…In the seventh month, on the first of the month, there shall be for you a Sabbath, a remembrance with the sounding of the shofar, a holy convocation.
-Lev. 16:24
In Hebrew Rosh Hashanah literally means “head of the year”, commonly known as the Jewish New Year. It is the civil New Year, there being four new years in the Jewish calendar. If this seems confusing, just think of the different “new years” in the United States, such as Jan 1st, when the calendar starts over; the new school year in August/September; the new fiscal year for businesses, etc.
In Judaism, Nissan 1 [(Abiv) 1 March/April] is the New Year for the purpose of counting the reign of kings and months of the calendar, Elul 1 (August) is the New Year for the tithing of animals, Shevat 15 (February) is the new year for trees (determining when first fruits can be eaten), and Tishri 1 (Rosh Hashanah) is the new year for years, when we increase the year number (Sabbatical and Jubilee Years begin at this time).
Biblically speaking this festival is referred to as Yom Ha Zikharon (Day of Remembrance), or Yom T’ruah (The Day of the Sounding of the Shofar) more commonly known as the feast of trumpets. We are commanded to remember this day by sounding the Shofar. While scripture gives no specific reason for this, there are a few suggestions given in tradition and antiquity. In general the great sage Rav Gaon suggests ten general purposes for the sounding of the shofar:
1. For the coronation of a King.
2. To herald the beginning of the penitential period.
3. The Torah was given amidst the sounding of a shofar.
4. The prophets compare their message to the sounding of a shofar.
5. To remind us of the conquering armies that destroyed the Temple.
6. To remind us of the substitutionary sacrifice of a ram for Isaac.
7. It fills one with awe – Amos. 3:6.
8. It is associated with judgment day – Zeph. 1:14,16
9. It heralds the Messianic Age – Isaiah 27. 13
10. It heralds the resurrection.
Suggestions given commonly for Rosh Hashanah are the call to repentance, and some say to confuse HaSatan who stands before the L*RD on this day to accuse us before Him of our misdeeds throughout the past year that have been unaccounted for.
The Shofar is blown throughout the festival during services in synagogues with a total of one hundred notes each day. There are four variant types of sounds used. The Tekiah, a three second sustained note; the shevarim, three one-second notes rising in tone; t’ruah, a series of short staccato notes over a period of about three seconds; and lastly Tekiah Gadola or big Tekiah, a final blast which lasts for as long as the blower can sustain the note, for a minimum of ten seconds.
So why, though not scripturally commanded do we celebrate Rosh Hashanah for two days instead of one? The answer can be found in antiquity… Rosh Chodesh (The New Month) would be declared by the Sanhedrin at the observation of the New Moon. Messengers would then be sent out to inform the populace. Distant communities could not always be notified of the new month, so they did not always know the correct day to celebrate. Being on a lunar calendar, and so knowing that the old month had either 29 or 30 days, they would celebrate festivals on both possible days if no notification was received.
In the case of Rosh Hashanah, the holiday occurs on the first of the month. Being a holy day, messengers were not dispatched to inform the populace of the new moon. Because of this, even the nearby communities would not know of the observance, and so it became practice for both those in Israel and the Diaspora to celebrate this festival for two days. Most other festivals are celebrated for two days by the Diaspora only.
Being a custom of our ancestors, the practice of celebrating for an extra day was maintained, even after the adoption of the mathematical calendar.
Rosh Hashanah begins a 10 day period commonly known as the Days of Awe (Yomim Noraim) or the Days of Repentance, ending with Yom Kippur. This is a time of serious introspection and soul searching. The basic themes of this period are judgment, repentance, and standing in awe of our L*RD and Creator. At this time we consider the sins we have committed in the past year which remain unaccounted for. We consider the sins against our neighbors, and repent, and where possible set things straight with our neighbor asking for forgiveness, and we consider those sins against our L*RD and repent, asking for forgiveness, before Yom Kippur. While this is indeed something we should do year round, traditionally Rosh Hashanah is the day in which the whole world is judged.
