This year Rosh Hashanah falls on Thursday, September 29th. The holiday is scrawled in tiny print on the bottom of calendars, but do you actually know what it celebrates?
In Hebrew, Rosh means “new” and Hashanah means “beginning”. Instead of celebrating the start of a new calendar year, this feast celebrates a new spiritual year. The Biblical name for this festival is Yom Teruah, the Feast of Trumpets. Leviticus 23:24 refers to this day when it tells of blasting horns. Priests blew ram’s horns, called a shofar, as a trumpet to indicate the time of spiritual awakening. On this holiday, we come before God dressed in pure white robes, a time we can renew our relationship with the Lord.
This day is set aside to glorify God’s sovereignty over all creation. Since God constructed the beautiful Earth and all in it, Rosh Hashanah celebrates the Earth’s birthday as well. What a great excuse to bake and eat a yummy cake.
Rosh Hashanah is also a time to contemplate our proper place in the world and our part in God’s master plan. Although we may seem insignificant when we compare ourselves to the vast universe, we have a unique part to play in the redemption of the world.
Finally, like the thief on the cross who asks Jesus to remember him, this holiday is a day to be remembered by God. The One who fashioned us so fearfully and wonderfully will remember our names when we someday approach the throne of grace.
I pray this Rosh Hashanah will be a celebration of new beginnings for you.
*Photo courtesy of here
Dearest Margaret and family,
I enjoyed your brief interview on ‘Life Today’ and related very well with your comments pertaining to “the voice of God.” That is exactly how He speaks to me, amazing. I sending you this quick note I came across your comments regarding Rosh Ha Shanah and also noticed you had an interest in Jewish Studies as you talked about ‘alef/tav and mem’ which is really good. Roah ha Shanah falls on the 1st of Tishrie (7th month of the Jewish calendar) each and every year, followed by Yom Kippur on the 10th of tishrie and then followed by Sukkot (Feast of tabernacles 15th Tishrie. I celebrated Rosh Ha Shanah today starting at sundown last night with the messianic groups and orthodox, conservative, reform, reconstructionist sects today September 16th sundown to September 17th sundown and in Israel as well. In ten days we arrive at yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) sundown September 25th to sundown September 26th. Each year the dates are different on our Roman calendars but always the 1st, 10th, 15th of tishrie on the Jewish calendar. If not busy see my signature book “The Many Faces of Judaism” that helps to explain this and much more. Hag Samach/Happy New Year, L’Shanah Tovah/ may your name be inscribed in God’s book for a good year.
Lemuel
Dearest Margaret and family,
P.S. Rosh ha Shanah literally means ‘Head of the year.’ Rosh mean Head, ha is a direct article that means ‘the’ and shanah means year. A common translation is New Year. Not to be confused with Pesach/Passover which occurs in the 1st month of the Jewsih calendar Nissan or Aviv. The concept may easily be understood as you consider our calendar year starting in January and our fiscal year starting in October. Thus Pesach/Passover starts the Jewish calendar and Rosh ha Shanah is used for official dating of kings and important legal occurances etc.
Lemuel