Themes Of Rosh Hashanah
As Rosh Chodesh is the head of the month, Rosh
Hashanah is the head of the year - the New Year.
Rosh Hashanah occurs on the first and second days of Tishri. As a
sign of its utmost importance in ancient Israel, the arrival of the
new moon (Rosh Chodesh) for the month of Tishri had to be confirmed
by at least six witnesses, twice the requirement of the three
witnesses for any other month. In addition to the normal procedure
of lighting signal fires to announce a new moon, messengers were
sent out from Jerusalem to hand deliver the news of the arrival of
Rosh Chodesh Tishri. These precautionary measures were taken to
safeguard the Israelites from disobedience and misalignment to the
precise timing of the Feast as instructed by God in His Word. It was
a holy obligation in which no mistake should be made in missing this
important appointment with the Creator of the universe. It was and
still is a major event in their lives!
Rosh Hashanah is celebrated as two days everywhere in Israel and
outside Israel. Since it occurred on a holy day in which no servile
work was allowed (Lev. 23:24-25), the messengers were not dispatched
on this day to tell the people about the new moon. Thus some people
in Israel might not know whether the Feast had begun. So everybody
celebrated two days or a long day of 48 hours. The practice was
later maintained as a custom even after the mathematical calendar
was adopted. Ezra observed this feast for two days (Nehemiah
8:2-13). However Yom Kippur is celebrated strictly for only one day
everywhere – because extending the Feast for a second day would
cause an undue hardship. Yom Kippur is the tenth day of Tishri. No
sighting of the moon is required. Firm restrictions are in place to
ensure this observance.
The month of Tishri marks the beginning of the Civil Calendar
that represents the physical creation of man. The month of Nisan
marks the beginning of the Sacred Calendar that represents the
spiritual birth of man - from Passover to Tabernacles. Just as the
seventh day (Shabbat) is holy, so is the seventh month (Tishri) - it
is set apart by God as holy. Just as Friday is the day of
preparation for Sabbath, the previous month of Elul is the month of
preparation for Tishri. This season is a time of reflection and
evaluation - putting our lives in order and getting our relationship
right with God. It is viewed as the most holy of months as it
contains four Jewish holidays; two of which, Rosh Hashanah and Yom
Kippur are called "High Holidays."
In Leviticus 23, God named the other holidays, Sabbath, Passover,
Day of Atonement, etc. However, this holiday has no name. It is
simply referred to as Yom Teruah (the day of the sounding of the
shofar). It became known as the Feast of Trumpets, a special day
calling attention to the coming holiest day of the year - the Day of
Atonement (Yom Kippur).
The Feast of Trumpets and Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) are the
holiest days of the Jewish year. The ten days, inclusive of both
dates, are called the Days of Awe or High Holy Days. This season is
a time for us to look inward into our relationship with God for our
spiritual health and growth. No work is allowed on the Feast of
Trumpets. The themes surrounding this Feast include:
- The New Year Day
- Birthday Of The World
- The Day Of Shofar Blowing (Feast of Trumpets)
- The Day Of Judgement
- Coronation Day
- The Day Of Remembrance
- Day Of Memorial
The New Year Day
The New Year is
celebrated with holiday greeting cards, special prayers, festive
meals and sweet foodstuffs. It is customary for families to gather
together for the holiday meal. Traditional foods sweetened with
honey, apples and carrots are served, symbolizing sweetness,
blessings, abundance and the hope for a sweet year ahead.
On the day of
Rosh Hashanah, Ezra the scribe told the Jews, "Go your way, eat the
fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those
for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our LORD. Do
not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."
Nehemiah 8:10
Before leaving
the synagogue, it is customary to bless one another with the
benediction, "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year." Then
it is customary to go home joyfully and to keep away from all grief
and sighing, so as not to give the Accuser an opening - for the
Accuser’s only place to attack is where there is grief and sighing.
One ought to trust in God as it is written: "For the joy of the Lord
is your strength." No bitterness or bitter food is allowed.
A popular
tradition during Rosh Hashanah is eating apples dipped in honey. At
the beginning of the evening meal, the Jews will recite "Blessed are
You, O Lord our God, King of the universe, Creator of the fruit of
the tree." They then dip an apple in honey and recite this blessing,
"Be it Thy will that a good and a sweet year be renewed for us"
before eating it.
The Jews has
several different new years. Nisan 1 is the new year for the purpose
of counting the reign of kings and months on the calendar.
Regardless of when a king became the ruler, his coronation would be
on Tishri 1. Elul 1 is the new year for the tithing of animals.
Shevat 15 is the new year for trees to determine when their
firstfruits can be eaten. Tishri 1 (Rosh Hashanah) is the new year
for years.
Birthday of the World
It is a
celebration of the earth’s physical birthday. The Jews believe that
Tishri 1 is the birthday of the
world because the Hebraic words "in the beginning" in
the book of Genesis, when changes around, reads "on the first of
Tishri." Therefore the Feast Of Trumpets is known as the day the
world was created, or more precisely, the day man was created.
(For more
information on this, please read The
First Rosh Hashanah.)
