Happy Jewish New Year 5772/2012!

This year (2012), the Jewish New Year, Rosh HaShanah (lit., ראש השנה 'the head [beginning] of the year') fell on the evening of September 16, Sunday. One memorable Rosh HaShanah memory I have was back in my seminary days: on the eve of the New Year, my cousin and I lighted candles in my dorm room (which was appropiate--the light in my room burned out but I had not gotten around replacing it). We invited a few other seminarians along and we have the Kiddush (sanctifaction of red wine--but we used grape juice), cheese Danish (locally known as "ensaymada") and the traditional apples and honey. In the morning, during chapel service, we had one seminarian blow the tambuli, a trumpet made from carabao horn (water buffalo, a kosher animal); the closest thing we could have to a shofar (ram's horn). I remember the sound of the tambuli penetrated deeply into my soul.

The table is all set for the celebration.

 I am currently teaching Biblical Hebrew at a small seminary here in Cavite province. It is my aim to teach these future church workers and pastors how to use Hebrew in their study and interpretation of the whole Bible--both the Old and New Testaments. (The New Testament was written in Koinē Greek but the thoughts were still Jewish.) We begin each class by studying the parashah (Torah reading) for te following Sabbath; with insights from Hebrew words used in the text, Jewish culture, rabbinical passages, and occasionally, passages from the Brit Chadashah (New Covenant).

I believe that worship--particularly liturgy, the 'work of the people'--has a teaching function. (A former theology instructor in college once said, "Liturgy is the theology of the people"--I've never forgotten that.) So I decided to celebrate Rosh HaShanah on the day closest to it in order to immerse my students in Jewish culture.

Wearing my amice/tallit and rabbat with clerical collar.

That day I wore my rabbat and clerical tab collar. I also wore my white amice (see my blog entry on it here) as an ad hoc tallit (prayer shawl). I was also wearing a mezuzah (lit., 'doorpost', a case for a Torah scroll, which would be posted on the  doorpost of a home) in lieu of tefilah (called in the New Testament as "phylacteries"). (I later found out that halakah states that tefilin are NOT to be worn on moedim ['festivals']. The Festivals are already reminders of the Torah, thus wearing tefilin, also a reminder the Torah, is deemed superfluous.)  I also used Einstein's and Kukoff's Introduction to Judaism textbook as an ad hoc siddur and the Siddur Sim Shalom (a Jewish prayer book from the Conservative tradition) for the Birkat haMazon ('grace after meals').

I invited that neighboring class, their professor and the students, to celebrate Jewish New Year with us.

Lighting the festival candles.

The liturgy began with candle lighting, just like any Jewish celebration. The role of lighting the two candles traditionally belongs to the woman of the house; but since none of the ladies are trained for this, the role devolved to me. I used a Messianic berakah as I lighted the candles.

Kiddush: Blessing of the cup

For the Kiddush, I used my Communion chalice (as a kiddush cup) and Welch's grape juice. (I mentioned that Welch's was invented by a Methodist and is the quote-unquote "official" Communion juice in Methodist churches in the US.) I taught them how to sing the blessing for the wine, the Borei Peri Hagafen ('Creator of the fruit of the vine').

Part of the cheese Danish used in the meal.

For the Hamotzi, the blessing of the bread, I used ensaymada, which is round (symbolizing eternity) and sweet (which symbolizes the sweetness of the new year). I also taught them how to sing the berakah for bread.

The apples were chopped by some seminarians in preparation for the meal.

Apples and honey.

Then we had the blessing of apples and honey. I explained that these were signs of the Promised Land because they were only present there and not in desert where the ancient Israelites wandered. We sang the berakah for the apples and honey.

 We proceeded to partake the foods as a fellowship meal with light-hearted conversation, the playing of music, and picture-taking. We concluded the meal and the celebration with the Birkat haMazon, the grace after meals. I ended the celebration by chanting the Birkat Kohanim, the 'Priestly Blessing', in Hebrew then in Tagalog.

Leading the Birkat HaMazon.

Bestowing the Birkat Kohanim, the Priestly Blessing.

Overall, I could say the (anticipated) celebration if the Jewish New Year was a rousing success. My wish for the New Year is the prayer of the Jewish people: L'Shanah tovah u'metekah! May the New Year be good to us, and sweet!