Ashkenazim recite an extended Selichot service on the day before Rosh HaShana.
Sephardim recite the same Selichot as every other day of Elul.
Like the other Selichot services, it is usually recited late at night or early in the morning.
For further discussion of Selichot, see the Elul guide available here
HATARAT NEDARIM / NULLIFYING VOWS
It is customary to convene a Beit Din (rabbinical court) after morning prayers to annul any vows we may have made accidentally during the past year.
A Beit Din consists of at least three adult males plus the petitioner.
Unlike the members of a regular Beit Din, the members of the Beit Din for hatarat nedarim may be related to one another and do not need rabbinic qualifications. Hatarat nedarim needs to be understood by both the petitioner and the court. Therefore, if one recites it in Hebrew, one must make sure to understand at least the general meaning.
The petitioner stands before the Beit Din and requests to annul his vows using the text available here . The Beit Din then affirms that the vows are annulled by declaring this three times.
Some are careful to have each petitioner recite hatarat nedarim alone, while others allow a group of individuals to recite hatarat nedarim together.
Women generally do not perform hatarat nedarim on the eve of Rosh HaShana. However, if she wishes, a woman may come to shul to perform it or appoint her husband to annul her vows along with his own. In this case, the husband should inform the court that he is seeking to nullify his wife’s vows together with his own.
IMMERSING IN THE MIKVEH / RITUAL BATH
It is customary for men to immerse themselves in a mikveh on the day before Rosh HaShana.
One who cannot immerse in the mikveh can also spill approximately 12 liters (9 “kabin” in halakhic terminology) of water over himself, even in the shower.
ERUV TAVSHILIN
Eruv Tavshilin is a rabbinic enactment designed to permit certain preparations for Shabbat on a Jewish holiday (Yom Tov) when Yom Tov falls on Friday.
Normally, cooking and other forms of food preparation are permitted on Yom Tov only for that day, but not for the next day (which would be Shabbat). The Eruv Tavshilin enables a person to start preparing food for Shabbat before Yom Tov and then continue Shabbat preparations on Yom Tov.
THE PROCESS
Preparation of Foods:
Before the start of Rosh HaShana, set aside two types of food:
Cooked Food: This is typically a hard-boiled egg, fish, or meat.
Baked Food: This is generally bread or matzah.
The Declaration:
After setting aside the foods, the following blessing (beracha) is recited:
Baruch Ata Ad- onai El- okeinu Melech ha’olam asher kideshanu bemitzvotav vetzivanu al mitzvat eruv.
Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with his commandments, and commanded us concerning the mitzva of eruv.
Now recite the following sentence. One must understand the meaning of what is said.
Bazeh ha’eruv yihiyeh mutar lanu le’efot ulevashel ulehadlik et ha’ner vela’asot kol tzarkheinu miyom tov leShabbat.
By virtue of this eruv, we (the members of this household), shall be permitted to bake, cook, light candles, and perform all preparations on Yom Tov for Shabbat.
USE OF THE FOOD
Set aside the Eruv Tavshilin food until Shabbat, when it should be eaten. The challah or matzah (if it is whole) is often used as the second of the lechem mishneh (double loaves) at the first two Shabbat meals (without eating it). It is typically eaten at the third meal (se’uda shelishit).
CONDITIONS FOR THE ERUV
The Eruv Tavshilin only permits food preparations that are necessary for Shabbat and are permitted on Yom Tov (like cooking).
The Eruv Tavshilin only permits preparing food for Shabbat on Thursday night or Friday, but one may not use it to prepare food on Thursday.
One should not prepare for Shabbat in the last few minutes of Friday before sunset, but slightly earlier in the day, with enough time to theoretically allow the food to be consumed before sunset.
IF ONE FORGETS
If the head of a household forgets to make an Eruv Tavshilin, they may rely on the rabbi's communal Eruv Tavshilin (if one was made). One should consult the local rabbinic authority before relying on this leniency.
