Rosh Hashanah ראש השנה
The first and second of Tishrei — the day of judgment, of the shofar, and the anniversary of man's creation.
The Torah calls this day «a day of sounding» and «a remembrance of the blast», never a new year. The name and the meaning come from the Oral Torah: the first of Tishrei is the anniversary of Adam's creation, and therefore the day the world is judged. The Mishna says all pass before Him on that day «like sheep», one by one.
The central commandment is the shofar: a hundred blasts in three forms. Explanations abound: the Rambam calls it an alarm — «awake, you sleepers»; others tie it to the ram of the Akeda and to the horn of a coronation. The prayers turn on three themes: kingship, remembrance and the shofar.
Ten days of return follow, until Yom Kippur. The customs are domestic: apple in honey, a round loaf, and the wish to be written for a good year.