Rosh Hashanah Memories I Will Always Cherish

When I was a young kid of about seven or eight years old, my family and I lived in New Jersey. That is where a good portion of my family members live to this day. I lived close to my mother's mother, her sister, and her grandmother. My mother and all of her family are of the Jewish faith and so we usually celebrated all of the holidays (including Rosh Hashanah) together. We would all gather at her mother's (my grandmother's) house and she would cook a beautiful brisket. Other sides such as chopped liver and Gefilte fish would be served with the main course. Of course, I did not like either one of those sides and I still don't like them to this day. Her entire home would fill up with the aroma of the tasty foods that she prepared. I can still smell the food to this very day.

I do remember my mother and grandma saying the prayers together, but I did not know what they meant at the time. My mother tried to teach me all of the terms, but I had a short attention span so I did not really pay much attention. All I wanted to do was eat the good food and then watch television or play with my cousins afterwards. Also, my older cousin and I would hang out and have a good time playing games and talking. I was not able to appreciate the significance of the Jewish New Year. Still, that is one of the good memories that I still hold onto today. Rosh Hashanah is supposed to be a time when we are able to get together with family and friends. Today, we do not get to celebrate it with all of our family members like we used to, but we still do it together as a tight knit family.

When we celebrated Rosh Hashanah back east, I can remember getting excited about it all the time. The main reason was because I looked forward to being with my family members. The other reason is because it meant that it was getting closer to all of the other holidays such as Hanukkah and Christmas. It was also the time of changing seasons. To me, Rosh Hashanah has a lot of significance. It is the start of the New Year and a chance to repent for our sins and make a change in our lives.

Use Rosh Hashanah as s chance to get to know your family and cherish the time that you spend with them. Build memories that will stick with you forever. You never know when you can end up losing someone you really love. I realized that when I lost my great-grandmother one year ago.