| Bamidbar (Numbers) Chapter 29 1And in the seventh month, on the first day, there shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall not perform any mundane work. It shall be a day of shofar sounding for you. | Maftir (translation taken from the Chabad website linked above). | וּבַחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ מִקְרָא־קֹדֶשׁ יִהְיֶה לָכֶם כׇּל־מְלֶאכֶת עֲבֹדָה לֹא תַעֲשׂוּ יוֹם תְּרוּעָה יִהְיֶה לָכֶם׃ |
| Leviticus / Vayikra 23:23 | And G-d said to Moses: | וַיְדַבֵּר ה’ אֶל־מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר׃ |
| 23:24 | Speak to the children if Israel, saying: on the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you will have a sabbath of remembrance, whose holiness is commemorated with loud blasts. | דַּבֵּר אֶל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ יִהְיֶה לָכֶם שַׁבָּתוֹן זִכְרוֹן תְּרוּעָה מִקְרָא־קֹדֶשׁ׃ |
| 23:25 | You shall do no work, and you shall make a burnt offering to G-d. | כׇּל־מְלֶאכֶת עֲבֹדָה לֹא תַעֲשׂוּ וְהִקְרַבְתֶּם אִשֶּׁה להֹ’׃ |
Why the seventh month, you ask? Because in the Torah, the “first month” is the month of the Exodus, to which we now refer as Nissan. For more information, see the explanation and calendar examples in parashat Emor.
Shofar
Alternatively, make hand rolls! You will need cooked sushi rice, nori, and your kids’ favorite sushi filling (my kids prefer avocado and thinly sliced cucumber, as well as onions soaked in pickled plum vinegar). Let them make their own (more fun and less work), just have them roll the sushi into a cone shape! If you don’t know what hand rolls are, here is a link I found (not a promotion, just the first thing I found online).
Torah Thought
Rosh Hashana, the anniversary of the creation of the world, is also the date on which our fate for the year to come is written (it is not sealed until Yom Kippur).
Referred to as “Yom Teruah” in the Torah, the main, distinct mitzvah of Rosh Hashana is to hear the shofar blown.
In order to really “hear,” one must physically be present (no online listening). And only one shofar at a time can be blown. Yes, hearing group shofar blowing is very moving, but to fulfill the mitzvah we must hear a single shofar being blown, alone (yes, I was listening, Rabbi Mandel)!
Like in many holidays, the torah readings for Rosh Hashana do not follow the order of the rest of the year. Instead, the readings include references to the meaning of the holiday, and how it is practiced (see above). On the first day, we read about the binding of Isaac, followed by the Maftir in which the mitzvah of observing “Yom Teruah” (day of blowing of the shofar) is given. On the second day, we read about the creation of the world.