On what date does Rosh Hashanah fall?

Rosh Hashanah falls on the 1st and 2nd of Tishrei. The Torah identifies the first day as a sacred day of remembrance marked by shofar blasts (Leviticus 23:24–25). Two days are observed even in Israel under the fixed calendar. When months were fixed by witnesses, most of the Land could not know in time which day had been sanctified, so two days were kept, and this remained the rule (Rambam, Hilchot Kiddush HaChodesh 5:7–8). The festival begins on the evening before the 1st of Tishrei; its Gregorian dates change each year.

For practical preparation, check the Hebrew dates and your synagogue’s service times separately. Shofar is a daytime mitzvah (Shulchan Aruch, OC 588:1); when Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat, it is not sounded that day (OC 588:5). When the first day is Shabbat, the shofar is sounded on the second day only. This applies to Ashkenazi and Sephardi communities alike.

Preparation customs differ. Shulchan Aruch records Selichot from Rosh Chodesh Elul; the Rema records the Ashkenazi practice of beginning on the Sunday before Rosh Hashanah, or a week earlier when Rosh Hashanah falls on Monday or Tuesday (OC 581:1). Follow your community’s schedule rather than assuming one starting date is universal.

A Beit Din may ask why Rosh Hashanah has two days in Israel, or how it introduces the Ten Days of Repentance. Rambam identifies these days as especially suited to repentance (Hilchot Teshuvah 2:6). A common mistake is treating the second day as optional because other festivals usually have only one day in Israel.