Rosh Hashanah Family Celebration To-Do List
A Practical, Meaningful, and Joy-Filled Guide for Welcoming the Jewish New Year
Rosh Hashanah is more than a holiday meal. It is a sacred opportunity for a family to pause, reflect, give thanks, seek forgiveness, pray, remember God's faithfulness, and enter the new year with renewed hope and intention.
Below is a comprehensive family checklist that combines spiritual preparation, home preparation, traditional foods, worship, family activities, hospitality, and meaningful traditions. You can adapt it according to your family's traditions and Messianic Jewish practice.
π 1. Begin Preparing Several Days Before Rosh Hashanah
Spiritual Preparation
☐ Set aside time for personal prayer and reflection.
☐ Ask God to reveal areas of your life that need repentance, growth, healing, or reconciliation.
☐ Read passages connected with repentance, God's faithfulness, and the beginning of a new season.
Suggested readings:
- Genesis 21
- Genesis 22
- Leviticus 23:23–25
- Numbers 29:1–6
- Psalm 27
- Psalm 81
- Psalm 90
- Psalm 100
- Psalm 103
- Isaiah 55:6–9
- Matthew 5:23–24
- Luke 15
- Revelation 21:1–5
☐ Talk with your spouse about the spiritual focus you want for the coming year.
☐ Encourage children to think about one thing they are thankful for from the past year.
☐ Encourage each family member to identify something they would like to improve during the coming year.
☐ Consider making peace with someone with whom there has been conflict.
☐ Apologize where an apology is needed.
☐ Forgive others where forgiveness is needed.
☐ Pray for your family, congregation, community, Israel, and the Jewish people.
π 2. Prepare Your Home
Rosh Hashanah is a wonderful opportunity to make your home feel welcoming, peaceful, and festive.
Cleaning & Organization
☐ Clean the kitchen.
☐ Clean the dining area.
☐ Wash table linens.
☐ Polish or clean candlesticks.
☐ Clean serving dishes.
☐ Organize the refrigerator.
☐ Make room for holiday food.
☐ Prepare a comfortable place for guests.
☐ Set aside a special place for prayer or family reflection.
Decorations
☐ Choose a beautiful tablecloth.
☐ Set out festive dishes.
☐ Add flowers or greenery.
☐ Place apples and honey somewhere visible.
☐ Add pomegranates or other seasonal fruits.
☐ Consider decorating with gold, white, burgundy, or autumn colors.
☐ Create a small "Shanah Tovah" sign for the table.
☐ Place Hebrew words such as:
Χ©Χ Χ ΧΧΧΧ
Shanah Tovah — "Good Year"
or
ΧΧͺΧΧΧ ΧΧΧͺΧΧΧ ΧΧΧΧ
Ketivah v'Chatimah Tovah — "May you be written and sealed for a good [year]."
π―️ 3. Gather Holiday Supplies
Essential Items
☐ Shabbat/holiday candles
☐ Candlesticks
☐ Kiddush cup
☐ Wine or grape juice
☐ Challah
☐ Apples
☐ Honey
☐ Pomegranates
☐ Round challah, if desired
☐ Salt
☐ Holiday dishes
☐ Serving utensils
☐ Napkins
☐ Table decorations
☐ Machzor or prayer books
☐ Bible/Tanakh
☐ Shofar
☐ Children's activity supplies
π 4. Prepare a Family Rosh Hashanah Program
Rather than allowing the evening to become simply "dinner with apples and honey," consider creating a simple family liturgy.
Prepare:
☐ Opening prayer
☐ Candle lighting
☐ Kiddush
☐ Blessing over the bread
☐ Blessing over the fruit
☐ Apples and honey
☐ Shofar blowing
☐ Scripture reading
☐ Family gratitude discussion
☐ Repentance/reflection
☐ Prayer for the coming year
☐ Blessing children
☐ Dinner
☐ Songs
☐ Dessert
☐ Closing prayer
You don't have to make this complicated. The goal is to create a rhythm of worship, remembrance, gratitude, family, and joy.
