We are in the season of the High Holidays. This is a time of year when people in Israel, and Jews all around the world slow down to focus on God, their family, and friends. In sequential order, the next 3 holidays, Rosh HaShannah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot are a BIG deal! Over the next few posts I will share about the significance of Yom Kippur and Sukkot. Since Rosh HaShannah is the first of the 3 big holidays, let’s take a look at what this celebration is all about.
Growing up, I always had a good time celebrating Rosh HaShannah. Rosh HaShannah literally translates to “Head of the Year.” This is the beginning of the New Year! This time around we are ending year 5779 and entering year 5780. One of the ways we celebrate the New Year is through self-reflection. We think, meditate, and pray about ways we can improve our walk with God, our relationships, and ourselves. At the beginning of the day we sound the shofar to welcome the New Year. This sounding of the shofar is a literal depiction of what is going to be happening when Yeshua returns to the earth as King.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17: “Lord himself will come down from heaven with a rousing cry, with a call from one of the ruling angels, and with God’s shofar; those who died united with the Messiah will be the first to rise; then we who are left still alive will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and thus we will always be with the Lord.”
During Rosh HaShannah we add raisins to the challah to express our desire for a sweet new year. This is also the only time of year we serve a round shaped challah. This is a symbol of the crowning of the coming King (Yeshua). Our hope for a sweet new year continues as we eat sliced apples dipped in honey. This is a mandatory observance simply because it is delicious. When we dip the apples in honey we say a blessing in Hebrew, “May it be Your will to renew for us a good and sweet year.”
Isn’t the season we are entering, beautiful? Rosh HaShannah is the beginning of it all.
Jonathan Weiss
Israel Liaison
Daystar Television Network