Historical Background
The Lord said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites: 'On the
first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest,
a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. Do no regular
work, but present an offering made to the Lord by fire.'" (Leviticus 23:23-25).
One of the fascinating facts about the holy day, Rosh HaShanah,
is that it is considered the "New Year." The truth is, it comes
in the seventh month of the calendar year. Did someone make a
blatant miscalculation? The biblical year starts in the spring
with the month Nisan (Exodus 12:2). This has a certain logic to
it. It is the beginning of the new harvest season.
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Traditional Jewish Observance
In synagogues the shofar, or ram's horn, is sounded daily to
alert the faithful that the time of repentance is near. Many
Orthodox men take a special water immersion (Hebrew: tevilah, mikveh)
to symbolize cleansing their ways.
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The Prophetic Fulfillment
As with all biblical holy days, there is prophetic as well
as historical meaning in Rosh HaShanah. Many classical rabbis
saw a connection between Rosh HaShanah as the holy day of regathering
and the Messiah who would be the agent of regathering. For example,
in a work in the 8th century C.E. we find the following commentary:
"Messiah ben David (son of David), Elijah
and Zerubbabel, peace be upon him, will ascend the Mount of Olives.
And Messiah will command Elijah to blow the shofar. The light of
the six days of Creation will return and will be seen, the light
of the moon will be like the light of the sun, and God will send
full healing to all the sick of Israel. The second blast which
Elijah will blow will make the dead rise. They will rise from
the dust and each man will recognize his fellow man, and so will
husband and wife, father and son, brother and brother. All will
come to the Messiah from the four corners of the earth, from east
and from west, from north and from south. The Children of Israel
will fly on the wings of eagles and come to the Messiah...."
(Ma'ase Daniel as quoted in Patai, p.143).
While the historical emphasis of the holy day is repentance,
the prophetic theme looks for the future day when the full spiritual
regathering will occur under the Messiah.
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A Practical Guide for Believers in Messiah
There are a number of practical ways to observe Rosh HaShanah.
In synagogues, preparation starts the preceding Hebrew month,
Elul, by sounding the shofar on Shabbat. Special prayers to
cultivate repentance, called selikhot, are offered. For Messianic
Jews and Gentiles this season could be observed in the same kind
of spirit. Perhaps one might desire to purchase a shofar and sound
it every morning during the month preceding Rosh HaShanah. This
could be used to enhance the true spirit of this holy day—focusing
on repentance and a pure walk with God.
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