Rosh HaShanah starts Oct 2, 2016

Jewish New Year (Rosh HaShanah) starts at sundown on Sun., Oct 2. 

Did you know that there are 5 names for Rosh HaShanah?

1. Rosh Hashana literally means "Head of the Year" because Rosh Hashana marks the point when we begin the new calendar year (e.g. from 5772 to 5773).
2. Yom Harat Olam means "The Birthday of the World."
3. Yom Hazikaron means "The Day of Remembering."
4. Yom Hadin means "The Day of Judgment."
5. Yom Teruah means "The Day of Sounding (the Shofar)." This is the actual name that the holiday is called in the Torah.*

The Jewish High Holidays mean: 

• We get a chance for teshuvah (return to G-d), turn over a new leaf and begin again doing the right thing. 
• We hear the shofar – a wake-up call to jostle us, to seriously taking stock of what we’ve done all year and make sure we are worthy of being written into the Book of Life. “God sits in judgment, deciding whether or not we have merited to be inscribed in the divine book of life.“ **
• We eat apples dipped in honey to celebrate the sweetness of life. 
• The challah is round symbolizing the circle of life. 

Shanah Tovah u’meitukah, 

Happy and Sweet New Year! 

Linda B. 

Originally published at Linorstore.com 

Linda Blatchford
Jewelry Designer
www.LinorStore.com
www.lindab142.etsy.com 

Jewish New Year Gifts from EtsyChai

There's still a few weeks to shop for Jewish gifts from the members of the EtsyChai team. Browse around the shops and contact the shop owners about delivery dates.

Sweet New Year

Color the High Holidays

Hamsas for the holidays

Shana Tovah from the EtsyChai team,

By Linda B.

By Linda Blatchford, Team Captain

The members of the EtsyChai Team are pleased to share handmade Judaica with you before the Jewish New Year or Rosh HaShanah. As you know, the Jewish holidays are extremely early this year; Erev Rosh HaShanah is on Wed., Sept 4.

EtsyChai handmade artisans have a good supply of Judaica items ready for your personal and gift giving needs. 

Shop with us now to make sure you get your Judaica gifts before yontiff. 

Members with specials:

Lindab142.etsy.com –  15% off everything in shop. No coupon needed. 

Kippah - Silver Wire with Silver Beads 


Use coupon code ETSYCHAI.


Christine Lumbroso - 10% off 
Sterling Silver Star of David Necklace


Meredith - 10% off
Pewter Hamsa Chryphase Unisex Necklace



There are 5 names for Rosh HasShanah:

1. Rosh Hashana literally means "Head of the Year" because Rosh Hashana marks the point when we begin the new calendar year (e.g. from 5772 to 5773).
2. Yom Harat Olam means "The Birthday of the World."
3. Yom Hazikaron means "The Day of Remembering."
4. Yom Hadin means "The Day of Judgment."
5. Yom Teruah means "The Day of Sounding (the Shofar)." This is the actual name that the holiday is called in the Torah.

Shanah Tovah u’meitukah, 

Happy and Sweet New Year! 

Linda Blatchford 

Upcoming Jewish Holidays

Get ready for: 

Tisha B'Av 7/15/13
Tisha B'Av primarily commemorates the destruction of the first and second Temples, both of which were destroyed on the ninth of Av (the first by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E.; the second by the Romans in 70 C.E.).


Although this holiday is primarily meant to commemorate the destruction of the Temple, it is appropriate to consider on this day the many other tragedies of the Jewish people, many of which occurred on this day, most notably the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492 and from England in 1290. 

Star of David

Rosh Hashanah 9/4/13 = Jewish New Year - a time to start over 

Gold and Clear Swarovski Crystal Kippah

Yom Kippur 9/13/13 = Day of Atonement - repentance and forgiveness

Hebrew/English Baby Blanket

Sukkot 9/18/13  On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the Festival of Sukkot, seven days for the L-RD... on the eighth day, there shall be a holy convocation for you. -Leviticus 23:34

Sukkot Art

Shemini Atzeret 9/25/13 evening - Shemini Atzeret literally means "the assembly of the eighth (day)." Rabbinic literature explains the holiday this way: our Creator is like a host, who invites us as visitors for a limited time, but when the time comes for us to leave, He has enjoyed himself so much that He asks us to stay another day. 

Hebrew Baby Onesie

Simchat Torah 9/26/13 evening - Simchat Torah means "Rejoicing in the Torah." This holiday marks the completion of the annual cycle of weekly Torah readings. Each week in synagogue we publicly read a few chapters from the Torah, starting with Genesis Ch. 1 and working our way around to Deuteronomy 34. On Simchat Torah, we read the last Torah portion, then proceed immediately to the first chapter of Genesis, reminding us that the Torah is a circle, and never ends.

Glass Tile Pendant

Hanukkah 11/27/13 evening - the miracle of the oil for the menorah lasting for 8 days & the battle that Judah fought to preserve Judaism. 

Hanukkah Dreidel earrings 

Visit the EtsyChai team members' shops to see more Jewish handmade creations. 

Keep watching our blog for more information about Jewish holidays and handmade gifts. 

Elul – Preparing for the High Holidays

The Hebrew month of Elul, the last month of this year (Hebrew calendar) begins at sunset on Aug 18 and continues through nightfall on Aug. 19th. The month of Elul is the month of repentence, leading up to Selichot and the High Holidays of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur.

