Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Happy Rosh Hashanah!


Tonight at sundown, Rosh Hashanah will begin with the sighting of the new moon! Rosh Hashanah is a sacred Jewish festival, also known as the Feast of Trumpets or the Jewish New Year. It begins with 100 shofar blasts (made from a ram's horn) and lasts 2 days and 2 nights. The Feast of Trumpets is one of 7 feasts given by God in Leviticus 23 of the Holy Scriptures. According to verse 24, it is to be "day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts". The Feast of Trumpets is also mentioned again in Numbers 29:1-6. It is then followed by the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles for a total of 10 feast days, also known as Yom Kippur.

An audio sample of the shofar blasts:

Jewish people continue to celebrate this sacred holiday every year, which includes a traditional holiday feast of challah bread, pomegranates and apples dipped in honey. It is also considered a time of reflection, renewal and repentance. Some go to a lake, river or sea to recite prayers and symbolically cast their sins into the water, leaving old shortcomings behind and starting the new year with a clean slate.


Though Christians are not required to observe Torah law, it should be of great interest due to its Biblical context. The Jewish feasts are not only a time to honor God, but are also considered "appointed times" and as Paul tells us in Colossians 2:16-17, "are a shadow of things to come". Four of the 7 feasts were fulfilled with the death (Passover), burial (Feast of Unleavened Bread) and resurrection (Feast of First Fruits) of Christ and the day of Pentecost (Feast of Weeks). Prophetically speaking, there are still 3 Jewish feasts to be fulfilled in the Second Coming of Christ, which includes the Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement & Feast of Tabernacles. To learn more about Rosh Hashanah and its traditions, check out the graphic chart and links below!


  • Rosh Hashanah on Wikipedia

  • Judaism 101: Rosh Hashanah

  • Rosh Hashanah on Chabad.org

  • Hebrew4Christians: Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur

  • CBN: Rosh Hashanah
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