Rosh Hashanah 2024: Dates, Customs, and Observances Explained

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, will commence on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, and conclude on Friday, October 4, 2024. The holiday begins at sunset on Wednesday and ends after nightfall on Friday. Observances include the sounding of the shofar, which is a biblical commandment performed multiple times during morning and Musaf services on both days of the holiday. The shofar's blasts are traditionally interpreted as a coronation of God as King of the Universe, a remembrance of the revelation at Mount Sinai, a commemoration of the binding of Isaac, and a reminder of the destruction of the Temple.

The holiday features specific customs, including the Rosh Hashanah Seder, a meal where symbolic foods are eaten with accompanying blessings. Key symbolic foods include apple dipped in honey for a sweet new year, pomegranate seeds for abundance of mitzvot, and the head of a sheep or fish to symbolize being at the head of the community. Other traditional symbolic foods, with Aramaic names, include 'karei' (likely a gourd or pumpkin), 'rubia' (often identified with black-eyed peas or fenugreek), 'karti' (leeks), 'silka' (chard or beet), and 'tamari' (dates).

Public transportation will operate on a Friday schedule on Wednesday, October 2, and will not run on Thursday, October 3, or Friday, October 4. Service will resume on Saturday evening, October 5. Schools will have a shortened day on Wednesday, October 2, with students returning to classes on Sunday, October 6. The article also includes the text for the Kiddush prayer and the blessing for lighting holiday candles, as well as lyrics to several traditional Rosh Hashanah songs.