are almost synonymous with Rosh Hashanah, as are new fruit, honey cake, fish, and dates, just as an example.
These traditional foods are rich in meaning and symbolism.
Apples and honey are one of the most popular customs, involving eating apple slices dipped in honey, sometimes after saying a special prayer.
Ancient Jews believed applies had healing properties and honey signifies the hope that the new year will be sweet.
I was really happy to hear from some friends in another suburb that they have read the messages of hope and enjoyed them.
I hope you enjoy reading this, as much as I enjoy imparting the information.
