When is Rosh Hashanah 2025? Jewish New Year Dates and Significance

A question we often hear is, "When is Rosh Hashanah?" Unlike fixed solar holidays, the date of the Jewish New Year changes each year on the Gregorian (civil) calendar. If you've found yourself searching for the specific days, you're in the right place.

This article explains why the date shifts and provides a clear timeline for the upcoming High Holidays.

The Short Answer: Why Rosh Hashanah's Date Changes

Rosh Hashanah occurs on the 1st and 2nd of the Hebrew month of Tishrei. The Jewish calendar is a lunisolar calendar, meaning it bases its months on the cycles of the moon (approximately 29.5 days) but synchronizes its years with the solar cycle (the Earth's orbit around the sun).

A Jewish year has about 11 days fewer than a solar year. To prevent the holidays from drifting through the seasons, an extra month (Adar II) is added seven times in a 19-year cycle. This adjustment is why Rosh Hashanah can fall anywhere from early September to early October on the Gregorian calendar.

Rosh Hashanah Dates for Upcoming Years

Here is the schedule for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur for the next few years. Remember, all Jewish holidays begin at sundown on the evening before the first date listed.

The Significance of Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah (literally "Head of the Year") is more than just a New Year's celebration. It marks the beginning of the "Days of Awe" (Yamim Nora'im), a ten-day period of introspection and repentance that culminates with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

Jewish tradition holds that on Rosh Hashanah, God opens the Book of Life and inscribes the fate of each person for the coming year. The sound of the shofar (a ram's horn) is blown during synagogue services as a spiritual wake-up call, urging people to reflect on their actions and seek forgiveness.

Common customs include:

• Attending lengthy synagogue services.
• Enjoying festive meals with sweet foods, like apples dipped in honey, to symbolize hopes for a "sweet new year."
• Offering greetings like "Shanah Tovah!" ("A Good Year!").

Key Takeaway

So, when is Rosh Hashanah? It falls on Tishrei 1 and 2, and its corresponding dates on the common calendar vary from year to year. It is a time of both joyful celebration and solemn reflection, setting the tone for the spiritual journey of the High Holiday season.

We wish you and your loved ones a sweet, happy, and healthy new year. Shanah Tovah!