Friday, September 18, 2020

Rosh Hashanah, Feast of Trumpets

Angel VIII by Jorge Cocco | Altus Fine Art
"Angel Moroni" by Jorge Cocco (click to purchase)  

What is Rosh Hashanah?

Rosh Hashanah (in scripture, the Day of Remembrance or the Feast of Trumpets), welcomes God as Sovereign King/Master of the universe and Judge, invites Israel to repentance, and initiates the gathering of the fall harvest and Israel. The shofar is blown three times on Rosh Hashanah, affirming God’s kingship, God’s covenant, and God’s Messiah. 

This year, Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown on September 18.

Themes

  • God’s Kingship: Trumpets & God as Sovereign King/Master of the Universe

    • Shofar heralds arrival of the king

    • “We are not the ones in charge of the world…no matter how free and powerful we may be, the world is not ours to control, exploit, or dominate” (Kushner, To Life!, 109)

    • Humility 

      • Kindness to God’s creations

      • Let go of perfectionism and social justice fatigue

  • God’s Covenant: God as Judge

    • Invitation to repentance, “return to God”

      • “ The gates of repentance remain open until the Day of Atonement“ (Kolatch, Jewish Book of Why, 222)

    • God judges past year: Our deeds count, God cares about what we do

      • Punishment AND reward, it’s not only about mistakes

    • God judges/writes year ahead: Faith can arm us against and through the uncertainties of life

    • God’s promise of mercy

    • New year:

      • Examine our lives during the past year

      • Hopes, prayers, and intentions for the year ahead  

  • God’s Messiah: God as Lord of the Harvest & Gathering

    • Beginning of fall harvest - thanksgiving

    • Looks forward to Messiah and gathering of Israel

(For Latter-day Saints, consider the parallels between these themes - trumpets, covenant/judgment, and gathering - and the Restoration, especially the Book of Mormon, which is announced by Moroni's trumpet and prophecies both of the gathering and judgment of God's people. Further, the golden plates were given to Joseph Smith on Rosh Hashanah!)

Symbols

  • Shofar (ram’s horn)

    • welcomes God as King

    • sound of celebration and victory

    • remembers near-sacrifice of Isaac and God’s providence of a ram

  • Apples & honey - hope for sweet new year

  • Pomegranate - many seeds, symbolize hope that new year will be filled with many good deeds 

  • Round challah (bread) - circle of the year, crown for God

  • White clothing, curtains, tablecloths, flowers

  • Bird

    • “As hovering birds, so will the Lord protect Jerusalem“ Isaiah 31:5

    • “reflects the hope that man’s prayers will be carried heavenward“ (Kolatch, Jewish Book of Why, 234)

Scripture

  • Lev 23:24-25

Rituals

  • Rosh Hashanah Seder meal

  • Tashlich - cast off sins (crumbs in moving body of water)

    • Sins: mistakes, sorrows, evil/wickedness committed by and against us

Traditional Food

“New fruit” (something never tried before)

Round challah (bread)

Apples

Honey 

Pomegranate

Fish

Dates

Head (lettuce, fish cookie/cracker)

Rubia (Green string beans or sesame seeds)

Karti (leeks or scallions)

Silka (beets)

Gezer (carrots)

Kara (pumpkin or gourd)

Resources (Clickable Links)


For Latter-day Saints:
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