Rosh Hashanah Wishes

74 wishes · updated October 14, 2026

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is a time for apples dipped in honey, round challah, the sound of the shofar, and wishing the people you love a good and sweet year. Whether you're writing a card to your grandparents, texting a friend, or emailing a coworker, a few thoughtful words go a long way.

Rosh Hashanah 5788 begins at sundown on Friday, October 1, 2027, and ends at nightfall on Sunday, October 3. Below you'll find Rosh Hashanah wishes and Shana Tova messages for family, friends, and coworkers, traditional Hebrew greetings with their meanings, and short texts you can send before the holiday begins.

Rosh Hashanah Wishes

Rosh Hashanah wishes for family 16

  1. Mom and Dad, apples and honey taste better at your table than anywhere else. Shana Tova to the two people who made every holiday feel like home.

    Postcard
  2. Here's to a year as sweet as the honey cake you swear you didn't buy at the bakery. Shana Tova, sis!

    Postcard
  3. Here's to a year of good health, big wins, and finally agreeing on whose brisket is better. (It's Mom's.) Shana Tova!

    Postcard
  4. Grandma, your round challah is how I know the new year has started. Sending you so much love for a sweet and healthy 5788.

    Postcard
  5. Another year beside you, and I'd choose you all over again. Shana Tova, my love. Let's make 5788 our sweetest one yet.

    Postcard
  6. Shana Tova to the man who dips his apple twice when he thinks nobody's watching. You make every year sweeter.

    Postcard
  7. Watching you grow this past year has been my greatest joy. I hope 5788 brings you courage, good friends, and plenty of sweetness. Shana Tova, sweetheart.

    Postcard
  8. We're so proud of the person you're becoming. May you be inscribed for a year of health, growth, and good surprises. Shana Tova, son.

    Postcard
  9. We'll miss you at the table this year, but we're saving you a seat and a slice of honey cake for next time. Shana Tova!

    Postcard
  10. Cousin, I hope your Rosh Hashanah is full of laughter, good food, and at least two kinds of kugel.

    Postcard
  11. Shana Tova to my favorite little apple dipper! Have the sweetest new year, and don't let anyone steal your pomegranate seeds.

    Postcard
  12. As we sit down to dinner tonight, I'm grateful for every person around this table. Shana Tova to all of us.

    Postcard
  13. We're so lucky you're part of our family. Shana Tova, and thank you for bringing your own traditions to our holiday table.

    Postcard
  14. Thank you for passing down these traditions, from the blessings to the recipes. I cherish every High Holiday we've spent together.

    Postcard
  15. Grandpa, hearing you say the blessings is still my favorite part of the holiday. May you be inscribed for a good and healthy year.

    Postcard
  16. We're dipping our apples in honey from across the country tonight, thinking of you. Shana Tova, Grandma and Grandpa. We'll call before sundown.

    Postcard

Shana Tova messages for friends 17

  1. Shana Tova! Let's grab coffee after the holidays and catch up before the year gets crazy.

    Postcard
  2. You got me through this past year more times than I can count. Shana Tova, friend. Here's to a lighter, sweeter one for both of us.

    Postcard
  3. Hoping your Rosh Hashanah is full of good food, great company, and a very sweet start to the year.

    Postcard
  4. Cheers to 5788! I hope it brings you everything you've been working toward.

    Postcard
  5. I know last year asked a lot of you. I'm hoping this one gives back: more rest, more good news, more sweetness. Shana Tova.

    Postcard
  6. Thanks for inviting me to your Rosh Hashanah dinner last year. I'm still thinking about that honey cake. Wishing you and your family a sweet new year.

    Postcard
  7. Can't be with you this year, so I'm eating an extra slice of round challah in your honor. You're welcome. Shana Tova!

    Postcard
  8. To my favorite couple, wishing you a year of shared adventures, quiet mornings, and plenty of sweet moments.

    Postcard
  9. I hope the sound of the shofar this year brings you clarity and peace for the months ahead.

    Postcard
  10. Have a beautiful holiday, and please save me a corner of the honey cake. A big corner.

    Postcard
  11. Shana Tova Umetukah! Sending a big hug as you ring in the new year.

    Postcard
  12. New year, clean slate. I hope 5788 brings you the fresh start you've been waiting for.

    Postcard
  13. Hosting the whole family for Rosh Hashanah dinner? You're a hero. I hope the brisket cooperates and you actually get to sit down and eat.

    Postcard
  14. Happy first Rosh Hashanah to your little one! May your family's year be full of health, sweetness, and a few full nights of sleep.

    Postcard
  15. First Rosh Hashanah in the new city! I hope you find a warm table to sit at and that this is the year it starts to feel like home.

