The weather is getting chillier. Midterms are quickly approaching. Oh, and it’s Rosh Hashanah! For all of my fellow Jews, L’shana Tova! The high holidays have arrived, but observing Rosh Hashanah, or any Jewish holiday for that matter, can be difficult while at college and hundreds of miles away from your family and synagogue. But, I am here to help! Whether it's Rosh Hashanah or Passover, you can always find ways to celebrate the holidays at college. Take me for example. I went to a tailgate my freshman year of college and celebrated Yom Kippur at the same time. #goals. So, here are some helpful tips on how to partake in the Rosh Hashanah traditions while away from home.
1. Eating Apples and Honey
One of the most delicious combinations ever and my favorite tradition of Rosh Hashanah is eating apples and honey. This tradition symbolizes hope for sweetness in the New Year. You can also use challah or pomegranates, but apples are the easiest to get. My personal favorite apple to use is a gala or Macintosh (simply put, a red apple for you non-foodies), but you can use whichever apple type satisfies your taste buds. Apples and honey are easily accessible and can be found at any grocery store or mini mart.
2. Taschlich
Taschlich is one of the most important traditions of Rosh Hashanah. It symbolizes throwing away your sins and wrongdoings from the past year. This entails going to a body of water and throwing bread into the water, which represents your sins. It doesn’t matter what kind of bread you use, it can even be a cracker, wheat roll, or a bagel. Just find a nearby lake or stream, bring some type of bread, and cast away those sins! If you have left over bread, you can always feed the ducklings and birdies.
3. Listening to the Shofar
When thinking about Rosh Hashanah, the shofar is always the first thing that comes to mind. The shofar is made out of a ram’s horn and is blown during Rosh Hashanah services at Temple. The shofar plays an important role in Jewish History, and specifically in this holiday. Now, it is very hard to obtain a shofar while at college because there is probably no place that sells it. Unless you know a taxidermist, I suggest abstaining from buying a shofar and go to your local Hillel or Chabad services to listen to the shofar being blown.
So go throw those sins away and indulge on apples and honey, because Yom Kippur is around the corner and your gonna wish you had just one more bite.
