Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah is also know as the Feast of Trumpets or Yom Teruah(Day of Blowing). It falls on the 1st day of the month of Tisrei and begins the calender year(this year we begin the year 5774 - May it come to us for peace and blessing!). The name "Rosh Hashanah" means "Head of the Year", "rosh"="head", "ha"="the" "shanah"="year". 

The Shofar - made from a hollowed out ram's horn

This is just one of the several "new years" on the Hebrew calender, others include the new year for trees (Shevat 15 used to count the years of fruit trees in order to fulfill the Torah instructions of the tithes), the "spiritual" or religious new year (Nisan 1)...I know it kinda sounds confusing at first but just think, on the secular calender January 1st begins the "new civil year", or the "calender year" with January as the first month. However you also have a birthday - your personal "new year", oh and don't forget your anniversary another "new year" of sorts....and then of course there are those fiscal new years too! Does it make more sense now?

Themes of the Day

Creation
One of the many events that took place on the day includes the creation of man so it is no surprise that is a day to recognize G-d's creator role and acknowledge Him as our sustainer and author of life.

Repentance - G-d's Kingship
It is a day of repentance and time to re-crown HaShem as King over us, singly and corporately. It is said by many a great sage that the books are opened on this day and all men are judged. How appropriate to call this the "head of the year" as it surely is the pinnacle, will you choose life or will you choose death?

  "And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."

 ~ Rev 20:11

Is your name in the book? Have you placed your faith in the salvation provided by HaShem through the work of Yeshua HaMashiach? If not I hope and pray that you may be inscribed this year!

Blow That Shofar!
The Torah says that it is to be "a day of blowing", a "memorial of blowing of trumpets". You positively cannot let this day go by without hearing the sound of the shofar! This is again, is a last and final call or cry to repentance, a "wake up the King is coming! The King is here!" kind of moment. And to those who have turned back to HaShem this is the coronation blast! The trumpet that sounds signifying our crowning G-d as our King of Glory!

"Who is this King of glory? The L-RD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah." -Psalm 24:10

For me personally this memorial or remembrance represents the following things
#1 It serves as a reminder for me to turn my foot from following after the things of the world and turn back to the way of the L-rd. To search my ways, make peace with my brother and repent.

#2 It is a remembrance for HaShem. In scripture the phrase is used: "and G-d remembered"...the blowing of the shofar acts as a bringing us to G-d's remembrance(or attention). Reminding G-d that we have not forgotten His covenant and says in a way, as is so often said in the Psalms, G-d "don't forget us, we wait on You, we hope in Your covenant. Remember Your promises to Your people Israel"

#3 Lastly it reminds me of the trumpet that will blow at Mashiach's return. When He will be crowned as the rightful and righteous King of Israel! May it come soon and in our days!

  ~ Customs and Traditions ~

Apples and Honey - It is traditional to eat sliced apples dipped in honey. Why an apple you ask? Well apparently the pile of ashes that remained on the alter after a sacrifice was then carefully raked and shaped into a perfect semi-circle? And this was called the "tapuach" which means "apple" in Hebrew.  (http://www.templeinstitute.org/illustrated/tapuach_description.htm) Why would they call it that though? Well, an offering or a sacrifice for a truly repentant person was a means to draw close to HaShem. Naturally this "drawing near"/fellowship with G-d had a sweetening effect to the judgment, just like making peace with our fellow or rectifying a wrong brings sweetness back to the relationship. With Rosh Hashanah having such a theme of repentance it only seems fitting that we have something to remind us of drawing near to HaShem in that special way.

 A couple other things to think of when you dip your apple this year is how Israel is likened to the apple of G-d's eye in scripture, He gaurds us and protects us and will not cast us away! 

Honey is in everything at Rosh Hashanah; challah, cakes, and main dishes. Obviously it symbolizes our desire for a sweet year to come but it should also reminds us, wherever we are, of the promised land of Israel, G-d's promised heritage for His people. The land that Mashiach will return to and reign as King!

.....Oh and something I just thought of now...honey doesn't have an expiry date, that's right it never spoils!.....And neither do HaShem's promises! Now that's sweet!

Blessing for eating the apple and honey:

Ba-ruch a-tah Ado-nai E-lo-hei-nu me-lech ha-olam bore pri ha-etz.

Blessed are You, L-rd our G‑d, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of the tree.

Ye-hi ratzon she-ti-cha-desh alei-nu shanah tovah u-m'tu-kah.

May it be Your will to renew for us a good and sweet year.

Switching Up the Challah
Challah is generally made sweeter(than normal!!) and shaped round (instead of braided) to resemble a crown. This reminds us that G-d is our King and we desire to crown Him as such. It is also to remind us that the feasts of the L-rd are a cycle a circle, meant to, with each consecutive year, bring us into a closer and deeper relationship with G-d.

Tashlich - On the first day of Rosh Hashanah the community gathers next to a stream or some other body of water for prayers and to take part in the tradition of tashlich, which literally means to "cast off".

"Who is a God like unto Thee, that pardoneth the iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retaineth not His anger for ever, because He delighteth in mercy. He will again have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Thou wilt show faithfulness to Jacob, mercy to Abraham, as Thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old."  Micah 7:18-20

In remembrance of these words during the Tashlich service everyone casts some *pebbles into the water to symbolize the casting off of the previous years sin (teshuva-repentance). And of course in remembrance that in Yeshua HaMashiach we are made a new creation, our eternal penalty was cast completely on Him, sin's curse taken away *forever* so that we may dwell with him in his kingdom.

*Some communities use bread crumbs, however to avoid giving others the impression that you could be feeding the fish many hold the opinion that pebbles are the better choice.

For more on Tashlich check out the links below
http://www.ou.org/chagim/roshhashannah/tashlich.html
http://www.torahresource.com/Parashpdfs/Tashlich.pdf
Click HERE for a copy of the Tashlich prayer