Given all the confusion on our site the other day about the Verona sidewalk sale falling on the first day of Rosh Hoshana, we decided that a little Rosh Hoshana education could be helpful to guide you through the political correctness minefield of the next 10 days. Rosh Hoshana starts tonight (Friday) at sundown. Here are some RH FAQ:
Is Rosh Hoshana the most important day of the Jewish calendar?
God starts deciding whether you should live or die in the coming year. So, yeah, pretty important.
What about Yom Kippur?
That's when God finishes deciding.
I hear it's the Jewish New Year. Do people get drunk? Is it ok to set off celebratory fireworks on my Jewish friends' doorsteps.
It is the Jewish New Year, but it's not that kind of New Year. The celebration is marked by apples, honey and long hours in the synagogue, asking forgiveness for everything you did wrong the previous year.
What are High Holiday tickets?
High Holiday tickets are a way of making sure that Jews who only go to synagogue when God is deciding whether they live and die don't get a free ride from all the Jews who pay synagogue dues when God is on regular duty.
Is it ok to schedule sidewalk sales, first days of dance class, etc on Rosh Hoshana or Yom Kippur?
Jews don't expect the whole world to stop having fun just because they're clocking long hard hours atoning. On the other hand, they don't want you to have too much fun without them.
Religion is silly