"On Rosh HaShanah, man is judged. But what sacrifice does he bring? He brings himself." (The Secret by Jonathan Rosenblum)
Rosh HaShanah is called the 'Jewish New Year'. This is not because of its position in the Hebrew Calendarthe first day of the seventh monthbut because of the tradition which says that this is the day G-d created Adam. Man will be judged, they say, on the same day he was created.
The Hebrew sages taught that the end of the world, known simply as "ketz", would begin on a future Rosh HaShanah. In their teachings it is said that three books will be opened by G-d on Judgment day: the Book of Life for the totally righteous; the Book of Deaththe Rashimfor the totally wicked; and the Book of the Average Man whose fate is in suspension until Yom Kippur and the blowing of the last trumpet.
It is the Feast described in Leviticus 23 as The Day of Blowing the Shofar, the only Feast that falls on the New Moon or darkest day of the monthquite apropos for Judgment Day. The New Moon celebration which coincides with Rosh HaShanah is called the Day of the Concealed Moon, until Israel returns to G-d with perfect repentance.
The Hebrew sages often referred to Israel and the Jewish people as the moon, waxing and waning in the world, concealed for the day when they will shine forth. It is believed that Israel, the moon, receives illumination during this season from supernatural light rather than from the sun.
The name of the month, Tishri, is an Aramaic word that means to loosen or untie. It has a double meaning in that during this month, man has the opportunity to loosen or untie his sins from himself and to start anew with G-d. It is also the month during which judgment, which has been held back, will be loosened or untied and allowed to permeate the earth. The Hebrew name for the month, Eisanim, means powerful, mighty one. It is the month during which the mighty One, Yeshua was born and the month during which, some believe, He will return.
There are four names for the celebration:
1. Rosh HaShanah, meaning Top of the Year
2. Yom HaDin, meaning, Day of Judgment
3. Yom HaZikkharon, meaning Day of Remembrance
4. Yom Teruah meaning, Day of Blowing the Shofar
As 'Judgment Day', it speaks of the day on which each man will be weighed in the balance:
"Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin." (Deuteronomy 24:16)
As the Day of Remembrance, it recalls that G-d will remember the promises made to the patriarchs. As part of the celebration, the story of the birth of Isaac born to barren Sarah is recalled (Genesis 21) as well as the birth of Samuel to barren Hannah (1 Samuel 1); Jeremiah's vision of the deliverance of Israel from exile is recited (Jer. 31:1-19); and the binding of Isaac by Abraham (Genesis 22). Each story is recited to recall to G-d's remembrance:
Each of these stories, for believers, should recall that G-d has promised barren Israel fruitfulness (Isaiah 54); that He will return Israel from exile (Isaiah 43:5-6) and rescue her from sacrifice when Israel's enemies surround her (Ezekiel 38:18-23).
The traditional greeting for the holiday reflects the theme of remembrance:
Rosh HaShanah is called the Day of Blowing the Shofar to fulfill the biblical command to do so (Leviticus 23:24). The reason for the shofar blasts, the sages teach, is that before a king punishes his subjects for neglecting his decrees, he gives them a final warning. The shofar blasts are G-d's final warning before the final judgment on Yom Kippur when the gates of Heaven are closed. The one hundred shofar blasts that are sounded on Rosh HaShanah are a call to G-d to rise from His throne of Judgment to His throne of mercy.
The four names reflect three themes of the celebration: Sovereignty, Remembrance & Redemption:
1. Because G-d is righteous, He is sovereign in His judgment.
2. Because G-d is faithful, He remembers His people in the midst of judgment.
3. Because G-d is merciful, He will redeem His people at the final shofar
Judgment Day can be seen as G-d's warning to man of His impending wraththe day He pronounces judgmentnot the day it is carried out. The harvest is when He carries out judgment, the day when the gates of Heaven are closed. Rosh HaShanah is man's opportunity to prepare for the harvest of the earth that will follow. Yeshua told a parable about the end of the age and interpreted it for His followers. He said:
"The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of this age, and the harvesters are angels." (Matthew 13:38, 39)
There are ten days between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The ten days are known as The Days Of Awe or The Day Of Jacob's Trouble. The rabbis say the first seven days of the period are to be spent in getting right with your fellow man. The last three days are to be spent in getting right with G-d before Yom Kippur when the gates of Heaven are closed and one's judgment sealed. Seven is the number of fullness in the physical realm, and three is the number of fullness in the spiritual realm7+3=10, the number of completeness.
The Days of Awe are days of self-examination and repentance for the average person whose name was not found inscribed in either of the first two books. As part of the process of repentance and renewal, devout Jews participate in the Tashlikh ritual. (Tashlikh means to carry away). They go to the edge of a body of moving water that contains fish. They empty their pockets or throw stones into the water as they recite Micah 7:8-20:
"Who is a G-d like You, who pardons sin and forgives the transgressions of the remnant of His inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; You will tread our sins underfoot and hurl our sins into the depths of the sea. You will be true to Jacob and show mercy to Abraham as You pledged on oath to our fathers in days long ago."
The reason for moving water that contains fish is that the eyes of fish never close just as G-d's eyes never close. The ritual symbolizes that our sins (the contents of our pockets or the stones) will be carried away by the moving water from the sight of G-d. As believers, this ritual is a remembrance of Yeshua's sacrifice that took our sins away to a land of forgetfulness. Believers who want to participate in this ritual may recite:
"He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." (Psalm 103:10-12)
All of the traditions, whether based on Biblical commands or
oral law, point to Yeshua and His redemptive work. The Shofar
for instance, which is central to the theme of Rosh HaShanah,
has traditions connected to it that have great prophetic significance.
