Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown on Friday and ends Sunday evening. Rosh Hashanah — often referred to as the “Jewish new year” — marks the restart of the Hebrew calendar which is a lunar based calendar. The Hebrew name, Rosh Hashanah,  literally translates to “head of the new year.’’

The holiday is celebratory and a time to enjoy the sweetness and joy in life. It is traditional to eat sweet foods, such as apples and honey, as well as round foods to symolize the cyclical and continuous pattern of the years. 

This year, the major Jewish holiday — like many aspects of life in a pandemic — has been forced to go largely virtual. 

My family and I usually attend services at synagogue the day of Rosh Hashanah and get together with friends for big lunches and dinners. Instead, this year I’ll be dressing in my finest attire to go downstairs to my living room where my brother, my parents, and our two dogs will gather in front of a computer screen to listen to our rabbi and cantor read and chant the traditional prayers and readings.

Shanah Tova (happy new year!)