Rosh Hashana

2013: September 4 - 6
2014: September 24 - 26
2015: September 13 - 15
2016: October 2 - 4
2017: September 20 - 22

What is Rosh Hashanah

 

The festival of Rosh Hashanah—the name means “Head of the Year”—is observed for two days beginning on 1 Tishrei, the first day of the Jewish year. It is the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, and their first actions toward the realization of mankind’s role in G‑d’s world.

 

Rosh Hashanah thus emphasizes the special relationship between G‑d and humanity: our dependence upon G‑d as our creator and sustainer, and G‑d’s dependence upon us as the ones who make His presence known and felt in His world. Each year on Rosh Hashanah, “all inhabitants of the world pass before G‑d like a flock of sheep,” and it is decreed in the heavenly court “who shall live, and who shall die . . . who shall be impoverished, and who shall be enriched; who shall fall and who shall rise.” But this is also the day we proclaim G‑d King of the Universe. The Kabbalists teach that the continued existence of the universe is dependent upon the renewal of the divine desire for a world when we accept G‑d’s kingship each year on Rosh Hashanah.

 

The central observance of Rosh Hashanah is the sounding of the shofar, the ram’s horn, which also represents the trumpet blast of a people’s coronation of their king. The cry of the shofar is also a call to repentance, for Rosh Hashanah is also the anniversary of man’s first sin and his repentance thereof, and serves as the first of the “Ten Days of Repentance” which culminate in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Another significance of the shofar is to recall the Binding of Isaac which also occurred on Rosh Hashanah, in which a ram took Isaac’s place as an offering to G‑d; we evoke Abraham’s readiness to sacrifice his son, and plead that the merit of his deed should stand by us as we pray for a year of life, health and prosperity. Altogether, we listen to one hundred shofar blasts over the course of the Rosh Hashanah services.

 

Additional Rosh Hashanah observances include: a) Eating a piece of apple dipped in honey, to symbolize our desire for a sweet year, and other special foods symbolic of the new year’s blessings. b) Blessing one another with the words “Leshanah tovah tikateiv veteichateim,” “May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.” c) Tashlich, a special prayer said near a body of water (an ocean, river, pond, etc.), in evocation of the verse, “And You shall cast their sins into the depths of the sea.” And as with every major Jewish holiday, after candlelighting and prayers we recite kiddush and make a blessing on the challah.




http://www.chabad.org/holidays/JewishNewYear/template_cdo/aid/4762/jewish/What-Is-Rosh-Hashanah.htm
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ROSH HASHANA RECIPES

Challah

1 tsp. sugar
1/2 cup warm water
1 pkg. yeast
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
3 1/2 to 4 cups flour
poppy or sesame seeds
1 egg beaten with 1 tsp. water

Dissolve sugar in 1/2 cup warm water in a large mixing bowl which has first been rinsed with hot water. Sprinkle yeast on top and let stand for 10 minutes. Stir to dissolve.

Combine with oil, warm water, sugar, salt, eggs and half of the flour. Beat well. Stir in remaining flour. Dough should be sticky. Cover dough and let rest for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a floured board and knead for 10 minutes, adding flour as needed.

Round up in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in bulk, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Punch down, cover and let rise again until double, about 45 minutes.

Divide dough into 3 equal parts. (If you want to make 2 smaller challahs, first divide dough in half, then divide each half into 3 equal parts.) Shape into strands. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet and braid loosely. Fasten ends securely. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until double. Brush with beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with seeds. Bake at 400°F for 30 minutes, until golden brown. (If making 2 smaller challahs, baking time will be about 25 minutes.)

(http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/4323/jewish/Rosh-Hashanah-Recipes.htm)

Tabouleh

1 cup bulgur
1 cup boiling water
1 cup chopped parsley
1 medium onion, diced
2 cups chopped tomatoes
¼ cup chopped coriander (optional)
sprig fresh mint, chopped
¾ cup lemon juice
½ cup oil
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Place bulgur in a large mixing bowl. Pour 1 cup boiling water over the bulgur and let stand 30 minutes or until all water is absorbed. Combine bulgur with vegetables, lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper.

Refrigerate, covered, a few hours or overnight. Serve cold.

USE: large mixing bowl
YIELDS: 8 servings

(http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/4323/jewish/Rosh-Hashanah-Recipes.htm)

Apple Kugel

 

4 eggs, beaten
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ cup oil
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 tart apples, peeled and sliced
½ cup raisins, optional

Combine eggs, sugar, cinnamon, and oil. Stir in flour and baking powder. Fold in sliced apples and raisins.

