Rosh Hashana – Two Days

Question

Why is Rosh Hashana two days?

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Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    Due to the fact that in Temple times the day when the new month started was determined by witnesses who saw the new moon. A month in the Jewish calendar follows the lunar cycle and each month contains either twenty nine or thirty days. If witnesses arrived on the thirtieth day of the month and testified that they had seen the new moon, then that day became the first day of the next month and the previous month ended up with only twenty nine days. If no witnesses arrived on that day, then automatically the previous month had thirty days and the next month would start on the thirty first day. Rosh Hashana is the first day of the month of Tishrei. That meant, however, that when the thirtieth day of Elul (the month that precedes Tishrei arrived, no one could know whether this day would end up being the first day of Tishrei which is Rosh Hashana, or the thirtieth day of Elul. Such uncertainty caused considerable problems with which prayers were supposed to be recited and which sacrifices needed to be offered up. Because of that the Sages decreed that there should be two days of Rosh Hashana, and has observed this way throughout the ages since then.

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