September 26, 2022 – 09:42
Last night began Rosh Hashanah, which will end tomorrow night.
Last night began the celebration of Rosh Hashanah, in which the Jewish community commemorates the creation of the world, the universal new year, which will last until tomorrow night.
According to biblical accounts, 5,783 years have passed since the creation of the first man and the first woman: it is a day in which people give meaning to creation and to their own lives.
“God created the world and the last thing was the human being, to give meaning to creation: we can perfect it or destroy it,” evaluated Rafael Tawil, rabbi of the La Unión Israelite Society community.
This day represents an opportunity for each one to take personal stock of their lives: what they are doing well, to continue like this, and what needs to be repaired, to be corrected. “It is the day we recognize God’s sovereignty over the world: our lives must be guided and marked by divine will,” he added.
The most important part of this celebration is the sound of the shofar, a ram’s horn that is blown. This represents the proclamation of God as king and the inner sound of the soul crying. “When you cry, you have no words, no letters. Our connection with God is the cry of the soul, which asks you to join him and make it a good year: good and sweet,” he exclaimed.
Tawil explained that “everything that comes from God is good” even if it is bitter for men: “That is why we want that we can feel the good as something sweet, as a revealed good”.
During the pandemic, when the celebration could not be held in the temple, the rabbi went to the houses to blow the shofar. “The shofar awakens that inner cry: the desire to get closer to our Father. For many, it is a very emotional moment, very strong, and they get goosebumps,” he assured.
The shofar is integrated into the prayers. “It is a moment of elevation. We take the new year very seriously. It is a day that is going to carry the DNA of the coming year. How we are for this date, that is going to make the energy that is going to flow over us during the year “, he commented.
For Rosh Hashanah, the faithful usually get together as a family: the apple with honey is for good omens. He dons the head of a fish to be “pioneers”. “Be the ones who carry ideas forward and not those who go after the masses,” Tawil pronounced. They eat pomegranate grains or replace them with beans and wish that the merits and good deeds are as many as they are.
Rosh Hashanah represents a moment of reflection: a balance is made of the year that has passed. During these days, many are careful not to talk about anything that is not related to the celebration: they call it verbal fasting.
Thus, they prepare to receive another year of life on Yom Kippur, which will be celebrated next week.
The children, protagonists
Since the winter holidays ended, the boys and girls who attend the Hatikvah Hebrew school began to prepare for Rosh Hashanah. They learned the contents, the songs and carried out experiential activities in the kitchen. This year, everyone bought a shofar and they are going to participate in the religious services not only singing but also blowing it.
“In general, it is difficult to find someone who has a shofar and knows how to play it,” said the school’s director, Andrea Kohan, of the Asociación Alianza Israelita.
“We put all our energy into educating the children, so that they learn the rituals and become familiar with the elements, so that they know how to handle them and participate. Being an active part of the ceremony has an extra value. The experience is very important”, he added.
“I wish all Salta people who can connect with their spirituality, with their essence: that they remember this as the day they have to give the world and society a purpose. I wish a year full of sweetness and good things,” said Tawil.
Jewish community in Salta celebrates another year of creation