Today is the first day of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. It is now 5784 on the Jewish, or Hebrew, calendar.
It is also the Jewish Sabbath, which means that certain Rosh Hashanah traditions, like sounding the shofar (or ram's horn), will be deferred until the second day, tomorrow.
The reason: we cannot carry items outside of a private domain on the Sabbath, and there is a worry that we might carry the shofar to the synagogue.
Why are there two days of Rosh Hashanah? It's not because of the usual reason many Jewish holidays last two days, at least outside of Israel, which is that people living outside Israel in the days before modern technology could not be sure exactly when the holiday was.
Rather, Rosh Hashanah is two days -- even in Israel -- because it was declared on the first day that witnesses saw a new moon in the sky, and if the witness testimony could not be confirmed until late in the day, that would mean that some of the Rosh Hashanah commandments could not be performed. Hence the second day -- because everyone needs a second chance, after all.
People observe the holiday by attending synagogue, and by eating festive meals, including apples dipped in honey. Some may even dip their Sabbath bread, or challah, in honey. We also wish each other a "Shanah Tovah" -- "Happy New Year" -- or "Shanah Tovah u'Metuka" -- a sweet and happy New Year.
The Torah reading for today is the story of the birth of Isaac, which is paralleled in the additional reading from Samuel. In both cases, a barren woman was given a child -- no doubt the subject of many prayers at this time of year.
I should have noted in my message about the weekly Torah portion that this week is Shabbat Chazon, the Sabbath of Vision. We are about to mourn -- but see through that pain to something better that lies beyond, on the other side.
Wishing you the best vision -- and an incredible reality to follow. It happens!
We begin the final speech of Moses to the people of Israel before they enter the Promised Land. He relates the ups and downs of the years of wandering in the desert, before, finally, the people have the merit to enter the land itself.
This Sabbath always precedes Tisha B'Av, the Ninth of Av, the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. It is the anniversary of the destruction of both of the Holy Temples, and a catch-all for many calamities that befell the Jewish people.
A word on Tisha B'Av. This year I am leaving for an overseas trip during the afternoon of the holiday -- in the middle of a fast day. Not idea, but there was no other choice. But my flight is in the afternoon, which is significant.
We relax some of the harsh, mournful customs of the day in the afternoon. We start to pray normally; we sit on regular chairs; we start to have hope again in the redemption that will, one day, lead us all back from exile to our home.
I'll be taking a trip to a land where an important part of ...
President Trump is in Scotland, playing golf and making big trade deals -- a major deal with the EU, in fact. Meanwhile, there is a global outcry about humanitarian aid to Palestinians (not about the Israeli hostages, mind you).
On top of that, Democrats are at their lowest polling numbers ever -- so they are trying to win control of the House by redistricting in the middle of a 10-year Census cycle. Oh, economic optimism is up, so they have a tough road.
And Tulsi Gabbard's revelations about the Russia collusion investigation make it clear that Obama's lieutenants lied to Congress. How deeply was he himself involved? The media continue to ignore the evidence, but we certainly won't.
Special guests:
Nick Gilbertson - Breitbart News White House correspondent, on EU deal
Frances Martel - Breitbart News foreign editor, on Trump abroad and Russia
John Spencer - urban warfare expert, on humanitarian aid and war in Gaza
Bradley Jaye - Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on the ...
