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Rosh Hashanna is the New Year on the Jewish calendar. God commands in Exodus 12:2 that the month of Nissan shall be the beginning of the year. Nissan, which is in the spring, is indeed the first month of the Jewish calendar, and the same month as Passover. So why then is the New Year celebrated at the beginning of the 7th month?

In Leviticus chapter 23, where the feasts of the Lord are outlined, there’s no mention of a New Year celebration. Verse 23-25 outline what we have come to call the Feast of Trumpets. It says:

23 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. 25 You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord.’ ” (NKJV)

The text is vague as to what this feast is and what is required, other than the blowing of shofars and refraining from work. In the modern Jewish tradition, this holiday has come to be the New Year’s celebration. Rosh Hashanna, which means head of the year, is the beginning of the Jewish civil year, while the beginning of the calendar in the month of Nissan is considered the New Year for the holiday cycle.

Unlike in most nations throughout the world the New Year isn’t a time for wild partying, in Israel and in Jewish culture the New Year is a time primarily for being with family and friends. The celebration lasts for two days, during which almost everything is closed. In the days ahead of Rosh Hashanna, people are busy scurrying about to make their last minute purchases and preparations for the feast. When the feast arrives, it’s very quiet, very intimate, and no fireworks.

A traditional greeting given is: shanna tova u’metuka, which means have a happy and sweet New Year. Sweets are also used throughout other Jewish holidays and are meant to serve as a reminder that God’s word and its study is something sweet that we should long after. In addition to pomegranates, whose 613 seeds inside traditionally represent each of the commandments in the Torah, honey and apples will be served. And because Rosh Hashanna is the head of the year, round bread and even fish heads can be found on many dining tables.

So whether it’s now, in the spring, or on January 1st — happy New Year to everyone.

This entry was posted by Will on Saturday, September 23rd, 2006 at 2:42 am and is filed under From Israel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.