Rosh Hashanah

The Jewish New Year

“Those who fully engage in the spirit of Rosh Hashanah emerge into the new year charged, energised, focussed, renewed, knowing that to be a Jew is to live life in the Presence of God, to sanctify life for the sake of God, and to enhance the lives of others – for where we bring blessings into other lives, there God lives.” — Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

When is Rosh Hashanah 2026?

1-2 Tishrei 5787

Begins: Sundown on Friday 11 September 2026
Ends: Nightfall on Sunday 13 September 2026

Videos on Rosh Hashanah

Interview at the Kyiv Jewish Forum

Rabbi Sacks was interviewed at The Kyiv Jewish Forum 2020, co-organised by the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine and the Jerusalem...

Rabbi Sacks in conversation with Sivan Rahav Meir

Recorded shortly before Rosh Hashanah, this Facebook Live conversation between Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks and Israeli journalist, Torah teacher, and...

Investing Time

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are festivals that ask us how we have lived thus far. Have we drifted? Have...

Confusing Satan

To mark the launch of 'Ceremony and Celebration: An Introduction to the Holidays' (published by Maggid Books in September 2017),...

God's Call To Us (b'Ivrit)

Read the Hebrew Transcript .אני מבקש לאחל לכם מכל הלב שנה טובה, שנת אושר ובריאות וחשוב מכול – שנת שלום...

קריאת אלוהים אלינו

קרא את התמליל .אני מבקש לאחל לכם מכל הלב שנה טובה, שנת אושר ובריאות וחשוב מכול – שנת שלום אבל...

The Two Voices: A New Perspective on the Meaning of Teshuvah

As we approach Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we invite you to take an hour to join Rabbi Sacks on an intellectual...

Chief Rabbi's 11th Annual Ellul Lecture at LSJS

Rabbi Sacks had a tradition, to deliver a pre-Rosh Hashanah shiur every year at the London School of Jewish Studies...

Ellul Mini-Episodes

Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur & Coronavirus – An Ellul lecture mini-series for 5780 (2020)

Building the Future

As we prepared to celebrate Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Rabbi Sacks recorded...

Rethinking Failure

...Lakish, whose first career was as a highway man, a man of violence, became a baal teshuvah, and the end result was that because he had the most unusual background of really any of the Amoraim, he said some of the most beautiful things anyone ever said about the power of teshuvah because he had been forced to experience the...

Faith & Insecurity

As we prepared to celebrate Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Rabbi Sacks recorded...

Midnight Selichot Speeches

Choral Midnight Selichot at Hampstead United Synagogue

The United Synagogue recorded the Midnight choral selichot service in Hampstead Synagogue in September 2019, and then released this film...

An Unforgiving Age

Watch Rabbi Sacks' pre-Selichot address, delivered in Hampstead Synagogue in London on 21st September 2019. Transcript Friends, we live in...

How Forgiveness Can Change the World

Transcript Rabbi Harris: It's an immense privilege and pleasure to begin tonight's service by inviting the Chief Rabbi to address...

To Live and Act as a Jew

Have you ever wondered what Professor Ludwig Guttmann (the founder of the Paralympic Games), Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur have...

Three Responses to Crisis

Watch highlights of Rabbi Sacks giving the Midnight Selichot Service Address in 2011. Read transcript When bad things happen to...

How to Evolve

On 12th September 2009, Rabbi Sacks attended the Midnight Selichot service at Hampstead synagogue, and gave the pre-Selichot Address as...

Understanding Prayer Videos

Growth

In this video, Rabbi Sacks discusses the difference between a fixed and a growth mindset, and why Judaism, especially around...

Family

In this video, Rabbi Sacks explains why we believe God is our family. As we approached Rosh Hashanah and Yom...

The Deepest Call

In this video, Rabbi Sacks focuses on the Shofar and how its sound is a prayer that goes deeper than...

Ask Rabbi Sacks Episodes

Questions Answered - Episode One

We invited the world to send Rabbi Sacks videos where they asked him their burning questions, in time for Rosh...

Preparing for the New Year Episodes

Where Will We Find God?

In 2011, in advance of Rosh Hashanah, the Ten Days of Repentance and Yom Kippur 5772, the Chief Rabbi Lord...

The Courage to Hope - the Greatest Courage of All

In 2011, in advance of Rosh Hashanah, the Ten Days of Repentance and Yom Kippur 5772, the Chief Rabbi Lord...

Undoing the Knots We Tie Ourselves Into

In 2011, in advance of Rosh Hashanah, the Ten Days of Repentance and Yom Kippur 5772, the Chief Rabbi Lord...

Where Our Speaking... Meets God’s Listening

In 2011, in advance of Rosh Hashanah, the Ten Days of Repentance and Yom Kippur 5772, the Chief Rabbi Lord...

How do you learn to live? By not taking life for granted.

