Rosh Hashanah 2008 is underway. Rosh Hashanah, which is considered along with Yom Kippur to be one of the most important Jewish holidays has begun.

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year and begins on September 29th at sundown. Rosh Hashanah is a ten day period of atonement which ends with Yom Kippur.

According to the Torah: "On the seventh month, on the first day of the month, there shall be a sacred assembly, a cessation from work, a day of commemoration proclaimed by the sound of the Shofar."

The seventh month referenced is based on the Jewish calendar. Here in the U.S., we use the Gregorian calendar, so you can understand how our New Year's day is quite different from Rosh Hashanah. Using the Jewish calendar, Rosh Hashanah occurs on the first day of Tishrei, or the seventh month of the year.

Rosh Hashana means literally "head of the year."

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