Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, is here! In 2023, it falls on the night of Friday, September 15 through the evening of Sunday, September 17. The new year is one of the most important days on the Jewish calendar, so Rosh Hashanah is a perfect time to acknowledge your Jewish friends, colleagues and classmates with a holiday greeting.
(Did the new year creep up on you? No worries! Here’s a last minute checklist to help you get ready!)
There are several different ways to wish someone a happy new year or greet someone on Rosh Hashanah. You can simply say “Happy new year,” “Happy holiday” or use one of the following:
Shana tova (Have a good year)
Shana tova is the most common greeting around the High Holidays. It directly translates to “Have a good year” in Hebrew and is akin to saying “Happy new year” around December and January.
L’shana tova (For a good year)
L’shana tova is a different (slightly fancier) way of saying shana tova. It directly translates to “for a good year” in Hebrew, so it’s can be understood as “wishing you a good year.”
Shana tovah u’metukah (Have a good and sweet year)
Shana tovah u’metukah means “have a good and sweet year” in Hebrew. You’ll notice that ‘sweetness’ is a theme of the holiday. For example, Jews traditionally dip apples in honey on Rosh Hashanah to express the wish for a sweet new year.
While eating apples and honey, or any assortment of sweet foods on Rosh Hashanah, you might hear Jewish people exclaim: “Shana tovah u’metukah!”
Chag sameach (Happy holiday)
Chag sameach means happy holiday in Hebrew. Sweet and simple.
A zis gebentsht yor (Yiddish)
“A zis gebentsht yor” means a sweet year filled with blessings in Yiddish.
Originally Published Aug 13, 2021 06:45PM EDT