    Postcard
  16. Shana Tova to the friend who always remembers to text me before sundown. This one's for you.

    Postcard
  17. To my oldest friend: here's to another year of inside jokes, long walks, and honey cake. Shana Tova.

    Postcard

Rosh Hashanah messages for coworkers 13

  1. Shana Tova! I hope you have a restful holiday and a wonderful time with your family.

    Postcard
  2. Thank you for your support this past year. May you and your family be inscribed for a good and sweet year.

    Postcard
  3. It's been great working with you. I hope the new year brings you good health and plenty of wins, at work and at home.

    Postcard
  4. Wishing everyone on the team who's celebrating a happy Rosh Hashanah. Here's to a sweet year ahead.

    Postcard
  5. I'll make sure nothing lands on your desk late Friday so you can get home well before sundown. Shana Tova!

    Postcard
  6. Sending warm new year wishes from across the country. Have a beautiful celebration!

    Postcard
  7. Shana Tova to a wonderful colleague. Your steady, upbeat attitude makes every week easier.

    Postcard
  8. Enjoy the apples and honey! Wishing you a sweet and successful new year.

    Postcard
  9. Happy New Year to my favorite desk neighbor. I'm grateful to have you as a colleague and a friend.

    Postcard
  10. Have a wonderful Rosh Hashanah. We'll hold down the fort, and we promise to water your plants.

    Postcard
  11. Wishing you peace and meaningful reflection as you observe the High Holy Days.

    Postcard
  12. Shana Tova! Thanks for explaining the shofar to the whole team last fall. Wishing you a sweet and healthy year.

    Postcard
  13. Wishing you and your family a happy and healthy new year. Thank you for being a leader people trust.

    Postcard

Traditional Rosh Hashanah greetings 16

  1. L'shanah tovah tikatevu v'techatemu. May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.

    Postcard
  2. Shana Tova Umetukah, a good and sweet year to you and everyone you love.

    Postcard
  3. May the call of the shofar wake up your spirit and lead you into a year of peace.

    Postcard
  4. As the new year begins, may God bless you with health, kindness, and peace at home.

    Postcard
  5. Gut Yontif! May your holiday be full of meaningful prayer and warm meals with family.

    Postcard
  6. May you be written in the Book of Life for a year of peace and plenty.

    Postcard
  7. Tizku l'shanim rabbot. May you merit many more good years.

    Postcard
  8. As the old Rosh Hashanah hymn says, let the year and its curses end, and let the new year and its blessings begin.

    Postcard
  9. May the sweetness of the apples and honey stay with you all year long.

    Postcard
  10. Praying that this Rosh Hashanah brings renewal to your soul and joy to your heart.

    Postcard
  11. As we dip the apple in the honey, we ask for a year of sweetness and blessing for our whole family.

    Postcard
  12. May your prayers be answered and your home be filled with the light of Torah this year.

    Postcard
  13. Wishing you a meaningful Rosh Hashanah and, when Yom Kippur comes, an easy and meaningful fast.

    Postcard
  14. May this year be like the round challah on our table: whole, full, and without end.

    Postcard
  15. May your good deeds be as many as the seeds of a pomegranate. Shana Tova.

    Postcard
  16. An apple dipped in honey, a candle burning bright, A table full of family to welcome in the night. May every day be sweeter than the year that came before. Shana Tova, friend, and blessings at your door.

    Postcard

Short Shana Tova texts 12

  1. Shana Tova! Have a beautiful holiday.

    Postcard
  2. Wishing you a sweet and happy new year!

    Postcard
  3. Happy Rosh Hashanah to you and yours.

    Postcard
  4. Here's to a sweet 5788!

    Postcard
  5. Shana Tova Umetukah!

    Postcard
  6. Apples, honey, and all my love. Shana Tova!

    Postcard
  7. Thinking of you this Rosh Hashanah.

    Postcard
  8. May 5788 be your best year yet.

    Postcard
  9. Gut Yontif! Enjoy the celebration.

    Postcard
  10. Happy Jewish New Year!

    Postcard
  11. A good and sweet year to you!

    Postcard
  12. Sweet new year, friend. You deserve every bit of it.

    Postcard

Search all Rosh Hashanah wishes

Pick who the wish is for or the style you want – the results appear right here.

Next occasionSt. Patrick's Day wishes

How to write a Rosh Hashanah message

The best Shana Tova wishes pair a traditional greeting with one personal detail. A simple structure:

  • Greeting: "Shana Tova" or "Happy Rosh Hashanah."
  • Wish: sweetness, good health, peace, a fresh start.
  • Personal note: a shared memory, the dinner they host, something you're looking forward to together.
ForExample
A close friend"Shana Tova! Wishing you a year full of health and sweetness. Coffee after the holidays? I want to hear everything."
A coworker"Happy Rosh Hashanah. Wishing you a good and sweet new year. It's been great working with you on the fall launch."
Family"Shana Tova Umetukah! I'm so grateful for every holiday dinner we've shared. Save me a seat by the challah."