Links to the text of Eruv Tavshilin can also be found here or here
ROSH HASHANA NIGHT
CANDLE LIGHTING
There is a mitzva to light candles in honor of Rosh HaShana, just like the mitzva to light candles for Shabbat.
Sephardim recite the blessing first and then light the candles, both on Shabbat and on Rosh HaShana.
Ashkenazim light candles and then recite the blessing on Shabbat, but on Rosh HaShana (and the other days of Yom Tov), many Ashkenazim recite the blessing on the candles before lighting them.
Some women recite the blessing of shehechiyanu together with candle lighting (see below), while others rely on the shehechiyanu recited during kiddush.
Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to kindle the light of Yom Tov.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion.
Following the blessings, light the candles (a minority of women reverse the order and follow the same order as Shabbat). Place the match down without extinguishing it directly.
KIDDUSH
The kiddush recited is somewhat similar to the kiddush for Friday night, but Vayekhulu is omitted and the blessing of “shehechiyanu” is added at the end.
Some people stand for the Yom Tov kiddush, while others sit.
Raise the cup of wine or grape juice and recite the blessing:
Barukh ata Ado- nai Eloh- einu Melekh ha’olam
bore pri hagafen. (Others respond: Amen)
Blessed are You, God, our Lord, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.
Continue to hold the cup of wine or grape juice and recite the second blessing, which discusses Hashem's relationship with the Jewish people and the day of Rosh HaShana.
[On Shabbat insert the portions in parenthesis]
Barukh ata Ado- nai Eloh- einu Melekh ha’olam asher bachar banu mikol am, veromemanu mikol lashon vekideshanu bemitzvotav.
zekher litziat Mitzrayim. Ki vanu bacharta ve’otanu kidashta mikol ha’amim udevarekha emet
vekayam la’ad. Barukh Ata Ado- nai mekadesh (Ha’Shabbat) Yisrael veyom hazikaron. (Others respond: Amen)
[On Shabbat, insert the portions in parenthesis]
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has chosen us from among all
nations, raised us above all tongues, and made us holy through His commandments. And You, Lord our God, have given us in love (this Shabbat day and) this day of remembrance, a day for (remembering) sounding the shofar (in love,) a holy assembly, commemorating the Exodus from Egypt. For You have chosen us and sanctified us from among all the nations, and Your word is true and enduring forever. Blessed are You, God, King over all the earth, who sanctifies (the Shabbat and) Israel and the day of remembrance.
While still holding the cup, recite the third and final blessing of Shehechiyanu, in which we thank Hashem for helping us reach this time and celebrate Rosh HaShana.
Barukh ata Ado- nai Elo- heinu Melekh ha’olam, shehechiyanu, vekiymanu, vehigiyanu lazeman ha’zeh. (Others respond: Amen)
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this season.
After concluding the recitation of kiddush, drink a minimum of a cheekful of wine or grape juice in the cup. If the one who recited kiddush is unable to do so, another individual who listened to the kiddush may do so instead. One should sit while drinking, even if one has the custom of standing while reciting kiddush.
KIDDUSH FOR ROSH HASHANA DAY
Tiku bachodesh shofar bakeseh leyom chagenu ki chok leyisrael hu mishpat le- lohei Yaakov.
Barukh ata Ado- nai Eloh- einu Melekh ha’olam bore pri hagafen. (Others respond: Amen)
Sound the shofar on the New Moon, on the appointed time for the day of our festival. For it is a statute for Israel, the judgment of the God of Jacob.
Blessed are You, God, our Lord, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.
BLOWING SHOFAR
Blowing the shofar is the primary biblical mitzva associated with the day of Rosh HaShana
The three types of shofar blast blown are called tekia, shevarim, and terua (see also below).
Tekia – A long, sustained, and uninterrupted blast. This is the simplest and longest of the three sounds.
Shevarim – Consists of three shorter blasts separated by short pauses. The sound is broken or fragmented.
