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Incense of the day: Evergreen Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. On the Jewish calendar, today is the first day of the month Tishi in the year 5765 am. The am stands for Anno Mundi, "the year of the world." It is the year of the world because the Jewish calendar is calculated from what was believed to be the creation of the world, which occurred in the year 3761 b.c. of the Gregorian calendar. As with all days in the Jewish calendar, this day begins at sundown on the night before. This is the beginning of a ten-day period that commemorates the creation of the world. Today, a ram's horn, or shofar, is blown in the temple to call the people to a spiritual awakening. Over the next ten days, Jews are asked to review their behavior, atone for their sins, and renew their relationship with God. But on this day there is a feast and delicacies are eaten to assure luck through the New Year. The symbolic foods at this meal include spiced apples, honey, and challah-a bread made of eggs, sugar, and wheat. The apples and the challah are dipped in honey before they are eaten. As this is done, one repeats the following magical invocation: "May it be Thy will, O Lord our God, to renew unto us a happy and pleasant new year." |
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