Rosh Hashanah 2024: When is the holiday eve, the customs and everything you need to know

A comprehensive guide to Rosh Hashanah 5785/2024: holiday dates (October 2-4), candle lighting and holiday end times in major cities, school vacation, public transportation, traditional simanim (symbolic foods) and blessings, shofar blowing, Kiddush, candle lighting, and holiday songs.

A comprehensive guide to Rosh Hashanah 5785/2024, providing practical information and customs for everything needed for the holiday. The holiday will fall this year on Wednesday-Friday, October 2-4, 2024. Candle lighting times: Jerusalem 18:10, Tel Aviv 18:27, Haifa 18:19. Holiday end times: Jerusalem 19:20, Tel Aviv 19:22, Haifa 19:22. School vacation will begin on the holiday eve, October 2, and end on Sunday, October 6. Public transportation will operate on a Friday schedule on the holiday eve, and will not operate on the holiday days themselves (October 3-4). The guide details the traditional simanim: kara (gourd), rubia (black-eyed peas), karti (leek), silka (spinach/chard), tamri (dates), lamb or fish head, pomegranate, carrot, and apple in honey, with the accompanying blessings for each. The mitzvah of shofar blowing is explained, including the types of blasts (tekiah, shevarim, teruah) and the reasons for them, as well as the texts for Kiddush and candle lighting. At the end of the guide, the lyrics of traditional holiday songs are presented: "Shana Tova", "BaShana HaBa'a", "HaKayitz Avar", "Yesh Li Yom Yom Chag", and "Veten Bracha".