New Jewish year, new beginnings

For Rabbi Reuven Mintz of Chabad Jewish Center, Rosh Hashanah is a time of year for renewal, reflection and rededication to his faith.

“It’s a time for goodness and kindness and to seek change in our lives,” Mintz said.

The Jewish year 5767 will begin at sunset today and will be marked by area temples with numerous special services. The holy day, which will be observed until sunset Friday, will be marked with eating special foods and the casting off of the sins of the past year. Mintz expects about 1,000 people to attend Chabad’s high holiday services for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur over the next week at the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach.

The services are geared toward people who are not affiliated with a particular synagogue. The free services also will include an interactive children’s program.

“There are many people who only attend services on the high holy days and we want everyone to feel welcome,” Mintz said. “The prayers are in Hebrew and English so the novice and the expert both will feel welcome. The services are very user-friendly.”

Honey cake and round Challah bread are two special foods Mintz’s wife, Chani Mintz, serves for Rosh Hashanah. “The Challah is round to be complete, with no end to show the cycle of life, with no head and no tail,” she said. “We also try new fruits.”

Pomegranate and other exotic fruits are popular during Rosh Hashanah, as they represent new beginnings.

Foods paired with honey are eaten to represent the sweetness of life, including honey and apples.

“The pomegranate has 613 seeds just as there are 613 commandments in the Torah,” Mintz said.

Of course, the shofar, or trumpet made out of a ram’s horn, is the most recognizable symbol of Rosh Hashanah, which is blown for a total 100 notes each day during the holiday.

“The sound represents the deep yearning of our souls to connect with God,” Mintz said.

Local temples will mark the holy days with a mixture of traditions and new observances.

“There has to be something new; that’s what makes it a synagogue and not a museum,” said Rabbi Marc Rubenstein of Temple Isaiah.

Temple members will observe Tashlich, or the casting off of sins in a new way this year at Isaiah, Rubenstein said.

“We’re going to release balloons and let our sins float up to heaven,” he said.

The balloon release, 1 p.m. Thursday, will replace the traditional observance of emptying pockets or casting pieces of bread into moving water to represent the sins of the past year on the first afternoon of Rosh Hashanah.

Temple Bat Yahm will put a uniquely Newport Beach spin on Tashlich, with a service to cast bread into the Pacific Ocean.

“Because you never set foot in the same body of water twice, because it is moving, it has a special significance,” said Rabbi Mark Miller.

For more information on services, visit www.tby.org, www.templeisaiahoc.org, or www.jewishnewport.com.