What is Rosh Hashanah, and How Do We Celebrate It?

Netivyah International

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year, celebrated on the first day of the seventh biblical month of Tishrei. Depending on the year, this falls sometime in September or early October. In the Torah, it is known as the Feast of Trumpets. It is a day marked by the sounding of a ram's horn to call God's people to rest, reflection, and repentance. For a Christian discovering the Jewish context of Scripture, Rosh Hashanah is an invitation to pause, make things right with God and neighbor, and look forward to the day Rabbi Yeshua returns at the final trumpet blast.

The Command in the Torah

If you open your Bible to Leviticus 23:24, you will not find the words "Rosh Hashanah." The text refers to this appointed time in Hebrew as Zichron Teruah, which translates to a memorial proclaimed with the blast of trumpets. Numbers 29:1 commands a holy convocation and a complete day of rest. God designed this day as a hard stop in the agricultural cycle of ancient Israel. The long, dry summer was wrapping up, and before the heavy winter rains began, God told the people to stop working and listen to the trumpet.

We see this day observed vividly later in the Tanakh. In the book of Nehemiah, the Jewish people had returned to Jerusalem from their captivity in Babylon. They rebuilt the walls, but they had forgotten much of the Torah. On the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the scribe brought out the scroll of the Law. He read it aloud in the public square from daybreak until noon.

Nehemiah 8 tells us that when the people heard the words, they wept. They realized how far they had drifted from God's instructions. Ezra and Nehemiah told them not to mourn, because the joy of the Lord was their strength. This day of conviction led directly to a season of sincere obedience.

The Sound of the Shofar

The centerpiece of Rosh Hashanah is the shofar. The shofar is made from the horn of a ram. In ancient Israel, it was not played like a musical instrument in a modern orchestra. It was a primary tool of communication. It was blown to signal the camp to move in the wilderness, and it was blown to warn of an approaching army. It was also sounded when a new king was anointed and crowned, as we see when Solomon was made king in 1 Kings 1:39.

Joseph Shulam often points out that the shofar is a spiritual alarm clock. It is meant to wake us up from our spiritual slumber. It cuts through the noise of our daily routines and demands our attention. The prophet Joel warned the people to blow the trumpet in Zion and sound the alarm on God's holy mountain, pointing to the coming Day of the Lord (Joel 2:1).

The sounding of the shofar in the synagogue follows a specific, ancient pattern. There are three distinct sounds. The Tekiah is one long, clear blast. It sounds like a royal announcement. The Shevarim consists of three broken blasts, resembling the sound of weeping or crying out to God.

The Teruah is a rapid succession of nine or more staccato notes, ringing urgently. The sequence ends with the Tekiah Gedolah, the great blast, held for as long as the blower has breath. Hearing these sounds in person shakes you to your core. It is a physical reminder that we are standing before the Creator of the universe. You can read more about the prophetic weight of this sound in our teaching on Hearing the Shofar on the Feast of Trumpets.

The Ten Days of Repentance

Rosh Hashanah does not stand alone. It is the doorway to a season. The blast of the shofar on the first day of Tishrei kicks off a ten-day period known as the Days of Awe. These ten days culminate on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

In Jewish tradition, these ten days are entirely focused on teshuvah. Teshuvah is the Hebrew word for repentance, but its literal meaning is to turn or to return. It is about changing your direction and walking back toward God. During the Days of Awe, Jewish people spend time examining their actions over the past year.

This process is not just between an individual and God. First-century Jewish teaching, which Yeshua echoed in His Sermon on the Mount, insists that you cannot be right with God if you are intentionally wrong with your brother. If you stole, you must return what you took. If you lied, you must confess it.

If you insulted someone, you must ask for their forgiveness. Yom Kippur brings atonement for sins against God, but sins against another person require you to go to that person first. We discuss this dynamic in our article on The One Sin Yom Kippur Won't Forgive - and How to Make It Right.

