New
New
Year 5
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
I can explain why Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are so important to most Jews.
New
New
Year 5
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
I can explain why Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are so important to most Jews.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- Rosh Hashanah is followed by ten days of penitence, leading to the festival of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
- People reflect on the past year asking forgiveness for things that they have done wrong.
- They also think about the year ahead and what is important.
- Special readings and prayers are said at services and the shofar horn is blown.
Keywords
Penitence - the feeling of regret for one's wrongdoing
Shofar - a ram’s horn that is blown like a trumpet
Yom Kippur - the Day of Atonement
Rosh Hashanah - festival to mark the beginning of the Jewish New Year
Common misconception
All festivals are times of celebration and joy.
Yom Kippur is about reflection and penitence.
Many Jews do not use the full name for God and prefer this holy name written as G_d. We follow this convention for Jewish speakers. Draw attention to the way Jews break their fast at Yom Kippur by eating sweet foods. This compares to the way Muslims break the fast at Ramadan by eating dates.
Teacher tip
Equipment
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on
Open Government Licence version 3.0
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Starter quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
During Rosh Hashanah, it is traditional to eat apples dipped in ...
chocolate.
bitter herbs.
Q2.
'Shana Tovah!' means ...
'goodnight!'.
'good morning!'.
Q3.
The festival to mark the beginning of the Jewish New Year is called ...
Hogmonay.
Chinese New Year.
Q4.
Why are pomegranate seeds an important symbol in Judaism?
they remind Jews to be healthy
they are round like challah bread
Q5.
Rosh Hashanah marks the __________ of the Jewish New Year.
middle
end
Q6.
The bread eaten during Rosh Hashanah is called ...
mitzvah.
Torah.
Exit quiz
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4 Questions
Q1.
Yom Kippur is ...
a New Year's resolution.
a ram’s horn that is blown like a trumpet.
Q2.
Which of these Jewish festivals are about new beginnings and a fresh start?
Shabbat
Q3.
How is a shofar blown?
like a balloon
like a bubble
Q4.
Put these parts of the story of Jonah in the correct order.
Additional material
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