From: Uri Marcus
To:      heb_roots_chr@geocities.com
Subject: G-d's Appointed Seasons -- Rosh HaShanah PART 1


PART 1 OF 2

Shana Tova u'Mevurechet (a Happy & Blessed New Year) from Jerusalem,

"Yom HaTeru'ah" or "The Day of the Shofar Blast" has once again arrived,
and will shortly innaugurate, supposedly the Jewish Year of 5759, since
the creation.

But fasten your seat belts, because I just happen to think that we are a
lot closer to the year 6001 than we might have previously thought.

In this edition of "G-d's Appointed Seasons," we are going to be
exploring several aspects of Rosh HaShana, what it means to us, and where
it is taking us, so I hope you are ready to learn.

The honest truth is that of all the appointed seasons, Rosh HaShana is
shrowded with mystery far behond the rest of our feasts. This holiday is
unique in many respects, which we shall see, but in particular, the Torah
says so little about in connection with its celebration, that its hard to
get a grip on it. The only way to discover the mystery of this Hag
(holiday) is to take a look at long standing Jewish historical customs
and traditions associated with it. This is the path we shall embark upon
now, since of all the Hagim, none is more important from an escatalogical
view, than Yom HaTeru'ah. No other day on the Jewish calendar and from a
Jewish perspective pinpoint the coming of Mashiach Ben David (Messiah Son
of David), Melech Yisrael (King of Israel), back to the Jewish soil of
Tzion.


---------------------
A GENERAL DESCRIPTION
---------------------

The first day of the seventh month of Tishrei is called "a day of shofar
blasting" (BaMidbar [Numbers] 29:1). Oral tradition tells us that this
day marks the anniversary of the creation of the world. Hence it is the
day when, every year, G-d "takes stock" of Creation, judging our actions.
Thus, we call it Rosh HaShana, the "Head" of the Year; for just as the
head directs the body, so too, G-d's judgment on Rosh HaShana directs the
events of the coming year.

Rosh HaShana is a two-day festival which we honor and enjoy with special
(new) clothing and festive meals. There is a prohibition against certain
types of work. We light holiday candles and recite kiddush (a blessing)
over wine. We eat sweet apples dipped in honey, in hopes that we  will
receive a good, sweet year. The highlight of the daily prayer service is
the sounding of the shofar, the ram's horn.

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, begins at sundown on sunday, the
20th of September, and concludes at sundown on tuesday, the 22nd of
September. By the way, Yom Kippor (the Day of Atonement), begins at
sundown on the 29th of September, (also a tuesday) 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.


----------------------
EVALUATION BY THE BOOK
----------------------

The Holy Convocations (assemblies) of Rosh HaShana, and Yom Kippor are
unlike other feast days in that they are not tied to national historic
events... yet. Instead, these assemblies give us a glimpse of the future.
They celebrate G-d's role as King of the universe and Judge of all man's
deeds. 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 Kippor, when a final decision is made as to which
category they are to be assigned. Hence "Yamai Tshuva" or the 40 days
prior to Yom Kippor along with 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 Kippor, the greeting given is, "G'mar Chatimah Tovah" which
means, "May it be that your name was sealed in the Book of Life with the
conclusion of a good sealing!"

We are taught by our ancient sages and rabbis to evaluate ourselves or
"take stock" during this season. So why not mark your calendars and
celebrate the feast with us? Set aside 20-21 Sept and 29-30 Sept for
serious prayer, Torah study and self-evaluation.


------------------------
SUFFERING FOR REDEMPTION
------------------------

Self evalution is always for a purpose outside of ourselves. In other
words, it is not for self-aggrandizment, but rather because we fear the
King and the True Judge, and we want Him to redeem us to serve in His
kingdom. This is why suffering and salvation go hand in hand. The former
forms the basis for the later, as is written: "It is a time of trouble
for Ya'acov, and he will be saved from it" (Yirmiyahu [Jeremiah] 30:7).
Moreover, the Torah states, "And, when these things happen to you, the
blessing and the curse ... take it to heart" (Devarim [Deut] 30:1). The
awakening of the spirit of redemption beats in the hearts of the people
of G-d, from within the curse itself.

