Return to 7 Feasts IndexTo: "Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup"<heb_roots_chr@geocities.com> Date: Tue, 7 Oct 1997 02:14:36 Subject: All about Rosh HaShanah
From: Nehemiah Trustees Covenant Fund To: heb_roots_chr@geocities.com
Subject: Rosh HaShanah
>From Uri Marcus: *******************
Chesed v'Shalom L'chem (Grace and Peace to you) from Israel.
With Rosh HaShana upon us, I though it would good to test your knowledge of this very important Jewish feast day. It is written to help us realize that indeed "All Scripture is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." When Sha'ul wrote these words, what Scripture was he talking about? I can assure you that it was NOT the NT. With that in mind, lets take a look at one of the fall Feasts of Israel, Rosh HaShana, and see how we might be trained in righteousness through a greater understanding of it.
1. Why is Rosh Hashana observed for more days than the
Torah commands?
The Torah prescribes that Rosh HaShana be observed for one day, on the first day of the seventh month of Tishrei. However, Rosh HaShana is unique amongst all the feasts, it is the ONLY holiday that is celebrated on the FIRST DAY of the month (or New Moon).
In early centuries, the testimony of witnesses was used to determine the official date of arrival of the New Moon, and the only ruling body who could hear the testimony and actually declare that the New Moon had arrived, was the Sanhedreen. No one knew when that day would actually arrive, but they knew the season of its arrival, and hence the Jewish idiom "no man knows the day or hour" came into use (Y'shua used it in Matt 24). Once the declaration of a New Moon was made, the Sanhedreen commissioned messengers to go out to notify outlying Jewish communities. If the witnesses were to arrive too late in reporting to the Sanhedreen, this would delay the messengers in departing on time to get the word out to those living far from Jerusalem. This would then result in those communities missing the correct day of observance of the Feast. Since the Lord insisted in the Torah that Bnei Israel (Children of Israel) keep the Feasts at their appointed times or else risk being cut-off from their people, the Rabbis, in protecting against this, made Rosh HaShana a two-day Holiday, since it depended upon a New Moon in which no one really knew the "day or hour" of its arrival. "Nevertheless," the Rabbis declared, "the two days are to be considered as one long day."
2. Why is the Shofar blown on Rosh HaShana?
The Shofar (Ram's Horn) is a natural wind instrument, one of the oldest known to the world. In earliest times, the Shofar was used by Jews as a musical instrument. Its most important use as described in the Tenach is three-fold:
1. to intimidate the enemy
2. to declare war
3. to call the people to assembly
Originally, the Shofar was blown to herald the beginning of each month (the New Moon). On those occasions short blasts were sounded. But on the New Moon of Tishrei, long alarm blasts were sounded. The Torah states in vi'Yikrah (Leviticus) chapter 23 the reason for the long blasts by explaining that the New Moon of the seventh month marked the beginning of a special period -- the period of holy convocation. This is because during that month the high Holidays of Rosh HaShana, Yom Kippur and Succot were celebrated. The first two of these feasts are NOT joyous holidays. The are rightly called "the Days of Awe" and they celebrate G-d's role as Master of the universe. They contain themes of resurrection, kingship, marriage and judgement but they emphasize morality, self-examination, spirituality and holiness. The Days of Awe actually begin a full month before Rosh HaShana with the beginning of the sixth month of Elul. From that day on, every weekday, blasts of the Shofar reverberate in the synagogue, reminding Jews that the most awesome holidays in the Jewish calendar are approaching. Rosh HaShana stresses the concept of repentance or a return to G-d who in His mercy is willing to receive the penitent, forgive his sins and offer him salvation. The gates of this repentance remain open only until Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, at which time the final decree is established: "Who will live and who will die; who will be serene and who will be disturbed; who will be poor and who will be rich; who will be humbled and who will be exalted." Yom Kippur is considered the most sacred day in the Jewish calendar, although in a Jewish legal sense, the Shabbat surpasses it in importance.
