Concise Guide to the High Holidays: 9 Short Insights

It's the Jewish new year, which starts with the High Holidays—Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur—or what some call "the Days of Awe." Sounds boring? It shouldn't be. Put your emphasis on awesome as opposed to awful.

1. What Is a Shofar and What Does It Have to Do with Rosh Hashanah?

A shofar is a trumpet-like instrument that’s made by hollowing out, polishing, and shaping the horn of a ram. It’s blown on Rosh Hashanah, which is the first day of the Jewish year, and serves as a type of spiritual alarm clock. It reminds you that a new year is a new beginning, and that you need to wake up and think about your mission and purpose in life.

It also references the Torah reading that’s read in synagogues on Rosh Hashanah, which tells the story of the binding of Isaac. In that story, God told Abraham to offer up his son, Isaac, but at the last minute had him substitute a ram in his place. Abraham was willing to sacrifice his future for an ideal. Are you? And isn’t that something worth thinking about on the first day of the year?

2. Why Dip an Apple in Honey?

Dipping an apple in honey is a symbolic way of starting the year off on the right foot, and saying that this new year should be a sweet one.

But there’s a deeper reason, too.

The Biblical book, the Song of Songs, compares the Jewish people to apples: “Just like the apple is rare amongst the trees of the forest, so too is my beloved, Israel, rare amongst the maidens, or nations, of the world.” Being Jewish is special. Don’t take that for granted.

And honey—as in date honey, or silan—is descriptive of the abundance of the land of Israel, which the Torah calls “the land of milk and honey.”

In other words, dipping an apple in honey is more than just a fun mnemonic device, it’s a simple way for you—no matter where you live or what language you speak—to spend a minute thinking about your unique Jewish identity and ancestral homeland.

3. Rosh Hashanah Is a Tool. Here’s How to Use It.

The first day of the year is an opportunity for introspection and growth. Ask yourself these five questions to get in the zone:

• What am I living for?
• If I only had one year to live, what would I make sure to do?
• If fear was no issue, what goal would I set out to accomplish?
• What practical steps can I take to lead a healthier life?
• What project or goal, if left undone, will I regret most not having accomplished next Rosh Hashanah?

At first glance, these questions are painfully simple, but try thinking about them anyway. It doesn’t take long to see that your aspirations and dreams are probably not in sync with your day-to-day. Rosh Hashanah is an opportunity to think about how you are going to change that.

4. If You’re Going to Synagogue On Rosh Hashanah—Or Even If You Aren’t—Think About These Three Things

The Rosh Hashanah prayer service is built around three themes: big picture clarity, accountability, and personal responsibility

1. Big Picture Clarity: called “Kingship,” this is a meditation on ethical monotheism (the idea that makes Judaism Jewish). Jews believe in one, omnipotent God, who created the world for your pleasure and benefit. The Torah—which translates as “instructions” in English—is your tool to enjoy it.
2. Accountability: called “remembrance,” your focus should be on what God remembers (which, obviously, is everything). Take stock of your failures and successes, and figure out what adjustments you need to make for the upcoming year.
3. Personal Responsibility: called “shofar,” your job is to internalize the message of listening to the shofar: wake up, get real, and put your plan into action.

5. How The High Holidays Foster Positive Mental Health

The High Holidays are a time for reflection, gaining perspective, taking responsibility, and committing to do better. They’re also an opportunity to gain self-awareness, to focus on spirituality, and to think about your interactions with other people.

This type of introspection is good for your mental health, as it helps you:

• Clear your mind
• Reduce stress
• Increase feelings of optimism and hope
• Strengthens relationships

The High Holidays are also experienced communally—whether you're going to synagogue, sharing meals with family and friends, or both—which creates a sense of belonging, social connection, community, and support.

6. Don't Say "Sin," Say “Mistake”

A major part of the Yom Kippur service is reading an exhaustive list of transgressions that starts, “For the sin…”

Although that translation isn’t accurate.

The better translation is, “For the mistake…”

The Hebrew word, Het (חטא), means “to miss the mark,” or “to be off,” or in other words, “a mistake.” Mistakes are manageable. You learn from mistakes. You don’t learn from sin, which implies a moral failing, or a rebellion against God.

You blew it. Figure out where you went wrong, make amends, and move on. Don’t wallow in the negativity or impotence of being a sinner.

7. Don’t Wear Shoes on Yom Kippur

In addition to fasting, you’re also not supposed to wear leather shoes on Yom Kippur. But there's a deep reason for that.

Mystically speaking, the shoe has the same relationship to the foot as the body does to the soul. Without shoes, your feet have nowhere to go, and without a body, your soul cannot connect to the physical world.

Stepping out of your shoes is, symbolically, like stepping out of your body. It's as if you're literally striving for transcendence.

In the Torah (in the book of Exodus), when Moses stumbles upon the burning bush, the very first thing God says is, "Take off your shoes,” because true spirituality is impossible without first quieting the desires and needs of the body.

That’s what you’re trying to do on Yom Kippur, too, and not wearing shoes—in addition to fasting and prayer—are powerful tools to help stay focused on the power of the day.

8. Make a Plan for Growth

A resolution isn’t a wish. Do these five things to transform your next year:

1. Set Goals: a clear target propels you to reach it
2. Take Responsibility: no one else can do the work on your behalf
3. Get Clarity: you can’t change if you’re not sure what you want to achieve
4. Take An Accounting: review your goals, check your plan, measure your progress, and adjust
5. Strategize: develop an approach to meet your challenges and to reach your goals

9. The High Holidays Start and End with a Shofar

At the very end of Yom Kippur, after a full day of fasting and prayer, someone blows a shofar, and that signifies the end of the day (and that it’s time to eat).

On a simple level, the shofar blast is a kind of celebration, indicating that you've hopefully internalized the lessons of the day, and that you're committed to living a more realized, better version of you.

But on a deeper level, it signifies that you are forgiven. The day is over and God forgives you. But that’s the easy part. The hard part is forgiving yourself. Listening to the shofar is a final reminder to let go of your mistakes and to accept yourself, warts and all.