Rosh Hashanah
Earlier this week Jewish communities throughout the world celebrated Rosh Hashanah.
Rosh Hashanah literally means "head of the year" and commemorates the anniversary of the creation of the world. It is celebrated on the first day of the month of Tishri. This year, Rosh Hashanah began at sundown on September 29th and ended at nightfall on September 30th.
Rosh Hashanah literally means "head of the year" and commemorates the anniversary of the creation of the world. It is celebrated on the first day of the month of Tishri. This year, Rosh Hashanah began at sundown on September 29th and ended at nightfall on September 30th.
The commandment to observe Rosh Hashanah is found in Leviticus 23:23-25: 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."
It is also mentioned in Numbers 29:1: "On the first day of the seventh month hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. It is a day for you to sound the trumpets."
One of the central features of Rosh Hashanah is the shofar. The shofar is an instrument made from a ram's horn that sounds somewhat like a trumpet. In the Bible, Rosh Hashanah is referred to as Yom Teruah, the day of the sounding of the shofar, otherwise known as the Feast of Trumpets. The shofar is often representative of Abraham offering Isaac to God as a sacrifice on Mount Moriah (Genesis 22). It was then that God provided Abraham with a ram, caught by its horns in a thicket, as a substitute for Isaac. Rosh Hashanah is a time of both celebration and repentance. It is a time of spiritual renewal through prayer and deep personal reflection leading up to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, on the 10th day of Tishri (Leviticus 23:26-28).
Rosh Hashanah is when the Jewish people recognize God as King and Judge over all living things. On Rosh Hashanah we celebrate the creation of the world, when "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day."(Genesis 1:31).
The vast majority of Christians are unfamiliar with most of the traditional Jewish holidays. Yet they hold great spiritual and prophetic significance. In Colossians 2:16-17 it says, "Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ."
posted by Modern Day Magi @ 10:44 am
4 Comments:
At 10/02/2008 07:26:00 pm,
Paul G said…
Very good information modern day magi;
To the Jews that was useless and did not benefit them, they always rejected the Lord and did not wanted Him to be their King, they murdered their prophets and eventually when the Lord came in the flesh they crucified Him.
Rightly you said it's a shadow and all is in Christ.
At 10/02/2008 11:31:00 pm,
Joe said…
You are quite right that too many Christians are unfamiliar with the traditional Jewish holidays.
That's too bad, because there is a rich heritage there and a lot to learn.
Plus...ultimately almost all of them point to Christ.
At 10/03/2008 02:35:00 am,
Anonymous said…
Great point. An understanding of the "shadow" helps us better understand and appreciate the "reality."
At 10/03/2008 07:14:00 am,
Modern Day Magi said…
It is also interesting that when the object making the shadow gets closer to the surface the shadow is on, there is more umbra. Or The dark, clear part of the shadow is the majority of the shadow. The shadow gets clearer.
Try it now hold your hand as far off you desk as you can while still being able to see the shadow made. Now slowly move your hand closer to the desk and look what happens to the shadow.
As we hold Christ closer in our view, the shadows of Him in the Jewish festivals and symbolism become clearer images of Jesus.
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