Mystery of Rosh Hashanah
Could there be a hidden message in the feasts the Jews celebrate in both the spring and fall? Is God speaking to a future prophecy through the celebration of His feasts? The Hebrew word for “feasts” (moadim) literally means “appointed times.” God has carefully planned and orchestrated the timing and sequence of each of these seven feasts to reveal to us a special story.
The seven annual feasts of Israel spread over seven months of the Jewish calendar were all set times appointed by God. It is believed Yeshua (Jesus) fulfilled all the spring feasts through His sacrifice, sinless death, resurrection, and release of the Holy Spirit. The final three fall feasts (Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles) that occur during the fall, have yet to be fulfilled.
Rosh Hashanah (Rosh Ha-SHA-nah) marks the beginning of the “High Holy Days” in Israel. However, the name “Rosh Hashanah” is never actually used in the Bible. Both the Bible and Torah refer to this feast day as “Yom Teruah” (the day of the sounding of the shofar). However, today, it is more widely known as “Rosh Hashanah” or “Feast of Trumpets.” To best understand the combined meaning of these feasts, we must separate and examine them apart from each other.
Rosh Hashanah (Rosh Ha-SHA-nah) marks the beginning of the “High Holy Days” in Israel. However, the name “Rosh Hashanah” is never actually used in the Bible. Both the Bible and Torah refer to this feast day as “Yom Teruah” (the day of the sounding of the shofar). However, today, it is more widely known as “Rosh Hashanah” or “Feast of Trumpets.” To best understand the combined meaning of these feasts, we must separate and examine them apart from each other.
The name “Rosh Hashanah” means “head of the year” or “first of the year.” It is the day the Jewish calendar is changed from one year to the next. It is the start of the “10 Days of Awe or Repentance” that end on Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). For the Jewish people, it is a time of spiritual rebirth, accomplished through apologizing, forgiving, and receiving forgiveness.
Another name given for this day is the “Day of Judgment.” The Talmud teaches the Jewish people that God opens His “Books of Life and Death” on this day, to judge the people over their past year’s deeds. In order for their names to be written in the “Book of Life,” their good deeds must outweigh the bad. From the time of the opening of the book to the closing of the book or “judgment” is 10 days. This time is used to repent and atone for sins that will ensure a favorable judgment. By the time Yom Kippur arrives, they are ready to begin the new year with clean hearts.
Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets) is translated as “blowing of the trumpet.” It is the only commanded feast day that the Lord does not give a specific reason for its celebration. Only that it is to be observed with a day of rest a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. (Lev. 23:23) Traditionally on both mornings of this feast day, during synagogue services, the shofar is blown 100 times. The first 30 blasts are blown following the Torah reading during morning services, and as many as 70 are blown during and after the service.
For Israel, the sounding of the shofar has always been associated with an announcement or warning. The first instance of the shofar being sounded was in Exodus 19:17-19 when the Lord, Himself, came down Mount Sinai to meet His people. The blast of a shofar announcing His coming was so loud it made the Israelites tremble in fear and awe. Will this be the same reaction we have when we hear that final trumpet?
“On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain; and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled.”
Exodus 19:16
It is not just a coincidence that this day is also known as the “Day of Judgment.” Some believe this day points to the day of the Rapture of the Church when Yeshua comes for His bride. Father God Himself will blow His trumpet, and the whole world will hear and feel its powerful notes. Our Savior will descend from Heaven in all His glory and all the nations will see and recognize Him.
“And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
Matthew 24:31
Every year, when the people of Israel are blowing the shofar (trumpet) on Zion, they are in fact proclaiming: “The Lord is coming!” As believers living in a corrupt and immoral world, we take joy in knowing that our Redeemer will return soon for His Bride. Meanwhile, we must keep alert, ready, and be of sober mind as we listen for that “Last Trump” that will call us home.
“Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed – in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.”
1 Corinthians 15:52
For more detailed information on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Teruah click here: https://vojisrael.org/feasts/feast-of-trumpets-yom-teruah-rosh-hashanah/
A Food Offering unto the Lord
Having family around a dinner table for Rosh Hashanah isn’t just a nice tradition, it’s a Biblical one. A God-given command to ensure families are together to eat, remember, and rejoice in God’s deliverance; past, present, and future.
At Voice of Judah Israel, we are pushing through to meet our goal to feed hundreds of hungry families during this Rosh Hashanah. Your contribution is an immense blessing. Our humanitarian effort to provide families with food baskets is so important and special to the recipients. We don’t want to leave even one family without food on the table during this sacred celebration. It is our way to “present a food offering to the Lord.”
Would you help us bless the last remaining families that still haven’t received their food basket for this holiday as a “food offering to the Lord”?
Click on the “Give” button below to bless our Rosh Hashanah Food Basket Project.
Learn details on the meanings, customs, and celebrations of the Jewish Holidays and Feasts by reading our Feast articles that can be found in the navigation menu.