New Year (Rosh Hashanah) lst of the month of Tishri (September)

The first day of the Jewish year is by tradition the anniversary of the creation of the world from which date the Jewish calendar is reckoned. It will also be the Day of Judgement when God will weigh the good and evil in the souls of individuals after the end of the world to determine their future. The blowing of the ram's horn during the morning service reminds Jews of God's sovereignty over the universe and urges the faithful to be penitent and return to God. The New Year is celebrated for the first two days of the year ," these and the subsequent eight days up to the festival of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement (q.v.) are days for considering one's behaviour throughout the past year, for asking forgiveness of God, and for harmonising one's relationship with God.

On the first day of the festival the birth of Abraham's son Isaac is recalled ," on the second day the story of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Isaac is told. Abraham who lived in the early second millennium BCE is the patriarch of the Hebrews and the founder of Judaism. Called by God to leave his home town of Ur in Babylonia (modern Iraq), he travelled up the River Euphrates and then south to the land of Canaan (now part of modern Israel). Through his son, Ishmael, whose mother was Hagar, he is the progenitor of the Arab peoples; through Isaac's son, Jacob Israel, whose twelve sons became the leaders of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, he is the father of the Jews. Muslims tell a similar story to that of the sacrifice of Isaac about Ismael (see Id-ul-adha, the Great Festival).

On New Year's Eve apples dipped in honey are eaten. At the morning service in the synagogue the shofar (ram's horn) is blown to recall the sacrifice of the ram by Abraham.

Abraham Prepares to Sacrifice Isaac

The prophet Abraham, the father of the Jews, was a hundred years old when his wife bore him a son. Sarah and Abraham laughed with joy when the boy was born and they named him 'Isaac' which means Laughter.

One day Abraham had a message from God. God told Abraham to take Isaac to the top of the hill and there he must sacrifice his son to God. Abraham dearly loved Isaac, but after all God had given the boy to him; if God wanted the boy back, then Abraham had to give him.

The next morning early, Abraham put the saddle on his donkey and set out with his son and with two of his men. They travelled for three days until Abraham saw the mountain where he knew God wanted him to make his sacrifice.

'Stay here with the donkey,' Abraham told the two men, 'and when Isaac and I have worshipped God, we will came back to you.'

Abraham took the wood to burn the sacrifice and loaded it up on to Isaac's shoulder. He took the knife and the fire and together they set off up the mountain.

'Father?' said Isaac.

'What is it, son ?' asked Abraham.

'We have got the fire and the knife and the wood, but where is the young animal for the sacrifice?' 'Don't worry, son; God will make sure we have something to offer to him,'

replied Abraham. Father and son continued to the top of the mountain. When they were there Abraham set up an altar with some large stones that were around the place and then he began to lay the wood around the altar, for once the sacrifice had been killed, it was then burnt as an offering to the Lord. Isaac watched, unable to understand where the sacrifice was to come from.

When his father began to tie his hands and feet, he understood what God had asked Abraham to do. He did not struggle or fight, but let his father tie him securely and then lay on the wood on top of the altar.

Abraham raised the knife ready to kill his only son. He raised the knife, but before he could bring it down, he heard a voice from heaven. The Angel of the Lord spoke:

'Do not kill the boy. Do not harm him. God is satisfied that you were prepared to give your only son and he is well pleased with you.'

Abraham thankfully put down the knife. He looked up. Not far away from the altar was a clump of bushes. Entangled in the bushes by his horns was a fine ram. As Abraham untied Isaac and helped him down from the altar, he said: 'God has given us something to offer up to him, my son.

Gratefully the two untangled the ram and offered it as a sacrifice to God. Abraham and Isaac came down from the mountain and returned home. Abraham loved his only son more than anything else he had -but he loved his God most of all and had proved that he would do anything for him.

We can't all be as strong in our faith as Abraham was. This Jewish prayer asks God to forgive us for our sins (New Year is a time when Jews think of their failings in the past year and decide they will try to do better in future):

Forgive us, our Father, for we have sinned;
Pardon us, our King, for we have done wrong;
For you are the God of goodness, the God of forgiveness.
Blessed is our God, who is gracious and forgiving.
(from the Amidah, c.500 BCE)