The Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown on Sunday, September 20. Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, celebrates the creation of the world and is a time for reflection and self evaluation. It is one of the Jewish tradition's holiest of days.

Yom Kippur comes ten days after the celebration of the Jewish New Year and signifies a chance for a new beginning, where God forgives His people, and His people forgive each other. This sacred day is spent worshipping and fasting. This year, Yom Kippur begins at sundown on September 29.

Let's begin our tour at The Jewish Outreach Center, where you can learn the history and practices of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and other Jewish holidays. The site features stories, recipes, songs, how-to guides, and more.

Visit Virtual Jerusalem: Those Awesome Days to learn about the Shofar, the ancient horn sounded during services on Rosh Hashanah. Children can stop by the Kids' Club for arts and craft ideas, stories, and to learn about the holidays.

Hebraic Heritage Ministries International offers an in-depth lesson on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Learn about Azazel, the scapegoat, which was sent away, not sacrificed, to cleanse the people of their sins. The goat was sent away to wander in the wilderness and was understood to be a picture of "satan" being cast into the lake of fire.

At Judaism and Jewish Resources, you'll discover information on Jewish studies, Jewish communities, arts, libraries, books, and travels, as well as Jewish mailing lists, IRC groups, and newsgroups.

"Ten measures of beauty were bestowed upon the world; nine were taken by Jerusalem and one by the rest of the world," (Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Kiddushin 49:2). For a visual tour at Jerusalem, visit the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs Jerusalem website, where you'll find pictures of Jerusalem in early Christian times, archeological sites in Israel, Jerusalem in old maps and views, and much more.

At the Jewish Culture and History site, you'll find images of synagogues in Poland, or you can hear the sound of a Shofar. The site offers link after link of Jewish websites featuring tours of Israel, Torah and Talmud study opportunities on the Internet, and documents of Jewish beliefs.

Finally, let's visit Maven, a source of over 6,000 Jewish or Israel links. Learn of current events, find Jewish recipes, or read about the Holocaust. Take a virtual trip to cities in Israel, or learn about Jewish festivals. You'll even find Jewish software and a virtual shopping mall at Maven.

Robin Nobles is a freelance writer who can be reached at robinnobles@robinsnest.com.

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