But with regard to the Shofar, on Rosh HaShana, it blasts 100 times on this day. It is said in the Talmud that the Shofar confuses HaSatan and prevents him from bringing charges upon G-ds people because he is made to believe that the Mashiach has arrived and that his influence and power have come to an end.
Sha'ul picked up on the importance of the Shofar in heralding the return of the Mashiach and our being called to assembly to meet Him in the clouds, and connected it to the "mystery" of Rosh HaShana in I Cor 15 and 1 Thes 4, "Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed -- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last Shofar. For the Shofar will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed." "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the Shofar of God." He knew that Rosh HaShana was the only feast described in the Torah which did not describe what we were to do when is arrived except "commemorate it with Shofar blasts, refrain from regular work and present an offering made to the LORD by fire." Hence it became the "mystery" that Sha'ul could now reveal to us, describing Y'shua's return.
3. What books are opened for evaluation on Rosh HaShana?
The Holy Convocations of Rosh HaShana, and Yom Kippur are unlike other feast days in that they are not tied to national historic events. Again, they celebrate G-d's role as King of the universe and Judge of all man's actions. In the Talmud, it is reported that three books are opened for evaluation on Rosh HaShana:
1. The Book of Life of the wicked
2. The Book of Life of the righteous
3. The Book of Life of those in between
The righteous are immediately promised a good and eternal life. The wicked are immediately condemned to death. Judgement of those in between is deferred until Yom Kippur, when a final decision is made as to which category they are to be assigned. Hence the Days of Awe and repentance are given to facilitate the decision.
The common greeting given before Rosh HaShana is "Chatimah Tovah" which means, "May your name be inscribed in the Book of Life of the righteous!" After Yom Kippur, the greeting given is, "G'mar Chatimah Tovah" which means, "May your named be sealed in the Book of Life with the conclusion of a good sealing!"
4. Why is honey served on Rosh HaShana?
The custom is at least 1,500 years old. It expresses the hope that sweetness will enter the lives of all of G-ds people in the coming year. During most of the year, bread is dipped in salt when the blessing over bread is recited, but on Rosh HaShana, the first piece of challa (soft bread) is eaten after it is dipped in honey to express the hope for a good sweet year, followed by dipping apples in honey and eating them as well.
The deeper meaning of this custom expresses the truth of 2 Chron 7:14, "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." This is indeed a sweet thing to be sought, in the wake of repentance.
5. When does Rosh HaShana begin this year, and what is the feast day called in the Torah?
The world started in darkness. Then light came... "And there was evening, and there was morning--the first day. (Breisheet [Gen] 1:5). So too, the correct countings of days should begin in the evening, as the Jews have always done.
Rosh HaShana, the first day of Tishrei, began yesterday, at sundown on the 1st of October, and concludes at sundown on the 3rd of October, Friday, which is followed immediately by the weekly Shabbat. In other words, it is a long weekend. Not without significant is the fact that Yom Kippur then, begins at sundown on the 10th of October, (friday) and is marked by a 25 hour fast, in which your prayers (and fasting) for the nation of Israel and the Jewish People would be greatly appreciated.
Rosh HaShana means "New Year" but really only refers to the agricultural new year in the Jewish Calendar. The Feast in the Tenach is properly referred to as "Yom HaTeru'ah" or "The Day of the Blast or Shofar".
Chatimah Tovah and Shana Metukah (have a sweet year) ...
Uri
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>From Uri: ***********
For those who would enjoy a deeper dig into the hidden meanings of Rosh HaShana, I am below copying an edited version of my brother's article on the subject which was published in Colorado Christian News last year. If you do read these articles, I promise that you will not be disappointed!
> >From Avi Marcus >CCN, Rosh Hashanah, Part I >
Shanah Tovah Tichatavu! Annually on the Jewish festival of Rosh Hashanah Jewish people extend this Hebrew blessing to each other, which translated means, "Happy New Year. May you be sealed and inscribed for a good life and for peace."
