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Rosh Hashana
Overview
The Feast of Trumpets
(Rosh Hashanah) was celebrated at the beginning
of the month Tishri, the first month of the civil
year. It was one of the seven days of holy convocation.
Tishri is the seventh month of the Biblical calendar,
and as such parallels the Sabbath as a special
and holy time to seek God. The previous month
of Elul is the time of preparation just as Friday
is the Day of Preparation for Shabbat. This season
is a time of reflection, contemplation, and putting
things in order and getting right our relationship
with God.
God named the other holidays,
Sabbath, Passover, Day of Atonement, etc.; however,
this holiday has no name. It’s simply referred
to as Yom Teruah (the day of the sounding of the
shofar), so it became known as the Feast of Trumpets,
a special day calling attention to the coming
holy day—the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur).
A shofar (ram’s horn) is blown during the
Feast of Trumpets service.
Leviticus 23 calls the blowing
of trumpets a memorial but does not say what it
is a memorial of. Many believe it is a memorial
of God’s grace to Abraham when He substituted
a ram to be sacrificed instead of Isaac (Gen.
22). It is also regarded by both Jews and Christians
as a memorial of the creation of the world, at
which the sons of God shouted for joy (Job 38:7).
This holiday was the new year’s day, on which
the people rejoiced in a grateful remembrance
of God’s benefits and implored His blessing
for the future year.
The Feast of Trumpets and Day
of Atonement (Yom Kippur) are the holiest days
of the Jewish year. These ten days are called
the Days of Awe or High Holy Days. Unlike other
holy days, they do not celebrate a season or historical
event. This season is a time for looking inward
to spiritual growth. The themes surrounding this
holiday include:
- Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah
literally is “Head or beginning of the
year.”)
- God’s Royalty (Coronation
Day)
- Day of Judgment
- Remembrance (Yom Ha-Zikaron,
the day of remembrance)
- Birthday of the world
New Year
The Feast of Trumpets is the Jewish
New Year. There is little resemblance between
the Feast of Trumpets, one of the holiest days
of the year, and a typical New Year’s Eve
midnight drinking party. It is a celebration of
the earth’s physical birthday on Tishri 1,
the seventh month of the religious calendar, the
first month of the civil calendar. It is the first
of the fall holidays and usually occurs in September.
Judaism has several different new years. This
is similar to the calendar year starting in January,
the new school year starting in September, and
many businesses starting fiscal years in July
and September. In Judaism, Nisan 1 is the new
year for the purpose of counting the reign of
kings and months on the calendar. Regardless when
the king became ruler, the coronation was on Tishri
1. Elul 1 (in August) is the new year for the
tithing of animals. Shevat 15 (in February) is
the new year for trees (determining when first
fruits can be eaten, etc.), and Tishri 1, the
Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) is the new year
for years.
Coronation Day
Another theme of this holiday
is God’s royalty. The Jewish liturgical tradition
has preserved tunes for many of the prayers that
aptly accompany what the Chassidim called “Coronation
Day.” The shofar, in this light, announces
God’s Kingship: With trumpets and sound of
cornet [shofar] make a joyful noise before the
LORD, the King (Ps. 98:6). Through repentance
we become God’s subjects. It is said that
the day that God manifests His Royalty, the day
He created His world, is also naturally the day
He sits in judgment. Coronation Day is a joyous
day and world celebration.
Judgment Day
The history of the Feast of Trumpets
as a “Day of Judgment” is from the legend
that God sits in judgment between the New Year
and the Day of Atonement over mankind to determine
fates for the coming year. This symbolism is drawn
upon to great effect by the authors of the liturgical
poems written to heighten the prayers of the season.
The sages say that destiny — whether financial,
physical, or other– is pre-ordained on one
day each year for the entire duration of that
year (Talmud Rosh Hashanah).
It is said that on this day God
has three books that are opened. Those who have
returned to God are written in the Book of Righteousness.
All other people are divided into two groups.
The first is the wholly wicked whose names are
written in the Book of the Wholly Wicked. The
other group are considered intermediates. They
are people who have not been judged and have ten
more days to repent. If they repent by the Day
of Atonement their names will be written in the
Book of Righteousness. Hosea 14:1-9 expresses
this theme.
The sages of the Jerusalem Talmud
(Rosh Hashanah 1:3) say, “Normally, someone
standing in judgment would dress somberly, cloaking
himself in black robes and not trim his beard.
After all, he does not know how it will turn out.
Israel is different, though. We dress in white
and cloak ourselves in white and trim our beards
and eat and drink and are joyous for we know that
God will do miracles for us. Being judged by God
is at once an awesome thing — He knows all
— but He is a merciful God. Even judgment
itself need not be devoid of joy (Talmud Rosh
Hashanah 1:3).
Remembrance
The theme of “remembered”
is thought to be from God remembering Sarah and
Hannah. A Talmudic dictum (Rosh Hashanah 10b)
says that on Yom Teruah, Sarah, Rachel, and Hannah
were “remembered.”
Birthday of the World
Jewish tradition believes this
day is the birthday of the world because the first
part of Genesis, Bereishit, “in the beginning,”
when changed around, read Aleph b’ Tishri,
or “on the first of Tishri.” Therefore
the Feast Of Trumpets is known as the birthday
of the world (Adapted Chumney 1994).
The Shofar
The shofar has always had a special
place for the Hebrew people. Trumpets were of
a great variety of forms, and were made of diverse
materials. Some were made of silver (Num. 10:2)
and were used only by the priests in announcing
the approach of festivals and in giving signals
of war. Some were also made of rams’ horns
(Josh. 6:8). They were blown at special festivals,
and to herald the arrival of special seasons (Lev.
23:24; 25:9, 1 Chron. 15:24, 2 Chron. 29:27, Ps.
81:3 98:6). Trumpets are among the symbols used
in the Book of Revelation (Rev. 1:10 8:2) (Bushnell
1995).
Specific uses for the
shofar:
- It was sounded to bring Moses
to the top of the mountain to receive the Commandments.
And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long,
and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and
God answered him by a voice. And the LORD came
down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount:
and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the
mount; and Moses went up (Ex. 19:19-20).
- It was a signal during time
of war. And it came to pass, when he was come,
that he blew a trumpet in the mountain of Ephraim,
and the children of Israel went down with him
from the mount, and he before them (Judges 3:27).
- It was blown at the start of
the Jubilee year. Then shalt thou cause the
trumpet of the jubilee to sound on the tenth
day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement
shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all
your land (Lev. 25:9).
- It was blown during coronation
services of a new King. And let Zadok the priest
and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king
over Israel: and blow ye with the trumpet, and
say, God save king Solomon (1 Kings 1:34).
- It is a sign of the regathering
of dispersed Israel. And it shall come to pass
in that day, that the great trumpet shall be
blown, and they shall come which were ready
to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts
in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the
LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem (Isa. 27:13).
- It was sounded as a warning
of danger. Shall a trumpet be blown in the city,
and the people not be afraid… (Amos 3:6).
- And the greatest anticipation
of all is the day of the arrival of the Messiah.
And the LORD shall be seen over them, and his
arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the
Lord GOD shall blow the trumpet, and shall go
with whirlwinds of the south (Zech. 9:14).
If you enjoy these articles you
may want to have all this information with charts,
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Family Guide to The Biblical Holidays."
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