Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year — which this year begins on the evening of Sunday, September 15 — it’s an amazing holiday, but what is it really all about?! Even if you know, you definitely want to hear this short and snappy explanation from Emmy-nominated actress, Jewish mom, and neuroscientist, Mayim Bialik.
Mayim is breaking down Jewish holidays in a series of fun videos for our partner site, My Jewish Learning, called “You Know How I Know?” And she’s starting at the very beginning, which, we hear, is a very good place to start — with Rosh Hashanah, of course.
Mayim’s explanation isn’t just clear and succinct. It’s also juxtaposed with lively, pop culture moments, ranging from Harry Potter movie clips to Shakira performances, and she also shares really fun anecdotes from her life, like what her mother grew up eating on Rosh Hashanah and how her rabbi decided she had to learn to blow the shofar (spoiler alert: He saw her playing the trumpet on the Arsenio Hall Show at age 13).
Watch until the very end to see Mayim show off some very real shofar skillz — you’ll be blown away! (Sorry, we couldn’t resist the pun.)