Besides being a nice thing to say to someone the blessing also represents an important lesson in Messianic eschatology (the End-Times). Biblically, from Leviticus 23, Rosh Hashanah refers to the Jewish festival called "trumpets," which always falls on Tishri 1 of the Hebrew calendar. Rosh Hashanah has embedded within it, themes of renewal, the birthday of the world, personal evaluation, repentance, coronation, kingship of the L-rd, marriage to G-d, concealment under the "chupah" (covering) of G-d and yes, even the resurrection and rapture!
Rosh Hashanah -- Evaluation and the Book of Life:
Annually on Rosh Hashanah, also called the festival of Trumpets, (an appointed time of the L-rd) we are taught by our ancient rabbis to evaluate ourselves in six different ways. (I am certain Y'shua, as a Jew, would have also honored this festival and all of its special ways of honoring G-d as King.) This Rosh Hashanah perhaps you might want to take on some Jewish culture. If so, then mark your calendar for October 1st to 3rd! Rather than spend this 48 hour period as you normally would, set it aside for prayer, Bible study and evaluation. Here are six questions you can pray about personally:
1) Have I maintained my faith in G-d through difficulty?
2) Have I eased, ignored or intensified the pain of others?
3) Have I discharged my obligations to G-d as a wise steward of all the many resources He has given me?
4) Have I prayed and performed actions from my heart?
5) Have I performed the commandments of G-d with eagerness and diligence or have I been hypocritical and slothful about my responsibilities to live righteously?
6) Have I elevated myself in arrogance or have I lived humbly as a light and sanctified His world through study and practice of the G-d's Torah?
By facing these questions in prayer, we are also faced with having to recognize our failure to live "like Messiah." Your Rosh Hashanah goal should be one of repentance and change since none of us lives as we should all the time.
Think of it this way: A successful company and its board of directors will perhaps quarterly and certainly on an annual basis set aside a special time to evaluate company goals, finances and operations to see if it is meeting or exceeding certain expectations. And if you are an employee of a company like this, certainly you too can expect an evaluation of your performance. In the same way, Rosh Hashanah is your divine evaluation day. Its a day for you to be critical of yourself and determine if you are living up to the responsibilities of your holy calling in the L-rd. Ultimately, by doing a personal evaluation at this time of year, ancient Judaism teaches us that by our sincere desire for repentance G-d rises from His seat of judgment and sits on His seat of mercy extending to us his favor though Mashiach (Messiah Y'shua).
Besides evaluation, Rosh Hashanah (the festival of trumpets) also carries themes of resurrection and concealment. For example, Psalm 81:1-3 links the Rosh Chodesh (the New Moon) of the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) with the Hebrew word "B'Chaseh" which means "in our concealment." In other words, there is only one Jewish festival in our calender that incorporates a trumpet blast, a new moon, a festival and concealment; that is Rosh Hashanah! And the theme of this psalm is G-d's mercy and our disobedience to Him which is why we spend time on Rosh Hashanah evaluating ourselves!
Another example: Psalm 47 is read 7 times in synagogue services on the Feast of Trumpets. Why? Because it is a song of coronating our Jewish King. In verse 5, we have two distinct Jewish elements of Rosh Hashanah and kingship. It reads, "G-d has ascended with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet." Rav' Sha'ul (the Apostle Paul) upheld this when he said, "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout... and with the trumpet of G-d and the dead in Christ shall rise first...." This is beautiful! The L-rd is going to descend from heaven, sound the Shofar, pick up his bride and then continue on to His throne with a shout and a loud trumpet call.
Another Rosh Hashanah song in Judaism is Psalm 45. Look at verses 13-15. Here, the elements are a bridal chupah or chamber, virgins and the coming of the King. This supports Y'shua's "drash" or story in Matt. 25:1-13!
