History of Rosh Hashanah: What’s it All About?

The Bible verses associated with Rosh Hashanah include Leviticus 23:23-25 and Numbers 29:1-6

 Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year and is celebrated on the first and second days of Tishrei, the seventh month of the Jewish calendar. It is a time of introspection, prayer, and repentance.

 Rosh Hashanah has been celebrated for thousands of years. The holiday was likely well established by the sixth century B.C., though the phrase “Rosh Hashanah” shows up for the first time in the Mishna, a Jewish code of law compiled in 200 A.D

 Most Messianic believers hold to the tenet that Rosh Hashanah anticipates the prophetic fulfillment of the L-rd’s covenant faithfulness to Israel in Daniel’s 70th week when all of Israel will repent and their Messiah, Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ), will return to restore Israel as Saviour, L-rd, and Deliverer.

 Honey is a symbol of Rosh Hashanah as well as sweetness and hope for the new year. It is also associated with the manna that G-d provided to the Israelites in the desert, and with the Shekhinah Glory. By dipping apples in honey, Messianics and Jews express their gratitude to G-d for creating the fruit of the tree and their traditional wish for a good and sweet year ahead.  

 Shofarot is the Hebrew word for shofar verses, which are ten biblical passages that mention the shofar, a trumpet made of a ram’s horn.  The shofar is an ancient musical instrument that was used by the Israelites in religious ceremonies and as a signal in battle. It is also a symbol of Hashem’s voice, sovereignty, and mercy.

The shofarot is recited as part of the Musaf Amidah, the additional prayer service on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year performed in synagogues and Messianic congregations. They are the last of the three central benedictions of the Musaf Amidah, following Malchuyot (kingship verses) and Zichronot (remembrance verses). The shofarot expresses the hope for the Messianic redemption of Israel and mankind, to be heralded by the sound of the great shofar.

In some Messianic and Jewish traditions, the shofar is also sounded during or after the recitation of the shofarot, as a way of fulfilling the biblical commandment in Numbers 10:10 to hear the shofar on Rosh Hashanah . The shofar blasts are meant to awaken the listeners to repentance, gratitude, and awe of Elohim.

Fun Facts about Rosh Hashanah

 Here are some fun facts about Rosh Hashanah:

• Rosh Hashanah does not mean “New Year” in Hebrew. It actually means “Head of the Year.” Just like your head (brain) tells your body what to do, how you behave on Rosh Hashanah has far-reaching consequences for the entire year.
• The central observance of Rosh Hashanah is listening to the blowing of the shofar on both mornings of Rosh Hashanah. Made from a hollowed-out ram’s horn, the shofar produces three “voices”: tekiah (a long blast), shevarim (a series of three short blasts), and teruah (a staccato burst of at least nine blasts). 
• When Rosh Hashanah coincides with Shabbat, Orthodox Jews do not blow the shofar on that day. The Jewish sages enacted this as a precaution, in case someone would end up carrying a shofar to an expert to blow. They believe there is a deeper lesson here as well. On Shabbat, they assert that the coronation of the King is so deep and so special that it’s accomplished without the bells and whistles of the shofar.
• The Orthodox Chabad rabbis all over the world walk many miles on Rosh Hashanah (when car travel is forbidden) to blow shofar for people who are unable to make it to the synagogue.
• Round challah (tasty leavened bread) is a traditional Rosh Hashanah treat. On Rosh Hashanah, we traditionally start our holiday feasts with two loaves of round challah, sweetened with raisins to demonstrate our wish for a sweet new year.

The Orthodox Jewish belief that how you behave on Rosh Hashanah has far-reaching consequences for the entire year is a Jewish traditional belief. Their belief is that G-d balances a person’s good deeds over the last year against their bad deeds and decides what the next year will be like for them. As a Messianic congregation, we put our full faith and trust in the shed blood of Yeshua Hamashiach and not in our deeds for Salvation. This does not discount the Biblical premise that we reap what we sow in our relationships and daily walk in the faith of this life.