π 5. Plan the Rosh Hashanah Menu
Traditional foods vary considerably among Jewish communities, so choose the foods that fit your family's traditions.
Traditional/Popular Foods
☐ Apples and honey
☐ Round challah
☐ Pomegranate
☐ Honey cake
☐ Carrot dishes
☐ Dates
☐ Figs
☐ Fish
☐ Brisket
☐ Chicken
☐ Roasted vegetables
☐ Tzimmes
☐ Sweet potatoes
☐ Rice dishes
☐ Kugel
☐ Gefilte fish, if part of your tradition
☐ Fruit desserts
A Simple Menu
Appetizer
- Challah
- Apples and honey
- Pomegranate
- Gefilte fish or another appetizer
Main Course
- Roast chicken or brisket
- Roasted vegetables
- Sweet potatoes
- Tzimmes
- Salad
Dessert
- Honey cake
- Apple cake
- Fruit
- Tea or coffee
π― 6. Make Apples and Honey the Family Tradition
This is one of the most recognizable Rosh Hashanah customs.
☐ Buy several varieties of apples.
☐ Purchase good-quality honey.
☐ Put honey in a beautiful bowl.
☐ Slice the apples shortly before serving.
☐ Invite everyone to dip an apple into honey.
☐ Explain that the sweetness expresses a hope for a good and sweet year.
Family Activity
Go around the table and ask:
"What is one thing you hope will be sweet in our family this year?"
Children can answer with things such as:
- Friendship
- School
- Family relationships
- Health
- Creativity
- New experiences
- Peace
- Faith
- Learning
π· 7. Prepare for Kiddush
☐ Chill wine or grape juice.
☐ Fill the Kiddush cup.
☐ Gather everyone around the table.
☐ Light the holiday candles.
☐ Recite Kiddush according to your family's tradition.
☐ Give thanks to God for bringing your family into another year.
π―️ 8. Holiday Candle Lighting
Before the meal, prepare the candles.
☐ Place candles safely.
☐ Light them according to your family's tradition.
☐ Recite the appropriate holiday blessing.
☐ Pause afterward for personal prayer.
You might invite each family member to silently thank God for one blessing from the previous year.
π 9. Serve Round Challah
Round challah is particularly associated with Rosh Hashanah in many Jewish communities.
☐ Purchase or bake round challah.
☐ Consider making the challah together as a family.
☐ Add raisins if your family enjoys them.
☐ Use honey instead of another sweetener if desired.
☐ Place the challah prominently on the table.
☐ Cover it until the appropriate blessing.
☐ Recite HaMotzi.
☐ Dip the challah in honey if that is your family tradition.
Family Conversation
Ask:
"What do you want God to help us build together this year?"
π― 10. Prepare for the Shofar
The shofar is one of the central symbols of Rosh Hashanah.
☐ Locate your shofar.
☐ Clean and inspect it.
☐ Practice beforehand if someone in the family will blow it.
☐ Make sure children understand that it is not simply a musical instrument.
☐ Explain its biblical significance.
☐ Read Leviticus 23:23–25.
☐ Read Numbers 29:1–6.
☐ Read Psalm 47.
☐ Read Psalm 81.
☐ Discuss the themes of remembrance, awakening, kingship, repentance, and God's sovereignty.
Family Shofar Activity
Have the children learn about the traditional sounds:
Tekiah — one long blast
Shevarim — three broken blasts
Teruah — a series of short, rapid blasts
Tekiah Gedolah — an extended final blast
If appropriate to your family's observance, listen to or participate in shofar blowing during your Rosh Hashanah gathering.
π¨π©π§π¦ 11. Create a Family Reflection Ceremony
Give every family member a piece of paper.
Write these questions:
Looking Back
☐ What am I most thankful for?
☐ What did God teach me this year?
☐ What challenge helped me grow?
☐ Who helped me this year?
☐ What blessing did I almost overlook?
Looking Inward
☐ Is there someone I need to forgive?