Look at Psalm 27:5 and notice the embedded Rosh Hashanah phrases: "the day of trouble," "He will conceal me," His tabernacle," "His tent" and "He will hide me." These same concepts are repeated in Isaiah 28:19-21 and in Yochanan (John) 14:1, Matt. 24:40-41, Matt. 25:6, 1 Thess. 5:9, Revelation 4:1-2 and many other places to numerous to mention here!
Finally, Y'shua's words that, "No man knows the day or the hour" is a specific phrase referring to Rosh Hashanah. I recently returned from a teaching tour in England and I learned that the Brits have a phrase that most Americans would not understand. If I said, "I'll see you in a fortnight," unless you were British you would not realize I was saying, "I'll see you in two weeks' time." In the same way, Y'shua was using an idiom common to the first century. By saying, "No man knows the day or the hour" Y'shua was saying I'll see you again on Rosh Hashanah at some point in the future.
Next month, I will look at Rosh Hashanah and its themes of resurrection, rapture and marriage. Until then, may you be found righteous by your faith and may you be inscribed and sealed for a good life and for peace. In advance I say, Shana Tovah Tichatavu!
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CCN, Rosh Hashanah, Part II
The Feast of Trumpets, also called Rosh Hashanah, marks the
beginning of a new agricultural year on the Jewish calendar. In
fact, another name for this festival is, "The Birthday of the
World."
Last month, in part one of Aleph to Tav, I explained that Rosh
Hashanah carries themes of renewal, personal evaluation,
repentance, coronation, kingship of the L-rd, marriage to G-d,
concealment under the "chupah" (covering) of G-d and yes, even
the resurrection and rapture! This month, we will look at Rosh
Hashanah as it relates to the seventh-day Sabbath and the Last
Trump.
How Old Are We?
According to the Jewish calendar in use today, we are supposed
to be celebrating the beginning of the year 5758 (1997) from
the creation of Adam. However, my biblical research (and
confirmed by many others) shows this is incorrect. Relying
totally upon the chronological numbers revealed in the written
Word of G-d, the Tanakh (Genesis to Malachi), I believe at this
years' Rosh Hashanah, we are more accurately beginning the
Jewish year 5999. If I am correct then this is highly
significant. Why? Because for thousands of years in Judaism
many of our most well-respected rabbis and sages taught that
G-d set up His complete redemption plan for mankind, which
begins and ends on the Feast of Trumpets, based upon the
seven-day creation week.
Just as G-d's creation plan reflects six days of work and the
seventh as rest, so also each day according to the L-rd is
prophetically 1,000 years (Mizmor [Psalm] 90:4). Therefore at
the end of 6,000 complete years since the creation of Adam,
corresponding to the sixth day of the week as we approach the
seventh day Shabbat (Sabbath) and the Jewish year 6001, we can
expect a one-thousand year "day" of rest, also known as the
"millennium." It will be marked by a great resurrection of the
dead, rapture of the living and fulfillment of a long-standing
marriage contract between G-d and his people Israel.
Again, if I am correct in my chronological and biblical
research (even give or take a couple of years) then soon you
may have the unique privilege of seeing a divine redemption
that generations of the past could only touch with their
imagination!
Marriage and the Seventh Day
Each Friday in our home we have a series of things we do in
preparation for the seventh day Shabbat. We immerse in a
gathering of waters (an outward expression of change of status
-- what the Christian world has borrowed, corrupted and renamed
"Baptism"), put on special Shabbat clothes (Matt. 22:1-14) and
spiritually prepare our hearts to enter into a day of physical
Sabbath rest in which we do no buying or selling, cooking,
cleaning or anything that can be done during the week. Finally
at sunset, my son takes our nearly three-foot long rams horn,
opens the front door, lifts the trumpet to his mouth and
confidently releases a loud sequence of sounds we call the
Tekiah-Teru'ah (our neighbors always know when the Sabbath
begins at our home!). Following our opening prayer, we sing a
Jewish wedding song for the Sabbath called L'cha Dodi. It
begins with the words, "Come my friend to meet the bride, let
us welcome the Shabbat! (The Millennium!)"
