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What is Rosh Hashanah anyway?

Contributed by: Michael Gonzales on 9/11/2007

September 11, 2007

"...In the seventh month on the first of the month you shall have a rest,
a reminder by blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation."
- Lev 23:23-24

Every year in September or October the words Rosh Hashanah can be found on most planning calendars. Non-Jewish people usually overlook this holiday because it is not relevant to their traditions and beliefs. However, observant Jews can be found in synagogues on Rosh Hashanah for special services because this is a very significant day in Judaism. Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of a new year for Jews and it is the first of three Fall Festivals listed in the Torah.

Rosh Hashanah literally means Head of the Year and is considered the 'Jewish New Year' even though it falls on the first day of the seventh Biblical month known as Tishrei. The Biblical calendar actually begins in the spring with the month of Nisan, which corresponds with March or April. Starting with the first month of the Biblical calendar the Jewish people can track the seven annual festivals set for that year. Rosh Hashanah is the fifth festival in this series. It is called a new year because on this day it is believed that God created the Earth. In a sense, Rosh Hashanah is a birthday celebration for the Earth. Today on the Hebrew calendar it is the year 5767. At sundown on Wednesday, September 12th, Rosh Hashanah will begin. It will be New Years Day for the Hebrew year 5768 and the start of a new year for the world.

Another name for the fifth Biblical festival is Yom Teruah, which can be translated as The Day of Shofar Blowing. A shofar is a trumpet-like instrument made from the horn of a ram or another Biblically 'clean' animal. Shofars and trumpets were used in Biblical times as a signal to call the people to assemble and as an alarm during times of war. Silver trumpets were sounded to announce the beginning of each month but on the first day of the seventh month, which is Yom Teruah, shofars were also sounded. Yom Teruah is the first of the ten Days of Awe that conclude on Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement. The shofar is blown on Yom Teruah as a call to repentance during these ten solemn days. It is believed that Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) will return on Yom Teruah and the sound of the shofar will herald His entrance to Jerusalem. As He takes His throne many will repent during the Days of Awe and return to Him and His commandments. At the conclusion of the ten days, on that final Day of Judgment or Yom Kippur, King Messiah will administer justice to all.

Be sure to mark this day on your calendar and join us as we usher in the Fall Festivals with Yom Teruah, The Day of Shofar Blowing. All are welcome; Jews, Gentiles, Christians and others. Bring a picnic dinner for your family and your favorite alcohol-free beverage. The charcoal and grill will be provided.

The Harvest Messianic Congregation
Yom Teruah Celebration
at
E.B. Rains Park, Ponderosa Pavilion ( Get Map)
on
Thursday, September 13th

Service:
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Food, Fun and Fellowship:
3:30 pm - 8:00 pm

The Harvest is a Messianic Charismatic Congregation in Thornton, Colorado, just north of downtown Denver. Visit: www.graftedin.com



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Showing 1-5 of 5 comments
Submitted By: Michael Gonzales
posted on 9/17/2007 @ 2:03:07 PM
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Dear Laurie: Actually, I’m not much of an evangelist or a missionary. I am a pastor and a teacher with a heart for believers in Yeshua. My ‘motive’ is to present the Torah from a Messianic perspective to believers. If you are feeling ‘wooed’ by my article maybe you should check your heart, HaShem might be trying to tell YOU something :) Why don’t you try standing firm in what you believe and use these articles to strengthen your faith, or simply don’t read them. But please don’t think that I am some kind of missionary to the Jews—I’m not. I am not trying to convert you—I’ll leave that to God and the evangelists. I only want to share the Torah from a Messianic perspective and practice my writing skills in the process. If you don’t believe that Jesus is the Messiah, fine, but just know that there ARE many Jewish people who do. I pray you have a very fulfilling Yom Kippur.
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Submitted By: Laurie Kark
posted on 9/17/2007 @ 12:49:19 PM
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This story is a deceptive attempt to woo Jewish people to Jesus. Jewish people do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah or that he will ever return let alone return on Rosh Hashana. Beware of anything posted by Michael Gonzales. His postings have ulterior motives that he is not telling you.
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Submitted By: Michael Gonzales
posted on 9/13/2007 @ 12:22:51 PM
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"One that shames another in public has no share in the world-to-come. Therefore one must take great care not to shame another in public, whether young or old, either by shameful name-calling or by tale-bearing." – Maimonides, 12th Century
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Submitted By: Michael Gonzales
posted on 9/13/2007 @ 12:22:21 PM
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Clarification: This article is written from a Messianic Jewish perspective. Messianic, or Nazarene, Judaism is what was practiced by Yeshua (Jesus) and His followers. Like other religions, there are many sects of Judaism that keep different traditions while maintaining the core beliefs. The most obvious difference in Nazarene Judaism is the recognition of Yeshua as Messiah. There are other Jewish sects that believe in a Messiah who is yet to come. Believing in a Messiah is accepted in the realm of 'true Jewish faith'. Believing in Yeshua as Messiah is one variation of this. This article is 'embarrassing' in the same way that an adopted sibling can be embarrassing to biological siblings. Like it or not, Jesus was a Torah observant Jew and so were His followers. Today there is a growing number of Christians that are returning to the roots of Christianity— Nazarene Judaism. I respect your beliefs as a Rabbinic Jew and I would appreciate it if you would respect mine as a Messianic.
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Submitted By: Sarah Haworth
posted on 9/12/2007 @ 10:10:42 AM
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Anyone who knows anything about true Jewish faith knows that Jews do not believe that Jesus is the King Messiah nor that there is going to be some "Second Coming" of Jesus! This article is embarrassing! Rosh Hashanah IS the mark of the New Year and the celebration of new beginnings. While it is a joyous time, it is also a somber time for reflection on the past year and a personal introspection. If you want to talk about Jesus, that's your business -I'm sure there are many churches that would be happy to accommodate you.
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Showing 1-5 of 5 comments
CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Michael Gonzales has posted 71 stories and 4 comments since joining on 6/16/2006. Michael Gonzales's average story rating is 4.17.
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