Rosh Hashanah - CELEBRATION AND JUDGMENT |
September 30 begins what is known in Judaism as the High Holy Days; however, preparations for this time begin in the month of Elul, which is the last month of the preceding year. The word Elul (אֶלוּל) is an acronym for the words taken from Song of Songs: I am to my Beloved (God), and my Beloved is to me. (אַנִי לְדוֹדִי וְדוֹדִי לִי) ‘Ani l'dodi v'dodi lee.’ It reminds us of the kind of relationship that God desires and, in Song of Songs, we hear this mutual yearning and longing for one another. Elul reminds the Jewish people to take a step towards God.
During Elul some Jewish people will perform Cheshbon which is a kind of spiritual accounting. Its intent is to help people stand back and take an honest look at their lives because Jewish people believe that on Rosh Hashanah they stand before God asking to be renewed. As a reminder, Ashkenazi Jews blow the shofar after morning prayers throughout the month of Elul.
In Jewish tradition, it is believed that Moses ascended Mount Sinai on the 1st of Elul to plead with God for forgiveness after the sin of the golden calf, returning forty days later on Yom Kippur with the second set of stone tablets demonstrating both God’s forgiveness and restoration of the Jewish people’s relationship with Him.
The Shofar is a powerful symbol in Judaism. On Rosh Hashanah, the Shofar is blown 100 times and is both a call to awaken us from a state of spiritual sleepiness and an appeal to God from the depths of our being. It is a call to recommit ourselves to God. Rosh Hashanah is also called Yom Teruah, the Day of Sounding the Teruah and has 3 sounds Tekiah, Teruah and Shevarim and it is a mitzvah to hear the shofar on Rosh Hashanah and two blessings are said; the second of which is called the She'Hecheyanu which is a prayer of thanks for giving us life and allowing us to come to this season this moment in time.
It was heard at the giving of the Torah (Law) on Mount Sinai when the world trembled before the Presence of the Lord. It’s a sound that heralds the Presence of the Lord.
- The shofar reminds Jews of the ram Abraham sacrificed in place of his son Isaac
- The shofar reminds Jews of the destruction of the Temple
- The shofar reminds Jews to feel humble before God
- The shofar reminds Jews of the Day of Final Judgment
- The shofar foreshadows the proclamation of freedom when the exiled will return to Israel
- The shofar foreshadows the inauguration of God's reign of righteousness
- The shofar will be blown during the final battles of Israel with its enemies
- It will be sounded when the Temple will be rebuilt
- It proclaims God as King of the Universe
Joel 2:1 tells us that it heralds judgment: Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming; it is near. But for us, perhaps, most importantly, it will herald the Messiah’s return when He comes in glory. And in Matthew 24 we hear the sound of the shofar as God gathers in His people from the four corners of the earth. And it will be heard again at the resurrection of the dead (1 Corinthians 15:22).
Why judgment? Well, in Jewish tradition it is believed that God created the world in the month of Elul and that Adam and Eve were created on Rosh Hashanah. They also believe that on Rosh Hashanah that God opens the Books of Life and Death; it is seen as a Day of Judgment and accounting; the hope being that their names will be written in the Book of Life. It is when Jewish people pray and ask to be created anew, asking for another year of life.
According to Jewish Tradition, on Rosh Hashanah the righteous are immediately inscribed in the Book of Life and are sealed to live. If you don’t make it on this day you have the 10 Days of Awe given for you to repent, to make Teshuva, that is, to return to God. But on Yom Kippur the wicked are blotted out of the Book of Life.
I saw this written somewhere: ‘Even if a person sins throughout the year, he should not lose confidence in his capacity for repentance. Rather, he should return to the path of righteousness before judgment comes.’ What seems to be missing here is God’s heart to forgive and the result of that forgiveness, but it remains a valid call to our hearts not to lose faith and to be ready for the coming of Yeshua our Messiah. It is also, perhaps, a reminder to us that repentance should be a lifestyle or a life attitude of keeping short accounts with God. Rav Shaul in 1 Corinthians 7:10-11 teaches us that sorrow over our sins leads to repentance and this to salvation.
Psalm 24, is recited on Rosh Hashanah: Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place?
There is an interesting custom performed on Rosh Hashanah, although it varies according to different traditions; it is called Tashlich. It means, ‘you will cast away’ and is based on Micah 7:18-19, Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.
Jewish people will gather by water to read some Scriptures and pray, then will symbolically empty crumbs from their pocket or toss a stone into the water as an act of repentance. According to one Jewish writer, they prefer water that has fish to ‘remind us that just as fish are protected by the water in which they live, we pray to be protected by God. Also, just as fish swim freely and can suddenly be caught in a net, so too we can just as helplessly fall into the net of sin. And even as the eyes of fish are always open, so do we pray that God too will keep vigilant watch over his people.’
Rosh Hashanah which, literally, means, ‘the Head of the Year’ begins the 10 Days of Awe which lead into Yom Kippur; these are days when Jewish people, as it were, have a spiritual MOT – it is a time to put things right, seek forgiveness if needed or apologise, it is a time to set things straight and pay any debts owed; in other words, it’s an annual spiritual overhaul, something we could all do with from time to time. Often life goes on and we let things slip.
The Tanach (OT) teaches us that the biblical year begins in the month of Nisan with the Passover. Interesting then, you could say, that God’s New Year begins with His redemption at Pesach; as He brought out the children of Israel from the slavery in Egypt and the secular or judicial New Year beginning in Tishrei with Ros Hashanah begins the year with our repentance. So in one we see God reaching down to us in redemption and, in the other, man reaching out to God in repentance.
The custom on the first night of Rosh Hashanah is to greet one another with this blessing: ‘Leshana tova tekatev v'etachetem - May you be inscribed (in the Book of Life) for a good year!” And, like most Jewish Festivals, there is a festive meal with special foods to be eaten - apples and challah dipped in honey signifying our desire that God would make the coming year sweet for us. Pomegranates are also sometimes eaten to remind us that just is the pomegranate is filled with seeds may our lives also be filled with Mitzvot (good deeds). And sour or bitter foods are avoided. We too should have this desire because we are taught in Ephesians 2:10 that we are his workmanship, created in Messiah Yeshua for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. May our eyes be open to see those things that God has prepared for us to do, in order that we might bring glory to Him who has given us life.
Rosh Hashanah is a time of repentance, a time of soul searching, when we are deeply aware of God’s judgments and it is a time of drawing near to God and recommitting ourselves to walk in His ways. But it is also a time of celebration as we rejoice in the life that He gives us.
So, as I end, may I wish you Shana Tova, a Happy New Year. May it be one that is filled with good things from the Lord and may it be sweet to you as you draw close to Him.
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