If you’ve ever felt like Jewish holidays are "early" or "late," you aren’t alone. Honestly, it’s a running joke in most Jewish households. But for 2024, the timing felt particularly distinct because the first night of Rosh Hashanah 2024 didn't arrive until October.
Specifically, Rosh Hashanah 2024 began at sundown on Wednesday, October 2. Most years, we’re used to hearing the shofar and dipping apples in honey while the September sun is still somewhat warm. This time around, the "Head of the Year" waited for the crispness of October to truly settle in. It’s a bit of a shift. If you missed it or are looking back at the calendar to figure out why your schedule was so packed that week, here is the breakdown of what actually happened and why the timing matters for the Hebrew year 5785.
When exactly did the holiday start and end?
Jewish holidays don’t follow the midnight-to-midnight clock. It’s a sunset thing. According to the Torah, "there was evening and there was morning," which basically means the day starts when the stars come out.
For the 2024 cycle:
- The first night of Rosh Hashanah 2024 was Wednesday evening, October 2.
- The first full day was Thursday, October 3.
- The second day was Friday, October 4.
- The holiday concluded at nightfall on Friday, October 4, leading directly into Shabbat.
Because the holiday ended on a Friday night, many families essentially had a three-day "marathon" of festive meals and services. It was intense. You’ve got two days of the New Year, and then boom—right into the Saturday Sabbath.
Why was it "late" in 2024?
The Hebrew calendar is a bit of a mathematical gymnast. It’s "lunisolar." While the Gregorian calendar (the one on your phone) follows the sun, the Jewish calendar watches the moon but checks back with the sun to make sure the holidays stay in their right seasons.
A lunar year is about 354 days. A solar year is about 365. If we didn't adjust, Passover—which has to be in the spring—would eventually drift into the middle of a blizzard in January. To fix this, the Jewish calendar adds an entire leap month (Adar II) seven times every 19 years.
2024 followed one of those leap years. Because an extra 30 days were tacked onto the spring, everything in the fall got pushed back. That’s why the first night of Rosh Hashanah 2024 landed in October rather than its more common mid-September slot.
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What happened on that first night?
The first night is usually the big "kick-off." It’s less about the solemnity of the synagogue (though there are services) and more about the table. If you walked into a Jewish home on October 2, 2024, you would have seen a few specific things.
First, the Challah. Usually, Challah is braided in a long loaf. On Rosh Hashanah, it’s round. Why? It symbolizes the crown of God, or more simply, the circle of life and the seamless transition of the seasons.
Then, the "sweetness."
- Apples and Honey: This is the big one. You dip the slice, say a blessing, and hope for a "sweet" year.
- Pomegranates: Many people eat these because they supposedly have 613 seeds, matching the 613 mitzvot (commandments) in the Torah. It’s a way of saying, "May our merits be as many as the seeds."
- The Head of a Fish: This one is a bit more literal. Rosh Hashanah literally means "Head of the Year." Some families place the head of a fish (or a ram) on the table to symbolize the desire to be "at the head and not the tail"—basically, to be leaders and move forward rather than just following along.
The Sound of the Shofar
While the first night is about the meal, the first day (October 3) is about the sound. The Shofar is a ram’s horn, and it’s not exactly a "musical" instrument in the traditional sense. It’s a wake-up call.
In 2024, the Shofar was blown on both Thursday and Friday. There are different types of blasts: the Tekiah (one long sob-like note), the Shevarim (three broken sounds), and the Teruah (nine rapid-fire staccato bursts). It’s meant to jar the soul. It’s a call to Teshuvah, which is often translated as "repentance" but really means "returning" to your best self.
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Common Misconceptions About the Date
One thing that trips people up is the "two-day" rule. In Israel, Rosh Hashanah is two days. Outside of Israel, it’s also two days. This is unique; for most other holidays like Passover or Sukkot, people in Israel celebrate for one day less than those in the Diaspora.
Rosh Hashanah is called Yoma Arichta—one long day. Even though the first night of Rosh Hashanah 2024 was the primary start, the entire 48-hour period is treated as a single block of holiness.
Moving Forward into 5785
Rosh Hashanah isn't just a birthday for the world; it’s the start of the "Ten Days of Awe." These ten days lead up to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
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If you’re looking to mark the occasion or just want to be prepared for the next cycle, here are the actionable steps you can take to embrace the spirit of the holiday:
- Self-Reflection: Take ten minutes to write down one thing you’re proud of from the last year and one thing you’d like to "return" from.
- The Greeting: If you see a Jewish friend during this time, "Shana Tova" (Good Year) is the standard go-to. If you want to be fancy, "L’shana tovah u’metuka" means "For a good and sweet year."
- Tashlich: This is a cool tradition where people go to a body of flowing water (a river, a creek, or even the ocean) and symbolically "cast away" their sins—often by tossing breadcrumbs or just shaking out their pockets. It’s a great way to physically feel the "reset" of a New Year.
The first night of Rosh Hashanah 2024 may have passed, but the themes of renewal and "sweetness" are pretty much evergreen. Whether the holiday falls in September or October, the goal remains the same: a bit of quiet, a bit of honey, and a lot of hope for what’s coming next.
To stay ahead of the curve for the upcoming year, mark your calendars now: Rosh Hashanah 2025 will begin at sundown on Monday, September 22.