Terua – A series of no less than nine quick staccato blasts with very short pauses between them.
The primary shofar blowing consists of 30 blasts, but it is customary to blow 100 blasts over the course of the prayer service on Rosh HaShana (see below).
The shofar must be heard during the daytime hours of both of the two days of Rosh HaShana. If the first day falls on Shabbat, the shofar is blown only on the second day.
The shofar is traditionally blown during morning services, shortly before the beginning of the Musaf prayer. However, it may be blown all day until sunset when necessary.
Before Musaf, the chazan (prayer leader) leads the congregation in reciting a selection of verses from Tehillim (Psalms) that pertain to the shofar.
The one blowing the shofar recites the two berakhot on the shofar, to which the congregation should listen carefully and respond amen.
The shofar blower then blows thirty blasts, consisting of three sets of each of these units: Tekia-shevarim-teruatekia, tekia-shevarim-tekia, and tekia-terua-tekia. The congregation must be quiet while listening to the shofar.
It is customary to blow the shofar several more times during the repetition of the Musaf service and immediately following its conclusion, for a total of 100 blasts.
SHEHECHIYANU ON THE SECOND NIGHT
On the second night of Rosh HaShana, it is customary to eat a new seasonal fruit that has not yet been eaten during this season.
The reason for this practice is due to uncertainty about whether the Shehechiyanu blessing should be recited on the second night of Rosh HaShana, since it was already recited on the first night. The new fruit allows Shehechiyanu to be recited without any issue. Alternatively, instead of eating a new fruit, one may wear a new significant garment, such as a suit or dress, on the second night.
Fruits available in one’s locale all year may not be used, even if it is imported from other locations during the winter season.
Have the new fruit on the table during kiddush and have in mind when listening to the berakha of Shehechiyanu that the fruit is included within the berakha. Recite the berakha on fruit immediately following kiddush (see the text above in the section on Simanim). Some do not eat the new fruit until after reciting hamotzi on the challah.
Even one who does not have a new fruit still recites Shehechiyanu on the second night.
TASHLIKH
The Tashlikh (lit. cast) ceremony is performed in the afternoon of the first day of Rosh HaShana. Tashlikh involves going to a body of water and reciting special verses. Tashlikh symbolically indicates that we wish to rid ourselves of sin on Rosh HaShana and thereby be subject to Hashem’s mercy.
It is preferable to go to a body of water with fish. Some have the custom of throwing bread crumbs in the water, but many Halakhic authorities maintain that this should not be done on Yom Tov.
Stand by the water and recite these verses:
Mi E- l kamokha nosei avon ve’over al pesha
lishe’eirit nachalot lo hechzik la’ad apo ki chafeitz chesed hu. Yashuv yerachamenu yikhbosh avonoteinu vetashlikh bimtzulot yam
Min hametzer karati y- ah anani bamerchav y- ah. Ad- onai li lo ira ma ya’aseh li adam. Ad- onai li be’ozrai va’ani ereh besonai. Tov lachasot Badonai mibeto’ach ba’adam. Tov lachasot Badonai mibeto’ach bindivim.
Who is a God like You, Who forgives iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not maintain His anger forever, for He desires loving-kindness. He shall return and grant us compassion; He shall hide our iniquities, and You shall cast into the depths of the sea all their sins. You shall give the truth of Jacob, the loving-kindness of Abraham, which You swore to our forefathers from days of yore.
From the straits I called God; God answered me with a vast expanse. The Lord is for me; I shall not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is for me with my helpers, and I shall see [revenge] in my enemies. It is better to take shelter in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take shelter in the Lord than to trust in princes.
The expanded version of Tashlikh is available here
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES FOR FURTHER READING
EREV ROSH HASHANA: , , and
SIMANIM:
HOW TO BLOW SHOFAR:
TASHLIKH: , AND
NEW FRUIT: , AND BLOWING SHOFAR:
Compiled by:
Rabbi Eli Ozarowski Researcher – Emor Mapping Project
