Feast of Trumpets (Rosh HaShanah)

Rosh HaShanah is the civil Jewish New Year for Israel. The religious new year begins in the spring. Rosh HaShanah can literally be translated as ‘the head of the year’ and is also called the Feast of Trumpets. This two-day feast occurs on the 1st and 2nd of Tishrei. This feast is one of seven, annual feasts ordained by God in the Holy Bible. Reading in Leviticus 23:24-25:

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel saying: ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath rest, a memorial of blowing trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall give an offering made by fire to the Lord.’

Other than the mention of the blowing of trumpets, there is not much said in the scriptures about how to celebrate Rosh HaShanah. Some scholars believe that the event, which was to be remembered, is when God first came down to earth on Mt. Sinai. Reading in Exodus 19:13-19:

So it came about on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud upon the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people, who were in the camp trembled. Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently. When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him with thunder.

It it interesting to note that the current calendar, used by the Jewish people, was adopted from the Babylonian calendar during the time of the Jewish captivity in Babylon. The Babylonian calendar was a lunar calendar and was used to calculate when taxes were to be paid to Babylon. This means that the Jewish calendar used today (and used by the Pharisee’s during the time of Jesus) is a lunar calendar. There are several interesting practices associated with the Feast of Trumpets.

  1. In Biblical times, only the Sanhedrin, the ruling religious authority, could decide when this feast would begin. Before the Sanhedrin would declare that a new month had begun, two witnesses were required to appear before them and testify that they had observed the new moon (indicating that a new month had begun). Sometimes, the new moon could not be seen because of rain or cloudy conditions. So, this feast had a mysterious and uncertain feeling to it; the people could not observe this feast until the religious authorities officially declared that a new month had begun. This is the only feast which begins on the first day of the month and had this uncertain aspect. By the time some residents heard the news that a new month had begun, it was already the second day of the month. So this resulted in the Feast of Trumpets becoming a two-day feast. 
  2. Since this is the beginning of the civil Jewish calendar, many people take this time to reflect on their past year and make plans to ‘do better’ next year (similar to our New Year’s Resolutions).
  3. Jewish tradition states that Adam was created on this feast and the Jews believe that Jerusalem was located in the Garden of Eden. So, the tradition states that God made Adam from the dust of the Temple Mount and then breathed life into his body. The blowing of the trumpet (also called a shofar) requires the breath of a person to make a sound. This reminds people of the breath of God when Adam was created.
  4. When the shofar is blown, there are 4 different sounds. The first three mean ‘wake up, repent & get ready’, then the last trumpet sound is blown.
  5. Many people wear white as a sign of purity for the beginning of a new year.
  6. Today, the Jewish people believe that during this feast, God judges your actions for the prior year. They believe this is his first judgement. Then, they believe that God writes your name in one of 3 books (Book of the Righteous (aka the Book of Life), the Book of theWicked or the Book of the In-Between).
  7. The Feast of Trumpets begins the 10 Days of Awe which end with the feast of Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). Jews today believe that these 10 days are a time of prayer and repentance. During the Days of Awe, the people afflict their souls and there are no pleasant activities during this time. These 10 days are also known as the High Holy Days.
  8. At the end of the ten days, it is the Day of Atonement (called Yom Kippur in Hebrew), which is the holiest day of the year.
  9. In Israel, all business are closed on this day and travel is not allowed. Everything comes to a standstill; it is a day of personal repentance and many people fast all day.
  10. Today, Jews believe if your name was written in the book of the In-Between on Rosh HaShanah, if you truly repented during the 10 Days of Awe, God may change his mind and now write your name in the Book of Life. This is God’s second judgement. When people greet each other in Israel on Yom Kippur, they will say “May your name be written in the Book of Life”.

See the teaching on the Day of Atonement for additional information concerning that feast.

 

Shana Tovah – Have a good year!

Click the link below to watch a video where a Jewish man explains how the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh HaShanah) is celebrate today.

https://youtu.be/HkdPGmoeEOQ