The individual chosen to blow the shofar is called the Tokeah
b'shofar or just the Tokeah. He covers his head with a prayer
shawl, indicating the sacred nature of his jobsacred
because the shofar sound is believed to bring down the Glory of
G-d just as it did on the first Shavuot at Mt. Sinai. The prayer
shawl or tallit represents the Word of G-d, the Torah. The Tokeah,
therefore, is wrapped in the Word of G-d and is basked in its
supernatural light, G-d's Glory.
As believers, we know Yeshua as the Living Word of G-d, G-d's Glory. Because our bodies are Temples of the Holy Spirit we have the supernatural light (of understanding) that the Holy Spirit brings. The tallit serves to remind us of this great privilege.
The shofar is said to compare with the voice of G-d. At times the scriptures describe the voice of the prophets as trumpets. For instance, in Isaiah:
In a very real sense, those who speak the Word of G-d
are 'trumpeters', Tokeas who are wrapped in G-d's Glory, His Living
Word Yeshua, by the supernatural light of the Holy Spirit.
The sages teach that the blessing of Rosh HaShanah is in
hearing the shofar. On the morning of Rosh Ha-Shanah, in the
Synagogue, the congregation waits in silence for the sound of
the shofar. A great sense of expectation fills the air. When the
sound of the shofar pierces the silence, it is supposed to startle
one's soulstirring up repentance deep within. After
each series of shofar blasts, Psalm 89:15 is recited:
"How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! O L-rd, they walk in the light of thy countenance."
It is said that the sound of the shofar precedes language; it precedes the words with which the devil deceived Eve; it bypasses the realm of thought. We summon ourselves to judgment by blowing the shofar. By this we demonstrate that we accept the need for repentance.
Before blessing the shofar, the Tokeah and the congregation recite responsively specific verses in Hebrew which form an acrostic spelling out the phrase 'Tear Up Satan'. The sound of the shofar is said to confuse Satan who is called: (1) the evil inclination, (2) the accuser, and (3) the angel of death.
There are three sets of three notes that are blown to scare away the three roles that Satan plays in one's life. The shofar's call for repentance silences each.
The three sounds of the shofar are:
Tekiah: An extended clear unwavering blast which represents
the righteous
Teru'ah: A nine-staccato blast reminiscent of sobbing
or groaning which represents the wicked trembling
Shevarim: Three short blasts, sounding like moaning,
which represents those in between who waver
The broken notesthe teru'ah and the shevarim are also said to represent the broken heart of G-d for those who reject Him and for those who waver.
Each shofar blast begins and ends with Tekiah, a whole note that surrounds either a shevarim or teru'ah, a broken note. This is said to be the theme of Rosh HaShanah:
We were whole, we became broken, even shattered into the fragments of the teruah; but we shall be made whole again!
This is true of Israel and of the church. The first century church was whole in its beginning. The church, over the centuries became shat-tered into many de-nominations. But Yeshua prayed that we would all be made one just as He and the Father are One. One day, there will be no more separation between Jew and Gentilewe will be THE ONE NEW MAN!
The number ten (representing completeness) plays a significant role in Rosh HaShanah. Ten biblical texts are re-cited having the theme of G-d As King And Creator Of The Universe; ten having the theme of G-d As He Who Remembers; and ten To Memorialize The Ram Being Substituted For Isaac.
There are ten reasons why the shofar is blown: (1) To proclaim G-d as King and Creator of the universe; (2) To herald the beginning of the Days Of Awe; (3) To memorialize G-d's remembrance; (4) To remind us of the warnings of the prophets in their calls to repentance; (5) To call people to pray for the rebuilding of the Temple; (6) To memorialize the ram being substituted for Isaac; (7) To inspire fear and trembling of G-d; (8) To sound the alarm of judgment; (9) To call G-d's people back to Israel for the great ingathering; (10) To prepare for the resurrection of the dead and the coming of the Messianic Age.
We are taught that repentance consists of four elements:
1) Changing one's ways (returning to G-d)
2) Sincerely regretting
3) Confessing to G-d
4) Resolving not to repeat the sin
Each of these stages of repentance can be clearly seen in the prophet's warning:
"(1) Return, Israel, to G-d your L-rd (2) for you have regretted your sin (3) take along words and return to G-d. (4) Say to Him, '...we will no longer make gods out of the work of our hands'" (Hosea 14:2,4).
All sin harms one's thoughts, words, and deeds. An individual must deal with each level to completely repair the damage. First must come the decision to return to G-d. Then the individual must deal with the damage his sin has wrought by regretting, confessing, and resolving: Regret involves one's thoughts, confession one's speech, and resolve is to rectify the action itself.
Rabbi Chaim Richman states:
"...the first prerequisite for repentance is to change one's ways and abandon the practice of sin. If one tries to repent while still maintaining an involvement in the sin, he is compared to a person who tries to clean himself while still holding on to something filthy; what can he accomplish? So the first, and most important step to repentance, is to change one's life. Thus the prophets state, "Let the wicked man forsake his way" (Isaiah 55:7) and "Cast away all your transgressions" (Ezekiel 18:31). In order to truly engage in repentance, the sin must be cast away and discarded forever. And in doing this, one's motivation should be the fear of G-d, and the shame of having sinned before Him."
Jonathan Rosenblum (The Secret) sums up Rosh HaShanah:
"Our task on Rosh HaShanah is to attach our entire existence to that which is eternal within us. It is to recognize that the life and death to which we refer on Rosh HaShanah have nothing to do with whether we are breathing. To experience real life is to experience a connection to the source of life, to G-d, who is called a G-d of life. He defines life. Only that which is connected to Him is alive, for only it has eternity. Everything else is doomed to vanish like smoke."
