The Jewish High Holy Day season, covering ten days between Rosh Hashanah, Head of the Year, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, always arrives near the opening of autumn—raising an obvious question. The holidays focus on life—with intense prayers asking God to inscribe us for another year in the “Book of Life.” Why, then, do these solemn but celebratory occasions arrive in autumn, the season inevitably associated with mortality and death; the falling leaves generally signify conclusions, not beginnings.

The answer involves the need to face death, as part of forgiveness and renewal. The liturgy emphasizes that each individual will ultimately face God, the true and merciful Judge. In Jewish terms, repentance, sincere prayer and charity can bring us closer to the divine; facing our own end encourages new beginnings.