For some, Rosh Hashanah is called the “birthday of the world.” It marks the start of the Jewish New Year and is the only celebrated festival on the first day of the month.
The two-day celebration of Rosh Hashanah is referred to as yoma arichta – a long day; i.e., the forty-eight hour observance of Rosh Hashanah is considered one extended day.
Rosh Hashanah is the Head of the Year in the month of Tishri the seventh month. There are two harvest seasons in Israel, the spring early harvest (Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Pentecost), and the fall late harvest (Trumpets, Atonement, Tabernacle). Tishrei, the seventh month, is the season of fall feasts.
The late harvest feast is a reminder to the Israelites of their wandering in the wilderness for 40 years before arriving in the promised land.
Rosh Hashanah points prophetically to Yeshua (Jesus), His second coming, and Him truly “tabernacling” – or dwelling – with His people forever to Messianic Believers and many Christians.
It is a time of deep introspection and weighty significance for Jewish people around the world.
(NOTE: It was not called Rosh Hashanah until the Talmudic times, when a name was taken from Ezekiel 40:1.)
“In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.” (Leviticus 23:24)
Seven means completion. This is the Sabbatical month of the year. Based on the testimony of two witnesses, it officially begins with the witnessing of the new moon by two witnesses testifying to the Jewish leaders who verify the siting. Word was then spread around Jerusalem into all Israel by messengers and many trumpets being blown to spreading this news. This precipitated large torches being lit from mountain to mountain. Trumpets were blown spreading this news. This would be the beginning of High Holy Day, the Feast of Tabernacles that would last for seven days.
Elul is the 12th and final month in the Jewish calendar. It is a month that connects the past year with the coming year—a time when we reflect on where we stand and where we should be going. September, which is the season of teshuvah (return). It is a 30-day process of preparation through personal examination and repentance for the coming High Holy Days. Psalm 27, begins with “The Lord is my light and my salvation,” is also recited at the end of the morning and evening.
Teshuvah, (tshuva) תשובה, literally, “return”, a season of transformation precedes the High Holy Days of the fall for Israel: These high holy days are a season of completion, atonement, and harvest. It’s a season of returning to God and embracing his glory.
For 40 days it rained at Noah’s time. For 29 days they blow a shofar. The shofar is bent or twisted and is a reminder to surrender, to bend, to turn, to repent. Teruah means to shout, shouting, alarm, sound, blowing, joy, miscellaneous. The Teshuvah is the “day of alarm” for war, “day of shouting” a religious impulse, “day of blowing” for marching, “day of joyful sound” in general.
This is the same “shouting” a battle cry, a shout of joy that brought the walls of Jericho down. This is an opening up of our spirit to the LORD God and coming to Him. It is two-way communication between God and His people in the covenant of promise. The Bible often speaks through the trumpet, proclaiming His news, warning His people, alarming them, and inspiring them.
Examples:
When the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout. (Joshuah 6:20)
All the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. (Ezr 3:11)
When the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy: (Ezr 3:12)
The sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. (Jeremiah 4:19)
They believe that however you responded during this time of repentance is sealed on the Day of Atonement and the judgment is carried out within the next 12 months. Judgments are weights. National judgments are done with the LORD God’s hand of protection being removed, not His hand to whip, beat, etc. An example of this is in Nebuchadnezzar’s story. The LORD God has always had the heart to warn people before He proclaims judgment. He wants to warn the people before the flood, and He warned Nineveh before it was ruined. He does not want anyone to receive the wrath of His judgment.
- (September 1 – 9) Rosh Hashanah, also known as the Feast of Trumpets, meaning “A day of Shouting”. This is Yom Teruah – teruw`ah, the Head of the Year, where action is required.
Yom Teruah – teruw`ah is the Day of Awakening, the day of blasting the shofar.
- The word Teruah does NOT mean trumpet though. The word is a verb referring to the action of proclamation rather than a noun referring to an object, in this case, the trumpet.
- The whole focus of the divine appointment called = Yom Teruah is not the instrument but rather the announcement of God being proclaimed through the blowing or the sounding of that instrument.
- (September 10 – 14) Yom Kippur the Day of Atonement. Yom Kippur is a time of fasting, Sabbath rest, repentance and prayer. The only day the priest would enter the Holy of Holies to sprinkle the blood sacrifice seven times for the sins of the people of Israel for the previous year.
- (September 15 – 21) Sukkot is celebrated with the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles being set up for seven days. It is the final of the seven feasts of the Lord according to Leviticus 23.
- The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the Lord.
- besides the Sabbaths of the Lord, besides your gifts, besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill offerings which you give to the Lord.
- Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the Lord for seven days; on the first day there shall be a Sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a Sabbath-rest.
In September at the Aliyah Return Center (ARC), they geared up for this exciting event. The original plan was to have a Prayer Valley with many people from around the world attending it located near the ARC in the valley, to build their Sukkot (booth) and provide their ethnic food. All that changed due to COVID-19.
What is their Plan B? Zooming or Facetiming online. The ARC is planning on building one Sukkot and airing the event instead.
Laborers With Christ will miss this event. We
Read about The Sounds of the Trumpets.
Laborers With Christ News 