In 2011, in advance of Rosh Hashanah, the Ten Days of Repentance and Yom Kippur 5772, the Chief Rabbi Lord...

When God Sheds A Tear…

In 2011, in advance of Rosh Hashanah, the Ten Days of Repentance and Yom Kippur 5772, the Chief Rabbi Lord...

To Be Free, You Have To Forgive

In 2011, in advance of Rosh Hashanah, the Ten Days of Repentance and Yom Kippur 5772, the Chief Rabbi Lord...

The Holy Place…is where you are

In 2011, in advance of Rosh Hashanah, the Ten Days of Repentance and Yom Kippur 5772, the Chief Rabbi Lord...

Don’t Get Angry… There’s A Better Way

In 2011, in advance of Rosh Hashanah, the Ten Days of Repentance and Yom Kippur 5772, the Chief Rabbi Lord...

The One Word That Can Change your Life

In 2011, in advance of Rosh Hashanah, the Ten Days of Repentance and Yom Kippur 5772, the Chief Rabbi Lord...

BBC Pre-Rosh Hashanah Programmes

What's the point of religion? (2011)

Watch Rabbi Sacks’ Rosh Hashanah programme, broadcast by the BBC in 2011 (5772). This instalment was titled “What’s the point...

The Case for God (2010)

To mark Rosh Hashanah, Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks interviews four distinguished and engaging atheists in The Case For God?...

A More Gracious Future (2009)

Watch Rabbi Sacks' Rosh Hashanah programme, broadcast by the BBC in 2009. Transcript Rabbi Sacks: On Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish...

Faith in the Family (2008)

Watch Rabbi Sacks' Rosh Hashanah programme, broadcast by the BBC in 2008. Transcript Narrator: The Jewish New Year. The Chief...

Keeping Faith (2007)

Watch Rabbi Sacks' Rosh Hashanah programme, broadcast by the BBC in 2007. Transcript Rabbi Sacks: If someone told you about...

In a Strange Land (2006)

Watch Rabbi Sacks' Rosh Hashanah programme, broadcast on the BBC in 2006. Transcript Reporters: A tipper truck, packed with explosives,...

My Brother's Keeper (2005)

Watch Rabbi Sacks’ Rosh Hashanah programme, broadcast by the BBC in 2005. Transcript Reports on bombings… Rabbi Sacks: After the...

Agents of Hope (2003)

Watch Rabbi Sacks' Rosh Hashanah programme, broadcast on the BBC in 2003. Transcript Announcer: Now, BBC 1 reflections on the...

A Message for the Jewish New Year (2001)

Watch Rabbi Sacks' BBC Rosh Hashanah programme, broadcast in 2001. Transcript Rabbi Sacks: On the eve of the Jewish New...

Does God Have a Place in the Marketplace? (2000)

Watch Rabbi Sacks' Rosh Hashanah programme, broadcast by the BBC in September 2000. Transcript Rabbi Sacks: As we approach Rosh...

Guardians of the World (1999)

Watch Rabbi Sacks' Rosh Hashanah programme, broadcast by the BBC in 1999. Transcript Rabbi Sacks: No idea has been more...

More than a FunFair (1998)

Watch Rabbi Sacks' Rosh Hashanah programme, broadcast by the BBC in 1998. Transcript Announcer: preamble… Now on BBC1, as the...

A Single Gesture (1997)

Watch Rabbi Sacks’ Rosh Hashanah programme, broadcast by the BBC in 1997, in which he visits a drug rehabilitation centre...

The Tough Questions (1996)

Watch Rabbi Sacks’ Rosh Hashanah programme, broadcast on the BBC in 1996. Transcript Rabbi Sacks: At this time of the...

Remember us for Life (1995)

Watch Rabbi Sacks' Rosh Hashanah programme, broadcast by the BBC in 1995. Transcript Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the great...

Time for Caring (1994)

Watch Rabbi Sacks' Rosh Hashanah programme, broadcast by the BBC in 1994. Transcript Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Judaism's holiest...

Please Forgive Us (1993)

On teshuvah and the spiritual drama of the Jewish New Year. Watch Rabbi Sacks' Rosh Hashanah programme, broadcast by the...

Beginning Again (1992)

Watch Rabbi Sacks' Rosh Hashanah television programme, broadcast by the BBC in 1992, including his visit to Wolfson Hillel primary...

The Unwritten Ending (1991)

Watch Rabbi Sacks' message for the Jewish New Year in his BBC Rosh Hashanah programme, broadcast in September 1991. Transcript...

JInsider Videos

Rabbi Sacks on Time

Transcript As anyone who's ever really engaged in time management knows, the single most important distinction is between the urgent...