The Rambam (perhaps our most famous Jewish Philosopher and Bible
commentator) had this passage in mind when he wrote the following about
the Mashiach:

"Anyone who does not believe in Him, or who does not wait for His
arrival, is not only denying the words of other prophets, but is denying
the Torah and Moshe himself. For the Torah bore witness to Moshe: 'And
G-d will return your lost ones, and He will have pity on you, and gather
you in ... If you will be dispersed to the end of heaven ... G-d will
bring you.' (Devarim [Deut] 30:3-5). These things, which are explicitly
written in the Torah, include all that was said by the other prophets."

In the coming new year, let us Crown G-d as our King, out of a true
understanding of the processes of redemption which is being revealed
before our very eyes. "Stand up and see the salvation of G-d" (Sh'mot
[Exodus] 14:13).


----------------------------------
THREE GREAT THEMES OF ROSH HASHANA
----------------------------------

The Jewish customs, traditions and prayers which surround Rosh HaShana
are embedded with three great themes, all of which involve Israel:

   1. Kingship
   2. Marriage
   3. Ressurection

The King of Israel is the Mashiach. The marriage is between the G-d of
Israel and His people. What is ressurected is the life of the nation,
restored to its rightful geographical place, along with its honor, as the
Prophets foretold.


The King
--------

Where have the all the kings gone?

As part of the Creation, HaShem wanted there to be a tangible symbol of
His Kingship. From this symbol we would be able to catch the smallest
glimpse, the most distant echo of the Glory of Heaven, its awesomeness
and its majesty. For this reason He created kings.

A few hundred years ago, kings ruled with absolute authority in their
lands. More recently, nations have been unwilling to give to their rulers
unbounded dominion; rather the king has been placed under the rule of the
state.

With the advent of the republic, the notion of kingship has been
virtually extinguished. There remain but a few nations who still conserve
a constitutional monarchy, but even in those countries, the monarchy is
but a pale puppet show beset with problems from without and within.

In a republic, it is the people that rule; or rather, it is the political
parties that rule. The fear of the king is no longer a factor.

Yet, if the earthly monarchy is no more than a reflection of HaShem's
Kingship, and a means to make it easier for us to accept His Dominion
upon ourselves, why has the power and the status of monarchy been allowed
to wane?

The answer is because HaShem relates to us in the same way we relate to
Him. When the world at large believed in G-d, we were afforded an ever
present representation of HaShem's Kingship in the form of the rule of
kings. When the world turned to atheism, HaShem allowed a synchronous
withdrawal of the power of kings.

The most basic tenet of Judaism is that HaShem is One. Therefore, an
earthly king also is a symbol of the unity of His people. Today, under
the republic, political parties by definition stand for diffusion and
separation. This is but a mirror of the fact that the world has turned
its back on HaShem's Oneness.

Kingship will soon return once again to mankind. With it, the world, and
especially Israel as a nation, will once again perceive the Oneness of
HaShem.

In the meantime, for some two thousand years, the Jewish People has been
waiting attentively for the return of the King.

The false monarchy of atheism, the puppet regimes of hedonism and
materialism seem to rule unchecked, but from His exile, the King still
rules.

He is in hiding. We do not see Him. But we continue an unremitting
guerrilla war against His enemies. We therfore cannot allow ourselves to
be subjugated to them, nor can we ever accept their rulership.

And He continues to rule, even though we do not see Him. He rules in
secret and in hiding. All the while we listen to our Holy Torah,
receiving instructions from Him. We long for the day when He will return
to us and the world will acknowledge Him as Ruler. There will come a Rosh
HaShana when kingship will return to the House of David and we shall
crown Him, not in exile, but revealed for all the world to see.

It is for this reason Rosh HaShana liturgy paints a picture of a
coronation. On Rosh HaShana, we crown HaShem as our King. But isn't it
our duty to acknowledge HaShem's kingship every single day of the
year? What is special when we "crown" HaShem on Rosh HaShana?

