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Our calendar marks days and dates important to our existence but they all start from the Exodus from Mitzrayim which makes sense because

A -- that's when we started fixing a calendar that related to us as a people

B -- that's when we started identifying as a discrete nation

But in the Rosh Hashana davening, we connect R"H with the creation of the world (or some aspect of it) by saying "Hayom Harat Olam" so we acknowledge that even prior to the Exodus, there were important moments in our history. And yet, there is little else that we do to mark the dawn of our existence on this planet.

The creation of the world (and of mankind, which we seem to commemorate in the kiddush for Shabbat, and through the idea of Shabbat) and the loss of almost all humanity, and the reestablishing of the human line both seem to be rather important steps towards the formation of us as a people. The Chumash takes pains to establish the lineage of us and explain how we came to be instead of starting with Yetziat Mitzrayim. How come these two moments in history are not attached to specific celebrations (or memorializations) in our calendar? The deaths of the Mitzrim at Yam Suf affects our saying a full hallel, but the death of 99% of humanity has no impact on our prayers?

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  • Blessing on rainbows?
    – Double AA
    Nov 1, 2019 at 11:05
  • I see two different questions here: 1. Why do we refer to the creation on Rosh Hashana 2. Why don't we remember the Mabul.
    – Al Berko
    Nov 1, 2019 at 11:15
  • As to R"H prayers: to remind you that the creation on Tishrei is just one opinion, Nissan is the other. IIRC R"H isn't mentioned in the Torah as the day of Creation, neither it is connected to it in sacrifices or the Temple work. I tend to conclude that after the opinion that the world was created on Tishrey became mainstream (Halachic) it found its way to the Synagogue service. So this is very circumstantial.
    – Al Berko
    Nov 1, 2019 at 11:18
  • Another point to #1 - we don't commemorate the Creation at all. We commemorate the first judgement day of Humanity (happened to be the same day). As we say היום הרת עולם - היום יעמד במשפט - Judgment is the keyword.
    – Al Berko
    Nov 1, 2019 at 11:20
  • #2: a. Maybe because nothing good came out of the Mabul? b. maybe because G-d regretted it Himself? c. Would it be a happy festival or a gloomy fast?
    – Al Berko
    Nov 1, 2019 at 11:37

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