Feast Of Trumpets - Rosh Hashonah Series

Feast of Trumpets

Numbers 19:1-6

Leviticus 23:23-25

March 27, 2022

We’re about to enter into the holiest of the Jewish holidays, called Rosh Hashonah and Yom Kippur. Maybe you’ve heard of the expression C and E Christians? That means Christmas and Easter church attenders. Well, Judaism has the same, and it occurs on these 2 holy days.

When I was growing up, we celebrated Passover, to a small extent, but we attempted it. We celebrated Chanukah, which is not one of the 7 feasts of Israel. It’s a holiday which occurs around Christmas time and is found in the apocrypha from the book of Maccabees.

But, we always, always celebrated Rosh Hashonah and Yom Kippur. As a Jew, you don’t play around with these holidays, because your very existence and life depends upon it.

In fact, let me give you an interesting side bar. Last week, I mentioned I had been talking to someone who believed they were an apostate. They read Christian literature which stated, once you are a Christian, then turn away from God, there’s no coming back. I believe that’s really, really, really poor theology for lots of reasons that I won’t get into.

Then this person sent me an article which stated once you’re an apostate, you can always turn back to God, because God is all about forgiving us. I was like, WALA! That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you!!

What was interesting about these articles is the first one was written by a Christian website, the one which spoke of God’s forgiveness was written by a Jewish rabbi. HMM!! Not sure what to make of it, but that’s the area where we are heading this week and next week.

So, let’s look at the 5th of the 7 feasts of Israel. I’m going to read from Numbers 29 to help us see what this feast day was about. It’s also in Leviticus 23, but the passage in Numbers gives us more detail.

1 “On the first day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work. It is a day for you to blow the trumpets,

2 and you shall offer a burnt offering, for a pleasing aroma to the Lord: one bull from the herd, one ram, seven male lambs a year old without blemish;

3 also their grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, six quarts for the bull, four quarts for the ram,

4 and two quarts for each of the seven lambs;

5 with one male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you;

6 besides the burnt offering of the new moon, and its grain offering, and the regular burnt offering and its grain offering,

and their drink offering, according to the rule for them, for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord. - Numbers 29:1-6

So, that’s Rosh Hashonah. But, it’s never called that in the Bible. It’s always referred to as the Feast of Trumpets. Basically, because the people are told to blow the trumpets on that first day of the seventh month.

According to Jewish teachings, Rosh Hashanah is the beginning of ten days of judgment when all the people pass before the God. The righteous are written into the Book of Life, the wicked are condemned and those who are not wholly righteous nor wholly wicked are given ten days to repent and escape judgment.

This feast took place on the first day of Tishri, which was the seventh month on the religious calendar; but the first month on the civil calendar. Tishri would include the latter part of September and the first part of October on our calendar. This feast has come to be known in modern times as Rosh Hashanah, which means “Head of the year.”

This feast is the only one that occurs on the first day of the month, at the new Moon, when the moon is dark and the shape is that of a thin crescent. All the other Jewish holidays occur later in their respective months when the moon is shining brightly.

The final 3 feasts all occur in the Jewish month of Tishri. The Feast of Trumpets was on Tishri 1, the Day of Atonement was on Tishri 10 and the Feast of Tabernacles began on Tishri 15.

Like all Jewish holidays, they start at sundown of the day before the full day. For example, this year, it begins at sundown on September 25 and ends at sundown on September 27. It lasts for 2 days.

When you went to temple you would often hear the greeting of L’Shanah Tovah Tik-e-tay-voo! This means “May your name be inscribed for a good year.”

A more formal way to say it is L’Shanah Tovah Tik-e-tay-voo Va-tik-a-tay-moo - - - this means “May your name be inscribed and sealed for a good year.