☐ Is there someone I need to apologize to?
☐ What habit do I need to change?
☐ Where do I need greater faith?
☐ Where do I need more patience?
Looking Forward
☐ What do I hope to learn?
☐ What kind of person do I want to become?
☐ How can I serve others?
☐ How can our family become more loving?
☐ What would make our home more peaceful?
❤️ 12. Make Reconciliation Part of the Celebration
Rosh Hashanah can provide a natural opportunity to repair relationships.
☐ Call someone you have been avoiding.
☐ Send an apology.
☐ Ask for forgiveness.
☐ Forgive someone who has hurt you.
☐ Reconcile with a family member.
☐ Pray for difficult relationships.
For a Messianic Jewish family, this can be an especially meaningful time to reflect on Yeshua's teaching about reconciliation and making peace with others.
Read:
Matthew 5:23–24
The goal isn't merely to begin a new calendar year.
It is to enter the new year with a cleaner heart and healthier relationships.
π§ 13. Include Children
Children should experience Rosh Hashanah as something beautiful—not simply as a long religious service followed by adults telling them to sit still.
Children's Activities
☐ Make apple-and-honey crafts.
☐ Decorate paper shofars.
☐ Make Rosh Hashanah cards.
☐ Draw pictures representing the coming year.
☐ Make a "gratitude tree."
☐ Have children write blessings they want for their family.
☐ Let children help set the table.
☐ Allow children to help bake challah.
☐ Teach them simple Hebrew words.
Hebrew Words to Teach
Shalom — peace
Shanah — year
Tovah — good
Dvash — honey
Tapuach — apple
Rosh — head
Shofar — shofar
Berakhah — blessing
π³ 14. Create a Family "Gratitude Tree"
This can become a wonderful annual tradition.
☐ Find a branch from outside or make a paper tree.
☐ Cut out paper leaves.
☐ Give each person several leaves.
☐ Write one blessing from the previous year on each leaf.
☐ Hang the leaves on the tree.
Then read several aloud.
At the end of the year, you can look back at what God has done.
π 15. Start a Family Rosh Hashanah Journal
Buy one notebook specifically for Rosh Hashanah.
Every year record:
☐ Date
☐ Who attended
☐ Favorite foods
☐ Family highlights
☐ Challenges from the previous year
☐ Things you're thankful for
☐ Prayers for the coming year
☐ Children's ages
☐ Funny family memories
☐ Spiritual lessons
☐ Photos or drawings
☐ Special answers to prayer
Over the years, this can become a treasured family record.
π 16. Pray for the Coming Year
Create a family prayer list.
Pray for:
☐ Your marriage
☐ Your children
☐ Parents and grandparents
☐ Extended family
☐ Friendships
☐ Congregation
☐ Community
☐ Those who are grieving
☐ Those who are sick or struggling
☐ Those experiencing financial hardship
☐ The vulnerable
☐ Peace in Jerusalem
☐ Israel
☐ The Jewish people around the world
☐ The spread of God's kingdom
☐ Wisdom for the coming year
☐ Courage to obey God
☐ Greater love for God and others
✡️ 17. Bless Your Children
One particularly beautiful family tradition is blessing your children.
Gather the children together.
Place your hands on them and speak words of blessing, love, encouragement, and prayer over their lives.
You may incorporate the traditional priestly blessing:
Numbers 6:24–26
"The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the LORD lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace."
You can also tell each child something specific you admire about them.
This can become one of the most emotionally meaningful moments of the evening.
π 18. Discuss the Symbolism of the Foods
Turn dinner into a learning experience.
Apple + Honey
A wish for a good and sweet year.
Pomegranate
Often associated with abundance and fruitfulness.
Round Challah
Its circular shape can evoke the cycle of the year and continuity.
Fish
In some traditions, fish symbolize fertility, abundance, or the desire to be "like the head and not the tail."
Carrots
In some Jewish traditions, carrots have symbolic associations with increased blessings or prosperity.