Pour into a well-greased 9x13- inch pan and bake in a 350° preheated oven for 45–50 minutes.

(http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/4323/jewish/Rosh-Hashanah-Recipes.htm)

Tzimmes

1 tsp. oil
4 to 6 carrots, sliced
1 large sweet potato, cubed
2 to 3 tsp. honey or 4 tbsp. sugar
¼ cup orange juice
dash of salt
2 slices pineapple, cut into pieces
½ tsp. nutmeg (optional)

Coat bottom of 2-quart saucepan with oil, and heat. Add carrots and cook on low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes. Add sweet potato, honey, orange juice and dash of salt. Cook over low flame for 30 minutes.

Add pineapple and nutmeg, if desired. After 5 minutes, remove from heat. Serve warm.

Use: 2-quart saucepan
Yields: 4 servings

(Excerpted from Spice and Spirit, The Complete Kosher Jewish Cookbook, published by Lubavitch Women's Cookbook Publications)

Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

3 large sweet potatoes or yams
4 Tbsps. margarine
1/4 cup crushed pineapple
½ cup brown sugar
dash of lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350.

Cut potatoes lengthwise and place in a 9x9-inch baking pan. Bake until soft, about 1 hour. Scrape out pulp into small bowl, leaving shells. Add remaining ingredients to pulp and beat until fluffy. Fill shells with mixture and bake until browned, about 10 minutes

USE: 9 by 9-inch baking pan
YIELDS: 6 servings

(Excerpted from Spice and Spirit, The Complete Kosher Jewish Cookbook, published by Lubavitch Women's Cookbook Publications)

Coke Brisket

Brisket is quite high in fat, so serve it on special occasions. Cola makes the meat very tender.

3 onions, sliced
4 1/2 to 5 lb. beef brisket, well-trimmed
4 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt & pepper, to taste
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tbsp. paprika
1/4 cup apricot jam
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 cup diet cola

1. Spray a large roasting pan with non-stick spray. Place onions in pan; place brisket on top of onions. Rub meat on all sides with garlic, seasonings, jam and lemon juice. Pour cola over and around brisket. Marinate for an hour at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.

2. Preheat oven to 325°F. Cook covered. Allow 45 minutes per lb. as the cooking time, until meat is fork tender. Uncover meat for the last hour and baste it occasionally. Remove from oven and cool completely. Refrigerate overnight, if possible. Discard hardened fat which congeals on the surface. Slice brisket thinly across the grain, trimming away any fat. Reheat slices in the defatted pan juices.

Yield: 12 servings. Reheats and/or freezes well.

Nutritional Information: 293 calories per serving, 14.3 g fat (6.4 g saturated), 103 mg cholesterol, 33 g protein, 6 g carbohydrate, 84 mg sodium, 385 mg potassium, 3 mg iron, <1 g fiber, 19 mg calcium.

(Excerpted from Healthy Helpings, by Norene Gilletz, published by Woodland Publishing)

Honey Breaded Chicken

2 3-pound chickens, cut into eights
2 eggs, beaten
2 tbsps. Water
1 cup matzoh meal
1 tsp. Salt
1/8 tsp. Pepper
½ cup oil
½ cup hot water
¼ cup honey
1 cup orange juice

Rinse chickens and remove excess fat, and pat dry.

In a shallow bowl combine eggs and water and beat well. In another shallow bowl, combine matzoh meal, salt and pepper. Dip chicken in egg mixture, then roll in matzoh meal.

Heat oil in 10-inch skillet over medium flame. Place coated chicken in hot oil and brown on both sides, approximately 5 minutes per side. Remove chicken to a Dutch oven or covered roasting pan.

In a small bowl combine hot water, honey, and orange juice. Pour over chicken and cover. Simmer slowly on stove top or place in preheated 325 oven for 45 minutes, or until tender. Baste occasionally.