Read about Rosh Hashanah

From The Archives

Essays and writings from Rabbi Sacks' extensive body of work

ARTICLES, REFLECTIONS

לקט איגרות לראש השנה

מאת הרב לורד יונתן זקס זצ”ל בפרוס כל שנה חדשה נהג הרב זקס, בהיותו הרב הראשי לקהילות היהודיות בבריטניה, להפיץ...

ARTICLES, ARTICLES

Covid Puts the ‘I’ in the High Holy Days

This year the Jewish High Holy Days will be like no other. Usually the synagogue is packed on Rosh Hashanah...

PODCAST INTERVIEWS, PODCASTS, CONVERSATIONS, PODCASTS

An Unconventional Path to Leadership

Rivkah Krinsky and Eda Schottenstein hosted Rabbi Sacks on their podcast, 'From the Inside Out' in September 2020, via Zoom....

ARTICLES

Ten Ideas for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur

As we approach Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and the start of the Jewish year, here are ten short ideas which...

ARTICLES

The Challenge of Jewish Repentance

The Ten Days of Repentance are the holy of holies of Jewish time. They begin this Wednesday evening with Rosh Hashanah,...

ARTICLES

Rosh Hashanah and the Robots

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins on 2nd October at sundown with the sounding of the shofar, the ram’s...

ARTICLES

Cultivating the Inner Self

“Original” is not a word often used in connection with a code of Jewish law. In general, the rule tends...

ARTICLES, REFLECTIONS

השופר קורא לנו

מאת הרב לורד יונתן זקס זצ”ל בפרוס כל שנה חדשה נהג הרב זקס, בהיותו הרב הראשי לקהילות היהודיות בבריטניה, להפיץ...

ARTICLES

God's Alarm Clock

There are many lovely explanations for why we blow the shofar on Rosh Hashanah, but one of the most powerful...

ARTICLES

On Rosh Hashanah, A Breath of Life

In the year that we are now parting with, 5774, it became dangerous once again to be a Jew. Israel,...

REFLECTIONS

Thoughts for Ellul

These six reflections written and recorded by Rabbi Sacks cover themes appropriate to this time of year, including teshuvah, self-change,...

ARTICLES, REFLECTIONS

לבחור בחיים

מאת הרב לורד יונתן זקס זצ”ל בפרוס כל שנה חדשה נהג הרב זקס, בהיותו הרב הראשי לקהילות היהודיות בבריטניה, להפיץ...

SPEECHES, SPEECHES

Address at the Installation of Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis as Chief Rabbi

The following is a transcript of the address delivered by Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks at the induction of Rabbi Ephraim...

ARTICLES, REFLECTIONS

תפילה מתחדשת

מאת הרב לורד יונתן זקס זצ”ל בפרוס כל שנה חדשה נהג הרב זקס, בהיותו הרב הראשי לקהילות היהודיות בבריטניה, להפיץ...

CREDO, ARTICLES

Books are the bringers of life and enlightenment

One year, when David Blunkett was Secretary of State for Education, he mentioned that he was dedicating the coming school...

CREDO, THE POWER OF IDEAS, ARTICLES

Les livres

Il y a quelque temps, lorsque David Blunkett était le secrétaire d’État pour l’éducation, il annonça qu’il dédiait l’année à...

ARTICLES, REFLECTIONS

כוחה של תפילה

מאת הרב לורד יונתן זקס זצ”ל בפרוס כל שנה חדשה נהג הרב זקס, בהיותו הרב הראשי לקהילות היהודיות בבריטניה, להפיץ...

ARTICLES, REFLECTIONS

עומדים יחד

מאת הרב לורד יונתן זקס זצ”ל בפרוס כל שנה חדשה נהג הרב זקס, בהיותו הרב הראשי לקהילות היהודיות בבריטניה, להפיץ...

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

The Shofar is the satellite navigation system of the soul

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins tonight. And on Sunday in the synagogue we’ll blow the shofar, the ram’s horn, as a kind of summons to us to get back on track in our lives. Asking God to write us in the book of life helps us remember our aims and aspirations in life. And we need such moments...

ARTICLES, REFLECTIONS

זמנים סוערים

מאת הרב לורד יונתן זקס זצ”ל בפרוס כל שנה חדשה נהג הרב זקס, בהיותו הרב הראשי לקהילות היהודיות בבריטניה, להפיץ...

ARTICLES, REFLECTIONS

מוצאים כוחות

מאת הרב לורד יונתן זקס זצ”ל בפרוס כל שנה חדשה נהג הרב זקס, בהיותו הרב הראשי לקהילות היהודיות בבריטניה, להפיץ...

REFLECTIONS

Music for the Jewish Soul

Image: The Book of Life - by Shraga Weil (Safra Gallery, Jerusalem, www.safrai.com) In 2007, the Chief Rabbi recorded a...

ARTICLES, BOOK EXTRACTS

עשרה נתיבים אל ה'

כל אדם מוצא את עצמו בשלב מסוים בחייו שואל שלוש שאלות בסיסיות: מי אני? מדוע אני כאן? כיצד עליי לחיות? ...