According to tradition, the month of Elul is the time that Moses spent on Mount Sinai preparing the second set of tablets after the incident of the golden calf (Ex. 32; 34:27-28). He ascended on Rosh Chodesh Elul and descended on the 10th of Tishri, at the end of Yom Kippur, when repentance was complete. Other sources say that Elul is the beginning of a period of 40 days that Moses prayed for G-d to forgive the people after the Golden Calf incident, after which the commandment to prepare the second set of tablets was given.*

From the second day of Elul to the 28th day, the shofar (a hollowed out ram's horn) is blown after morning services every weekday (it is not blown on Shabbat).

Elul is also a time to begin the process of asking forgiveness for wrongs done to other people. According to Jewish tradition, G-d cannot forgive us for sins committed against another person until we have first obtained forgiveness from the person we have wronged. This is not as easy a task as you might think, if you have never done it. This process of seeking forgiveness continues through the Days of Awe.

Many people visit cemeteries at this time, because the awe-inspiring nature of this time makes us think about life and death and our own mortality. And, many people use this time to check their mezuzot and tefillin for defects that might render them invalid.

Chapter 27 of the Book of Psalms is added to the daily prayers, in the morning and afternoon.

These are just a few offerings from some members of the EtsyChai team.

Kiddush Cup	Chai Pendant
Cream and Gold Yarmulke	Star of David Beaded Kippah
Book of Life Pendant	Tree of Life Wall Hanging
Challah Serving Platter	Tree of Life Necklace

 

When writing a letter or meeting one another, we bless one anotherby including the greeting Ketivah vachatimah tovah—which roughly translates as “May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.”

The EtsyChai team extends “Ketivah vachatimah tovah” to everyone.

By Linda Blatchford
Team Captain
www.lindab142.etsy.com

*Source: Judaism 101

Happy Jewish New Year - L'shanah Tovah from EtsyChai

EtsyChai team is having a sale. See shop specials here

'Start the Jewish New Year Right with Team Etsy Chai' by misseileen

Beautiful gifts for the Jewish New Year by the artists of Team Etsy Chai

Jewish New Year Rosh Ha... bbesigns $4.00	Crochet Triple Wrap Bea... sewstacy $18.00	Rosh Hashanah Cards - S... handmadeinisra... $18.00
Singing / package of 12... AnotherCreatio... $15.00	Sterling Silver Judaica... beadsofparadis... $22.00	Shalom - Peace in Hebre... poemweave $9.95
Buried Treasure Silk Wr... anjalicreation... $32.00	Double Silver Star of D... lindab142 $29.00	Judaica Baby Jacket Ill... acacheofjewels $7.50
Hamsa Polymer Clay Pink... ClayBeadsAndMo... $32.00	Judaica Handmade Origin... norunningwiths... $100.00	Sterling Hamsa w. blue ... Meredithbead $36.00
AVIVA Dainty Star of Da... downtoearthcre... $18.00	Judaica themed clip sty... KinorDavid $10.00	Gilded Scroll Flat Magn... lbolter $2.50
Petite Copper Star of D... lightofzionjew... $23.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

New Listings in the Team Etsy Chai Shops

Welcome! The members of Team EtsyChai have been busy, not just with life and all that goes with it, but creating wonderful items, too. With 50 members it is hard to list all the new listings but here's a few:

Crochet Scarf Confetti Skinny Pippy Scarf by SewStacy

Judaic Note Cards - Old World Series, Set of 6

Rutgers Plate by Three Sisters Plates

Chocolate Brown and Vanilla White Jasper Wire Wrapped Bracelet by LindaB142

L'Chaim Wine Cozy "To Life!" by BlazingNeedles

12 inch Circular Knitting Needles Bamboo Size 9 by ACacheofJewels

Silver Filigree Six Pointed Stars by LeslieEtsy

Grandparents Quote Baby Card with Handmade Paper by BBDesigns

Handmade Distressed Butterfly Pendant by CreativeArtCenter

Silversmith Rings Wedding Band Set by MarKaplan

Nice stuff, huh? Wonderful shops, beautiful creations and supplies by the members of Team EtsyChai. Shop Team EtsyChai for you Judaic needs. Don't forget the High Holiday Sale going on now. For the list of shops and the discounts and deals you'll find, click HERE.  L'Chaim!

Post by MissEileen aka GoofingOff

The New Year is Coming: A Tashlich Tutorial

Tashlich (tahsh-leek) comes from a root word which means "to cast away". It is the custom when Jews walk to a moving body of water on the first afternoon of Rosh Hashana (or the second day if the first happens to be Shabbat) and "throw away" their sins by tossing bread or cracker crumbs into the water. The concept is taken from a verse in the book of the Prophet Michah where it says,

"And Thou wilt cast ("ve-tashlich") all their sins into the depths of the sea" (Michah, 7:19)

A River Runs Through It Beads by Tracey Lipman

The preferred body of water is one where there are fish. Fish never close their eyes, a reminder of the ever-watchful eyes of G-d, who records and remembers everything and constantly watches us with mercy.

Additionally, Jewish mystical tradition teaches that fish are immune from the Evil Eye. By casting our sins away where there are fish, we are also asking for protection from the evils of the world. 

White Braided Leather Wrap Bracelet by charmeddesign1012

 During Tashlich, you walk to a nearby body of water. A river, sea, or lake are the best choices although, in their absence, a well or reservoir is acceptable. There is no special prayer for Tashlich. However, there are several Scriptural chapters relating to the idea of penitence and Divine forgiveness which are recited.
The water has SYMBOLICALLY carried away misdeeds and you are free to start over. This action gives one a new starting point for the New Year.

Jellyfish Earrings by markaplan

 Next: Traditional Greetings for the New Year
Post by April Grunspan