USE: 10-inch skillet, Dutch oven or roasting pan
YIELDS: 6 to 8 servings

(Excerpted from Spice and Spirit, The Complete Kosher Jewish Cookbook, published by Lubavitch Women's Cookbook Publications)

Rosh Hashanah Roast

1 large onion
olive oil, for sauteeing
2 lb. French, Chuck, or Minute steak roast
1 1/2 cups port (or any sweet red) wine
salt and pepper, to taste
2-3 cups assorted dried fruit (apricots, dates, figs, prunes)
1/4 c honey
1/4 c brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup water

Sauté onions in olive oil until golden, set aside.
Season the roast with salt and pepper and sear on all sides (see tip).
Pour wine into pot and scrape up any bits and pieces from the seared meat.
Return onions to the pot and spread around the meat.
Bring wine to a boil over high heat.
Simmer, uncovered, for 1-2 minutes until the alcohol evaporates.
Cover the pot and cook for 1 1/2 hours over low heat.
Turn over meat, add dried fruit and season with honey, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Add 1/2 cup water and simmer for 30 more minutes.
Remove meat from the pot, and cover with foil to keep warm.
Continue to simmer the dried fruit until the sauce has reduced and thickened, about 30 minutes. Slice roast against the grain and spoon sauce over meat before serving.

TIP: Searing the roast seals in the juices resulting in meat with a nice brown color and moist flavor. For a good sear, make sure the pan is nice and hot. Once the meat is browned, turn over and repeat. Hold the meat on its sides using tongs, so that every edge is covered.

NOTE: For a larger roast, increase cooking time (in the beginning, before you add the dried fruits) approximately 1 hour per lb.

FREEZING: Slice the roast before freezing so that it’s easier to thaw and freeze separately from the dried fruit sauce.

(Chanie Apfelbaum runs the popular kosher cooking blog BusyinBrooklyn.)

Moroccan Fish

1 3-pound whitefish, gutted and split down the center
1 large green or red pepper
1 to 2 tomatoes
2 to 3 cloves garlic
water
¾ tsp. salt
2 tsps. saffron
3 Tbsp. oil

Rinse fish and dry thoroughly. Slice pepper and tomatoes. Peel garlic cloves and cut in half. Line 5-quart Dutch oven with peppers, tomatoes and garlic and place fish slices on top. Add enough water to cover fish. Bring to a boil, then add salt, saffron and oil. Lowe flame and simmer 40 to 50 minutes. This dish may be served hot or cold.

USE: 5-quart Dutch oven
YIELDS: 6 servings

 

(Excerpted from Spice and Spirit, The Complete Kosher Jewish Cookbook, published by Lubavitch Women's Cookbook Publications)

Ambrosia II

3 Macintosh apples, unpeeled
3 oranges
3 Bartlett pears, unpeeled
2 bananas
½ cup sweet red wine
½ cup grated coconut

Peel and core apples and cut into thin slices. Peel oranges and pull off outside membrane. Slice crosswise into very thin slices. Peel and core pears and cut into thin slices. Slice bananas.

In a large bowl, layer fruits, ending with oranges. Pour wine over fruit and chill for several hours. When ready to serve top with coconut.

USE: large bowl
YIELDS: 10 servings
 

(Excerpted from Spice and Spirit, The Complete Kosher Jewish Cookbook, published by Lubavitch Women's Cookbook Publications)

Apple and Honey Tart

 

1-2 crispy sweet apples, cored and thinly sliced (unpeeled)
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
1/2 cup honey
1/2 lemon
powdered sugar, optional 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Unfold puff pastry sheet and cut it in half down the center (don’t worry about the creases from the folding, they will disappear during baking). Place the halves on a greased cookie sheet.

Add honey to a microwave-proof bowl and heat in the microwave until warm, about 20 seconds. Brush the puff pastry with the warm honey. 

Mix the apple slices with lemon juice and place them along the length of the puff pastry, overlapping over each other. Brush the apples with additional honey (warm the honey again, if necessary).

Bake for approximately 25 minutes, until pastry has puffed up and is golden brown around the edges.

Drizzle with additional honey and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

This tart cannot be frozen (the apples will turn soggy) but it may be prepared in advance. Just warm it in the oven to crisp up the pastry before serving.

NOTE: Don’t worry if some of the honey syrup leaks off the puff pastry during baking. It will actually help caramelize the puff pastry around the edges. Just remove the puff pastry to a cooling rack as soon as you take it out of the oven.

TIP: Always make sure your puff pastry is cold otherwise it may become difficult to handle. If the dough becomes sticky, just return it to the fridge so that it can firm up again.

VARIATION: Try this tart with other fruits like sliced pears or peaches, or for a delicious dairy option, spread some goat cheese on the puff pastry, and top with figs and honey.

(Chanie Apfelbaum runs the popular kosher cooking blog BusyinBrooklyn.)