A 10-day period of atonement began Monday evening for members of the Jewish community at Texas Tech who celebrated Rosh Hashana.
"Rosh Hashanah represents the new year for the Jewish calender," said Holden Wilen, a sophomore business major from Dallas and vice president of Tech's chapter of Hillel, a Jewish student organization.
The Jewish new year, he said, is a time when Jews ask God to forgive the sins they committed during the previous year and to give them strength in the new year.
It is a time when the Jewish tradition teaches God is more accessible, according to the Web site for Hillel's international organization. It is also a time of favor and forgiveness, a time of growth and improvement and a time of new beginnings.
Wilen said Jews take this time for repentance because they believe God chooses during Yom Kippur - which is the second holiday that occurs at sunset 10 days after Rash Hashana - whether he is going to put people in the Book of Life or the Book of Death.
"It's about personal reflection," said Hillel member Daniel Moss, a freshman anthropology major from Lubbock.
He said he uses this time to reflect on the previous year and find ways he can become a better person in the new year.
Garrett Boroda, a education doctoral candidate from Boston, Mass., and secretary for Tech's Hillel, said Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are the two most important holidays in the Jewish calendar.
He said these Jewish High Holy Days are the time "to show you really mean business."
Boroda said, even for those who do not regularly attend worship services at the synagogue, it is important to follow Jewish traditions during the High Holy Days.
It is traditional for Jews to eat apple slices dipped in honey during Rosh Hashanah, he said, which represents the hope of ushering in a "sweet" new year.
Wilen said another tradition includes sounding of the shofar, a ram's horn, and the accompanying prayers during worship services at the synagogue.
It is also important to wear white or other light colors during worship services, he said, because dark colors symbolize death or sin.
"My parents took the holiday very seriously," said Wilen.
Although they did not follow the strict rules of the Sabbath throughout the year, he said, they followed them during the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.
Wilen said this meant he and his family were not supposed to use energy, which included both electronics and physical exertion. This meant no telephone calls and no basketball playing.
"We weren't even allowed to turn on the television," he said.
Although he does not always adhere to the strict rules of the Sabbath now, Wilen said, he still celebrates the High Holy Days actively and encourages other Jewish students to do the same.
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