Explain that customs and symbolic foods differ among Jewish communities, so your family can learn about several traditions without assuming every custom is universally practiced.
πΆ 19. Add Music and Singing
Prepare:
☐ Traditional Jewish songs
☐ Messianic Jewish worship songs
☐ Scripture-based songs
☐ Songs about God's faithfulness
☐ Children's songs
☐ Songs your family already loves
Create a playlist beforehand so someone isn't frantically searching YouTube while everyone else is eating.
π️ 20. Plan a Moment of Silence
Not every meaningful moment requires words.
After the shofar or Scripture reading, consider having everyone sit quietly for one minute.
Invite everyone to think:
"What is God inviting me to leave behind?"
and
"What is God inviting me to carry into this new year?"
For children, make the silence shorter.
π 21. Celebrate on the Second Day, If Observed
Families observing two days of Rosh Hashanah should prepare accordingly.
☐ Review your congregation's schedule.
☐ Plan meals for both days.
☐ Prepare enough food.
☐ Plan additional worship or study.
☐ Arrange childcare if needed.
☐ Prepare additional holiday clothing.
☐ Plan family activities for the second day.
☐ Make sure guests know your schedule.
π 22. Plan a Tashlich Experience
Many Jewish communities observe Tashlich during Rosh Hashanah by going to a body of water and symbolically casting away pieces of bread, traditionally reflecting on the casting away of sins.
If your family or congregation observes Tashlich:
☐ Find an appropriate body of water.
☐ Check local environmental rules before throwing anything into the water.
☐ Consider using no physical objects at all and making it a symbolic prayer.
☐ Read Micah 7:18–20.
☐ Talk about repentance and God's mercy.
☐ Pray together.
☐ Reflect on what you want to leave behind.
For Messianic believers, this can also be a meaningful opportunity to reflect on God's forgiveness and the call to repentance.
π 23. Practice Hospitality
Rosh Hashanah doesn't have to be an exclusive family event.
Consider inviting:
☐ A single friend
☐ An elderly person
☐ A neighbor
☐ Someone new to your congregation
☐ Someone whose family lives far away
☐ A person who might otherwise celebrate alone
☐ Someone interested in learning about Jewish traditions
Before guests arrive:
☐ Confirm dietary needs.
☐ Confirm arrival time.
☐ Explain the basic schedule.
☐ Prepare extra seating.
☐ Prepare children's activities.
☐ Have extra copies of prayers or readings.
☐ Make guests feel included rather than like observers.
π 24. One-Week Shopping Checklist
Produce
☐ Apples
☐ Pomegranates
☐ Dates
☐ Figs
☐ Carrots
☐ Sweet potatoes
☐ Seasonal vegetables
☐ Salad ingredients
☐ Fresh herbs
Pantry
☐ Honey
☐ Flour
☐ Sugar
☐ Cinnamon
☐ Raisins
☐ Nuts
☐ Rice
☐ Spices
☐ Broth
☐ Olive oil
Meat/Fish
☐ Chicken
☐ Brisket
☐ Fish
☐ Other family favorites
Beverages
☐ Wine
☐ Grape juice
☐ Sparkling water
☐ Tea
☐ Coffee
π 25. The Day Before Rosh Hashanah
☐ Finish grocery shopping.
☐ Prepare desserts.
☐ Bake challah.
☐ Prepare honey cake.
☐ Chop vegetables.
☐ Prepare sauces.
☐ Make salads that can be prepared ahead.
☐ Set the table.
☐ Polish Kiddush cup.
☐ Clean candlesticks.
☐ Locate prayer books.
☐ Locate shofar.
☐ Charge phones/cameras if you'll be taking pictures.
☐ Prepare children's activities.
☐ Confirm guests.
☐ Review the family schedule.
☐ Choose holiday clothes.
☐ Prepare a playlist.
☐ Get enough rest.
π 26. Rosh Hashanah Morning
☐ Wake up without rushing.
☐ Pray privately.
☐ Read Scripture.
☐ Attend synagogue/congregational services if appropriate.
