Erev Rosh Hashanah (Friday September 18)
Hatarat Nedarim
After minyan on Friday morning we will convene batei din (lay courts) to administer hatarat nedarim (annulment of vows). The optimal time to say this is before Rosh Hashanah, but one has until Yom Kippur to do so.
Mikvah
There is a custom for men to go to the mikvah on erev Rosh Hashanah so that we enter fulfill the dictum of lifnei Hashem titharu (purify yourself before God). The
Daughters of Israel Mikvah, at 101 Washington St., Brighton, will host men’s hours, Friday, Septemebr 18, 7 am – 1 pm. $10 per person suggested donation. Soap and shampoo provided. To save time, I advise showering at home first. Please bring your own towel. The Bostoner Rebbe’s shul, Beth Pinchas located at 1710 Beacon St. in Brookline also has a mikvah available for use.
Candle Lighting
The time for lighting candles in Waltham is 6:34pm. We recite two brachot:
Baruch Atah Hashem Elokeinu Melech ha-olam Asher kidshanu be-mitzvotav ve tzivanu lehadlki ner shel Shabbat ve-shel Yom Tov.
Blessed are You, Lord our God Sovereign of the earth who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to kindle the light of Shabbat and holidays.
Baruch Atah Hashem Elokeinu Melech ha-olam she-hechiyanu ve-kiyimanu vehigiyanu la-zman ha-zeh.
Blessed are You Lord our God, sovereign of the world, Who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this season.
If using real candles (as opposed to electric lights) a 24 hour yahrzheit candle should be lit as well to enable lighting candles on the second night.
Friday night
Because Rosh Hashanah coincides with Shabbat, we say an abridged version of kabalat Shabbat as part of our Tefilah.
Customs vary over whether to recite the traditional Shabbat songs of Shalom Aleichem and Eshet Chayil.
We recite the special Kiddush for Rosh Hashanah. Remember to insert the extra words for Shabbat.
The common custom is to use round Challot on Rosh Hashanah and to dip it in honey rather than salt.
After saying ha-motzi over the Challah and eating a bite, it is our custom to eat apples with honey. The proper procedure is to dip a slice of apple in honey, say the bracha on the apple (boreh pri ha-etz) and take one bite. After the first bite we make the following declaration before eating the rest of the apple:
yehi ratzon milfanecha Hashem Elokeinu ve-Elokei avoteinu she-tichadesh aleinu shanah tovah u-metukah.
May it be Your will, Lord our God and God of our ancestors that you bless us with a good and sweet new year.
There are many other traditions of symbolic foods that we eat.
Shofar on Shabbat
Since the first day of Rosh Hashanah is on Shabbat, we do not blow the Shofar.Rather, it is a day of Zichron Teruah – A day of remembrance of the call of the
Shofar.
Kidush
Before lunch we recite the day time kidush with the proper insertions for Shabbat and Rosh Hashanah.A halachic concern that arises on Rosh Hashanah is the fact that many synagogues do not finish services until after chatzot (halachic noon). There is a concern on Shabbat and Yom Tov that we should not spend the majority of the day fasting. Thus many poskim suggest that we consciously eat or drink something before chatzot.
Seudah Shlishit
We generally do not eat Seudah shlishit on Yom Tov and there is a concern that eating it at its normal time will ruin our appetite for the second Yom Tov meal. When Shabbat coincides with Yom Tov, customs vary over what to do. Some suggest eating seudah shlishit with bread earlier in the day so as not to ruin our appetite. Others suggest eating a lighter seudah shlishit without bread. A third opinion maintains that we need not eat seudah shlishit at all because of the nature of Yom Tov.

Saturday night
Candle Lighting
Candles should be lit from an existing flame after the stars come out (7:32pm). The person lighting should first say baruch ha-mavdil bein kodesh le-chol (Blessed is God Who separates between the sacred and the profane. Once again we recite two blessings on the candles:
baruch Atah Hashem Elokeinu Melech ha-Olam Asher kidshanu be-mitzvotav ve-tzivanu lehadlik ner shel yom tov
Blessed are You Lord our God, Sovereign of the world, Who has sanctified with His commandments and has commanded us to kindle the light of the
festival.
Baruch Atah Hashem Elokeinu Melech ha-olam she-hechiyanu ve-kiyimanu ve-higiyanu la-zman ha-zeh.
Blessed are You Lord our God, sovereign of the world, Who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this season.
When reciting she-hechiyanu we should have in mind the new fruit that we will eat during the meal.
Havdallah
In addition to the insertion said as part of the amidah, we also recite havdallah as part of the kidush. We do not use b’samim (spices). We may use the Yom Tov candles for the candle of havdallah as well.
Shofar
The essential mitzvah of Rosh Hashanah is to hear the Shofar blasts. Ideally there should be no talking or interruption between the blessing and the completion of the Shofar at the end of Musaf.
Kidush
Before lunch we recite kidush for Rosh Hashanah. See the note above about eating
before chatzot (halachic noon).
Tashlich
On Sunday afternoon we have the custom of saying tashlich. Tashlich should be said by a live, flowing body of water which has fish living in it.
Havdallah
At the conclusion of Rosh Hashanah, havdallah is recited over a cup of wine. No candle or spices are needed.

Tzom Gedaliah
The day following Rosh Hashanah, Monday September 21 is the fast day commemorating the assassination of Gedaliah ben Achikam, the last Jewish
autonomous leader after the Babylonian conquest of the land of Israel. The fast begins at 5:18am and concludes at 7:28pm.
Selichot
We continue to say selichot during the aseret yemei Teshuvah (10 days of repentance) leading up to Yom Kippur.