First-Century Context and the Return of the King

You might wonder why a believer in Yeshua should care about a call to repentance when He has already provided atonement. The truth is, we still live in a broken world. We still hurt each other. Setting aside time every year to take a moral inventory of our lives is a thoroughly biblical practice. We gather in awe of what God has done over the past year, and we ask for His help to walk more faithfully in the year to come.

Furthermore, understanding how the shofar was used to announce a king gives the New Testament writings a clearer meaning. The apostles taught that the return of Yeshua would be announced by this exact sound. Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first."

God's appointed times are laid out in order for a reason. The spring feasts were fulfilled in the first coming of Yeshua. The fall feasts, beginning with Rosh Hashanah, point toward events that are still in our future. When we celebrate the Feast of Trumpets, we are participating in a prophetic dress rehearsal. Every time we hear the shofar, we remember that our King is coming back to set the world right.

How to Celebrate the Feast at Home

In the synagogue, the morning service for Rosh Hashanah is long and solemn, yet filled with hope. The congregation typically wears white clothing to symbolize a desire for purity. The Torah reading for the day is Genesis 22, the story of the binding of Isaac.

We read this account because Abraham found a ram caught in the thicket by its horns. God provided the substitute for Isaac, just as He provided Yeshua as the ultimate substitute for us. The ram's horn we blow today is a direct callback to God's mercy on Mount Moriah. You do not need to attend a synagogue to recognize this day, however. You can bring the meaning of the Feast of Trumpets right to your dining room table.

Rest and Reflect

Numbers 29:1 commands a holy convocation and a break from ordinary labor. If your schedule allows, take the day off. Turn off your screens. Step away from the constant demands of work and let your mind settle. Use the time to ask the Lord to search your heart.

Share a Festive Meal

Gather your family or a few friends for a special dinner. In Jewish homes, the evening begins with lighting candles and saying blessings over the food. We eat specific foods that carry symbolic meaning. The most famous tradition is dipping slices of apple into honey. The apple reminds us of God's provision, and the honey represents our hope for a sweet new year.

We also eat round challah bread instead of the usual braided loaves. The round shape looks like a crown, reminding us that God is King. It also represents the continuous cycle of the year. If you want to include more of these traditional foods at your table, we have a helpful guide to Simanim: Symbolic Rosh Hashana Foods.

Read the Word Together

For a structured way to guide your evening, you can use our resource on How to Have a Rosh Hashanah Seder at Home. A seder simply means an order of service. It gives you a clear path to read Scripture, sing, and pray together before the meal.

Open your Bible to Leviticus 23 and read the command for the day. Turn to Nehemiah 8 and read about the people weeping when they heard the Torah, then choosing joy. Finish with 1 Thessalonians 4 to remind everyone at the table that Yeshua is returning.

As you enter this season, we wish you a Shanah Tova U'Metuka. That is the traditional Hebrew greeting for Rosh Hashanah. It means, "A good and sweet year."

Before you go to sleep on the eve of the Feast of Trumpets, ask yourself one question. If the shofar sounded tomorrow to announce the arrival of the King, what is the one conversation you would regret putting off? Make that phone call today.

Questions people ask

What does Rosh Hashanah celebrate?

It celebrates the Jewish New Year and the biblical Feast of Trumpets. It is a time set aside for rest, repentance, and hearing the sound of the shofar to wake us up spiritually.

When is Rosh Hashanah celebrated?

It falls on the first day of the seventh biblical month, called Tishrei. On the Gregorian calendar, this date shifts slightly each year but almost always lands in September or early October.

How is Rosh Hashanah celebrated at home?

Families celebrate by sharing a festive meal featuring apples dipped in honey and round challah bread. They read Scripture together, pray for a sweet new year, and take time to ask forgiveness from anyone they have wronged.

Why is Rosh Hashanah celebrated by believers in Yeshua?

Believers celebrate it to honor the biblical command in Leviticus 23 and to practice a yearly rhythm of self-reflection. It also serves as a prophetic rehearsal for the return of Yeshua, which the apostles taught will be announced by a trumpet blast.