
Jewish Learning, MHWOW
Celebrating Rosh Hashanah with Intention

HBD, world!
In some traditional Rosh Hashanah services, Jews recite the words Hayom harat olam: Today the world is born anew. You could throw a birthday or Happy Jew Year-themed MHWOW program – birthday cake, gratitude, new year’s resolutions – the possibilities are endless.DISCUSS
- What are you grateful for right now?
- Have each person share their favorite memory from the past year.
- In honor of the new year, what is something new you want to try this year?
- What is something you want to accomplish this year?
GIVE
What “gifts” are you going to give to the world this year?- Liza Moskowitz shares so many meaningful ways you and your friends can make a difference.
- Repair the World created this guide to help you organize a volunteer program for your friends.
DECORATE

Wake up!

REFLECT
- What helps you be present?
- Rabbi Steinsaltz believes that the blowing of the shofar “is a mixture of joy and triumph with worrying and crying,” which mirrors how we feel on Rosh Hashanah, going into the unknown. How are you feeling about the new year? What are you worried about? What are you excited about?
- How do you feel about experiencing the “true brokenness of our being” on Rosh Hashanah?
Here we go…
Many Jews begin both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur by reading the poem Unetanah Tokef. It reads, “On Rosh Hashanah it is written, on Yom Kippur it is sealed…who shall live and who shall die, who shall perish by water and who by fire…but repentance, prayer, and righteousness avert the severe decree.” Click here for the full text. The purpose of Unetanah Tokef is to remind us that this is real; the high holy days have begun, and it’s time to repent.DISCUSS
- In this poem, God is both the judge who decides who will live and die and is the shepherd who takes care of us. How does playing both of these roles shape your concept of God?
- Rabbi Dr. Reuven Hammer, Head of the Masorti Beth Din in Israel, describes Unetanah Tokef as “a religious poem that is meant to strike fear in us.” Do you agree with Rabbi Hammer? What emotions do you feel after reading this poem?
- The poem suggests that we have control over our fate. What do you think we need to do during these high holy days to “avert the severe decree?” Do you believe that God will punish us if we don’t act accordingly?
LISTEN
- “Who by Fire” by Leonard Cohen How is Leonard Cohen interacting with the prayer by asking, “Who shall I say is calling?”
- Any of these Rosh Hashanah-themed Podcasts from Pardes, such as…