What's wrong with "Merry Christmas"?

[zanooda2]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Carol" <justcarol67 at ...> wrote:

> Question for Alla: I thought that Rosh Hahanah was the day of
> Atonement. Is it proper to wish someone joy on that day? It seems
> rather like wishing someone "Happy Lent" or "Happy Good Friday." 


You know, Carol, Rosh ha-Shana is not the day of atonement, but it is 
(in addition to being just the beginning of a new year) something like 
a judgement day. This day God decides who lives and who dies in the new 
year. However, this day your fate is not sealed yet, and you have ten 
days to repent and change your life (if you are a sinner and have a 
reason to fear the worst from God :-) - ten days until Yom Kippur (Yom 
ha-Kippurim), Day of Atonement, comes. After that, there is no way of 
changing your fate ;-(. And yes, this day people wish to each 
other "Shana tova u-matuka" - "good and sweet year". I'm not Jewish, so 
of course I might not be the right person to explain jewish traditions, 
but I used to live in Israel (although it was a long time ago), and 
that's how I remember it :-).

zanooda