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COLUMBIA (WACH) --  Rabbi Daniel Sherman of Tree of Life Congregation explaining what many Jews across the nation are doing as Rosh Hashanah comes into the horizon.

“I want to start this New Year with a clean slate. So I do that with prayer through seeking forgiveness,” says Rabbi Daniel Sherman.

It’s now the year 5773. Rosh Hashanah means the birthday of the world and kicks off the Jewish High Holy Days leading up to the Day of Atonement which is Yom Kippur.

“Some Jewish holidays can be celebrated at home. These two in particular need to be here in the synagogue. One needs to come to temple be with the congregation,” says Rabbi Sherman.

The holiday has it's origin in the Torah, which in Judaism is the first five books of Moses.

Rosh Hashanah also comes with the sounding of the Shofar which is an actual rams horn. It’s equivalent to the trumpet.

‘We first read about it in the Torah in Leviticus Chapter 23. We read the first day of the 7th month shall be a day of the sounding of the horns,” says Rabbi Sherman.

Rabbi Sherman says this holiday is a time of self-evaluation.

“It requires us to really ask ourselves some hard questions. Who am I? What am I doing right? Also what am I doing wrong?," says Rabbi Sherman.

The holiday for some is being marred by the constant unrest in the Middle East.              

“We think that the relationship between the United States and Israel is very important. We pray for peace. We hope that each year we get a little closer to bringing peace not only to Israel but to the entire region and hopefully there will be a time, when there is mutual respect for all citizens of the Middle East,” says Rabbi Sherman.

Rosh Hashanah ends at sundown Tuesday evening and Yom Kippur begins at sundown Tuesday, September 25th.

Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement when Jews ask for forgiveness for sins committed during the previous year.