✡ Nusach Ari · Chabad Tradition ✡
Rosh Hashanah
Services Guide
Services Guide
Rosh Hashanah — the Head of the Year — is the anniversary of creation and the day G‑d is coronated as King. These two solemn yet joyous days set the tone for the entire year ahead.
Erev Rosh Hashanah
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Friday Evening
Candle Lighting & Evening Services
The holiday begins with women and girls lighting candles before sunset, ushering in the sanctity of the new year. Two blessings are recited: one for the holiday candles and Shehecheyanu, thanking G‑d for sustaining us to this moment.
Maariv — Evening Prayer
The evening service follows Nusach Ari, the prayer rite of the Arizal as preserved by Chabad. The Amidah for Rosh Hashanah includes special insertions proclaiming G‑d as King — Zochreinu L’Chaim (Remember us for life) and U’ch’sov L’Chaim (Inscribe us for life). The congregation recites the full Amidah silently, followed by the Chazan’s repetition.
Festive Dinner
After services, families and community gather for a festive meal. The Simanim — symbolic foods — are eaten with special prayers: apple dipped in honey for a sweet new year, round challah symbolizing the cycle of the year, pomegranate seeds, fish head, and dates, each accompanied by a short prayer (Yehi Ratzon).
First Day
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Morning
Shacharit — Morning Service
The morning service begins with the preliminary prayers (Pesukei D’Zimra), building toward the Shema and the Amidah. The Rosh Hashanah Amidah is expanded with the three core themes of the day:
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Malchuyot
Kingship — proclaiming G‑d as sovereign over all creation
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Zichronot
Remembrance — G‑d recalls our merits and the covenant
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Shofarot
Shofar blasts — the call to repentance and redemption
Chazzan’s Repetition
The Chazan repeats the Amidah aloud with beautiful traditional melodies unique to the High Holidays. Key moments include U’nesaneh Tokef — “Let us proclaim the holiness of this day” — describing how all of creation passes before G‑d in judgment, and V’chol Ma’aminim, affirming our faith.
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Torah Reading
Torah & Haftorah
First Day Torah Reading: Genesis 21 — the birth of Isaac to Sarah, demonstrating G‑d’s remembrance and miraculous intervention. Five aliyot are read.
Haftorah: I Samuel 1–2 — the story of Hannah’s heartfelt prayer for a child, a model of sincere prayer. Hannah’s whispered devotion at Shiloh is considered the template for the silent Amidah.
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The Central Mitzvah
Sounding the Shofar
The shofar — a ram’s horn — is the primary mitzvah of Rosh Hashanah. Its raw, wordless cry is the soul’s deepest expression, bypassing intellect to reach the very essence of our connection with G‑d. The Baal Shem Tov compared it to a child crying out to a parent: no words, just a primal call.
Tekiah
One long blast
The coronation call
The coronation call
Shevarim
Three broken blasts
Sighing of the heart
Sighing of the heart
Teruah
Nine staccato blasts
Weeping of the soul
Weeping of the soul
Chabad Custom: 130 Blasts
In Chabad tradition, a total of 100 shofar blasts are sounded during services — 30 after the Torah reading (Tekiot M’Yushav), 30 during the silent Musaf Amidah, 30 during the Chazan’s repetition, and 10 at the conclusion. An additional 30 are blown during Kaddish and the final hymns, bringing the total to 130 — corresponding to the years of Sarah’s life.
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Additional Service
Musaf
The Musaf (additional) service is the longest and most central prayer of Rosh Hashanah. It contains the three special blessing sections — Malchuyot, Zichronot, and Shofarot — each accompanied by ten biblical verses and followed by shofar blasts. The Chazan’s repetition features the stirring Aleinu prayer, during which the congregation prostrates fully on the ground — one of only two times a year this is done (the other being Yom Kippur). The service concludes with Hayom Harat Olam and Areshet S’fateinu.
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Afternoon
Tashlich at the Bay
On the first afternoon of Rosh Hashanah, we walk to a body of water (ideally containing fish) and recite the Tashlich prayers. Verses from Micah are said — “You will cast (tashlich) all their sins into the depths of the sea” — symbolizing our resolve to cast away shortcomings and start anew. Fish, which have no eyelids, remind us of G‑d’s ever-watchful eye. Join us at the bay for this meaningful tradition.
Second Day
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Sunday
Second Day Services
The second day follows the same service structure as the first — Shacharit, Torah reading, Shofar, and Musaf — but with distinct readings and deeper spiritual significance.
Torah Reading
Genesis 22 — the Binding of Isaac (Akeidat Yitzchak). Abraham’s ultimate test of faith, demonstrating total devotion to G‑d. This reading connects deeply to the shofar: we blow a ram’s horn recalling the ram that replaced Isaac on the altar.
Haftorah
Jeremiah 31 — G‑d’s eternal love for the Jewish people. “Is Ephraim not My dear son, a child of delight?” A message of comfort and hope, assuring us that G‑d’s compassion prevails.
Chabad Customs
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Unique Traditions
Apple & Honey
Dipped with the prayer “May it be Your will to renew for us a good and sweet year.”
Round Challah
Symbolizing the continuous cycle of the year and G‑d’s infinite kingship. Often dipped in honey instead of salt.
Kittel
The Chazan wears a white robe symbolizing purity and angelic devotion during the prayers.
Chabad Niggunim
Traditional Chabad melodies are sung throughout services, including the Alter Rebbe’s Niggun of Four Stanzas and the stirring Avinu Malkeinu.
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