Remember repentance and the days of awe which lead up to and suround Rosh
HaShana? During these days, arraigned against us are accusations created
by our own transgressions.  They accuse us, as it were, of being disloyal
to the King by failing to observe His commands; and as the Sages say,
"there is no king without a people."  HaShem runs the world whether we
acknowledge it or not.  But HaShem is only a King to the extent that we
make ourselves His subjects. That is why Yeshua says, "Why do you call
me, `Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" When we transgress the
orders of the King we "diminish" HaShem's Kingship. By our sins, HaShem's
Kingship is, as it were, threatened.

This accusation of our disloyalty forces us to renew our commitment to
HaShem as our King and we rededicate ourselves to Him. We loyally accept
upon ourselves His dominion, and thereby we renew HaShem's Kingdom.

In another example which prepares us for a different aspect of King
Messiah rule, during the synagogue services on Rosh HaShana we read
Mizmor (Psalm) 47 seven times. Why? Because it is a coronation song for
the King. Take a look at verse 5 where we have two distinct Jewish
elements of Rosh HaShana; kingship and resurrection.

G-d raises [them] up with a Blast (or Shout), the LORD amidst the
sounding of the Shofar. (Psalms 47:5)

Does this sound familiar? Rav Sha'ul (the Apostle Paul) upheld this very
same idea when he said, "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven,
and with a shout... and with the Shofar of G-d, the dead in Mashiach
shall rise first..." (1 Th 4:16).


The Marriage
------------

Another Rosh HaShana theme embedded in our liturgy is the concept of a
Jewish Marriage ceremoney taking place under the Chupah (clouds at Mt.
Sinai), which is all reflected at the Har Sinai stage (Sh'mot [Exodus]
19), when the Torah (the K'tubah or marriage contract) was delivered to
Moshe and bnei Israel. All the other wedding elements are also present.
In addition to the witnesses of Heaven and Earth, we see the people
immersing in a mikveh (the original baptism), they listen to the call of
the shofar, even literally "seeing" the voices, stand under a Chupah,
receive G-d's K'tubah along with its signet ring (the Shabbat) and
betroth themselves to their new Husband forever (Yirmeyahu [Jeremiah]
31:32.


Moshe reminds us of this all important event on our 40th wedding
anniversary in D'varim (Deut) 29:13, which just happens to be the Parsha
(Torah Portion) read in synagoges the world over, on this Shabbat, just
before Rosh HaShana.

"...that He may establish you today for a people to Himself, and that He
may be to you G-d, as He has said to you, and as He has sworn to your
faithers, to Avraham, to Yitzchak, and to Ya'acov.

Moreover, on Rosh HaShana, another song recited is Mizmor (Psalm) 45.
Look at verses 13-15. Here, the elements are a bridal chupah or chamber,
virgins and the coming of the King. This parallels Yeshua's "drash" or
story in Matt. 25:1-13, depicting the 10 virgins waiting for the
bridegroom to return.

"All glorious is the princess within her chamber; her gown is interwoven
with gold. In embroidered garments she is led to the king; her virgin
companions follow her and are brought to you. They are led in with joy
and gladness; they enter the palace of the King."

Look also at Psalm 27:5 and notice the embedded Rosh HaShana 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. Rosh HaShana is our
wedding day!

No wedding can be successful without rehearsals beforehand, and so the
Holy One, blessed be He, did not leave us without a means to prepare for
this day. Just before each Erev Shabbat (Friday), we have a series of
things we do in order to  prepare for the Shabbat. In reality, it is a
rehearsal for real thing which will occur on Yom HaTeru'ah, when the
Great Shabbat, the Day of the Lord begins. During the days of the Temple
service, and in some communities today, Jewish men immerse in a gathering
of waters (Mikveh -- an outward expression of repentance or 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 any other
work that normally is done during the week. Following the opening Shabbat
prayers, we sing a Jewish wedding song for the Sabbath called L'cha Dodi
"To you my Beloved". It begins with the words, "Come my friend to meet
the Bride, let us welcome the Shabbat! (The Millennium)"!

