  
Rosh Hashanah, which literally means the head of the
year, commemorates the anniversary of the creation of the
world. It is celebrated on the first and second days of
the seventh Hebrew month, Tishri.
Depending on the solar calendar, Rosh Hashanah occurs in September
or October.
Rosh Hashanah, when all living things are judged, is
often referred to as the beginning of the Jewish New
Year. However, the Hebrew month of Nissan, in which Passover
is celebrated, is the first month of the Jewish calendar.
Rosh Hashanah is actually only one of four symbolic
Jewish new year celebrations. The Talmud identifies these
as:
- Nisan: The Hebrew month of
Passover marks the birth of the Jews as a free nation. It was also
the symbolic new year day for kings.
- Elul: The Hebrew month preceding
Rosh Hashanah was the symbolic new year for tithing animals, an
ancient form of giving tzedakah, or charity;
- Shevat: The Hebrew month of the
holiday, Tu Bishvat, was the symbolic new year for
trees.
- Tishri: The Hebrew month of Rosh
Hashanah, was the symbolic anniversary of the creation of the
world.
 The commandment to observe Rosh Hashanah is found in
the second and third books of the Torah, the five books of
Moses:
In the seventh month, in the
first day of the month, shall be a solemn rest unto you, a
memorial proclaimed with the blast of horns, a holy convocation...
and you shall bring an offering made by fire unto the Lord.
Leviticus 23:24-5
In the seventh month, on the
first day of the month, you shall observe a holy day; you shall
not work at your occupations. You shall observe it as a day when
the shofar is trumpeted. Numbers 29:1
 The first two days of Tishrei were not called Rosh
Hashanah until Talmudic times. Jewish leaders of the day may
have been reluctant to promote large celebrations around a fall new
year because moon festivals were common among pagan religions. Many
Near Eastern religions, for example, celebrated divine coronation
festivals in the Fall.
By the fourth century, B.C.E., when the Jews
returned from Babylonian exile to build the second temple, Rosh
Hashanah was well established. By the time of the Mishnah,
the codification of Jewish oral tradition, Rosh Hashanah had
developed a more serious tone. Now, having suffered the loss
of the second temple, Rosh Hashanah emphasized the anniversary of
creation, and of G-d as judge, dispensing mercy or justice to those
who do or do not repent their sins.
 The Torah refers to Rosh Hashanah as Yom
Teruah, the day of sounding the shofar, the traditional
ram's horn. It is also called Yom Ha'Din, the day of judgment
as well as Yom Hazikaron, the day of remembering.
Yom Hazikaron is a reference to the patriarch Abraham who
offered his only son, Isaac, to G-d as proof of his obedience. As
the result of his readiness to sacrifice Isaac, G-d caused a ram to
appear and be killed instead. According to Jewish tradition, this
sacrifice is believed to have occurred the first of Tishri.
Today, aside from liturgical additions and literary
interpretations made by poets during the Middle Ages, the customs,
traditions, mood and spirit of Rosh Hashanah remain basically
unchanged.
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