Rosh Hashanah 2012 Symbolizes 'Sweet New Year' in Montville

This Sunday, as the day draws to a close, the Jewish community will ring in year 5773 as part of their celebration of Rosh Hashanah, or the Jewish New Year. The festivities will continue until nightfall on Tuesday, Sept. 18.

will be offering several high holiday services for all ages. On Sunday, a service will be held in the Rabbi Krief Sanctuary at 7:45 p.m. Monday there will be services all day long, beginning with a service at 8:30 a.m., a teen service at 10:45 a.m., an outdoor service (weather permitting) at 1:30 p.m. and an evening service at 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday services will be held in the morning at 8:30 a.m. and a family service will be held at 9:30 a.m., with an additional teen service at 10:30 a.m.

Rosh Hashanah, which literally means “head of the year,” signals the beginning of the High Holy Days. Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement, marks the end, and together they are two of the holiest days for Jews.

Like most New Year celebrations, Rosh Hashanah is a time of introspection and a time to bring about changes in the coming year. The traditional blowing of the shofar, or ram’s horn, during services on Rosh Hashanah marks a time to contemplate past mistakes and find ways to make things right.

Pine Brook Jewish Center Rabbi Mark Finkel said the shofar is an important part of finding resolve on Rosh Hashanah. The piercing noise it produces, he said, is intended to "wake up" Jews to mistakes they have made in the past so that they can prevent them in the future.

"It's 100 notes as a wake up call that this is the new year to amend our ways," he said. "It's a wake up call in terms of realizing that time is moving on and if we're going to resolve to do better, this is the time."

The outdoor ceremony the congregation is planning will also help participants reflect on the past while preparing to move forward. The service, called Tashlikh, will include dropping breadcrumbs into water in the back of the building.

"'Tashlikh' means to cast off and what we do is we go to a body of water and we take breadcrumbs and toss the breadcrumbs while we say certain prayers and recite certain verses of the bible," Finkel said. "We symbolically cast off our sins of the year to make this a sweet new coming year."

On this day, as on Sabbath, Jews avoid work and spend the day with family. And where there’s a family gathering, can food be far behind? It’s no surprise that after services, Jewish families tuck into an elaborate spread of traditional dishes.

The day begins with eating apples dipped in honey, in hopes that the new year will also be sweet. Another tradition is to bake challah, a round-shaped bread that is a symbol of the circle of life.

"This is the marking of the creation of the world," Finkel said.

Other traditional foods Finkel noted include carrot stew and pomegranates.

"Each [pomegranate] has 613 seeds and we hope that an abundance of seeds will represent an abundance of new opportunities for good in the coming year," he said.

If you're planning to cook a full Rosh Hashanah meal, Patch has come up with some great recipes that will make your holiday extra special this year.

Newton Patch contributor Wendy Schapiro shared her family recipe for a mouth-watering, traditional meal complete with , and .

Want to try something new this year? Take a look at this , which Susan Silverberg shared on Culver City Patch.

In the mood for some baking and indulging that sweet tooth at the same time? Try this recipe for from West Bloomfield Patch.

Here’s wishing you L’shanah Tovah--the traditional Happy New Year greeting-- and B'tayavon (that’s Hebrew for bon appetit)!

How are you celebrating Rosh Hashanah this year? Share your Rosh Hashanah recipes and traditions with us in the comments section below!