☐ Hear the shofar.
☐ Participate in worship.
☐ Spend time with family.
☐ Reach out to someone who may be alone.
☐ Prepare the afternoon meal.
☐ Take a walk together.
☐ Consider observing Tashlich.
π½️ 27. Rosh Hashanah Evening Checklist
Before Guests Arrive
☐ House clean
☐ Table set
☐ Candles ready
☐ Wine/grape juice ready
☐ Challah ready
☐ Apples sliced
☐ Honey ready
☐ Food prepared
☐ Shofar ready
☐ Machzor/prayer books available
☐ Music ready
☐ Children occupied
☐ Camera/phone ready for family photographs
π―️ 28. Suggested Order for the Family Celebration
You can use this simple sequence:
☐ Welcome everyone.
☐ Light the holiday candles.
☐ Offer a prayer of thanksgiving.
☐ Explain the meaning of Rosh Hashanah.
☐ Recite Kiddush.
☐ Bless the bread.
☐ Dip challah in honey, according to your tradition.
☐ Bless and eat the apples and honey.
☐ Enjoy symbolic foods.
☐ Read Scripture.
☐ Hear the shofar.
☐ Discuss the past year.
☐ Share gratitude.
☐ Talk about hopes for the coming year.
☐ Bless the children.
☐ Pray for family, community, Israel, and the Jewish people.
☐ Enjoy the meal.
☐ Sing.
☐ Share stories.
☐ Eat dessert.
☐ End with thanksgiving and blessing.
π 29. Create a "New Year Family Covenant"
Have everyone contribute one commitment.
For example:
This year our family will seek to:
☐ Speak kindly.
☐ Pray together.
☐ Eat together more often.
☐ Forgive quickly.
☐ Give generously.
☐ Welcome others.
☐ Spend less time on screens.
☐ Read Scripture together.
☐ Serve our community.
☐ Practice gratitude.
☐ Encourage one another.
☐ Make our home a place of peace.
Write your family commitments down and keep them somewhere visible.
πΈ 30. Take an Annual Family Photograph
Make this a yearly tradition.
☐ Take a family photo.
☐ Photograph the table.
☐ Photograph the children with apples and honey.
☐ Photograph the shofar.
☐ Record children's ages.
☐ Write down funny things they said.
☐ Save the photographs with the family Rosh Hashanah journal.
Years later, these photographs can become a beautiful visual history of your family's journey.
π 31. Send Rosh Hashanah Greetings
Reach out to family and friends.
You can say:
Shanah Tovah!
"Have a good year!"
Or:
Shanah Tovah U'Metukah!
"Have a good and sweet year!"
You may also hear:
Shanah Tovah Tikateivu v'Techateimu
"May you be written and sealed for a good year."
☐ Call grandparents.
☐ Message family.
☐ Send cards.
☐ Contact friends.
☐ Encourage someone who has had a difficult year.
❤️ 32. Don't Forget the Most Important To-Do
Amid the cooking, cleaning, candles, shofar, prayers, decorations, photographs, and elaborate meals, remember:
Be present.
☐ Put the phone away.
☐ Look at your children's faces.
☐ Listen to your spouse.
☐ Tell your parents you love them.
☐ Laugh together.
☐ Eat slowly.
☐ Tell stories.
☐ Pray together.
☐ Thank God.
☐ Forgive.
☐ Hope.
☐ Celebrate another year of life.
Because ultimately, Rosh Hashanah isn't about creating the most impressive table.
It is about remembering who God is, remembering His faithfulness, examining our hearts, turning toward Him, and entering the new year with hope.
ππ― A Simple Family Rosh Hashanah Theme
If you want one phrase to place at the center of your celebration, consider:
"Remember. Repent. Give Thanks. Hope. Begin Again."
Remember what God has done.
Repent where your heart needs correction.
Give thanks for the blessings you have received.
Hope for what God may yet do.
Begin again with a heart turned toward Him.
Shanah Tovah U'Metukah — may your family have a good and sweet new year!
