In this corresponding Podcast, Jeri Kelley, a full blooded Jew and Messianic Jew shares about Rosh Hashanah and Messianic Judaism.
Rosh Hashanah is a Jewish holiday, yet many Christians are recognizing and participating in this celebration that is filled with feasting, prayer, tradition, and deep, meaningful, historical roots. Rosh Hashanah means head of the year, and this year, the Jewish New Year fell on the Hebrew calendar dates starting September 15 at sunset and concluding on September 17 at sunset. This holiday is part of the Fall Feasts or the High Holidays, which last about a month, a season also referred to as Tishri.
There are other names and layers of meaning to Rosh Hashanah including, Yom Teruah, which means day of shofar blasts, and Feast of Trumpets. Blowing the shofar or ram’s-horn is a significant tradition for the holiday. It represents an invitation to repent, align with God, awaken from spiritual slumber, and receive God’s forgiveness and mercy. Another tradition is tossing breadcrumbs into a body of water to symbolically cast away old habits and mistakes. Feasting is also a big part of the celebration. Foods such as apples with honey and pomegranates are customary, representing hope that the new year will be sweet, but there are many other traditional foods eaten during Rosh Hashanah.
So how is all this biblical and why would Christians recognize and take part in it? Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and God himself. They believe that they should conform to the image of God, live like Jesus lived, and embody his character and behavior to the best of their ability. Jesus was a Jewish man. He participated in Jewish holidays. Rosh Hashanah commemorates the birth of the world and man, which is told through the creation story in the beginning of Genesis, which is the first book of the Bible.
The Bible also includes many other references to the Fall Feast holidays and the sounding of the trumpet. There’s far too many to list them all here. A few key places that talk specifically about the sounding of the trumpets are Leviticus 23, Numbers 29, 1 Corinthians 15, 1 Thessalonians 4, and the 7 trumpet blasts throughout the book of Revelation, which are said to precede the return of Jesus.
Messianic Jews are part of the Jewish bloodline and believe that Christ was and is the Messiah who will return. Orthodox sects of Judaism only adhere to the Old Testament of the Bible. Messianic Jews believe that both the Old and New Testament, which make up the entire Christian Bible, identify Jesus as the Messiah whom taditional Jews await. They are both Jewish and Christian. Listen to a more in-depth testimony of what this bridging culture is like in the above podcast with Jeri Kelley as she depicts more about Rosh Hashanah and Messianic Judaism.
References for this article and resources from Jeri Kelley: Chosen People Ministries, Jews for Jesus, One for Israel, Asher Intrater I Jewish Voice, Who Ate Lunch with Abraham, The Fall Feasts of Israel
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