PHILADELPHIA (OSV News) — Several U.S. bishops have extended greetings to the Jewish community as it celebrates a new year, with the bishops’ messages affirming shared truths between the Jewish and Catholic faiths.
Rosh Hashanah (meaning “head of the year” in Hebrew) begins at sundown Sept. 15 — the first day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei — and ends at sundown on Sept. 17.
The observance, which marks the start of the Jewish liturgical year 5784, commemorates the creation of both the universe and Adam and Eve.
Among the common Rosh Hashanah practices are attending services, at which the shofar (a ram’s horn trumpet) is blown to signify God’s kingship. The shofar also evokes a call to the study of the Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy), as well as Abraham’s obedient faith in God, with the binding of Isaac and the sacrifice the Lord provided himself: a ram in place of Isaac (Gen. 22:1-19). Other traditions include dipping apples in honey to symbolize hopes for a sweet year ahead, and tossing bread crumbs into a body of water to represent casting away sins.
Rosh Hashanah marks the start of the Yamim Nora’im, or “Days of Awe,” which will conclude with Yom Kippur, or “Day of Atonement,” beginning at sundown Sept. 24 and ending at sundown Sept. 25. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur mark the High Holy Days of the Jewish liturgical year.
“As you and your community prepare to celebrate Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, allow me on behalf of my fellow Catholics to wish you ‘Shana Tova,’ (good new year)” said Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami in a letter to rabbis in South Florida released Sept. 14.
A call to repentance
The archbishop noted in his letter that “the sound of the shofar is also a call to repentance — to wake up and re-examine our commitment to God and to correct our ways.
“Our culture today is deeply wounded by individualism, by narcissism; it is wounded by materialism that denies the transcendence of the human person,” said Archbishop Wenski. “This explains a lot about why politics are so polarizing today.”
He called for “a new kind of politics — one focused on moral principles, not on polls; on the needs of the vulnerable, not the contributions of the powerful; and on the pursuit of the common good, not the demands of special interests.”
The archbishop said that “these holy days so dear to those of the Jewish faith remind all of us of our responsibility to ‘repair the world,'” a mandate known in Judaism as “tikkun olam.”
“While this task is certainly daunting, we nevertheless ask G-d to hear our prayers for a New Year filled with health and the blessings of peace and atonement,” said Archbishop Wenski. (Spelling God without the vowel is a Jewish custom of showing reverence for his holy name).
Warm greetings from Catholic bishops
Bishop Edward C. Malesic of Cleveland also issued greetings for the holiday to the Jewish community of northeast Ohio, extending a “heartfelt message with those of the clergy, religious and faithful of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland in wishing our Jewish brothers and sisters a year filled with hope, good health and lasting peace.”
“May our continued dialogue, respect and friendship strengthen as we work to promote the peace and justice that are so critically needed in our world today,” said Bishop Malesic, adding he echoed Pope Francis’ wish that “these feasts may bring abundant blessings from the Eternal One and be a source of intimate joy.”
Bishop David A. Zubik of Pittsburgh said he prayed “our Jewish brothers and sisters” would experience “many blessings on Rosh Hashanah,” which he described as “a day of prayer, a time to ask Almighty God to grant you and all of us a year of peace, prosperity and blessing.
“Please know that I join with you at this sacred time — that peace may not be only a word but a reality — God’s precious gift to you and all of us.”
Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez of Philadelphia, who serves as co-convener of the Religious Leaders Council of Greater Philadelphia, also offered “warm greetings and prayerful best wishes” to the Jewish community.
“These days are a time to pray and reflect on the past while looking to the future with joyful hope,” he said. “May the Almighty bless you with a fruitful year filled with good health, peace, and fulfillment. Shanah Tovah!”