ARTICLES, BOOK EXTRACTS

Ten Days, Ten Ways: Paths to the Divine Presence

DOWNLOAD PDF Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and the days between are the time when we come closest to God – reflecting...

ARTICLES, REFLECTIONS

זמנים סוערים

מאת הרב לורד יונתן זקס זצ”ל בפרוס כל שנה חדשה נהג הרב זקס, בהיותו הרב הראשי לקהילות היהודיות בבריטניה, להפיץ...

ARTICLES, REFLECTIONS

אחריות גלובלית

מאת הרב לורד יונתן זקס זצ”ל בפרוס כל שנה חדשה נהג הרב זקס, בהיותו הרב הראשי לקהילות היהודיות בבריטניה, להפיץ...

ARTICLES

The Secret of Jewish Survival

There is an ancient Chinese curse, “May you live in interesting times.” We live in interesting times. This summer Israel...

ARTICLES, REFLECTIONS

החיים יקרים

מאת הרב לורד יונתן זקס זצ”ל בפרוס כל שנה חדשה נהג הרב זקס, בהיותו הרב הראשי לקהילות היהודיות בבריטניה, להפיץ...

ARTICLES, REFLECTIONS

התפילה כשותפות

מאת הרב לורד יונתן זקס זצ”ל בפרוס כל שנה חדשה נהג הרב זקס, בהיותו הרב הראשי לקהילות היהודיות בבריטניה, להפיץ...

CREDO

Forget the tyranny of the clock and follow the calendar of life

There's a lovely story about time. Two elderly Jews who haven’t seen each other in fifty years, meet, slowly recognise...

ARTICLES, REFLECTIONS

כוח החיים

מאת הרב לורד יונתן זקס זצ”ל בפרוס כל שנה חדשה נהג הרב זקס, בהיותו הרב הראשי לקהילות היהודיות בבריטניה, להפיץ...

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Why Terror Always Fails

Transcript On the eve of the Jewish New Year, I, like so many of us, am still in a state...

ARTICLES, REFLECTIONS

לחדש ימינו

מאת הרב לורד יונתן זקס זצ”ל בפרוס כל שנה חדשה נהג הרב זקס, בהיותו הרב הראשי לקהילות היהודיות בבריטניה, להפיץ...

ARTICLES, REFLECTIONS

לשרוד – ולשגשג

מאת הרב לורד יונתן זקס זצ”ל בפרוס כל שנה חדשה נהג הרב זקס, בהיותו הרב הראשי לקהילות היהודיות בבריטניה, להפיץ...

ARTICLES, REFLECTIONS

לחגוג את הנס

מאת הרב לורד יונתן זקס זצ”ל בפרוס כל שנה חדשה נהג הרב זקס, בהיותו הרב הראשי לקהילות היהודיות בבריטניה, להפיץ...

ARTICLES, REFLECTIONS

A Collection of Messages for Rosh Hashanah

When Rosh Hashanah approached, Rabbi Sacks would craft short yet profound messages to Jewish communities. Drawing on key moments from...

ARTICLES, REFLECTIONS, STATEMENTS

Remember Us for Life

In September 2000, ahead of the Jewish New Year, Rabbi Sacks sent out this Rosh Hashanah message. In June this...

ARTICLES, REFLECTIONS

לשרוד – ולשגשג

בחודש יוני השנה השיקה המלכּה את תערוכת השואה החדשה במוזיאון המלחמה המלכותי. היה זה טקס מרשים, אך שבועות מספר קודם...

ARTICLES, L'EYLAH ARTICLES

Can We Change? The Psychodynamics of Teshuvah (L'Eylah)

Issue 46 - printed September 1998 Download

ARTICLES, L'EYLAH ARTICLES

The Word 'Now' - Reflections on the Psychology of Teshuva (L'Eylah)

This Rosh Hashanah issue contains something of the me'inyana de'yoma, bearing on the themes of the Days of Penitence. In...

From Covenant & Conversation

The series of weekly commentary essays on the Torah by Rabbi Sacks

ÉMOR • 5776, 5783

Les temps saints

La paracha de Émor comporte un chapitre dédié aux fêtes du calendrier juif. Il y a cinq passages semblables dans...

EMOR • 5776, 5783

Holy Times

The parsha of Emor contains a chapter dedicated to the festivals of the Jewish year. There are five such passages...

NITZAVIM • 5767

Two Concepts of Teshuvah

The sedra of Nitzavim is always read on the Shabbat before Rosh Hashanah, when our thoughts are directed toward teshuvah...

Rosh Hashanah Family Edition

Rosh Hashanah

The Ten Days that begin on Rosh Hashanah and end with Yom Kippur are the holy of holies of Jewish time...