Rosh HaShanah is a strange mix of emotions.  The day is almost schizophrenic.  Even the melodies of the Chazzan ride up and down an emotional rollercoaster.  In the morning, we evoke the fear of the day and exclaim: “…and from the fright of the judgement my soul trembles…” “…Angels will hasten, a trembling and terror will seize them…behold it is the Day of Judgment.” Then we return home from the Synagogue, dip apples in honey and eat a festive meal!
How should we feel on Rosh HaShanah? Is it a day …

There are many profound explanations that explore the symbolism of the mitzvah of tekiat shofar. One of the more famous expositions is that of Rambam. He writes:
Even though the sounding of the shofar on Rosh HaShanah is a decree, it contains an allusion. As if to say, ‘Wake up you sleepers from your slumber and dreamers from your sleep. Inspect your deeds, repent and remember your Creator…
(Hilchot Teshuvah 3:4)
According to Rambam the sounding of the shofar is a spiritual alarm clock. Something we all could …

Some things are quintessentially Rosh HaShanah:  The sound of the shofar, the voice of the chazzan singing the unique melodies of the High Holiday nusach, and of course- the taste of apples and honey.  As a child, I would wait with anticipation as Rosh HaShanah approached- looking forward to dipping apples in honey.  It is a significant religious experience for children: A tradition sweet to the palate, with its symbolism concrete enough, even a small child can understand.  There are even songs that memorialize  this ritual.
Eating apples with honey, along …

Rosh HaShanah is the Yom HaDin, the Day of Judgement. Yet we treat it like a festival. What should one feel on Rosh HaShanah? Joy? Fear? Uncertainty? Awe? Confidence? Rabbi Nadel explores the dialectic of Rosh HaShanah as expressed in the halachik literature.