What is Rosh Hashana?
Rosh Hashana is a Hebrew word meaning “head of the year”.
Rosh Hashana is the first and second day of the Jewish New Year. It is celebrated on the first day of Tishrei, which is the seventh month of the Jewish calendar. On the Gregorian calendar in the year 2022, Rosh Hashana begins on the evening of September 25 and ends on the evening of September 27th.
The holiday is a two-day celebration observed with special meals, prayers, and customs. Rosh Hashana is a time for reflection and repentance. Jews believe that Rosh Hashana is a day of judgment when God decides who will live and who will die in the coming year.
Rosh Hashana is also known as the Feast of Trumpets. This name comes from the blowing of the shofar, a trumpet made from a ram’s horn, which is blown during Holiday services.
The holiday of Rosh Hashana has its roots in the biblical Book of Leviticus. In Leviticus 23:23-25, God commands the Israelites to observe Rosh Hashana as a day of rest and remembrance. Rosh Hashana is also mentioned in the Book of Numbers 29:1-6, where it is called Yom Teruah, or the Day of Blowing the Trumpet.
Rosh Hashana was first observed in the time of Moses (circa 1300 BCE). It became a formal holiday during the Second Temple period (516 BCE – 70 CE). Rosh Hashana continued to be celebrated after the destruction of the Second Temple, and it remains a high holy day on the Hebrew calendar today.
Jews around the world celebrate Rosh Hashana with special meals, prayers, and customs. Rosh Hashana is a time for reflection on the past year and repentance.
To begin this solemn holiday, in a still atmosphere candles are lit and the following blessings are recited:
Blessed are You, Hashem, our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments, and has commanded us to kindle the light of Yom Tov.
Blessed are you, Hashem, our God, King of the universe, Who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this season.
These blessings are followed by prayers for the following year for yourself and your family. Prayers of repentance for the previous year and a time to pour out your heart for the coming year. These prayers are from the heart or may be from traditional prayer books.
The prayers that are recited on Rosh Hashana include both traditional prayers and prayers specific to the holiday. Traditional prayers include the Shema, which is a prayer declaring God’s unity, and the Amidah, which is a prayer of thanksgiving.
On the first evening of Rosh Hashana, it is customary to eat certain foods that symbolize a sweet new year. These include round challah bread and apples dipped in honey, and pomegranates. It is also traditional to wear new clothes.
The Second Day:
Hours of special synagogue services and prayer services are followed by lunch which is started with a new type of fruit eaten for the first time (or at least not in the last year), and the above blessings. Right after lunch, Jewish families go to a close body of water to throw bread on it, symbolizing casting away their sins. This is called Tashlich.
The Most Important Observances of This Holiday:
Prayers. Reflection.
Taking time to reflect on your life and especially on the previous year. Recall the good and the bad, praying prayers of repentance to ensure your name is sealed in the Book of Life. Prayers also to ask God for all that is on your heart.
Observant Jews believe that this the first of the high holy days marks a time when God is closer than any other day of the year and it is the best time to ask for the desires of your heart.
Should Christians Celebrate Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur?
As Christians, we understand that Jesus came to pay the price for our sins and there is no need to throw bread on water but, symbolically this is a beautiful reminder of what was done for us.
Luke 22:19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
Is there ever a time when prayer is not the most observant way to spend time? Prayers of sorrow, repentance, and acceptance of the truth of God’s Messiah, Jesus the Christ as our forever salvation will ensure our names are sealed in the Book of Life.
As we begin to learn about the Jewish holy days, we as Christians can better understand the symbolism in each that Jesus fulfilled. Remembering that God the Father first revealed His plans to the Jews as His firstborn allows us to desire more of Him and to share our faith with our Jewish brothers and sisters.
This time of year is a blessed time to eat festive meals filled with symbolic foods linking our lives with the holiest day of the Jewish year. Make it a day of remembrance, not of your sins but of what you have been saved from. Take pieces of bread dipped into cups of wine (or grape juice) and remember Jesus’ sacrifice on His day of atonement for our sins.
Personal thanksgiving prayers for the day of judgment which is no longer a fearful thought. When we can hear our Father say “well done my good and faithful servant” realizing that our names our sealed in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Enjoy a honey cake with Jewish friends and bless them with a sweet new year.
P.S. (Plain and Simply) What is Rosh Hashana?
Rosh Hashana is the perfect 10-day period to celebrate the holiest days of the first month of the Jewish calendar together with friends and family. Prayers of forgiveness for past mistakes, and thanksgiving as well as personal prayers to express to our King the deepest desires of our hearts. If you know a shofar blower, add this then wish everyone a happy new year!