Rosh Hashanah

Shana Tova!

Tonight the celebrations of Rosh Hashanah begin. I wanted to get this written all day, but time slipped away and now it is dark - the official beginning of this special holiday.

Yes, this is a "Jewish" holiday. It is also known as Feast of Trumpets. Rosh means, "head" Hashanah is "year." This is, "The beginning of the year." The blowing of the shofar is to draw us to repentance and reflection. It is also a celebration of the creation of the world.

And, it is in the Bible.

Leviticus 23:23-25

23 Adonai said to Moshe, 24 “Tell the people of Isra’el, ‘In the seventh month, the first of the month is to be for you a day of complete rest for remembering, a holy convocation announced with blasts on the shofar.25 Do not do any kind of ordinary work, and bring an offering made by fire to Adonai.’”

Numbers 29:1-6

“‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you are to have a holy convocation; do not do any kind of ordinary work; it is a day of blowing the shofar for you. 2 Prepare a burnt offering to make a fragrant aroma for Adonai — one young bull, one ram and seven male lambs in their first year and without defect — 3 with their grain offering, consisting of fine flour mixed with olive oil — six quarts for the bull, four quarts for the ram, 4 and two quarts for each of the seven lambs — 5 also one male goat as a sin offering to make atonement for you. 6 This is to be in addition to the burnt offering for Rosh-Hodesh with its grain offering, the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings, according to the rule for them; this will be a fragrant aroma, an offering made by fire to Adonai.

I realize that many will say, "These are commands given to the Jews in the Old Testament. This doesn't apply to us anymore today. Jesus brought all things new."

Well, I disagree. Jesus was Jewish and as a Jew, He was REQUIRED to celebrate the commands God had given to the Hebrew people. Jesus did NOT change the commands of God. God doesn't change, so why would He ask Jesus to change?

Rosh Hashanah is a time to celebrate NEW LIFE and blow the shofar. It is a time to begin NEW cycles and let go of the past. Apples are eaten dipped in honey as a symbol of the "sweetness of the new year."

There is no need to prepare burn offerings because there is no Temple to take them too. We know that Jesus became our Passover Lamb and when the Temple was destroyed, offerings were no longer required. This does not remove the need for holy days. Those can still be celebrated and observed.

Tonight I will enjoy apples and honey and remind myself of all the blessings HE has given me. I will rest in the fact that my name is written in the Book of Life and my sins have been removed as far as east is from the west.

May your names be written in the Book of Life!

Happy New Year!

Rose