The Day of Shofar Blowing
"Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'In the seventh month,
on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbathrest, a
memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation."
Lev. 23:24
The shofar is
blown in the temple to herald the beginning of the 10-day period
known as the Days of Awe.
The shofar has a
special place in the hearts and lives of the Jews. They come in
various forms, and are made of diverse materials. Some are made of
silver (Num. 10:2) and are used only by the priests for the calling
of assembly and for the journeying of the camps. Some were made of
rams’ horns (Josh. 6:8) and are blown at special festivals and to
herald the arrival of special seasons (Lev. 23:24, 25:9, 1 Chr.
15:24, 2 Chr. 29:27, Psa. 81:3 98:6). Trumpets are also used in the
Book of Revelation (Rev. 1:10, 8:2)
(For more
information on this, please read
Feast Of Trumpets.)
The Day of
Judgement
On this holy
day, Jews around the world will examine their past deeds and ask for
forgiveness for their sins.
A widely
observed custom is the ceremony of Tashlikh. It is the symbolic
casting of one’s sins into a river, lake or other body of water
containing live fishes. The fish factor is important. As the fish is
dependent on water, so are the Jews dependent on God. As the fish
never closes its eyes, so the Lord never ceases watching over
Israel. This is done on the afternoon of the first day of Rosh
Hashanah or of the second day if the first day coincides with a
Sabbath – as no work is to be done on a Sabbath.
This tradition of Tashlikh
originated in Germany during the sixteenth century but became
popular after the endorsement by Rabbi Isaac Luria. Its Biblical
roots are derived from Micah 7:19, "You will again
have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl
all our iniquities into the depths of the sea."
Today, many Jews gather in the afternoon at a river to
metaphorically divest their sins. They turn their pockets inside
out, discarding any bread crumbs or leftovers therein. The simple
ceremony is symbolic of the determination to free oneself from sins
and shortcomings during this holy season.
Being judged by
God is an awesome thing. He knows all and yet He shows mercy and
grants grace. Even judgment itself needs not be devoid of joy – the
joy of being forgiven by an awesome and loving God. The joy of the
Lord is our strength!
Coronation Day
Another theme of
this Feast is God’s royalty. The shofar announces the kingship of
God.
With trumpets
and the blast of the ram's horn, shout for joy before the LORD, the
King (Psalm 98:6). Through true repentance, we become God’s loyal
subjects. It is the day that God manifests His royalty. The day that
He created His world is also naturally the day He sits on the throne
as the King and the Judge.
This Coronation
Day is a joyous day for the whole earth to celebrate. The King is
coming back again. He will appear at the sound of the last trumpet,
which will be at Yom Kippur. Jewish eschatology teaches that on Yom
Kippur (the Day of Atonement) after six thousand years are complete,
the Day of the Lord will come. On that day the shofar will sound,
the righteous will be resurrected and will attend the coronation of
the King.
In a moment,
in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump:
for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 1 Cor 15:52
For the Lord
Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice
of the archangel, and with the trump of God:
and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive
and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds,
to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the
Lord. 1Thes 4:16-17
"..but in
the days of the sounding of the seventh angel,
when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished,
as He declared to His servants the prophets." Rev 10:7
We therefore
celebrate Rosh Hashanah with joyful expectations, looking for that
blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our
Saviour Jesus Christ. This will teach us to deny ungodliness and
worldly lusts so that we should live soberly, righteously, and godly
in this present world. Titus 2:12-13
The Day of Remembrance
This day the Jews review the history of their
people and pray for Israel. This theme of remembrance is thought to
be from God remembering Sarah, Rachel and Hannah. A Talmudic dictum
says that on Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets), Sarah, Rachel, and
Hannah were "remembered."
It is believed that on Rosh Hashanah, the
destiny of mankind is recorded by God in the Book of Life. After
Rosh Hashanah services, as the people leave the synagogue, they
would say to each other: "May you be inscribed in the Book of
Life." God remembers and writes them down.
Then those who feared the LORD spoke to
one another, and the LORD listened and heard them; so a book
of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the
LORD and who meditate on His name. Malachi 3:16
Day Of Memorial
Leviticus 23:24 calls the blowing of trumpets
a memorial but does not say what the memorial is for. Many
believe it is a memorial of God's grace to Abraham when He
substituted a ram to be sacrificed instead of Isaac (Gen. 22). It is
also regarded by both Jews and Christians as a memorial of the
creation of the world, at which the sons of God shouted for joy (Job
38:7).According to Jewish tradition, all the following events
happened on Tishri 1:
- Adam and Eve were created
- The Flood waters dried up (Gen. 8:13)
- Enoch was taken by God (Gen. 5:24)
- Sarah, Rachel and Hannah (1 Sam. 1)
conceived
- Joseph freed from prison by Pharaoh
- The forced labor of Hebrews in Egypt
ended
- Job contracted leprosy
- Start of sacrifices on the altar built by
Ezra (Ezra 3:1)
Sources:
http://biblicalholidays.com/
http://www.holidays.net/highholydays/rosh.htm