The key focus during services is the sovereignty and grace of HaShem. So why then having been forgiven by the blood sacrifice of Yeshua, do Messianic believers still celebrate this feast? For one thing as I have shown many times before, when we accept the sacrifice of Yeshua and are reconciled to HaShem, it is for those sins which we have committed in the past (Rom. 3:25; 2 Peter 1:9). Those sins we commit in the future are not automatically covered, it is only when we are truly repentant and ask for forgiveness, that we can be forgiven. This however is for another lesson. Secondly and perhaps of greater significance, HaShem has instructed us to faithfully observe His festivals throughout all our generations. While this was directed to the Hebrews and those travelling with them, under the new covenant, this includes the gentile believers as well. As Rav Shaul (Paul) said in Romans they are grafted in to the root and fastness of the olive tree (Israel) making them co beneficiaries of the promises and the covenants of the Torah. It is a fact that sin left unrepented will destroy our fellowship with HaShem.
So in this light Rosh Hashanah can actually be seen as an undeserved kindness, an act of grace, from HaShem, teaching us that we need to reexamine our lives for sin left unrepented, or that may have crept into our lives unknown. This way we are kept from building up a lifetimes worth of sin. As I stated earlier, this is something that should be done often; yet this special time has been set aside as a reminder from HaShem to review and acknowledge our sins, to set things right with those we have sinned against if possible and ask forgiveness. We should repent and ask forgiveness of those sins committed against HaShem , who graciously gives us this chance for repentance and atonement during this 10 day period before Yom Kippur. If we are sincere in our examination and repentance of those things which the Ruach stirs to the front of our minds, then HaShem can deal with us kindly and justly. This kindness in turn, allows us to dwell on the ways of the Creator and His instructions for our lives, which should dwell in our very spirits, through the use of our mental faculties, with all our heart, soul, mind, strength.
So what is the Messianic significance of this most holy of festivals? It represents the future redemption of Israel at the coming of the Mashiach. The shofar will announce the coronation of the one true King Yeshua Mashiach ben David, and usher in the Messianic age. Messiah Yeshua will return this time, not as Mashiach ben Yoseph, the suffering servant, but as Messiah ben David, Warrior, King, and Judge. Many Theologians have also calculated this festival to be the time of Yeshua’s actual birth almost two thousand years ago. (There is actually no evidence for a December birth, instilled by Augustine, on the day of the birth of Saturnalia.) So we can see that like all of HaShems commanded festivals, Yom T’ruah is both a fulfillment and foreshadowing of things coming.
Traditionally we wear white on Rosh Hashanah as a symbolic act of HaShem’s grace and kindness having made us white as snow, after we repent and seek His forgiveness. Other practices observed on this Holy Day are to eat apples dipped in honey, representing our wish for a sweet new year; also dipping challah in honey expressing the same intent is also practiced.
On the afternoon of the first day (except the Sabbath, in which case it will be the second day), there is a Tashlikh service, in which participants pray and empty their pockets into a body of moving water such as a creek, river, or ocean. This is symbolic of casting off our sins. It is common for participants to fill their pockets with bread crumbs to cast off. Usually the passage is recited from Micah 7:19 – You will hurl (tashlikh) all their sins into the depths of the sea… This is a symbol of our sins being swallowed up in forgiveness.
So let us give thanks to the Creator for this opportunity and may we be able to say to one another, L’Shana tovah tikatev v’taihatem(i)… “May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year in the Book of Life.” AMeiN.
Gematria Trivia – Why do Jews traditionally avoid nuts on Rosh Hashanah? Because the Hebrew for the word nut 'egoz' has the numerical value of seventeen while the Hebrew for sin ‘avon’ (this is one form not the same as chattah) is 35. The integral reduced value of both these numbers words/numbers is 8. So nuts represent sin, and are therefore avoided on Rosh Hashanah.
Shalom!
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