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Why is Rosh Hashana Two Days?


Question:

Why, even in Israel, are there two days of Rosh Hashana, whereas other festivals in Israel are celebrated for only one day?



AskTheRabbi.org answered:

Originally we did not have a fixed calendar as we do today. Rather, the Supreme Torah court in Jerusalem determined our calendar on a month-to-month basis. They did this on the first day of every month, based on witnesses testifying that they had seen the new moon.

Therefore, the people outside Israel had insufficient time to find out the exact date in time for the festivals. The "two-day festival" arose to correct this situation.

In Israel, however, the people lived close enough to Jerusalem to find out the exact date of all the festivals except Rosh Hashanah. Since Rosh Hashanah occurs on the first day of the month, even those living in Jerusalem sometimes needed to observe it for two days, if the witnesses failed to arrive.

May you have a good and sweet New Year - Shana Tova!


 
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