{"id":1162,"date":"2014-09-29T17:47:52","date_gmt":"2014-09-29T21:47:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/truthsyoucanuse\/?p=1162"},"modified":"2014-09-29T17:47:52","modified_gmt":"2014-09-29T21:47:52","slug":"what-to-say-to-your-jewish-friends-on-the-holidays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/truthsyoucanuse\/2014\/09\/what-to-say-to-your-jewish-friends-on-the-holidays.html","title":{"rendered":"What to say to your Jewish Friends on the Holidays"},"content":{"rendered":"

W<\/span>hile speaking at a church recently, I received an urgent question: \u201cIs it okay for me to wish my Jewish friends \u2018A Happy New Year\u2019 on Rosh Hashanah?<\/p>\n

\n

\"rosh-hashanah-shofar2\"<\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely,\u201d I said. The questioner then asked what was appropriate to say on Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, when many Jews do not eat or drink and spend most of the day in synagogue.<\/p>\n

I thought for a minute. My answer was a bit disappointing. About the closest we get to a customary greeting in synagogue is \u201cHave an easy fast.\u201d<\/p>\n

As I thought more about it, however, I realized we have a few other possibilities:<\/span><\/p>\n

Rosh Hashanah\u2014The Jewish New Year<\/b><\/p>\n

Hag Samaech<\/i>, which means \u201cA Happy Holiday.\u201d This greeting works on most holidays. The word\u00a0samaech<\/i>\u00a0means \u201chappy,\u201d but it has the connotation of a shared communal happiness. A happy holiday is one we share with our friends, family and community.
\n<\/b><\/p>\n

L\u2019Shanah Tova\u00a0<\/i><\/span>Tikatevu, which means \u201cMay you be inscribed for a good year.\u201d According to Jewish tradition, God has a big book with all of our names in it. It\u2019s called the Book of Life. On Rosh Hashanah we pray God inscribes our names on the good side of the book, giving us a year of joy, health and prosperity.<\/p>\n

Gut Yontif<\/i>, which means \u201cMay this be a good holiday.\u201d\u00a0Gut Yontif<\/i>is a Yiddish phrase. Yiddish was the language of many Jews who lived in Central and Eastern Europe in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries\u2014think Fiddler on the Roof. Many older Jews will use this greeting throughout the holiday.<\/p>\n

Yom Kippur\u2014The Day of Atonement<\/b><\/p>\n

Tzom Kol<\/i>, which means \u201cAn Easy Fast.\u201d Fasting is not meant to make us suffer. It is meant to cleanse our bodies and spirit and help us focus on the spiritual meaning of the holiday. Thus, wishing someone an easy fast is a way of acknowledging they are fasting while expressing hope that the holiday is meaningful not painful.
\n<\/b><\/p>\n

Gmar Chatimah Tova<\/i>, which means \u201cMay you be sealed for a good year.\u201d This greeting brings us back to the metaphor of the Book of Life. As we conclude the period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and God prepares to close the book with our fates sealed in them, we pray that each of us ends up on the right side of the ledger.<\/p>\n

When in doubt on either of these holidays, it is always appropriate to say \u201cHappy New Year.\u201d What better wish can we give to one another than that we enjoy a year of health, happiness and peace.<\/p>\n

Click here to get a free 1-page guide to all the Jewish Holidays!<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While speaking at a church recently, I received an urgent question: \u201cIs it okay for me to wish my Jewish friends \u2018A Happy New Year\u2019 on Rosh Hashanah? \u201cAbsolutely,\u201d I said. 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