Happy Rosh Hashana!
Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2011 7:58 pm
A Shana Tova - a very healthy and happy New Year - to all! 

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Judaism 101 wrote:The ten days starting with Rosh Hashanah and ending with Yom Kippur are commonly known as the Days of Awe (Yamim Noraim) or the Days of Repentance. This is a time for serious introspection, a time to consider the sins of the previous year and repent before Yom Kippur.
One of the ongoing themes of the Days of Awe is the concept that G-d has "books" that he writes our names in, writing down who will live and who will die, who will have a good life and who will have a bad life, for the next year. These books are written in on Rosh Hashanah, but our actions during the Days of Awe can alter G-d's decree. The actions that change the decree are teshuvah, tefilah and tzedakah, repentance, prayer, good deeds (usually, charity). These "books" are sealed on Yom Kippur. This concept of writing in books is the source of the common greeting during this time is "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year."
The ten Days of Awe are the most well known, but technically, the two month period of Elul and Tishrei, including Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, and Sinchas Torah, is all tied together. This is what the thread in The Close which I revamp every year at this time, 60 Day Journey, is about. A time of reflection, and hopefully growth, for each individual who takes the journey.Avatar wrote:Interesting Menolly. I wasn't aware that they were part of the same "cycle" or whatever.
Your information looks good to me, Menolly!Menolly wrote:Yom Kippur is the final day of the "High Holidays," or "Days of Awe," but it is not really customary to wish each other a "Happy Yom Kippur" as it is the Day of Atonement. On Rosh Hashana we greet each other with L'shanah tovah ("for a good year"). This is a shortening of L'shanah tovah tikatev v'taihatem (or to women, L'shanah tovah tikatevi v'taihatemi), which means "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year."
Judaism 101 wrote:The ten days starting with Rosh Hashanah and ending with Yom Kippur are commonly known as the Days of Awe (Yamim Noraim) or the Days of Repentance. This is a time for serious introspection, a time to consider the sins of the previous year and repent before Yom Kippur.
One of the ongoing themes of the Days of Awe is the concept that G-d has "books" that he writes our names in, writing down who will live and who will die, who will have a good life and who will have a bad life, for the next year. These books are written in on Rosh Hashanah, but our actions during the Days of Awe can alter G-d's decree. The actions that change the decree are teshuvah, tefilah and tzedakah, repentance, prayer, good deeds (usually, charity). These "books" are sealed on Yom Kippur. This concept of writing in books is the source of the common greeting during this time is "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year."
My understanding is traditionally between Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur (the intermediary days) the greeting changes and we wish each other Kesiva ve-chasima tovah, which I think is basically the same as the greeting above, only since the inscribing supposedly already occurred on Rosh HaShana, this implies prayers, charity, and repentance during the intermediary days may influence the inscription.
On Yom Kippur, the greeting changes yet again to g'mar chasima tovah, which roughly translates to "may you finish with a good seal," as the books are sealed as the sun sets.
I am still only learning all of this stuff myself. MsMary is more than welcome to correct any mistakes I made, please.