But why all this fuss over the seventh day? Because she is like a Bride
to us teaching us lessons about the marriage of Mashaich to His Bride
(Talmud: Mas. Shabbat 119a; Ketubot 3b, B. Kama 32b). And since all
Believers within the community of faith, who have been grafted into the
commonwealth of Israel are 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, Tishrei. To illustrate this, our sages and rabbis tell a "drash"
or story about the seven days of creation, thus:

     It was taught that all the elements created by G-d
     on the first day were paired with His work on the
     fourth day. Likewise, everything He created on the
     second day was coupled with G-d's work on the fifth
     day. Again, everything created on the third day was
     mated with elements brought out on the sixth day.
     Finally, at the end of the 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, with whom
     will I be paired?"

     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 Mashiach, coronating G-d as King and ultimately, a day of rest --
details that paint a Messianic portrait of the millennium.

In Jewish literature, the blast of the Shofar in Shm'ot 19:16 is called
"The First Trump" of G-d's redemption. Later, we are taught there will be
a "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), knew of this
teaching and simply passed it on to the Gentile believers with the
Shabbat and the Rosh HaShana in view.


The Resurrection
----------------

Sha'ul, well familiar with Rosh HaShana liturgy, "types" and imagry,
picked up on the importance of Yom Teru'ah's Shofar with regard to
Resurection as well. In heralding the return of Mashiach and our being
called to assemble to meet Him in the clouds, he connected it to the
"mystery" of Rosh HaShana in I Cor 15 and 1 Thes 4, thus:

"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, and
with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the Shofar of G-d
the dead in Mashiach shall rise first."

He knew that Rosh HaShana was the only feast described in the Torah which
did lacked instructions regarding what we were to do besides "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 Yeshua's return.


     Now just as these types of Kingship, Marriage and Ressurecton exist,
     so too the anti-types must exist in order that the Torah Community
     might have opportunity to be reminded of who they are, lest they
     forget.

For this reason Amalek and his desendants were created.

Amalek was the illegitimate son of Elifaz, and the grandson of Esav.
(Amalek's mother was the illegitimate daughter of Amalek's father).

The progeny of Amalek is the archetypal enemy of the Jewish People. Their
very existence is diametrically opposed to the Torah. The Sages describe
the people of Amalek as being the essence of all the evil in the world.

Today, we don't know who is descended from Amalek. Around the year 600
BCE, the Assyrian conqueror Sancheriv exiled most of the world's
inhabitants from their homelands and scattered them around the world.
Since then, the true national identity of any people (except for the
Jews) has become obscure.

The concept of "Amalek" however, goes a long way in helping us understand
the baffling phenomenon of anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism has no
sociological parallel. Even the word is unique: "Anti-Semitism" is the
only English word describing hate towards a distinct group of people.
There's no English word for French-hatred, Irish-hatred, or German
hatred, even though England fought bitter wars against all these nations.

We are the only people in the world towards whom there exists a unique,
distinct hatred. Why? Because we're supposed to be "A Light Unto The
Nations," for this is our particular G-d given role in this world. When
we perform as light, i.e. when we do something about bringing the light
of Torah into the world, that's when there is light! And when we are not
a light, i.e. when we are not performing the good works of the Torah, for
which we were made (Eph 2:10), then we end up assimilating, and in
essence forgetting who we are, in addition to robbing the world of the
light it must have. Whenever this happned in the history of Israel, like
a reactor that has gone into critical mass, G-d saw fit to remind us of
who we are and that we were His people, by sending us "Amalek," the
Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans, the crusaders and the
pogromists, enlightenment and emancipation, and the Western World, and
all the other threats that happened throughout history. They are sent to
stimulate us, to wake us up, and to arouse us back to our original
purpose and calling.

This bears out the Torah's prediction that until the Mashiach's days,
there will exist a nation, Amalek, with an unexplainable, inborn hatred
towards us, whose purpose it will be to stop the King from returning to
the soil of Tzion, undermine the wedding of G-d to His people, and squash
the resurrection and restoration of the People of G-d to their Land, in
an attempt to keep it light from the world.

Yet the promises of G-d are true, and the Holy One of Israel has already
seen to it, that nothing shall interfere with His plan.

--------------------------------END OF PART 1

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