Why all this hooplah over the seventh day? Because she is like
a bride to us teaching us lessons about the marriage of Messiah
to His bride (Talmud: Mas. Shabbat 119a; Ketubot 3b, B. Kama
32b). And since the Eklesia (Jews and Gentiles in the Church
faithful to G-d's teachings) is linked to that promise, the
seventh day becomes, in a sense, a wedding rehearsal which is
connected to the Feast of Trumpets, a festival that falls on
the first day of the seventh Hebrew month. To illustrate this,
our ancient rabbis told a "drash" or story about the seven days
of creation.
It was taught that all the elements created by G-d on the first
day was paired by His work on the fourth day. Likewise,
everything created on the second day was filled by G-d's work
on the fifth day. Also, everything created on the third day was
filled by our Heavenly Father's work on the sixth day. Finally,
at the end of six days of creation, G-d ceased from His labors
and rested on the seventh day sanctifying it as a day holy to
the L-rd.
As the story is told, the seventh day approached G-d and said, "O Master of the Universe, who will I be paired with?"
The L-rd said, "You will forever be paired with Israel."
Thus in ancient Jewish thought, the seventh day, physically and prophetically, developed themes of rejoicing in G-d's creation, marriage to the Messiah, coronating G-d as King and ultimately, a day of rest--details that paint a Messianic portrait of the millennium which is supposed to begin on the Feast of Trumpets. This is some of the Jewish background for understanding Y'shua's words in Mattityahu 23:39, Tehillim (Psalms) 45:13-15 and 47:1-9.
The First Trump and the The Last Trump
Rav Sha'ul (Apostle Paul) in 1 Cor 15:52 and 1 Thess 4:16
speaks about resurrection and the "Last Trump." Both concepts
are Jewish wedding themes centered around Shabbat and Rosh
Hashanah! This is just one reason why I believe the return of
the Messiah will occur not only on the Feast of Trumpets but
also on a Shabbat, the seventh day of the week, just as this
year, Rosh HaShana falls on a Shabbat. (Sorry, my editor won't
let me write 400 pages in this column! For these details you
will have to read my book, Signs in the Heavens.).
Briefly, in Sh'mot (Exodus) 19, the stage is set for a wedding:
the people immerse in a mikveh (get baptized), listen to the
sound of a trumpet, stand under a chupah (the mountain),
receive G-d's commandments (the Ketubah or written wedding
contract) and betroth themselves to G-d forever (Yirmeyahu
[Jeremiah] 31:32. About 1,500 years later, the marriage
covenant is renewed through Y'shua, a theme that is addressed
in Matt. 6:28. In Judaism we call the trumpet blast in Exodus
19:16 the "Left Horn" or "The First Trump" of G-d's redemption.
Also in Judaism it was taught there will be a "Right Horn" or
"Last Trump." Together, the First Trump and the Last Trump
paint a redemption picture of the two-horned ram caught in the
thicket on Mount Moriah at the binding of Yitzchak (Isaac).
Sha'ul (Paul), himself an itinerate rabbi, knew this and simply
taught the Gentile believers about Jewish eschatology, the
Shabbat and the Feast of Trumpets. (By the way, this "Last
Trump" described by Sha'ul is NOT linked to Revelation's
seventh trump of judgment!).
A closing thought
As we prepare to enter what I believe is the Jewish year 5999
(5758), my message is simple: Ready yourself to meet your
Jewish groom! I assure you, while the world is preoccupied with
global peace and the unity of mankind, you can be focusing on
putting on your Shabbat wedding garments (Matt 22:11) and
preparing to hear the sound of the Last Trump (Tehillim
[Psalms] 47 and 45:13-15). Do not be drawn away into the plans
of the world which will only lead to your destruction (Matt.
6:13). Rather, take a lesson from your Jewish Bible and turn
your attention to remaining righteous, faithful and obedient to
the teachings and instructions of G-d (the Torah), as is
befitting the bride of our Jewish King and High Priest (Lev.
21:14).
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