Traditional greetings and what they mean

GreetingMeaning
Shana Tova (also spelled Shanah Tovah)"A good year"
Shana Tova Umetukah"A good and sweet year"
L'shanah tovah tikatevu"May you be inscribed for a good year"
L'shanah tovah tikatevu v'techatemu"May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year"
Gut YontifYiddish for "good holiday"
Tizku l'shanim rabbot"May you merit many years," common in Sephardic communities

The "inscribed" greetings come from the tradition that each person's year is written in the Book of Life on Rosh Hashanah and sealed on Yom Kippur. In the days after Rosh Hashanah and on Yom Kippur itself, people often switch to "G'mar chatimah tovah," "may you be sealed for good."

Symbols worth mentioning

  • Apples and honey: dipped together for a sweet year.
  • Round challah: instead of the usual braid, a round loaf for the cycle of the year, often with raisins.
  • Pomegranates: their many seeds stand for many good deeds.
  • The shofar: a ram's horn blown in synagogue as a call to reflection.

Timing in 2027

Rosh Hashanah 5788 starts at sundown on Friday, October 1, 2027, and runs through nightfall on Sunday, October 3. Many observant Jews don't drive, work, or use phones on Shabbat and on the holiday itself, so this year they may be offline from Friday evening until Sunday night.

  • Texts and emails: send them by Friday morning, October 1, or earlier in the week.
  • Cards: mail them so they arrive in the last week of September.
  • The shofar: because the first day of Rosh Hashanah 2027 falls on Shabbat, the shofar isn't blown that day and is sounded on Sunday instead. A message about "hearing the shofar" still fits.
  • After the holiday: Rosh Hashanah opens the Days of Awe, which end with Yom Kippur, beginning at sundown on Sunday, October 10, 2027.

What to avoid

  • "Happy Yom Kippur." Yom Kippur is a solemn fast day. Wish someone "an easy fast" or "a meaningful fast" instead.
  • Fasting jokes. Rosh Hashanah is a festive holiday with big meals; the fast comes ten days later.
  • Heavy religious language at work unless you know the person well. "Wishing you a happy and healthy new year" is always safe.
  • Texting during the holiday and expecting a quick reply. If someone goes quiet, they're probably at synagogue or at the table.

By format

Text: "Wishing you a sweet new year! Shana Tova!" Work email: "Wishing you and your family a happy and healthy new year." Social media: "Shana Tova Umetukah to everyone celebrating! May 5788 bring peace and sweetness." Handwritten card: a few sentences looking back on the year and naming what you hope comes next for them.

More occasions

Never forget a birthday

Save the birthdays of the people you love – we remind you the day before and that morning, with wishes ready to send.

Sign in and save

Have a lovely wish of your own? Sign in and suggest it – we publish the best ones with your name.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is the proper greeting for Rosh Hashanah?

"Shana Tova," Hebrew for "a good year," is the most common greeting. "Happy Rosh Hashanah" and "Have a sweet new year" are also perfectly fine.

When is Rosh Hashanah 2027?

Rosh Hashanah 5788 begins at sundown on Friday, October 1, 2027, and ends at nightfall on Sunday, October 3, 2027.

Can I say Happy New Year for Rosh Hashanah?

Yes. Rosh Hashanah literally means "head of the year" and is the Jewish New Year, so "Happy New Year" is completely appropriate.

How do you wish someone a sweet new year in Hebrew?

Say "Shana Tova Umetukah," which means "a good and sweet year." Mentioning apples and honey, the traditional symbol of a sweet year, is a nice touch.

What does L'shanah tovah tikatevu mean?

It means "may you be inscribed for a good year." It refers to the tradition that each person's year is written in the Book of Life on Rosh Hashanah and sealed on Yom Kippur.

Do you say Happy Yom Kippur?

No. Yom Kippur is a solemn day of fasting and atonement. Wish someone "an easy fast" or "a meaningful fast," or say "G'mar chatimah tovah," "may you be sealed for good."

When should I send Rosh Hashanah messages?

Send them in the days before the holiday. In 2027 Rosh Hashanah starts Friday at sundown, right as Shabbat begins, so get texts and emails out by Friday morning, October 1.

Is it appropriate for a non-Jew to say Shana Tova?

Yes. Jewish friends and colleagues generally appreciate it when people of other faiths use the traditional greeting. It shows you noticed and care about their holiday.

Cookies

We measure traffic so we know which stories you care about. You can change your choice at any time.