Tag Archives for rosh hashanah

Rosh Hashanah Apple Papercut

The Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, the New Year, starts tonight at sundown. Happy 5778! And this month, despite being too busy to blog much of late, I did manage to create a new Rosh Hashanah card design.

I did a custom Etsy order earlier this year for a text design in a faux-papercut style, which got me interested in doing one for myself. Papercutting is a traditional Jewish art form, and this piece incorporates a traditional Rosh Hashanah blessing: “May it be Your will, our God and the God of our ancestors, that You renew for us a good and sweet year.” These words are recited over the apples and honey that are so emblematic of Rosh Hashanah.

For my personal sending, I ordered 4.25″x5.5″ double-sided flat cards from OvernightPrints. But I’ve also posted a 5×7 version (customizable) on my Zazzle shop:
Rosh Hashanah Apple Papercut Card

Shanah tovah u’metukah! A good and sweet year to all my readers.

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Because this is still a design blog: Who By Fire

I’ve occasionally tried my hand at creating holiday cards, but never anything particularly inspired, somehow.

Then during Rosh Hashanah services this year, I managed to remember that the Thing I Do is play around with text, especially Biblical or liturgical text… and there’s no shortage of great material in the High Holiday liturgy. Which excited me, even if it results in a bit of a departure from your basic apples-and-honey “good and sweet year” greeting card motif.

So here’s the first one:

On Rosh Hashanah it is written, and on Yom Kippur it is sealed...

This famous liturgical passage is from the central U’netaneh Tokef section of the Rosh Hashanah Musaf prayer service. Click to enlarge.

I have a few more passages still in mind to work up. Next year I intend to actually get some of them printed up in time to use for the holiday… so I made sure to use up the last few mundane ones in my stash this year.

Edited to add (2015): Buy it on Zazzle!

Ketivah v’chatimah tovah: May you all be written and sealed for a good year.