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1. Why do some congregations make sure that 100 shofar blasts are sounded on Rosh Hashanah?

At one point in history (the precise time is uncertain), the idea took hold that the total number of shofar blasts to be sounded on Rosh Hashanah is 100. This tradition is probably based on Rabbi Meir's comment that every Jew must recite 100 blessings each day (Talmud, Menachot 43b). Since hearing the shofar blown is considered itself a blessing ("Blessed is the people who knows the sound of the shofar" [Psalm 89:16], over the years many congregations have insisted that on Rosh Hashanah the shofar be sounded 100 times.

2. What are the criteria for a "kosher" shofar?

Your question is a good one for sure. In order to be fit, the shofar must be a ram's horn. Theoretically, the horn of any kosher animal except a cow or an ox may be used, but the accepted practice is to use a ram's horn because of its association with the story of the binding of Isaac, read on Rosh Hashanah as the Torah reading.

The shofar should be bent or curved in shape to symbolize the bent and humbled spirit appropriate on Rosh Hashanah. The shofar must never be painted, but may be decorated with carved designs. However, the outside of the shofar may, according to the Code of Jewish Law, be covered with gold, provided that the natural tone of the shofar is not changed and if the mouthpiece is not covered with gold. The shofar must not be used if it is cracked along its length unless enough space is left between the crack and the mouthpiece to fulfil the minimum requirement for the size of the shofar (i.e. about six inches). It is interesting that there is no prescription pertaining to the kind of sound a shofar must produce.

3. What are the "no-no's" on Yom Kippur according to Jewish law?

In a nutshell, we are forbidden to eat, drink, bathe, anoint ourselves, wear leather shoes and have conjugal relations. According to rabbinic tradition, these are included in the biblical commandment to afflict oneself (Leviticus 23:27). The reason for their inclusion is that the gratification of our bodily appetites is the principal source of sin. Repentance, the return to the right path, must therefore include an earnest attempt to control, and when necessary to suppress, such appetites. Fasting, in particular, represents such an attempt.

4. Why are the words leshana tova tikateivu used so frequently on Rosh Hashanah?

These three Hebrew words mean "may you be inscribed for a good year." Used as a spoken greeting on the holiday and appearing on greeting cards, these words reflect the belief that on Rosh Hashanah God records in each person's Book of Life his/her fate for the coming year.

5. Is it true that there are some days of the week when Yom Kippur can never fall?

The Hebrew calendar was designed so that Yom Kippur would never fall on a Friday, Sunday, or a Tuesday. If Yom Kippur were to fall on a Friday, it would be impossible to prepare food for the Sabbath. If it were to fall on a Sunday, it would be impossible to do on the Sabbath all that is necessary to prepare for the fast. And if it were to fall on a Tuesday, Hoshanah Rabbah would fall on the Sabbath and the requirement that willows be beaten would not be able to be observed, for this would be a violation of the Sabbath. Wow, were the inventors of the calendar ever smart!

6. I once went to a home where challot served at the Yom Kippur pre-fast meal were decorated with birds? Why?

On Yom Kippur, a human being is compared to an angel with wings. This custom of decorating challot with birds expresses the hope that as winged creatures fly heavenward with ease, so will a person's prayers rise quickly and be answered favorable. Similar type of challot are also made for Rosh Hashanah. Most people serve round challot, the round shape symbolic of God's crown and of the cyclical and eternal nature of life, expressing the hope that the coming year will be complete, unbroken by tragedy.

7. Why honey cake a popular dish on Rosh Hashanah?

Honey cake (called lekach) is a traditional Eastern European holiday food. Lekach is the Hebrew word for "portion." Honey cake is served with the hope and prayer that those who observe Jewish tradition will be blessed with a goodly portion.

8. Why is a tallit worn on Yom Kippur evening at the Kol Nidre service, when usually a tallit is never worn at night?

The prayer shawl is worn this night to emphasize its holiness. In reality, the tallit is actually donned before nightfall, so one can recite the blessing over it while it is still light. Kol Nidre itself is recited before sunset. Since Kol Nidre is a legal formula, whereby a person is released from a vow, it would be a violation to perform it on the festival itself.

Rabbi Isaacs' forthcoming book is "Have a Good Laugh: Jewish Jokes for the Soul" (Ktav Publishing). Rabbi Ron Isaacs is the spiritual leader of Temple Sholom, a Conservative congregation in Bridgewater. He has recently published biographies of Abraham Joshua Heschel and Judah Touro (Torah Aura Productions). Contact him at www.rabbiron.com or "Ask the Rabbi," c/o Rabbi Ron Isaacs, Temple Sholom, P.O. Box 6007, Bridgewater, N.J. 08807.